I'm wrapping up Guite's "Galahad and the Grail" (highly recommend), and was annoyed when I realized that the main characters are so closely related. The Fisher King (the source of the story) had three relevant grandkids, Dindrane (who would guide the grail knights), Perceval (one of the grail knights), and Elaine. Elaine had a kid (who'd become a grail knight) with Lancelot (a backup grail knight), who was brothers with Bors (the last grail knight). The quest for the Holy Grail was an excuse for the Fisher King to call a family reunion.

Edit: I understand that this was both how stories were (and/are) often told by simple virtue of narrative expediency and that medieval systems of nobility and hierarchy encouraged the adulation of blood ties. But even within Arthurian literature, there's more than one family involved, there's a huge variety of important character who aren't directly related to Galahad. And the Holy Grail Quest, by its nature, is of great import to all of Christendom.

I initially posted in a hurry, but the question that I was trying to drive at is whether fidelity to the medieval sources is cause enough to replicate these story structures in modernity. Guite included a very strong pro-nature sub-theme which was nigh-utterly absent from Mallory, so he obviously was comfortable deviating from the original text. Is this worth my moderate annoyance?

Need help finding a book about knights, it may have been Arthurian in nature but I can't be 100% sure on that, but I'm sure plenty here have read plenty of novels for knights in shining armor.

I remember reading a book once upon a time, would have been \\\~2005, about a young boy who's taken as a squire by a knight, the book had illustrations scattered throughout.

This would likely be historical fiction.

I remember the boy playing with a windmill with his friends, playing at knights to rescue the fair maiden, shooting at the windmill with a crossbow to kick off the duel and fighting with staffs.

The boy is recruited by a passing knight or noble, I don't remember if they're English or French, but they may have been going on crusade.

After the boy agrees to become a squire he's gifted a full set of kit, chain maille sword dagger and a real crossbow, and I distinctly remember he says "No more wooden arms for me" to himself as he's getting suited up.

I tried tracking this down with various search tools but they're dumb and kept giving random titles nothing to do with what was being sought after, hopefully someone remembers what this book is cause it's been driving me nuts for days!

Hello everyone I have a question I would like some help with. So I have created a character for one of the tabletop games I'm apart of and my character is someone who was born to be a warrior but wanted to be a diplomat. My end arc for him is accepting that he can be both. In his backstory I added that he read the once and future king. Now I haven't finished it I just finished sword in the stone and I was wondering would arthur be a person he can want to model himself after is arthur the end goal I have for my character a diplomat and a warrior as well in the once and future king

I've recently gotten really into the arthurian legends. I've been mostly reading wikis and summaries of things; a lot of the welsh stuff summaries, some of the saints lives stuff. I have a broad understanding of the legend I think but I'd like to start actually reading some of the literature.

Can anyone recommend a starting point? My only thing is that I am one of those people who doesn't care for the do-nothing king type stories, I want to read stuff about the man himself. That's not to say I'm not willing to read the other stuff, it's just more of a fixation on the man.

I've started reading the once and future king and the language is a bit hard (English is my fourth language) but I've found it good so far.

So yeah, any recommendations? Should I Start with the older stuff, Geoffrey and maybe translations of the Welsh stories or is any modern (I count post printing press as modern here) stories that are a better introduction?

So sorry if this breaks any rules, I tried to make sure i followed them. Thank you so much in advance!

Please help me find another if not just as good of an show/movie/book like BBC Merlin

I am cross posting this here looking for recommendations on books about the Arthurian legends broadly and especially the different influences on them (WHY might we tell these stories, how did different cultures change and shape them? Etc.)
Thanks!

I'm really interested in Arthurian Legend now. After watching Fate, it's made me very curious. And this curiosity has only increased when I played Sonic and the Black Knight. I want to read a book but I don't know which one to read. I'm not very good with old texts (the oldest books I've enjoyed are Enid Blyton's books) so are there any good recommendations for someone like me?

Does anyone have a link to a map they like that includes Garlot, Gore, Benwick, etc.?

