Castle of King Arthur: description, photos, legends

Before we start talking about the castle of Camelot, as legendary and mysterious as its master - King Arthur, let us turn to the British epic and try to better imagine the face of this past through the ages of the character. The leader, who ruled the semi-mythical kingdom of Logres in the fifth and sixth centuries, he became the most famous hero of Celtic culture. On the authenticity of the existence of his arguments, scientists do not cease to this day.

The Mystery of the Castle of Tintagel

The castle of King Arthur, called Camelot, is not the only one associated with his name. In the county of Cornwall in the south-west of England and today show tourists the venerable ruins of another medieval building of the early 13th century, erected on the site of the legendary castle of Tintagel, where he was conceived a valiant hero.

This, in general, quite routine act in this case is accompanied by a very romantic and not devoid of piquancy story. The fact is that Arthur's father was the King of the Britons Uther Pendragon, and the mother is by no means the queen, and the wife of the courtly Gorlois is the beautiful Eigir.

The searches of the sorcerer Merlin

Rising to her with passion and not having another opportunity to get what she wanted, the king, with the help of the sorcerer Merlin, took on the appearance of her husband, who left the family estate for a while, and in this form unobstructed entered the bedchamber of a beauty. She noticed whether it was forgery or not - let's leave it on her conscience, but only after the appointed time, the fruit of this somewhat vaudevillous adventure - the future King Arthur appeared.

By the way, at the same time her husband Gorlois died. According to one version, he did not survive the accidental betrayal of his wife, and on the other, he was simply killed by order of Uther, so as not to get confused under his feet. But somehow, the inconsolable widow gave birth to a daughter from the king, also called Anna. Arthur was given up to the same sorcerer Merlin, who played such an unseemly role in this story.

Accession to the throne

This, of course, is one of the legends, and in them, as is known, vice is punished. The delirious Uther, too, was not upset and after sixteen years he was treacherously poisoned by his own courtiers. After his death, as usual, a fierce struggle for power began, and in order not to interrupt one another, the dignitaries decided to put Arthur, the son of the newly poisoned monarch, on the throne. He was only fifteen at that time, and they believed that they could manage the state on his behalf. Since then, King Arthur's castle has become the site of many dramatic events.

Sword extracted from a stone

By the way, according to one version, Arthur's accession to the throne was also not without magic, and Merlin, who was already familiar to everyone, mixed it with the general plot. The fact is that on the main square of London, from time immemorial, a stone stood, from which the hilt of the sword protruded, and whoever tried to pull it out, no one lacked strength. And Merlin suggested to everyone that only those who can do it are worthy of the crown.

Need I say that it was his ward, he gave for this necessary power? So it was or not - it's hard to say. But only since then, the sorcerer's pupil received the throne, and the castle of King Arthur is the status of the residence of the head of state.

As for the sword itself, it turned out to be, as we say today, substandard and soon broke down. After this, the elves, who at that time were like flies on a pie, forged a new king, smashing without a miss, but with the condition that he would get it from the scabbard only in the name of good deeds.

Wedding of King Arthur

In the British epic, the image of King Arthur is inextricably linked with a beautiful companion - the ideal of an exalted poetic dream, a model of chastity and integrity. It was such a lady, pleasant in all respects, according to legend, was Ginevra - the daughter of King Leodegrans, whose very modest possessions stretched in the south-west of Britain.

The young fell in love with each other (at first sight, of course), and after the wedding King Arthur's castle witnessed their happiness. But they did not have children. The reason for this was the intrigues of a fairy who wanted her son to inherit the throne, and because of witchcraft shut the womb of Ginevra.

With her newfound wife, she was not lucky - she was an evil witch, which, however, is not uncommon in our days. But my father-in-law fell for glory. As a wedding present, he presented a table to the young, but not a simple one, but a round one, which later went down in history, thanks to the knights sitting around him during state councils.

The solution prompted by Ginevrai

In Camelot - the castle of King Arthur - from all over the country the most valiant and faithful to their suzerain knights were invited. They gathered at least a hundred, which inevitably gave rise to the problem of how to seat so many arrogant and self-satisfied masters during the royal councils and feasts? Sitting at the head of the table was considered an honor, in the end a sign of disregard from the owner and an insult. Any carelessness in this matter could result in resentment and inevitable bloodshed in such cases.

It was then Ginevra and she told her husband to use the wedding gift - the table is round, and the circle, as you know, has neither a beginning nor an end. At this table, everyone is in the same position. Hence the expression "Knights of the Round Table", that is, persons equal to each other.

Mentor of the Knights of the Round Table

Wizard Merlin, once tainted by the reincarnation of King Uther into someone else's husband, temporarily corrected himself and regularly visited King Arthur's castle, whose history approached its most dramatic part. Instructing the knights assembled there, he taught them not to do evil, to avoid dishonor, to lie and to follow the principles of valor and nobility in everything.

His teachings were mastered, and soon all of them without exception were knighted by the fact that they were doing good everywhere, giving charity to the defeated and giving patronage to the ladies. In addition, their skate was the destruction of dragons, evil sorcerers and the salvation of countless princesses. They did not refuse on occasion and rid themselves of enemies of any state that desired it.

