Authors: James Mallory
The End of Magic (29 page)
Roger of Wendover actually reports that a comet passed near the Earth somewhere in the 540s. He reports that it could be seen
from Gaul and that it was “so vast that the whole sky seemed on fire.” Roger also says that in the same year “there dropped
real blood from the clouds… and a dreadful mortality ensued.” In
The Ruin of Britain,
written circa 540, the monk Gildas cites a long series of extracts from the Old Testament as being similar to contemporary
catastrophes. Among other things, Gildas specifically mentions that the land was made a wilderness, the stars were dimmed,
the sun and the moon were shadowed, and that there were clouds, fog, and plagues.
Though Science can only speculate, the novelist is more fortunate. What could be more fitting than that Arthur should die
at the appearance of a red dragon that blazed through the sky in a time of war and destruction, the death of which heralded
the beginning of a dark age of famine and plague?
A comet.
T
HE
M
ATTER OF
B
RITAIN
C
amelot wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Arthur’s legend. Here are some key dates from British history and the flowering
of the Matter of Britain.
| 63 c.e. | Joseph of Arimathea comes to Glastonbury on the first Christian mission to Britain, bringing with him (according to legend) the Holy Grail. |
| 184 c.e. | Lucius Artorius Castus, commander of a detachment of Sarmatian conscripts stationed in Britain, leads his troops to Gaul to quell a rebellion. This is the first appearance of the name Artorius in history. Some believe that this Roman military man is the basis for the Arthurian legend. |
| 383 | Magnus Maximus (Macsen Wledig) of Spain is proclaimed Emperor in Britain by the island’s Roman garrison. With an army of British volunteers, he quickly conquers Gaul, Spain, and Italy. |
| 388 | Maximus occupies Rome itself. Theodosius, the eastern Emperor, defeats him in battle and beheads him in July. The net result to Britain is the loss of many valuable troops needed for the island’s defense. |
| 396 | The Roman general Stilicho reorganizes British defenses decimated by Magnus Maximus. Transfer begins of military authority from Roman commanders to local British chieftains. |
| 406 | In early January a combined barbarian force sweeps into central Gaul, severing contact between Rome and Britain. That autumn, the remaining Roman army in Britain mutinies, and the last legion withdraws from Britain the following year. |
| 410 | Britain gains “independence” from Rome, expelling weak Roman officials and fighting for itself against barbarian incursions. |
| c. 438 | Probable birth of Ambrosius Aurelianus, scion of the leading Romano-British family on the island. |
| c. 445 | Vortigern comes to power in Britain. |
| c. 446 | Vortigern authorizes the use of Saxon mercenaries to defend the north against barbarian attack. |
| c. 457 | Death of Vortigern. |
| c. 458–60 | Full-scale migration of British aristocrats and city dwellers across the English Channel to Brittany, led by Riothamus (perhaps a title rather than a name), another candidate for the original figure behind the legends of Arthur. |
| c. 469 | Roman emperor Anthemius appeals to Britons for military help against the Visigoths. Reliable accounts name Riothamus as the leader of the British force. The bulk of the British force, including Riothamus, is wiped out in battle against Euric near Avallon in Gaul. |
| c. 470 | Ambrosius assumes high kingship of Britain. |
| c. 496 | Britons, under overall command of Ambrosius and possibly the battlefield command of the “war leader” Arthur, defeat Saxons at the Siege of Mount Badon. |
| c. 496–550 | Following the victory at Mount Badon, the Saxon advance is halted, with the invaders returning to their own enclaves. |
| c. 501 | The Battle of Llongborth. Arthur is mentioned in a Welsh poem commemorating the battle. |
| c. 540 | Probable writing of Gildas’s De Excidio Britanniae. |
| c. 570 | Probable death of Gildas. |
| c. 600 | Aneirin, a Welsh bard, writes Y Gododdin, alluding to Arthur’s prowess as a warrior. |
| c. 830 | Nennius compiles Historia Brittonum. |
| c. 970 | Annales Cambriae compiled. It dates the Battle of Camlann to 542. Geoffrey of Monmouth follows this dating when writing in 1136, and adds the death (or unspecified other disappearance) of Arthur to the end of the battle. |
