Arthur, the Hero King

While there isn’t much evidence to prove his existence, many historians and scholars believe he was real. It’s very possible that Arthur was real and fought against the Saxons. Arthur was most likely a war-chief or general rather than a king but the stories of him are some of the renowned legends and tales known today. Many of the tales were spread by the Bretons before 1100 AD and towards the beginning of the 12^th century the legends of Arthur had been spread as far as Italy. There are a few items from the legend that have significance in the stories. The Round Table was a table given to Arthur was a wedding gift that could seat his knights. There is no head of the table, showing that everyone that sits there is equal. Excalibur or Caliburn, was a magic sword given to Arthur. In some stories, it would blind Arthur’s enemies on the battlefield. The scabbard also had magical attributes such as preventing someone from bleeding or dying from their wounds.

Arthur was fierce and heroic; he fought against giants, monsters, witches, and the undead. One poem described the exploit of Arthur to Annwn, the island of the dead to obtain a magic caldron that may have granted Arthur immortality. He also had a team of other heroes and valiant knights that followed him.  His conquests didn’t stop at monsters however; he conquered France, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and Denmark. Eventually, the fearsome Romans challenged Arthur. The Romans had demanded tributes and Arthur refused. Arthur then gathered an army and the Romans banded 40,000 men to fight Arthur. Despite the Roman’s colossal army, they weren’t victorious and their emperor, Lucius Hiberius, was slain. The stories may be bountiful in adventures and slaying evil but there are some tales of his immense altruism. In one story Arthur grants food and wine to men, showing his generosity and sharing his spoils with the public. Despite this generosity, strength, and courage his own son Mordred would betray Arthur. While Arthur was battling the Romans, Mordred had taken the crown for himself and when Arthur and his army returned to Britain there was a battle involving the death of Mordred and thousands of others. Arthur was severely wounded and brought to the Isle of Avalon to heal but he gave up his crown to Constantine.