I happen to agree with JRR Tolkien that it is a great shame that England has no mythologies to call its own. The closest we can get is the Athurian legends and Merlin.
Arthur Pendragon, the once and future king of England, has had the legend and mythologies of him twisted so many times by invaders and other people in history that we dont know what truth there is to the myths at all.
If not for the Welsh we wouldn't have Merlin at all.
Was Arthur really educated in Rome, or through a Roman-influenced system?
From what I understand, he was a towering figure, standing well over 6 feet. And from what I've read, he died during a battle, from a severe blow to the head, which leads me to speculate that possibly another bigger guy got the best of him.
Arthur has become a very interesting character (depending on which version of him you choose to subscribe to). I like the story of Excalibur, Merlin, the 13 Knights of the Round Table, etc. Cool story.
One is that he was educated in Rome, one is that he grew up the adopted son of a knight, and there are some I have never heard.
Thought there are things that are agreed in all the myths about him. He lived for a time in Tintagil castle in cornwall is one of them but Merlin wasn't always linked to the myths but had his own stories that are had to find since he was put in the Arthurian myths.
"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry))
06-26-2005 09:31 PM
