These are my sources, and I have used them very much as Malory used his originals. In place of the French ‘Arthurian Cycle’ I have had Malory’s own immortal book; like him I have drawn from the romances which he also used. But my net has been wider cast than his in my search for incidents and versions of one of the world’s greatest legends. No writer can rival Malory as the storyteller of the Morte D’Arthur as he told it almost exactly five hundred years ago – but the great legends, like the best of the fairy tales, must be retold from age to age: there is always something new to be found in them, and each retelling brings them freshly and more vividly before a new generation – and therein lies their immortality.
ROGER LANCELYN GREEN
EPILOGUE
Avalon
Sir Launcelot landed at Dover and asked of the townspeople where King Arthur was. They showed him the grave of Sir Gawain, and there he knelt long in prayer, sorrowing for the death of a very noble knight who had been his friend: but of King Arthur they had no tidings, except that he had marched westward nearly a month before.
Then Launcelot left all his men at Dover under the command of his cousin Sir Bors de Gannis, and rode away alone to the west. And after eight days he came to Almesbury and, as the night was falling, sought shelter in the great nunnery there. The abbess received him kindly and led him towards the guest-chamber. But as they passed by the cloisters there came a nun who cried aloud when she saw Sir Launcelot, and fell down in a faint. And when they bent down beside her, behold, it was Queen Guinevere!
That evening she told Sir Launcelot of a message that had come to her from Sir Bedivere telling of the dreadful battle of Camlann on the day of destiny; and of how he had seen King Arthur borne away sorely wounded into the unknown land of Avalon. And Sir Bedivere had made his way to the Abbey of Glastonbury which was not very far from the battlefield, and had there become a hermit, meaning to spend the rest of his days as a monk.
And Guinevere told Launcelot of her sorrow and repentance:
‘For it is through our love that my lord King Arthur is slain, and with him most of the noblest knights of the world. And this land of Britain is laid open to the heathen Saxons, and the holy realm of Logres is no more. Therefore I came secretly hither and made my vows to dwell a nun all the days that are left to me, praying God to forgive me my grievous sin.’
‘Now, my sweet lady,’ said Launcelot, ‘I will never be false to you. For here I swear that I too will take the vows that you have taken, and pass the rest of my days in prayer and fasting.’
Then they said good-bye to one another, knowing that this was the last time they would ever meet on earth. And in the morning Launcelot rode away until he came to Glastonbury; and there he found the ancient Archbishop of Canterbury and Sir Bedivere who had become a monk. Gladly they welcomed Launcelot to their company, and in a little while he had flung away his sword and armour and was clad in the coarse robes of a simple friar.
There, many months later, Sir Bors came to join him when he had sent away the great army which had come over from France. For Constantine the Duke of Cornwall was king now: but little of the land of Britain could he keep from the Saxons.
Years passed, and one night Launcelot dreamed that Guinevere lay dying and called to him. In the morning he and seven of his fellow monks set out to Almesbury and found that she had died quietly during the night. Then Launcelot brought her to Glastonbury and himself spoke the burial service over her when she was laid in her deep grave near the high altar.
But within a few weeks he too fell sick, and passed away quietly as one who had no longer any will to live.
And when he lay waiting for burial his brother Sir Hector de Maris came and stood beside his bier.
‘Ah, Launcelot,’ he said, ‘you were the best knight in all Christendom. You, Sir Launcelot, who lie there never had nor never will have any to rival you. And you were the most courteous knight that ever bore shield, the truest friend that ever bestrode horse, you were the truest lover that ever loved woman, and the kindest man that ever wore a sword. You were the finest man that ever was seen in a company of knights, and the meekest and most gentle among ladies, but the sternest knight to your mortal foes that ever put spear in rest.’
And when Launcelot was buried, Sir Hector and Sir Bors, Sir Blamour and Sir Bleoberis, the only knights left living of all the fellowship of the Round Table, set forth on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and there ended their days.
