Sir Gawain encounters the Lady of the Lake

While in pursuit of another quest, I chanced across a rather peculiar episode. Where I stopped to water my horse, there was a rather large lake with an island at its center, shimmering with its blue hues. From this lake emerged a maiden, very comely in appearance but full of years. She implored me to come and stay for a spell on the island, for the day was waning fast. And so I, both out of gratefulness to the maiden and curiosity for the island, agreed to take my ease here.

As we came onto the island, I was immediately struck by what gave its blue appearance from afar. So much of the buildings, pavements, and people of the island were all covered in blue paint, drinking in the light of the moon, which was also blue. Those that wore the more elaborate paint were of higher status, namely the priestesses and parsons of their pagan religion. They all revered the maiden of the lake as highest of all (whose name, I came to learn, was Vivian), and respected her as Archpriestess. Now, as we ventured farther in, it dawned on me that there were vastly more women on the island as men, and what few men there were among them were greatly subservient to the women, very similar to the Island of the Amazons spoken of by Apollodorus. Consequently, these women were bizarre in their practices. Many of them had unkempt hair and went without skirt of slip, and rode on horses bareback.

After taking note of these remarkable differences, the Maiden Vivian showed me to the quarters where I would be staying. As I doffed my armor piecemeal, it seemed clear that the women in the vicinity were aroused by the sight of my features (for in general the men of the island are accustomed to being pursued by these maidens' passions). In the middle of the night, however, I awoke to the awareness of being carried off to a cavern by a crowd of the female clerics, crooning Druidish chants. In this cave a woman, bewitching in beauty, awaited my arrival to her bosom with enraged passion. She war only a girdle on her hips, with her breasts and forehead stained in deer blood. Not desiring to pursue this ritual, I struggled to free myself of these women's malevolent grip. Making sure not to harm any of their fragile bodies, I apprehended one of the ritual knives and used its threatening force to escape the fray. Finding my horse and armor once more, I quickly retreated back from the island as fast as I could.

O great King Arthur, my lord and uncle, I pray do not venture near that island yourself, for they are a brood of beguiling and crafty women, and among them is your sister who you have banished from the realm: Morgan Le Fay.

My final blog..

This story is a different version of Arthurian literature than we have read. In this version the women are the ones pulling the strings, men are the puppets and they are the puppet masters. Viviane is the source of the famous equality characteristics associated with King Arthur's Court. The story here has Viviane giving Arthur the choice to take the magical sword, Excalibur, and scabbard and ensure equality between Christians and Druids or no sword/scabbard and only support Christians. Arthur is hesitant about enforcing equality because it has never been done before but he eventually agrees. We have always believed a male was the source of this idea but in this story we learn about a different way this decision was made. This portion of the story shows support for why women should be considered equal to men. This story also shows that women are more powerful then we may all like to believe. They use their power when nobody is looking unlike the men who have a tendency to show it off.

Then there is Morgaine. She is an extreme contrast to these strong independent women. First Morgaine is extremely ill after Lancelot broke her heart by supporting Gwenhwyfar over her. I thought this story was about empowering women instead we see this "powerful" woman crumble into million pieces. This story has so far hindered their goals more than helped achieve them. Although Morgaine seems so weak for the most of the story there are small portions in the second and third where her behavior is strong. She created the magical scabbard described earlier. When Viviane saw this splendidly made scabbard she could not believe that it was created by a single woman, Morgaine. So, I admit this scabbard is pretty awesome sounding but did you need to work so hard that the scabbard was covered in your blood?

To Arthur,

I may have need to be told to kneel before you the day you drew the sword from the stone but I will never need to be told again. I respect you as King and as my brother. This is my last blog post and I want to make sure you know that I will always remain loyal and will always love you. You are the rightful king.

-Sir Kay

Sir Kay breaketh his sword at ye Tournament, by Howard Pyle from The Story of King Arthur and His Knights. (1903)

Everything comes around Full Circle

Greetings everyone,

By now I'm sure you are all tired of listening to me bitch about how wrong cheating is and all that. Well after hearing these stories, I would like to just point out that I was right. It seems that Lancelot got everything that was coming for him since he was (dare I say it again) cheating with his best friend's wife.

First off let me point out that if you are going to cheat with your husband's best friend, don't do it right in your own household while he is there you idiot. And seriously, you did not notice King Arthur when he heard you two singing together (weird btw) and then when you started arguing like an old married couple!? 

Well anyway, it was mind blowing to me to learn that King Arthur has a son, Mordred. What was even more strange to me was to find out that Mordred's mother is King Arthur's half sister who seduced Arthur without him knowing they were related. Incest?! This is Camelot, not Amish country. But then again Camelot never ceases to freak me out. 

Onward with the story though, I think it's pretty cool that Mordred finds a way to forgive his father and stick up for him in the situation that is going on. I mean the kid wants to help King Arthur, who tried to drown him may I add? So it was no surprise to hear that Lancelot went to see Guinevere as soon as her husband was gone. But what was shocking was that Lancelot killed Agravaine with just a stool! And then he opened the door to a hallway full of knights waiting on him. It is crazy to me that he could have killed all of those men by himself but like I said... it's Camelot. 

