King of the Celts: Arthurian Legends and Celtic TraditionIn a masterful blend of history, geography, and literature, Jean Markale re-creates the true King Arthur, the real-life Celtic warrior-hero who organized the resistance to the Saxon onslaught in fifth-century England. Markale's unsurpassed knowledge of Celtic history has enabled him to reconstruct for us the actual world in which King Arthur lived--its heros, its values, and its vicissitudes--and to define the position that Arthur occupied within it. • Explains how the Arthurian ideals of knightly virtue and chivalry are at the heart of Western literature and thought • Shows how the Celtic heritage continues to exert a unique formative power on our personal and moral concepts |
Contents
Epic and history | 1 |
King Arthur and the Medieval World | 17 |
Arthurian Literature | 19 |
The Political Background | 51 |
The Plantegenets | 53 |
John of Salisbury | 59 |
Glastonbury Abbey | 73 |
Arthurian Chivalry | 80 |
The Theme of Sovereignty | 149 |
The Unfaithful Queen | 159 |
Arthurs Companions | 164 |
Similar Legends | 169 |
Arthur the God | 179 |
The Early Saga of Arthur | 184 |
Waiting for Arthur | 219 |
The Specific Qualities of the Celts | 221 |
King Arthur in the Celtic World | 87 |
Britain in the Dark Ages | 89 |
Roman Britain | 91 |
Celtic Britain | 94 |
The New Kings of Britain | 106 |
King Arthur in history | 116 |
The Arthurian Myth | 135 |
The Political Aspect | 137 |
Roman Society and Celtic Society | 222 |
The Contribution of the Celts | 240 |
Arthurs Legacy | 252 |
Notes | 278 |
Select Bibliography | 299 |
Index | 302 |
Common terms and phrases
13th-century adventures ancient appears army Arthur's court Arthurian legend Arthurian romances asked battle Bedwyr boar Britain British Britons Brittany called Capetian castle Celtic Celtic society Celtique en Bretagne Celts century chief Chrétien Chrétien de Troyes Conchobar Cú Chulainn Druid Edern Empire fact fhine Fiana fight Finn Fisher King forest fortress French Gaul Gawain genos Geoffrey Gildas Glastonbury Grail Guinevere Gwalchmai Gwenhwyfar hero Historia Brittonum Hueil idea Indo-European Ireland Irish epic island Kelliwic killed kind King Arthur kingdom knights Kulhwch and Olwen L'Epopée Celtique Lancelot Lancelot in Prose land Latin leader lived Mabinogion magic Markale married Medrawt Merlin Mordret myth Nennius obviously Owein Perceval Peredur Plantagenets political queen returned Roman Round Table Saxons social sovereignty story sword tale tion told took tradition Triads tribe Tristan tuath Tuatha Dé Danann Twrch Twrch Trwyth Uryen Vortigern Wales warriors Welsh whole wife woman Yvain