So ended the realm of Logres and all those who had lived and fought for the glory of God and the spreading of His Will on earth. For very soon the Saxons had conquered the whole of Britain and the Dark Ages descended upon all the western world.
But never was King Arthur forgotten, and always the belief endured in Britain, and in Wales particularly, that he would come again to save his land in the hour of its deadliest danger; that once more Britain should become the holy realm of Logres, the land of peace and righteousness and of true Christian living.
Round about the year 1200 it was announced suddenly that King Arthur was indeed dead – for the monks of Glastonbury had found his bones laid in a stone coffin buried in their precincts near to those of Queen Guinevere. This must be true, they reported, for beneath the coffin was a stone with a leaden cross sunk into it and a Latin inscription saying: ‘Here lies King Arthur in this tomb with Guinevere his wife, in the Isle of Avalon.’ The bones, they said, were of more than mortal size, and there were many more signs and wonders proving that here indeed lay King Arthur.
The story, it seems, was invented by the monks to bring fresh glory to their Abbey – and also to please the Norman kings of England, who did not like their conquered subjects to believe that King Arthur might return any day and release them from their new overlords.
But we may think, if we like, that it was Launcelot and not Arthur whom the monks dug up in the reign of Richard Coeur de Lion and reburied with all honour in a marble tomb.
And we may believe, too, that King Arthur still sleeps in some enchanted cave – perhaps in some ‘Vale of Avalon’ in the deep mountain fastnesses of Wales. For there, so the legend is told still in the haunted land of Gwynedd, a shepherd once met with a strange and mysterious man.
‘Beneath the tree from which that staff was cut,’ said the Stranger, pointing to the hazel crook in the shepherd’s hand, ‘lies hidden a vast hoard of treasure!’
And when the shepherd inquired further, he was told the secret of the cave:
‘In the doorway hangs a great bell,’ the Stranger told him, ‘and you must not touch it, for if you do the Sleepers in the Cave will wake.’ And when he had said this the Stranger vanished mysteriously and the shepherd rubbed his eyes, thinking that he had dreamed a dream.
But not long afterwards, while seeking for a lost sheep high up among the mountain crags, he came to a little valley, and recognized the hazel tree at the head of it as that from which he had cut his crook when climbing among the rocks as a boy.
So he went up to the tree, and there under its roots, sure enough, was a narrow cave entrance. Into it he went on his hands and knees, and presently found himself in a great, dark cavern. Here he struck a light and lit a candle which he happened to have in his pocket, and holding it above his head, he beheld the marvels of the place. All around in a great circle lay warriors sleeping, each of them clad in old armour and with a sword by his side; and upon a couch in the midst lay an ancient king who wore a golden crown and held in his hand a shining sword with a jewelled cross-hilt, while at his feet lay great heaps of gold and silver.
Amazed at what he saw, the shepherd stepped backwards suddenly and by ill luck struck against the great bell which hung over the doorway. And as its deep tones echoed through the cavern the old king on the couch woke out of his sleep and sat slowly up.
‘Is it day?’ he asked.
And the shepherd, trembling in terror, cried, he hardly knew why: ‘No, no! Therefore sleep on!’
And then the King said: ‘You say well; I will
sleep once more until the day comes when I shall rise and bring victory to the people of Britain. Take of the silver and gold that lies before you, and get you gone speedily: for if my knights awake before it is time they will slay you – and then there will be none to speak the words which you have spoken, and which send me now back to my long rest.’
Then the King slept once more; and the shepherd took up as much gold and silver as he could carry and fled from the place. But never again, though he sought for it often, could he find the cave under the hazel tree which led to the mysterious cavern where sleep King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
PUFFIN CLASSICS
King Arthur
and his Knights of the Round Table
With Puffin Classics, the adventure isn’t over when you reach the final page.