| c. 1019 | Earliest possible date of composition for The Legend of Saint Goeznovius, a Breton legend that mentions Arthur and calls him the King of the Britons. |
| c. 1090 | Professional hagiographers write various saints’ lives, some of which include mentions of Arthur and his exploits |
| 1125 | William of Malmesbury completes Gesta Regum Anglorum, which states, “This is that Arthur of whom the trifling of the Britons talks such nonsense, even today; a man clearly worthy not to be dreamed of in fallacious fables, but to be proclaimed in veracious histories as one who long sustained his tottering country and gave the shattered minds of his fellow citizens an edge for war.” |
| 1129 | Henry of Huntingdon writes Historia Anglorum. Ten years later, in a letter to Warinus, Henry describes Arthur’s last battle and mentions that the Bretons say that he didn’t die and are still waiting for his return. |
| 1136 | Geoffrey of Monmouth publishes Historia Regum Britanniae. |
| 1155 | Master (Robert) Wace completes Roman de Brut, a version of Geoffrey’s “History” in French. He is the first writer to introduce the concept of the Round Table to the Arthurian cycle. |
| Of Arthur, Wace says, | |
| “I know not if you have heard tell the marvellous gestes and errant deeds related so often of King Arthur. They have been noised about this mighty realm for so great a space that the truth has turned to fable and an idle song. Such rhymes are neither sheer bare lies, nor gospel truths. They should not be considered either an idiot’s tale, or given by inspiration. The minstrel has sung his ballad, the storyteller told over his tale so frequently, little by little he has decked and painted, till by reason of his embellishment the truth stands hid in the trappings of a tale. Thus to make a delectable tune to your ear, history goes masking as fable.” | |
| c. 1160–90 | During this period, Chretien de Troyes makes his contributions to the Arthurian cycle, including the first mention of Lancelot, Camelot, and the Holy Grail. |
| 1184 | A great fire ravages Glastonbury Abbey, destroying the Old Church. “Arthur’s Grave” is discovered at the Abbey six years later. |
| c. 1190 | Layamon publishes Brut, an English translation of Wace into alliterative verse. His work marks the first appearance of the Arthurian story in English. |
And so on, to the present day…
If you want to delve deeper into the story of Merlin, King Arthur, and the Matter of Britain, here are some places to start:
King Arthur,
by Howard Pyle and Jerry Tirtitilli (Troll Books, 1989). Adapted for readers ages 4–8 from the Howard Pyle original.
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights
(1903; reprint, Atheneum, 1991). The classic 1903 retelling of the Arthurian legends for ages 9–12, excellent for reading
aloud.
The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights,
by John Steinbeck. A retelling of the Arthurian legend, with much of the original language preserved.
The Once and Future King,
by T. H. White (19th reprint, Ace Books, 1996). The classic modern retelling of the Arthurian legend, basis of the musical
Camelot
.
The Arthurian Handbook,
by Norris J. Lacy and Geoffrey Ashe (Garland Publishing, 1988). A critical survey of the Arthurian legend from the fifth
century to modern times.
The Arthurian Encyclopedia,
edited by Norris J. Lacy et al. (Garland Publishing, 1986). As the title says, an encyclopedia of things Arthurian, with
substantial entries on modern Arthurian writers.
The Discovery of King Arthur,
by Geoffrey Ashe (Henry Holt, 1987). The first of the recent books to discuss the evidence for a “historical” King Arthur.
http://www.linkfinder.com/arthur.html
is a resource for links to various Arthurian sites on the Internet.
http://dc.smu.edu/arthuriana
is the website of the International Arthurian Society. Links, membership information, and subscription
information to
Arthuriana,
their quarterly journal, can be found here.
James Mallory attended schools in California and the Midwest before moving to New York to pursue a career in writing. From
an early age Mallory has been fascinated both with the Arthurian legends and their historical evolution, an avocation which
also triggered a lifelong interest in fantasy literature. Mallory’s interests include hiking, comparative religion, and cinema.