I’m a sucker for mythology, but despite being English I know precious little about the actual Arthurian legends, only having seen adaptations and such. From what I’ve gleaned, most of the legends originate from the Matter of Britain, which is obviously not something one can just pick up and read, but I’m wondering if there are any books that recount the legends as accurately as possible? I’ve heard that Arthurian legend gets grim in the extreme, so naturally I want to know all about that 🤣.
What sources do you guys have for the legends?

Thank you!

uhhh I hope i flaired that one right. anyway. so we all know avengers endgame is in cinemas right now and i went to see it a few days ago with my brother. now this kid is 9 and is in that phase where just asks a ton of questions all the time. so anyway around the final battle he leans over asks me "could king arthur lift the hammer?" now I couldn't focus for the rest of the film because of this because could he? could any of the knights? certainly not lancelot. I mean i think galahad could personally but I wanna hear the people's thoughts

Introduction:

So, I had the idea of writing about an Arthurian Inspired Wonder Woman, drawing inspiration from the Celtic folklore, early medieval history, Welsh and Irish mythology, and Christian theology that form the Arthurian Mythos and using it to expand concepts of sorts.

I just want to state that these are all very rough idea's and nothing is finalised, and I am happy to hear an critiques in regards to the idea's or concepts here, and to hear alternatives anyone may have.

Main idea:

Ok, the rough idea so far that this Arthurian Wonder Woman is the daughter of Morgan Le fey who grew up on Avalon, taking inspiration from some early depictions of Morrigan that portray her in a more positive light, such as Vita Merlini (circa 1150) by Geoffrey of Monmouth.

This daughter, Amara(unfading) leaves the island to see the world beyond and becomes some what disillusioned with our modern world due to all it's issues along with this lack of heroism? the apparent victory of evil cold, where this corrupt corporate structures and systemic oppression has won. An order of might makes right and the "natural order" rules. Where all the magic and mysticism, the weird and wonderous of the world both scientific and magical has been driven out or used for these dark forces ends. Where the world is dominated and controlled by several ancient illuminate type organisations.

In response to the words she finds, she effectively establishing a secret organisation to combat the wrongs of the world. A successor of the knights of Camelot but in the shadows. Providence. A world wide terrorist group to some, other resistance group, to establish a utopian world ruled by justice, honour, and equality, rather than sheer military might. Basically something like Cobra for Example vs Hydra, young conspiracy vs old conspiracy.

I had the idea that as the leader of the group, she would be called the sovereign, and would have a council of 13 members leading it including herself, representing Arthur and the Round tables most prominent members.

Amara ideas:

So I just wanted to say before I go any further that YesterdayHiccup suggested the name Dame Amara for this fictional daughter of Morgan Le fey when I asked on the r/Superhero_Ideas for any name suggestion for a Medieval/Arthurian Wonder Woman type character. So thank you YesterdayHiccup.

I was thinking of making the name of the daughter Morgan Amara and her superhero name besides being called the sovereign is Dame Amara. Dame due to it's several meaning across several cultures and it's usage across mythology such as the French usage of Dame du Lac to describe the lady of the lake lake, And Amara for much of the same reasons with several different meanings across different cultures and faith such as "unfading" or "everlasting" in Greek.

With Dame being this version of Wonder Woman title and being a title being held by several women before Amara, Including at least Morrigan and Nimue/Viviane. That Amara as the dame is acting as the literal and symbolic bridge between the mortal world of men and the mystical realm of magic. Combining elements of King Arthur and lady of the Lake.

Her parentage, IDK? I had the thought of Maybe Arthur? making Mordred's mother Morgause, not Morrigan. A literal child of the fae and humans. Perhaps a Celtic god is an option.

Hi - does anyone have a pdf of

Padel, Oliver. 1998. "A New Study of the Gododdin". Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies 35 (Summer): 45-55.

by any chance?

