The round table

The Round Table is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his Knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, it means that everyone who sits there has the same status. The table was first described in 1155 by Wace. The symbolism of the Round Table developed over time; it had come to represent the system of behaviour followed by knights in the medieval period of history, that put a high value on honour, kindness, and courage associated with Arthur's court, the Knights of the Round Table.

By: Valentina González

The Knights

The knight was an important figure in the feudal system of the Middle Ages. A knight was a warrior. He defended his king , his country and his church. He was a strong , courageous figure. He protected women, children,the poor and the weak. He fought for justice. He was generous with everyone.
Knights wore fine clothes. Their armour was heavy. Even their horses wore heavy armour. When a knigt fought, he usually carried a shield, a lance, a long sword, a battle-axe and a knife. Each knight had a shield with a particular colour an design on it.

By: Guido Romero.

Avalon

Avalon, island to which king Arthur was conveyed for the healing of his wounds after his final battle. Vita Merlini (c. 1150) described it as “the island of apples called fortunate.” It was ruled by the enchantress Morgan le Fay and her eight sisters, all of them skilled in the healing arts.

The name Avalon is relacionated with that of Aballach, a dark Celtic divinity. Avalon has been identified with Glastonbury in Somerset, and this may be connected with Celtic legends about an “isle of glass” inhabited by deceased heroes. It is equally likely to have been an attempt by the monks of Glastonbury to exploit the Arthurian legend for the benefit of their own community.

"The last dream of Arthur in Avalon". 

Castles

In King Arthr's time there were so many castles who were made to protect people who lived in small houses, so when someone attackted them they went to this  castles because it was very difficult to attack. Many people used to lived there too. Some of this castles were made of wood and others were made of rocks. It were built in mountains, near rivers or seas. There are still some castles, some of them are like museums and people go there and they see how  people lived in the past.

This is one of the castles, it name  is Camelot.

                                                                             By: Rocio Ramos

Detail of a miniature of a knight cutting off a woman’s head, Lancelot fighting the knight, and the knight kneeling before Guinevere and showing the woman’s head and body.

From BL Royal 20 D IV - Lancelot du Lac (N. France (Arras?), 1st quarter 14th century)

Merlin
Merlin was a great magican, he raised Arthur, he explained to Arthur all he know about the magic everyday. The years passed and King Urher died, so Merlin made a sword appear in a rock firmly nailed that said: "This is the sword Excalibur who get out the sword to the rock will be the King of England".
  Long after Arthur was the only man who could take the sword, so Merlin proclamed the king of England.


                                                             

                                                         
                                                                             By: Merlina Lopez 

Camelot in King Arthur’s time

Camelot

Camelot was a city surrounded by forests and meadows with plenty of open space for knightly tournaments (which were

held frequently). When a tournament was held, wooden reviewing stands for the ladies and maidens would be set up, one of which is mentioned as running for half a league (about 2.5 kilometers).

The text said that Camelot was a “rich and well provided town” but offers few details as to its layout or exact size. It was small enough that during a particularly lavish court so many barons and nobles came that “not a tenth of them could be lodged in the city of Camelot, and the others found shelter in the meadowland, which was wide and beautiful, in tents and pavilions,” 

The church of St. Stephen apparently contained a large burial ground as numerous knights are mentioned as being interred there.

Indeed, Camelot saw more than its share of wars in the Vulgate stories. The city’s defences were formidable, surviving a war against the Saxons and another invasion in which the Saxons were aided by Cornishmen. “After the bridges were raised and the gates shut, they [a group of knights] climbed high on the walls to see whether or not the Saxons were coming to storm the city, but the Saxons did not have the will,” reads a section of one story 

The text says that Arthur held court in a castle (or a tower as it’s sometimes called) furnished with a main courtyard, bedrooms, areas for feasting and, apparently, the Round Table. The castle is close enough to a body of water so that in one story Arthur could see a boat coming into Camelot holding what turned out to be a dead maiden.

While tournaments are held frequently the people of Camelot also enjoyed other, less-violent, forms of recreation. In one story, Lancelot gives King Arthur a fine chess set, knowing that Queen Guinevere is a good player.

