King Arthur Pendragon

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King Arthur Pendragon

King Arthur Pendragon was one of Britain's most famous kings.

History

King Arthur was born in 485 A.D. He was raised by the wizard Merlin in the 5th century A.D., who taught him how to be a good king and leader. He became King of Britain by pulling the enchanted sword Excalibur out of the Stone of Destiny, and united the various British tribes, forming "a country of beauty and civilization", as Macbeth once put it. During his reign, he became familiar with gargoyles and with their true nature, although the details of this alliance are as yet unknown. However, in the end, his kingdom fell, and Arthur was mortally wounded at the Battle of Camlann in 542. He was taken away to Avalon in a boat by the Lady of the Lake, Morgana le Fay, and Nimue, admitted there by Oberon since he (Oberon) owed Merlin a favor, and laid to sleep within the Hollow Hill as the Sleeping King until Britain needed him.

Arthur was awakened ahead of schedule, however, by Elisa when Avalon was attacked by the Archmage in late 1995.

He helped organize the defenders against the Archmage, and personally defeated Macbeth in the battle that followed. Afterwards, he decided to explore the outside world, and departed from Avalon.

Arthur had some unknown adventure in the real world and then returned to Avalon. He considered staying there, but ultimately decided to leave aboard a skiff. The skiff that he took brought him to London on May 18, 1996, where he decided to stand vigil in Westminster Abbey. There, after midnight (making it May 19), he both met Griff, and re-encountered the Stone of Destiny, which told him that he must prove himself worthy of wielding Excalibur again, and transported both Arthur and Griff to New York. There, they met Hudson and the trio, who assisted them in their quest; however, Arthur’s quest also came to Macbeth’s attention, and he also decided to search for Excalibur. The two former British kings vied for the magic sword in Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, where they found it inside a stone dragon; at last, Arthur regained his sword, but forgave Macbeth and accepted him as an ally. Afterwards, he decided to embark on another quest, to find Merlin, with Griff, whom he knighted, to accompany him.

Arthur and Griff’s adventures are as yet unrecorded, but they will search for Merlin, with the aid of the Lady Blanchefleur, Sir Percival’s wife, visiting Tintagel, Stonehenge, and the South Pole in the process, and encountering the Stone of Destiny again. After finding Merlin at last in his Crystal Cave, and freeing him, they will embark on a quest for the Holy Grail. During all this time, they will have a series of clashes with the Illuminati, quite likely connected to the fact that its leader, Mr. Duval, is the same person as Sir Percival, who was once one of King Arthur’s knights. Arthur will eventually found a "New Camelot" in Antarctica, of all places.

Real-World Background

Whether there was a real King Arthur or not is something that historians and scholars are still divided upon. Some believe that he was a real historical figure, if magnified by legend, a Romano-British war leader who fought the invading Saxons in the late 5th century A.D., while others believe him to be a mythical hero or demi-god. The theories about Arthur are numerous; Geoffrey Ashe, for example, has identified him as Riothamus, a British king who disappeared fighting King Euric of the Visigoths in Gaul around A.D. 470, while other historians have linked him to Lucius Artorius Castus, a Roman officer who led a contingent of Sarmatian auxiliaries posted in northern Britain in the late 2nd century A.D. The mystery will probably never be answered, but in the context of "Gargoyles," it hardly matters. For the King Arthur of "Gargoyles" is definitely the Arthur of medieval legend.

Arthur first appears in Welsh legend as a mysterious, shadowy figure. A 9th century Welsh historian usually known as Nennius (although his link to the name has recently come under debate) claimed that Arthur fought against the Saxons in twelve great battles, culminating in the siege of Mount Badon, where he personally slew 960 Saxons; while Badon was a real battle, we have no solid evidence that Arthur actually was there. Other Welsh tales portray him in a more "fantastic" environment, hunting the monstrous wild boar Troit or invading the Welsh Otherworld of Annwn in pursuit of a magical cauldron (see the entry on the Cauldron of Life for further information). The earliest extant mention of Arthur, a reference to him in the late 6th century poem "The Gododdin," makes it clear that already Arthur had gained a reputation for being a powerful warrior; the poem’s composer, Aneirin, says of one particular warrior that he was a magnificent fighter "although he was not Arthur."

King Arthur came more to prominence in 1136, when Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his "History of the Kings of Britain," which featured Arthur predominantly. His book was a medieval best-seller, and Arthur became the most popular part of it. As more and more people in Britain and Europe eagerly wrote tales about Arthur and his court, the legend grew, until it reached its more or less present form in Sir Thomas Malory’s "Le Morte d’Arthur," written around 1470.

The story of King Arthur, in its essence, runs as follows. Uther Pendragon, High King of Britain, fell in love with Igraine, the beautiful wife of Duke Gorlois of Cornwall, and made war upon her husband to seize her. Since Igraine was immured inside the impregnable fortress of Tintagel, Uther had Merlin magically disguise him as Gorlois, so that he could gain access to her, and thus begat Arthur. When Arthur was born, Merlin took him away and gave him into the care of a loyal nobleman named Sir Ector, who raised Arthur alongside his own son Kay. When Arthur was fifteen years old, Uther having died by then, he came to London with his adopted family, and drew a magical sword out of a stone and anvil, thus revealing himself to be the rightful King of Britain.

After bringing peace to a war-torn Britain, Arthur married Guinevere, the beautiful daughter of King Leodegrance of Cameliard, and, with Merlin’s assistance, founded the Knights of the Round Table, holding sway in the splendid castle of Camelot. But all was not well in his kingdom. His half-sister, Morgan le Fay, hated him and plotted to assassinate him several times through magic. Arthur also unwittingly slept with another half-sister of his, Queen Morgause of Lothian and Orkney, and begat upon her a son, Mordred, who grew up to become another bitter foe. To make matters worse, Guinevere and Arthur’s best knight, Sir Lancelot du Lac, fell in love with each other. While they did their best to keep their affair secret for many years, it was at last exposed, and a civil war between Arthur and Lancelot broke out.

Mordred took advantage of the war to seize the throne and proclaim himself King of Britain. Arthur broke off his war with Lancelot in France and returned to face his traitorous son; they met in battle at Camlann, where nearly all the knights of the Round Table were slain. Arthur killed Mordred, but was himself mortally wounded. He was taken away in a boat to Avalon, where his wounds would be healed. When Britain most needs him, he will return, to rescue it from whatever great peril besets it and to restore the glory of Camelot.

Since Malory, many noteworthy writers have covered the legends of King Arthur, including Alfred Lord Tennyson in his "Idylls of the King," T. H. White in his "The Once and Future King," and Mary Stewart in her Merlin trilogy. Even President John F. Kennedy’s term in office evoked the Arthurian legend through its nickname "Camelot."}

Production Background

Voice Actor: Ryan St. John