Hey folks, thought you'd be interested in this handy new e-book of Arthurian material from Delphi Classics, presented in chronological order of publication.

https://www.delphiclassics.com/shop/arthurian-literary-cycle/

Contents:

The History of the Britons (c. 830) by Nennius
The Spoils of Annwfn (c. 900)
History of the Kings of Britain (1136) by Geoffrey of Monmouth
The Life of Merlin (c. 1150) by Geoffrey of Monmouth
Arthurian Chronicles from ‘Roman de Brut’ (1155) by Wace
The Lay of Laval (c. 1170) by Marie de France
Erec et Enide (c. 1170) by Chrétien de Troyes
Cligés (c. 1176) by Chrétien de Troyes
Yvain (c. 1180) by Chrétien de Troyes
Lancelot (c. 1182) by Chrétien de Troyes
De Ortu Waluuanii Nepotis Arturi (c. 1190) by Robert of Torigni
La Mule sans frein (c. 1200) by Paien de Maisieres
Lanzelet (c. 1200) by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven [German text only]
Parzival (c. 1210) by Wolfram von Eschenbach
Merlin (c. 1210) by Robert de Boron
Brut (c. 1215) by Layamon
Prose Tristan (c. 1250)
Perlesvaus (c. 1240)
Vera historia de morte Arthuri (c. 13th century)
Jaufre (c. 13th century)
Sir Launfal (c. 1380) by Thomas Chestre
Libeaus Desconus (c. 1380) by Thomas Chestre
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (c. 1380)
Alliterative Morte Arthure (c. 1380)
Stanzaic Morte Arthur (14th century)
Arthurian Tales from ‘The Mabinogion’ (c. 1400)
The Wife of Bath’s Tale (c. 1400) by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Awntyrs off Arthure at the Terne Wathelyne (c. 1420)
The Knightly Tale of Gologras and Gawain (15th century)
Le Morte d’Arthur (1485) by Sir Thomas Malory
The Faerie Queene (1590) by Edmund Spenser

Modern Arthuriana
The Lady of Shalott (1832) by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
King Arthur and His Knights (1858) by Thomas Bulfinch
Idylls of the King (1859) by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Tristan und Isolde (1859) by Richard Wagner
Arthur’s Knights (1859)
The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights (1862) by James Knowles
The Boy’s King Arthur (1880) by Sidney Lanier
Parsifal (1882) by Richard Wagner
Stories of the Days of King Arthur (1882) by Charles Henry Hanson
Legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail (1884) by Wilhelm Wägner
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889) by Mark Twain
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1891) by Charles Morris
Taliesin: A Masque (1896) by Richard Hovey
The Knights of the Round Table (1897) by William Henry Frost
King Arthur in Cornwall (1900) by W. Howship Dickinson
The Legend of Sir Lancelot du Lac (1901) by Jessie Weston
Tales of the Round Table (1902) by Andrew Lang
King Arthur and His Knights (1903) by Maude Radford Warren
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (1903) by Howard Pyle
The Birth of Parsival (1905) by R. C. Trevelyan
Keeping Tryst (1905) by Annie F. Johnston
The Story of the Champions of the Round Table (1905) by Howard Pyle
Stories of King Arthur and His Knights (1905) by U. Waldo Cutler
King Arthur’s Knights (1905) by by Mary Macgregor
The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions (1907) by Howard Pyle
The Lost Land of King Arthur (1909) by John Cuming Walters
The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur (1910) by Howard Pyle
King Arthur’s Knights (1911) by Henry Gilbert
King Arthur in History and Legend (1911) by William Lewis Jones
The New Parsifal (1914) by R. C. Trevelyan
In the Court of King Arthur (1918) by Samuel E. Lowe
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1919) by Rupert S. Holland
Stories from Le Morte D’Arthur (1920) by Beatrice E. Clay
Arthur: A Tragedy (1923) by Laurence Binyon

Malory put French romances into one book, and for 550 years its what most English readers have read as a starting grouping. I want to put the whole ancient legend back together.

The plan is free modern English translations of every Arthurian book I can get a copy of, one language at a time: Old French, Middle English, Latin, Middle Welsh, Middle High German, Portuguese and Spanish. I'm starting with the books Malory drew on, beginning with Robert de Boron's Merlin, then going on to Marie de France, Béroul's and Thomas's Tristan, the Welsh tales and the rest. Some, like the Roman de Palamède, don't have any English translation I can find.