According to one story, an inscription was found saying that the quest for the Holy Grail (a quest discussed at length in the Vulgate) must begin 453 years after the resurrection of Jesus. This gives a rough date for when Camelot was said to be flourishing.

By: Victoria Minervini

These are the different personalities of King Arthur

King Arthur's character has many faces.  He is shown to be kind, wise and generous on one hand, yet at the same time, he can be seen as a weak king who is stubborn, childish, and unable to make wise decisions for himself or for the good of the court. He is described by Nennius as a powerful warrior, who is able to personally slay 960 men in one charge. Wace shows him possessing leadership qualities as he establishes the Round Table to ensure that justice and peace prevail. In Celtic legends, Arthur is a supernatural hero who battles giants, monsters, and witches. He kills the Demon Cat of Losanne and hunts the boar Twrch Truyth driving him into the sea. 

Some literary work depicts Arthur as an ideal Christian hero and as among God's elect. Young Arthur is able to withdraw the sword from the stone because he has been chosen by God to be the next king. Officers in the Roman army carried shields bearing portraits of their emperors. Geoffrey describes Arthur having a shield with the likeness of the Virgin Mary; this is a perfect image for a Christian hero who is primarily under the authority of God.

Two Arthurs are present in Arthurian literature. One is an epic hero who is flawless and can do no wrong. He is the ideal, who is the symbol of the values of the Round Table. The second Arthur is more human. He is depicted as a two-dimensional character, with faults and imperfections. This Arthur is more popular, as the reader is better able to relate to an imperfect king than to an untouchable warrior. This Arthur feels fears, jealousy, and has doubts. However despite these flaws he always retains his prestige. Arthur continues to personify the ideal of the chivalric code and remains a glorious, beloved, and respected king whose authority stays intact despite his weaknesses. These qualities make King Arthur a true legend, which continues to fascinate and intrigue audiences throughout the generations. 

María Sol Dal Rosso.

Arthur's apparition on the media.

The king Arthur has been an icon of mythology hundreds of years ago, and he still is.
His image appears everywhere. Through the years, films, tv series, music, books, video-games, operas, and a lot of types of media, have recreated his image, remaking the myths,making their own stories about him or just mentioning him. Until today, King Arthur is represented in many ways.

Here are some of the media in which Arthur was part (or was mentioned):
►Excalibur [1981 Movie]
►Camelot [1967 Movie]
►Shrek third. [2007 Movie]
►Merlin [2008 serie]
►Quest for camelot [1998 Cartoon movie]
►Excalibur [Music album from Grave Digger]
►Emprise to Avalon [Death Metal album]

and much more!


Here, one of the movie's trailer:

By Melissa V.

Teens 3. 

Code of Chivalry

The Code of Chivalry was a moral system which went beyond rules of combat and introduced the concept of Chivalrous conduct - qualities idealized by the Medieval knights such as bravery, courtesy, honor and great gallantry toward women. The Codes of chivalry also incorporated the notion of courtly love. The Code of Chivalry was the honor code of the knight. The Code of Chivalry was an important part of the society and lives of people who lived during the Medieval times and was understood by all.

  

BY RONALDO, T301 

The (real?) Round Table

According to legend, the Round Table which hangs in the Great Hall of Winchester Castle is the table around which King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table met, and it has been famous for centuries for its associations with the legendary 'Once and Future King'. Although we now know that it originated many centuries later, the table’s mystique still remains.
It was probably created in about 1290, for a tournament near Winchester to celebrate the betrothal of one of Edward I’s daughters. When the table was taken down from the wall and investigated by a team of scientists in 1976, tree ring evidence and carbon dating placed it in the 13th or early 14th century which supports that idea.
Originally it was a standing table with 12 outer legs and a central support. It measures 5.5 metres in diameter, weighs 1200kg and was constructed from English oak. It has hung on the west wall of the Great Hall, Winchester since 1873, when it was moved from the east wall where it had hung since at least 1540, and possibly since 1348.
In the early years of King Henry VIII’s reign the table was painted with the Tudor Rose at its centre and is thought to portray Henry as King Arthur on his throne, surrounded by 24 places for his Knights of the Round Table.

By Paula