And yeah we all know about how the two best friends never had to fight that's cool and all. But the real point I'm trying to make here is that Lancelot had to flee to France. FRANCE!! That means no more Queen G for you pal. Like I said, it all seems to come around full circle...


Farewell for now everyone,
Sir Balin

King Arthur: Old Age

My Kingdom of Camelot,

As you may have heard my life is near the end.  I have lead this kingdom to the best of my ability.  Camelot has become now the kingdom to live in and a new generation of young intelligent Knights will be joining the court, and I know Camelot will still thrive. 

 

Suspicion, fear, possession, greed, resentment and ancestral wrongs.  I have taught many of you these reasons for war, and now it is your turn to take over the Excalibur.  I have fought in many battles and have come to realize how complicated and complex the reasons can be, but we need to find the cure of war.  I have a lot of faith in my knights and I believe that they will fight for all the right reasons.  We need to bring peace to this world by using our strength for the right reasons, and we can accomplish that.

As for my wife Guinevere, I just want you to be happy.  Although there are many stories about you sharing your love for Lancelot, I have learned to live with that.  No matter what the rumors are, I love my wife very much.  Some people of my kingdom have questioned my strength of leadership in the past because of the situation with Guinevere.  But I hope now I have proven to everybody that I am firm leader and was never distracted by Lancelot and Guinevere.

Being the king of Camelot has always been my destiny.  I have been working at this since my father sent me away to Merlin.  I have tried to make not only them proud, but the people of my kingdom as well.  I expect all of you to follow my lead, use our strength as a kingdom the right way and try to bring balance to this world.

Farewell my people,

King Arthur

Much comes to Light and it's...Anticlimactic

Lords and Ladies, Knights and Maidens, I have to say… I am a little disappointed. How can the King Arthur we have just heard about be the King we have come to know so well? Yes, he seems a little idiotic, and makes his share of mistakes, but we do not expect him to fall this way. Remember Uther Pendragon? Now that was a King that deserved retribution for his actions. Yet Uther was never punished. Kings are not punished for their actions. That is the rule in the world in which we live. Regardless of the fact that Arthur slept with his sister and fathered a child, and the fact that he killed almost an entire generation of children, Arthur’s original sin was ignorance. How can our King be punished for that, when Kings who committed far worse escape unscathed?

Even if one accepts, with great difficulty, the downfall of King Arthur, the mode of his end is so pitiful. With all the adventures we have seen for the Knights of the Round Table, the thing that harms him and Camelot should be something worthy of fables and bards. We expect a magical beast, a horde of knights, a magic spell. Instead of all that, the catalyst for the banishing of Sir Lancelot and the near burning at the stake of Queen Guinevere is a spiteful young man. Mordred. Despite the fact that Mordred shares King Arthur’s blood, he has had no special training, or done anything of note other than stab a man in the back, and cry like a child when he is accused of running away from a fight.

Yet this is the creature that manipulates King Arthur to harming himself and Camelot by bringing to light Guinevere's affair and eventually robbing Arthur and Camelot of Lancelot. The problem seems to be Arthur’s inability to abandon his rules and his responsibility to uphold the rules fairly. Mordred does not operate on such a code of honor.

We remember from Gawain’s run in with me and the green girdle that self preservation is the one valid reason for abandoning the rules of honor. Yet, King Arthur does not do this. Perhaps it is not Mordred’s manipulations that shaped the ending of this story, but Arthur’s own inability to bend and use practicality. In a way, that may be even sadder than being brought down by your own son.

Another disappointing turn of events was that of Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot. They seem to have become very meek in their old age. The pair seems to accept all the misfortunes that befall them, and even with a WARNING, do nothing to protect themselves. Is it that the reign of King Arthur has made Camelot so peaceful that the people of court have lost the ability to engage in twisty court politics?  Or is it that the passions of these star-crossed lovers has cooled in their old age? Do Lancelot and Guinevere seem so accepting of their misfortunes because they have gained some wisdom or retained their thoughtlessness and lack of foresight?  They are both still alive however, so their story must not be finished. Maybe we shall get more answers.

Arthur: Grown up

I was much impressed with Arthur in this story. During the beginning of the story Arthur and Lancelot are talking more socially than in the other stories that have been read by us, my fellow peers. In this story the attitude towards each other is a more modern than those of the other stories; such as nick names for Gwen and Lancelot. Other things are more old fashioned like having a wife before having a “home.” I feel sorry for Lancelot simply because he wants to be with the one that he loves and how he can’t get his home because the woman he would make his wife has already made a home with his king and best friend.
However the other stories were those of when Arthur and Camelot were young and still fighting for the peace of the kingdom. Arthur’s point of view has changed since Arthur has aged; Arthur believes in being just and delivering Justice towards those who deserve it, even to his own wife when the affair of Lancelot and Gwen are finally out in the light. With this Camelot that has been aged, the king and those knights that are seen as people who must not sleep, eat, or drink; yet it is not so different than those of modern day when we idealize someone or when we look back on Arthur and his tale. We see him as a man who is the greatest King, the king that is allowed to be able to comeback from the dead after his life is over, considering that he may be a myth or just a simple man from a line of kings.
Arthur has matured as a king and a man significantly since Merlin has left; he cares more about the kingdom and worries that the he may have built his kingdom on the one thing he was fighting to dissolve: Might. Might and Right have been taken over by Justice and Justice mean as much to him as Might and Right when he was first starting out as king.