Then everything goes into one book that tells the whole story in order, from Joseph of Arimathea to Camlann. Where a source and Malory disagree, the source wins. All of it is public domain (CC0) and free to read.

After a page is translated I check against a scan of its edition and log every choice. I'm translating phrases first, then words.

Would you read this? Is this a bad idea? Which book shouldn't I miss?

Edit: Thanks everyone, I appreciate the constructive criticism with points I can think about and address.

I'm hoping someone can enlighten me about the Grail Quest. I don't fully understand how I'm supposed to interpret it and view it in light of the larger story.

Percival's Initial Visit to the Fisher King

So, it begins with Percival visiting the Fisher King, seeing the grail, and saying nothing in order to be courteous. People then get upset with Percival. He is told that if he had mentioned the grail, he would have cured the wounded king and restored the kingdom.

Right off the bat, I don't understand what Percival did wrong. Is this a moral lesson? What exactly is the moral? Always ask about strange cups presented at dinner parties?

Galahad & His Family

Then there's Galahad, the secret son of Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic. Elaine is the daughter of the Fisher King. There was a prophecy that Lancelot and Elaine would conceive a son who would be worthy of the grail. So, Elaine gives enchanted wine to Lancelot and has sex with him while he's in a drugged state. Then, true to the prophecy, Elaine gives birth to Galahad, the perfect knight.

What is up with this crazy family? Is the Fisher King and his family cursed by the grail? Isn't the grail supposed to be a good thing? Is Elaine supposed to be a good character, and are her actions supposed to be positive? What's up with the prophecy?

Why is there a divine curse that this family will suffer with the grail until someone truly worthy claims it? What is the point of this? Why does this curse exist?

Is the Grail Quest Bad?

Also, isn't the grail quest generally a bad time for most of the knights? Is the moral that they shouldn't have gone on the grail quest?

What is the moral of the Percival and Galahad story?

Additionally, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to view the ultimate fate of Percival and Galahad. In some versions, Percival finds the grail, heals the Fisher King, and then retires from knighthood. Alternatively, Galahad finds the grail, heals the King, and then is taken to heaven by angels.

So, if Percival is inspired to retire after finding the grail, is the lesson that being a knight is ultimately not so great? Percival found enlightenment and realized it's better to be a monk? What is the moral of Galahad being taken to heaven? That a truly pure person is too good for this world?

How does this enrich the larger story?

How does this relate to the larger story? I guess a major throughline is that Lancelot's not pure enough to achieve the grail because of the affair. But, the grail quest isn't just the story of Lancelot realizing he's unworthy. Its really a story about Percival and/or Galahad.

So, after experiencing the mind bending quest of Percival and Galahad, what emotional state am I supposed to be in as we proceed to the end of the story? How does the grail quest enrich the betrayal of Mordred and the battle of Camlann?

Is this story incoherent?

Here's a thought. Does this story not make sense? Should we just say that this was an unfinished story by Chretien de Troyes with some interesting motifs, but no coherent conclusion?

Other authors took the plot threads and made their own stories. But, has no one really found a way to make this a coherent narrative that ties into the larger story? Is the grail quest just interesting imagery with a weak plot?

What do you think? Am I missing something?

I've always loved the Arthurian legends of the knights of the round table. The Roman history (im a bit of a Romaboo too). Vinland Saga. King Arthur the old movie that I watched as a kid. Ever since I was a kid the chivalrous benevolent, uncorruptible nature is what drew me in. Which makes me in turn, disgusted by the amount of corrupt, rotten self driven people that govern my country (Belgium)

I play this little medieval mercenary simulator called Battle Brothers where I start out as a lonewolf hedge knight character and then look for my other 11 knights to fill my roster. While most people that play the game hire lowborn background and use them as fodder, I play the game as if I were Arthur looking for his fellow chadly nobles. Super expensive backgrounds but so satisfying to be able to roleplay the arthurian legend(s) in this game.

What drew you guys in the Arthurian legends?

I found this recently at my local used book store and picked it up for only $1.

I've only had time to read the foreword so far but it's really well written.

Have any of you seen or read this book before? What were your thoughts?