One of
the most legendary characters in Celtic
folklore is King Arthur. King Arthur grew up in secret and was
the bastard son of King Uther. He proved that he really was the
King's son by pulling a sword
from the stone. In one of the following tales you will see how he
receives another famous sword that is called Excalibur. You will
also learn about the supernatural things that the sword Excalibur and
Excalibur's scabbard are able to perform for whosoever weilds it.
Another
well-known character Merlin, who is a magician, trained and helped
guide King Arthur. Merlin and King Arthur are typically portrayed
at being at odds with one another in movies and other media, but they
truly cared for the each other's well being. King Arthur also put
together one of the most
widely known groups, the Knights of the Round Table. In one of
the following tales you will see how the Knights of the Round Table
were formed and in another tale, "The Coming of the Holy Graal," you
will see how the Knights of the Round Table came to their demise.
Later on, King Arthur married Guinevere. You will get to see how
their wedding came to be in the story "How The Round Table
Began." She
later betrayed King Arthur by fooling around with one of Arthur’s best
friends, Lancelot.
My source for these stories is Andrew Lang’s
book, “King Arthur Tales of the Round Table.”
However,
I’m not the best storyteller, so I will
introduce you to your narrator for these tales:
Good day
there, ye adventurers of stout heart! It is I, the noble warhorse
of thine King Arthur. Wouldst thou join
me on my quest of most epic proportions? This quest be not for
those who are faint of heart. Surely ye will join me and my furry
comrades in the hour of our reminiscing in the place wherein we
sleep? Here is where we talk of our heroic deeds from previous
battles and adventures that we have faithfully engaged in with those
that
we call our masters.
This
evening we shall be telling four most excellent
tales full of action and bloodshed. The tales that you will here
tonight include the story of "The Sword Excalibur" and how it came to
be in King Arthur's possession. In this tale you will meet the
Lady of the Lake and discover how King Arthur had retrieved the famous
sword Excalibur. Our next tale is "How the Round Table Began"
which is an enlightening tale of how brothers in arms came to unite
under the most famous circular shaped piece of furniture. This
tale begins with how King Arthur and Queen Guinevere had come to marry,
which led to the beginnings of the Round Table. Another tale that
surprises most is "The Coming of the Holy Graal." In this tale we
will describe how the Knights of the Round Table suffered great losses
because of their own selfish desires. In this tale ye will find
that even those who are most noble fall into the trap of chasing
captivating
things that will do them no good. In our last tale of the evening
we will tell of "The Fight for the Queen." We
recount of the great battle between Sir Mador de la Porte and a
mysterious knight from unknown regions of the land and how they came to
fight for the Queen's life. Meet me in yon stable if ye be
interested in these adventures and bring me many apples.
I think that I will begin tonight's storytelling time with the story of
"The Sword Excalibur."