Have you ever heard of the famous holy sword of legend, Excalibur? And do you know who wielded such a weapon? Who was the one to pull the sword from the stone? Only he would be deemed worthy of the crown to become Britain’s king. This man was the famous, legendary King Arthur. If you have never heard of Arthur Pendragon, I hope that I can give you a quick gist of his character, particularly the legend of King Arthur and the Battle of Camlann.
King Arthur is the legendary ruler over Britain and was considered a hero by his people. He is famously known for defending Britain from the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons in the sixth century. Early accounts of Arthur describe him as a warrior for Britain and a very successful one at that.1 Mordred, who in Arthur’s legend is Arthur’s son, was deemed a traitor by his own people for rebelling against his own father. This was the prelude to the famous Battle of Camlann.
King Arthur is signified as having strong Celtic values and chivalry. There is debate as to whether Arthur is a historical figure at all, and whether legends credited to him are true, but there is evidence of a famous “Arthur” in history. The earliest mentions of Arthur date back to the seventh century.2 Arthur was described primarily as a king of war, and as time went on, his legendary activity was popularized.3 Arthur is also known for his famous Knights of the Round Table, for his relationship with Sir Lancelot, and for his holy sword, Excalibur. In the Arthurian legend, Arthur’s son Mordred is also his nephew. Arthur conceived Mordred without knowledge of his incest, and this sin furthermore brings him trouble.4
Arthur’s son Mordred was conceived due to Arthur’s incest with his half-sister Morgause. Arthur did not seem to know that Morgause was his half-sister. When Mordred became a young adult, he became one of Arthur’s knights of the Round Table and aspired to be like his father in the sense that he would someday assume the throne. In order to be one of those knights, one had to be recognized as someone with incredible skill, leadership, honor, and chivalry. Mordred eventually got a small taste of what it would be like to take his father’s place. Arthur left the kingdom and his queen, Guinevere, in Mordred’s hands when he departed for Rome. Unfortunately, during this time Mordred decided to betray his father, assume the throne, and marry Guinevere.5 Because of this, Mordred is partly to blame for the downfall of Arthur’s reign and of Camelot.6 Arthur, when he heard of these events, came back to Camelot to take back what was rightfully his. What ensued was… the Battle of Camlann.
The Battle of Camlann is believed to be the historical Battle of Mount Badon, thought to have taken place in the late fifth or early sixth century. This is where Arthur is said to have fought his last battle against the Anglo-Saxons. In the mythos, the Battle of Camlann accounts for the fight between Arthur and his son Mordred. It is believed that because of Mordred’s treason, he himself joined the Anglo-Saxons to fight against his father and take over Camelot. He supposedly promised them land in the instance that they would defeat Arthur, his knights, and his army.7 Arthur pushed Mordred’s forces back, but at the expense of losing some very important knights. Mordred then tried to hide from his father’s wrath. Arthur pursued Mordred to the river Camlann, where both armies inevitably collide. Arthur and Mordred fought to the death, and in the end Arthur thrust a spear straight through Mordred as he lunged at him. With his dying breath, Mordred fatally wounded Arthur, which eventually caused his death as well.
- Nennius (translated by John Allen Giles), History of the Britons (Historia Brittonum) (London, J. Bohn, 1841), 46-50. ↵
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, January 2016, s.v. “King Arthur (legendary British King),” by Linda W. Beech. ↵
- Michael J. Curley, Geoffrey of Monmouth (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994), 95-96. ↵
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, November 2016 s.v. “Arthurian Legend,” by John K. Manos. ↵
- Amy Varin, “Mordred, King Arthur’s Son,” Folklore vol. 90, no. 2 (1979): 167. ↵
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, November 2016 s.v. “Arthurian Legend,” by John K. Manos. ↵
- Michael J. Curley, Geoffrey of Monmouth (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994), 95-96. ↵
54 comments
Vanessa Tombo
From the very first sentence “Have you ever heard of the famous holy sword of legend, Excalibur?” I was very captivated and I just had to read this article. Growing up I watched the Tv series Merlin” and while I was reading this very well written article. This article was very well structured, and the diction used throughout the article was easy for readers to understand. this article was very educational and interesting to read.
Natalie Childs
Before this article, I had known some of King Arthur and Excalibur, but mostly in regards to the Knights of the Round Table. It is incredibly interesting to me that King Arthur is part myth and maybe part history, and that where the line for both is quite blurred. This story really highlights how the taste of power can corrupt.
Brandon Martinez
Wow! This article is very interesting. I read a book and watched films that relate to King Arthur, but nothing was ever really clear. This article gives details about the most famous king in history, and helps the reader learn about him. I learned more in this article than any previous knowledge I had. I’m more interested now into learning more about King Arthur and the history and influence he had on the world.
Auroara-Juhl Nikkels
One of my favorite TV shows is BBC’s Merlin. I know that it’s not historically accurate, but it is still so good. I’m always a little sad to think that this tale could have never been real, because there was just so much adventure. King Arthur is one of my favorite legends. The ending of the historically pieces and the TV show make me so sad again though because Arthur dies in the end fighting Mordred.
Rafael Lopez-Rodriguez
It is crazy to think that there are so many different views of the story of King Arthur. In high school I read about his story but there are some things that most stories do not mention like him fighting against his own son (at least I do not recall reading that). But still Arthur’s story is very interesting and one of my favorites from this era.
Evian-loren Salgado
Arthurian legend is something that has always interested me. Before reading this article I knew quite a bit about Arthur and his Knights. Some books I have read were Le Morte d’arthur and the Mist of Avalon. Both books depicting different sides of this legend. There are so many different versions of the stories of King Arthur and his Knights. I think the author did a good job explaining this version of arthurian legend, with a well written article.
Brianda Gomez
I find that all of the different stories dealing with King Arthur are very interesting. I really enjoyed reading this article! I read about King Arthur when I was in High School, but I never knew that in Arthur’s last battle he would fight against his own son. It is crazy to think that both father and son killed each other in the battle field. Great Article!
Richard Navarro
I have heard of the excalibur but never knew it was a sword that had to be pulled out of the ground? That is some Thor type stuff. I would like to see if King Arthur could actually fight with the sword. I recently watched the new movie with the star from Sons of Anarchy. It was a decent movie but I feel as if the sword was to overpowered. Anyways, this article is very interesting and well written. Good job!
Luke Willis
I thought this was a very interesting article. I have heard all of the legends of King Arthur before including pulling the sword from the stone and also pulling Excalibur from the lake. However one that i have believed and find interesting is from the movie King Arthur in which he is a Roman officer and he fights the Saxons in Britain however, i have never heard the story of Mordred his son betraying him and taking his throne. This was a very interesting and insightful article!!
Karla Chavana
I had only ever heard of the legend of King Arthur where he is the chosen one who pulls the sword out or the massive rock; reading this article was very educational and a breeze! A very enjoyable read! I was definitely surprised by some of the facts about his life. I appreciated the introduction of questions In order to further answer them. The story of King Arthur is that or irony and heartbreak.