The Arthurian Legends

The Arthurian legends refer to the stories of King Arthur, Merlin the Magician, Guinevere and Lancelot, Morgana/Morgan-le-Fay, Camelot, Excalibur, the Knights of the Round Table and assorted others. This also includes other associated stories such as that of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The stories are rich in myth, magic, chivalry, love and betrayal and of royal destiny.

The stories originated out of oral traditions and appear to have first been written down in the 12th Century and were later elaborated during the mediaeval court romances. There have been some efforts to identify Arthur as a real historical figure but the evidence in favour of the arguments is slight.

There have been numerous screen adaptations and tv series based on the Arthurian legends. These can be full flights of fantasy or mundane works of historical adventure and romance with the magic stripped out. That is in between works that create original adventures based around the characters.

There have also been works that have updated the stories into the present, outer space and post-holocaust futures, or else have involved time travel. There have also been assorted animated and children’s adaptations, along with comedies, parodies and a musical. There have also been a number of stories that see the Arthurian legends replayed in the present-day or else characters and elements such as Excalibur resurrected and rediscovered.