King of the Celts: Arthurian Legends and Celtic Tradition

Front Cover
Inner Traditions / Bear & Co, 1994 - History - 312 pages
In 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
Copyright

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About the author (1994)

Jean Markale (1928-2008), was a poet, philosopher, historian, and storyteller, who spent a lifetime researching pre-Christian and medieval culture and spirituality. He was a former specialist in Celtic studies at the Sorbonne and author of more than 40 books, including Montségur and the Mystery of the Cathars, The Church of Mary Magdalene, The Druids, The Celts, Merlin, and Women of the Celts.

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