King Arthur Fact or Fiction

[SirKnight1788]

What are the current views on this chap and what postion do you take on either historical Arthur or Mythical Arthur.

Heres my view.

Arthur Pendragon was the ******* child of Uther Pendragon and was protector of his half brother King Mordred. Arther was a warlord of Britain he fought in Armorica against the Franks under King Bann. Summoned to Britian to help fight the Saxons.

[louiepastore1]

[SirKnight1788;392764]What are the current views on this chap and what postion do you take on either historical Arthur or Mythical Arthur.

With a large amount of Arthur-named locations around Scotland and the fact that the first mention of a historical Arthur comes from a Scottish poem 'The Goddodin' recent writers and historians now believe the historical Arthur lived and fought in Scotland. During the period in which the character is supposed to have lived, the language of the Britons in southern Scotland was similar to Welsh (which is why many of the early tales are believed to have happened in Wales)

I personally believe the Arthur story is a mixture of legends & folklore surrounding the Kings of Strathclyde, in particular, King Rhydderch Hael who owned a magic sword and knew a druid-warrior named Myrddin. Rhydderch defeated a pagan army at the battle of Arthuret in 572 AD near the borders,
after the battle Myrddin went mad and roamed the Caledonian forest.

It's interesting to note that the name Arthur could be translated as the 'Bear' a description thats still used today in the west of Scotland to describe aggressive looking people you shouldn't mess with!!!

Other sources for a Scottish Arthur can be found at
http://www.templum.freeserve.co.uk/h...yde/arthur.htm

Louie

[McDink]

Originally Posted by louiepastore1

I personally believe the Arthur story is a mixture of legends & folklore surrounding the Kings of Strathclyde, in particular, King Rhydderch Hael who owned a magic sword and knew a druid-warrior named Myrddin.

NUMEROUS sources conclude that the figure and accompanying legend, that is King Arthur, is loosely based on the life and times of Artur MacAeden. Apparently this fellow was a welsh speaking prince who ruled the strathclyde area in the 6th century. His round table can be found at 40 Adam Crescent, Stenhousemuir, Stirlingshire, Scotland, FK5 4DG, which interestingly enough, extends from Arthur's Drive.

[louiepastore1]

[quote]

Originally Posted by McDink

NUMEROUS sources conclude that the figure and accompanying legend, that is King Arthur, is loosely based on the life and times of Artur MacAeden. Apparently this fellow was a welsh speaking prince who ruled the strathclyde area in the 6th century.

Hi McDink...

Yes I've read the research material on Artur, but most sources point out that this Artur (son of Aedan, the Scot King of Dalriada who had been crowned by St. Columba) died very young in around 590AD which is 80+ years after the accepted date when Arthur is supposed to have lived/died????
He may have spoke Strathclyde Welsh although more likely Irish Gaelic, the language the Dalriadic Scots. He certainly never ruled in Strathclyde although his father has been credited with raiding & looting the Dumbarton Fort (Aedan was an ally of Myrddin and the pagan King Gwendellou who was defeated at Arthuret)

See:
http://members.aol.com/heroicage1/Issue1/haaad.htm

My personal opinion is that this Dalriadan Artur was named after an earlier hero-relative from his mother's side who is said to have been a Strathclyde royal.?????

Louie

[sftr]

Originally Posted by louiepastore1

the first mention of a historical Arthur comes from a Scottish poem 'The Goddodin'

There are certainly many theories on who Arthur was, even that he was a mixture of more than one person. While a character believed to be Arthur was mentioned in The Goddodin, another early mention was by Nennius in his Historia Brittonum, which was written c.800 AD. Whether either of these characters was Arthur or if it was the son of Aedan as mentioned by McDink is something that will never be proved as fact. Of course, a certain D F Carrol believes he has proved just that in his book Arturius - A Quest For Camelot!

[louiepastore1]

Like the Arthur story the date of the Edinburgh 'Goddodin' poem depends on which group of experts you listen too. Some reckon it was written possibly as early as the late 6th century while others date the poem to around the 9th or 10th century.

Y Gododdin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here's the actual Arthur mention for those who haven't read the poem, in which the poet praises one of the warriors, Gwawrddur:..

"He fed black ravens on the rampart of a fortress
Though he was no Arthur
Among the powerful ones in battle
In the front rank, Gwawrddur was a palisade"

Louie

[sftr]

One mention of Arthur in The Goddodin isn't exactly providing much in the way of proof no matter when the poem was written or who the author was. Also, how likely is it that the name would have appeared as Arthur in anything dating from the 6th or 7th century? It has been suggested by some that either the poem dates from a later time OR the name Arthur was added some time after or that it was anglicised in a later version of the poem! Either way, it just continues to add to the speculation, nothing more!