Want to discover more about your favourite characters, their creators and their worlds? Read on …
CONTENTS
AUTHOR FILE
WHO’S WHO IN CAMELOT
THE HISTORY OF KING ARTHUR
SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT …
SOME THINGS TO DO …
TECHNOFILES: ARMOUR, SWORDS, SPEARS AND SHIELDS
AUTHOR FILE
NAME: Roger Lancelyn Green
BORN: 2 November 1918 in Norwich, England
DIED: 8 October 1987 in London
NATIONALITY: English
LIVED: in Oxford and his family home in Cheshire, which the Greens had owned for over 900 years
MARRIED: to June Green
CHILDREN: one son, Richard
Where did he grow up?
He was born in Norwich and went to boarding school in Surrey. Roger was often ill, though, and couldn’t go to school – so he spent lots of time at the family’s manor house in the county of Cheshire. His family were wealthy, and there was a huge library in their house. He spent many hours reading the old books there, and this is probably where his love of myths and legends started.
What did he do apart from writing books?
In the course of his life Roger was a professional actor, a librarian and a teacher. He was also a member of the Inklings Club in Oxford, a group of friends who read, and commented on, each other’s work. Its members included C. S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia) and J. R. R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit).
If it hadn’t been for Roger, The Chronicles of Narnia might never have been published. In 1949, Roger went to dinner with C. S. Lewis. Lewis read Roger two chapters of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. He also informed Roger that he’d read them to Tolkien a few weeks before, who had told Lewis that he didn’t think they were very good. Roger disagreed. He thought they were great, and he encouraged Lewis to get them published. Roger even thought of the series title The Chronicles of Narnia, and he went on to become the very first reader of all of the rest of the Narnia stories.
Where did he get the idea for King Arthur?
Although the legend of King Arthur is over a thousand years old, there weren’t very many versions for children around. Inspired by friends’ books such as The Hobbit and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Roger decided that he would create a version of the legend especially for children.
What did people think of King Arthur when it was first published in 1953?
Roger’s retelling of King Arthur was a bestseller during the 1950s and 1960s.
What other books did he write?
Retellings of the Egyptian, Greek and Norse myths, plus a retelling of the Robin Hood legend. He also wrote many books for adults, including a biography of his friend C. S. Lewis.
WHO’S WHO IN CAMELOT
King Arthur – legendary king who draws the sword from the stone and unites Britain under his rule for a brief period of peace.
King Uther Pendragon and Queen Igrayne – Arthur’s parents, who give him up to Merlin when he is a newborn baby. Before she married Uther, Igrayne had been married to King Gorlois of Cornwall; Gorlois is the father of Arthur’s half-sisters Morgawse, Elaine and Morgana le Fay.
Sir Ector and Sir Kay – Arthur’s foster-father and foster-brother. Sir Kay later becomes Arthur’s seneschal.
Merlin – a great enchanter who helps Arthur come to the throne.
KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE
Sir Launcelot – son of King Pant of Gwynedd, foster-son of the Lady Nimue, and greatest knight of the Round Table. His only flaw is a fatal passion for Queen Guinevere.
Sir Galahad – son of Sir Launcelot and Elaine, daughter of King Pelles. Galahad is the most perfect knight ever to grace the Round Table.
Sir Gawain – brave but hot-headed son of Arthur’s half-sister Queen Morgawse and her husband, King Lot of Orkney.
Sir Gareth, Sir Gaheris and Sir Agravaine – Gawain’s brothers, also Knights of the Round Table.
Sir Tristram of Lyonesse – nephew of King Mark of Cornwall.
King Pellinore – a fierce fighter, first an enemy of Arthur and afterwards one of his knights. King Pellinore’s son Sir Tor is also a Knight of the Round Table.
Sir Percivale of Wales – knight of uncertain parentage (though he may be the son of Gawain and the Lady Ragnell). Percivale grows up wild in the forests of Wales, but nevertheless becomes one of the best knights of King Arthur’s court.
Sir Bors and Sir Lionel de Gannis – cousins of Sir Launcelot.
Sir Hector – half-brother of Sir Launcelot.