However, the knights of the Round Table considered the main purpose of their life to be the search for the Holy Grail - the cup from which Jesus Christ drank during the Last Supper and in which His blood was then collected. Knightly novels that appeared in subsequent centuries and gained considerable popularity tell about all these exploits in detail.

The End of Family Happiness

But the days of serene love of King Arthur and his chosen one, alas, ended. And the reason was Ginevra, in whose heart, except for her husband, his closest friend, the knight Lancelot, could fit. She met him when she arrived in Camelot. This young handsome was one of the most zealous seekers of the Holy Grail, but after the sin of adultery committed by him with his sovereign's wife, he lost hope of success - the greatest Christian shrine could only get into clean hands.

The Secondary Son of King Arthur

Nor was her husband Arthur, who had the illegitimate son Mordred on his side, born of his half-sister, the fairy Morgana. However, he deserves indulgence, because, according to him, entered into a sinful connection under the influence of the charms of the same magician Merlin.

The old pimp, in collusion with the mythical Maiden Lake (a very suspicious lady), put his hand to the fact that, yielding to passion, the brother and sister did not recognize each other. When they understood what was happening, it was already too late. The child who was born was given up to be brought up by evil sorceresses, and from this, of course, nothing good could come of it. As a result, he grew up a man of treacherous, power-hungry and disrespectful parents.

Nobility of the deceived king

This last quality of Mordred became fatal for the inhabitants of Camelot, and because of him the knight's castle of King Arthur turned into a target for secret ridicule. The fact is that the unfortunate husband of the traitor Ginevra, knowing about her adventures, remained a true gentleman who did not allow himself to be disgraced by the lady (especially his own wife), exposing her weakness, so characteristic of young women.

In addition, he loved her and highly valued his friend Lancelot. Not wishing, as they say, to take the dirty linen out of the hut, the deceived spouse tried to close his eyes to this novel and thus preserve the peace in the family and tranquility in the state. Mordred, being his only heir, in every possible way compromised his father, hoping to accelerate his journey to the throne.

The Impudence of Mordred

Since that time, calmness forever left the castle of King Arthur. Legends lay the blame for the ill-fated Mordred. Once, wanting to compromise the queen, he broke into her chambers with a band of his henchmen just as she was hosting Lancelot. On that day, their meeting was not of an intimate, but purely businesslike nature, but Mordred's so bold conduct led Lancelot into a rage, and before the queen fainted (as it should), he cut the fugitives with his sword.

Fleeing the English Channel

However, the case became public, and the courtiers, greedy for scandal, made a fuss about the incident, giving it unnecessary details. As a result, lovers were forced to flee to France, and the unfortunate spouse pretend to pursue them beyond the English Channel. He returned home alone, inconsolable from grief. Genewra disappeared without a trace, and no one has ever seen her again.

Legend has it that, realizing the depth of its fall, she forever shut herself up in one of the remote monasteries, where fasting and prayer tried to atone for what she had done. However, even here there were evil tongues that claimed that the fugitive was soon seen at the French court.

The death of the inconsolable king

Since then, the castle of King Arthur has darkened. Description of the life that has filled him draws a picture of sorrow and despondency. The insidious Mordred, who always dreamed of taking his father's throne, took advantage of his absence and inclined the courtiers to treason, promising them rich gifts. When Arthur returned from France, an ambush, arranged by his son, was waiting for him near the castle. The king drew his sword, but in an unequal battle was killed. The only true person to him, though belatedly, but rushing to the rescue, was Lancelot.

But the legend says that the story did not end there. After the death, King Arthur was transferred by magic power to the mythical island of Avalon, where he was dozing under a stone slab, ready at any moment to rise and come to the aid of England, if only she would be in danger.

The Riddle of an Old Castle

About whether the legendary king had a real historical prototype, the opinions of scientists diverge. All that concerns his home is also controversial. What is the name of the castle of King Arthur, every Englishman knows, but where he was - you can hardly get an answer. Some researchers believe that it was built in the county of Cheshire in the west of England, but there are other judgments.

The difficulty is caused by the fact that in most knightly novels the name of the castle of King Arthur is mentioned, but without a specific topographical reference. It should also be noted that in the earliest writings the word Camelot does not appear at all. About the name of the castle of King Arthur, readers first learned in the 12th century from the novel by the French writer Chrétien de Troyes "Lancelot".

The discovery of British scientists

A report published recently by foreign media is worthy of attention. In the county of Cornwall, located in the south-west of England, British archaeologists have discovered fragments of the castle, which stood there in the V-VI century. For a number of reasons, they managed to establish its similarity with the legendary Camelot, such as it is represented in medieval literature.

This caused a general interest in their finding. The surviving bases of the walls and internal buildings allowed the creation of a mock-up of the castle of King Arthur. However, their discovery is questioned. The fact is that in fact it is not established whether the castle of King Arthur actually existed. Photos from the excavation site flew over pages of newspapers and television screens, but they can hardly open the secret.

Another message that appeared on the pages of the Daily Telegraph testifies to a discovery made in the city of Chester, located twenty-five kilometers southeast of Liverpool. The leading British historian Chris Gidlow, who led the excavations, believes that with a high degree of probability it can be argued that the artifacts discovered by him are fragments of the legendary Camelot. However, sober in their judgments, the English people repeat their usual phrase in such cases: "It's too good to be true."