The affair with Lancelot and Gwen has been going on for 21 years, the whole time Arthur has known about it but did not say anything because he knew that she was happy and did not want to take that away because he loves her. I admire Gwen’s ability to keep her head when she is at the risk of being burned at the stake because of the affair, she is no longer wrapped up in her feelings and care deeply about Arthur and the people of Camelot and how many of them might die if she and Lancelot ran off together. She is able to asses the situation and decide a course of action.

 Until the next time I see you in the vibrant city of Camelot
Igrena

King Arthur: Of the Most Compassion

      Greetings gentleman and ladies of the Roundtable,


      I wanted to tell a story about Arthur at the end of his life.  As the end of his life drew closer, my dear friend Arthur became fascinated with answering questions that still face humanity today.  As I recall, Arthur was alone in his pavilion on the battlefield of Kent, looking tired, old and week.  However, he was not preparing for his battle with Mordred, as some of you might have assumed.  No, he was pondering eternal questions about why we humans wage wars.  Why is he concerned about this, do you ask?  He is doing this for us, for all of humanity. 







  


Arthur does not believe that humans are born evil.  Rather, he believes that people are generally kind-hearted.  Arthur believes that people can live successfully through reason- that we can figure out our troubles and find solutions to problems without fighting.  As we know, sir Arthur is a lover of humanity, and of all things living.  I feel that we have forgotten about this side of Arthur.  Arthur does not dishonor anyone he loves.  He loves Guinevere and I, but he seems as if he is in denial of the love Guinevere and I have for each other.  It also seems as if he cannot see Mordred's hatred towards yours truly.  Arthur's justice might seem strange to us, but that is because he is of pure heart and free of partiality. 





  


It seems strange how even at his old age, our king still posses that same innocence he had when he was an infant.  I have always admired this side of Arthur but have also wondered why this is the case.  One thing that cannot be questioned is Arthur's belief and faith in his nights. (I of course know this first hand)  However, he also believes that this belief somehow makes him week.  I disagree; I believe it is what makes Arthur a great and strong individual and leader.  If you take any of what I have said to heart, consider this: I will always stand by his side and shall not let him be taken advantage of.


   


  


Our king has become very wise and a great teacher- Merlin, I know, would be very proud of him.  he has figured out that the reasons for war are complex, more  complex in fact than he imagined.  he shares these findings with us so that we can pick up where he's left off, so that we may find a "cure" of all wars.  He tells us of his suspicions about why war is fought- suspicion, fear, possession, greed, resentment and ancestral wrongs.  We must follow Arthur's lead and use are strength for right, not might.  we must do what is necessary to bring peace and balance to the world


Farewell,


Lancelot    




       

King Arthur: Humanist

Near the end of his life, our great King Arthur seeks answers to questions that still haunt humanity. He is alone in his pavilion on the battlefield at Kent, exhausted, old, and weak. Is he resting for his battle with Mordred, his son? No, he is wrestling with the eternal questions about why human beings have wars. Why would he waste time trying to figure out what is still unsolvable? He does it for us, for humanity.

Arthur does not believe in original sin. Therefore, he does not believe that humans are born evil. Instead, he believes that people are basically good. You see, Arthur believes that people can live successfully by reason—that we can figure out what troubles us and find solutions without fighting. Arthur is a lover of humanity, of all living things. Have we not always known this about Arthur? Did we not notice his ingenuousness when he was Merlin’s pupil? Our king is in denial about his best friend and his wife—he cannot conceive in dishonor or hatred in anyone he loves. And he loves both Lancelot and Guinevere. It also seems as if he cannot see Mordred’s obsessive hatred for Lancelot. King Arthur's justice may seem odd to us, but that is because it is pure, free of partiality.

I am incredulous that even as an old man, King Arthur is almost as innocent as he was as a youth. Why do you think I have dedicated myself to testing the worthiness of his knights? I do it for my king—to be part of something greater than I, something that will benefit humanity. King Arthur believes in his knights to the core of his being, making him vulnerable. And I will not stand by and let such a good man be taken advantage of if I can do anything about it.

Our king has become a great teacher in his own right—Merlin would be so proud of his pupil. King Arthur has already figured out that the reasons for war are complex. But he shares them with us so that we can take up where he leaves off, so that we will hopefully find a “cure” for wars. He tells us some of the possibilities for war—suspicion, fear, possessiveness, greed, resentment, and ancestral wrongs. It is up to each of us to take up our symbolic Excalibur and use our might for right.

When King Arthur tells Thomas to remember what he says, he is talking all of us. King Arthur is handing us his candle in the wind, and we must not let it go out.  

Yours in peace,

Bertilak