Sir Geraint – son of Erbin, Sir Geraint grows up in the Forest of Dean.
Sir Bedivere – the only one of Arthur’s knights to survive the Last Battle.
Sir Mordred – traitorous son of Queen Morgana le Fay.
OTHER KNIGHTS AND KINGS
Balyn and Balan – twin brothers, and heroes of one of the most tragic stories to befall the knights of King Arthur’s court.
King Pelles – The invalid king of Castle Carbonek and its desolate surroundings, and keeper of the Holy Grail.
King Mark – King of Cornwall, and one of Arthur’s vassals.
QUEENS AND LADIES
Queen Guinevere – Arthur’s queen and daughter of King Leodegraunce, one of Arthur’s vassals.
The Lady of the Lake (also known as the Lady Nimue) – mystical figure who gives Arthur his great sword Excalibur and, at the end of his life, enchants Merlin into an eternal sleep.
Queen Morgana le Fay – Arthur’s half-sister and wife of Sir Urience. She tries to overthrow Arthur many times using her magic arts.
Iseult the Fair – daughter of the King of Ireland, wife of King Mark of Cornwall, and beloved of Sir Tristram.
The Lady Enid – daughter of Duke Liconal and beloved of Sir Geraint.
The Lady Ragnell – a beautiful lady enchanted by the evil Morgana le Fay into a hideous appearance. Sir Gawain breaks the spell and then marries her.
The Lady Blanchefleur – the Grail Maiden, and later the wife of Sir Percivale.
Elaine of Astolat – daughter of King Pelles and mother of Sir Galahad. Elaine falls in love with Launcelot and tricks him into believing that she is Guinevere for a night, which is when Sir Galahad is sired.
The Lady Linnet and the Lady Liones – sisters in whose service Sir Gareth makes his name.
THE HISTORY OF KING ARTHUR
Was King Arthur a real person?
There are stories about Arthur dating as far back as the year 600. No one really knows, though, if those first stories were based on a real person or not. Some people think that King Arthur has always been a mysterious, legendary figure – but others think that the stories are based on a real person who was alive around 400–500.
Was Britain in 400–500 anything like the Britain in the stories of King Arthur?
Not really. Britain in 400–500 wouldn’t have had many of the features that today we think are essential parts of the King Arthur legend, such as knights, armour, jousts and tournaments. All these were added to the story hundreds of years later, by medieval writers.
One part of the legend that
is based in fact, though, is the strife and misery which Arthur all too briefly quells. In about 410 Roman rule ended in Britain, after more than 400 years. Roman Britain wasn’t a paradise, but it was well organized, well connected to the rest of the Roman Empire, and mainly peaceful. Without the Empire to protect the country and enforce order, though, the land degenerated into lawlessness. Wave upon wave of warriors and settlers from northern Europe flooded into the country, whilst many small warlords squabbled, bloodily, amongst themselves.
If King Arthur was a real person, what might he have been like?
If Arthur really existed, he might have been a leader from a Romano-British family who fought to preserve the civilized traditions of Roman Britain. The struggle would have been bloody, dirty and very nearly hopeless. Yet who is to say that the Arthur living this difficult, desperate existence wasn’t more truly heroic than the King Arthur of the legends?
Who were the medieval writers who made all these changes to the story – and why?
There were many, but some of the most famous were Geoffrey of Monmouth, Chretien de Troyes, and Sir Thomas Malory. People always adapt stories to fit the times they are living in, and these writers were no different. Just as Hollywood producers remake old films for today’s audiences, so these writers retold the story of King Arthur in a way that made sense to people living in their times. This meant including what, for them, were modern features, such as armour, knights and jousting. Retellings of the King Arthur story were extremely popular throughout the medieval period.
SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT …
Why do you think that the King Arthur legend has lasted for so long?
Do you think it matters that only one knight in the whole of the Round Table – Sir Galahad – is actually able perfectly to live up to the ideals of chivalry?
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table Page 26