A KING WHO MAY NEVER HAVE LIVED
Swords, stones
and sources.
A sword in an anvil. An arm rising from a lake. A table with a seat nobody dares take. Explore the Arthurian legends, and see exactly which parts are medieval story, which are later tradition and what historians can really say.
Every sentence is labelled History, Literature or Tradition, with its source beside it.
For curious readers, families and teachers who like a good story with a source beside it.
How we tell it ↗THREE THREADS TO PULL
Begin with a sword.
The sword and the anvil
How Malory’s young Arthur proves he should be king, in a London churchyard.
Read the notebook ↗Retold from MaloryThe sword from the lake
An arm in white samite, a barge, and Merlin’s warning about the scabbard.
Read the notebook ↗History guideLegend or history?
What the earliest writers actually say about Arthur, and what nobody can prove.
Read the notebook ↗HOW THE LEGEND GREW
Stories have dates.
A 6th-century monk, a 9th-century history, a 12th-century Latin chronicle, a 15th-century knight and a Victorian poet. Follow the legend as each writer adds to it.
Walk the timeline ↗Geoffrey of Monmouth
Britannica rates its historical value as ‘almost nil’.
Read the timeline ↗1485
Caxton prints Malory
Read a Malory story ↗A SMALL TEST OF CURIOSITY
Legend, literature or history?
Sort twelve statements into the right pile, then try the eight-question quiz. Explanations after every answer.
SIX STAMPS TO COLLECT
The quest stamp card.
A sword question in London, a lake question, a green knight’s bargain. Answer from the notebook and earn the ink.
Prefer paper? Printable Arthurian packs, with a free sample.
THE READING SHELF
Read the old books free.
Malory, Geoffrey, Tennyson and Howard Pyle are all free to read online. If you want a printed copy, compare editions before the cover catches your eye.
Free texts & the reading shelf ↗Merlin on the Isle of Man?
An 18th-century visitor wrote down a Manx belief about giants, Merlin and a sealed room in Castle Rushen.
Read the island tradition ↗