Arthur, King of the Britons
* this is the first post of the Pagan Blog Project 2014 series. To find out more about the Pagan Blog Project, go to paganblogproject.com *
King Arthur, of the Knights of the Round Table, is a mythological character that may, or may not, be based on a real person. As with any myth, there are different renditions of Arthur. In general, Arthur is seen as a great King who fought against the evil of the land and brought a time of enlightenment to the Land. He often begins life believing that he is a commoner, but is really of royal blood. In many of the stories, Arthur was found and trained by a wizard, or druid, named Merlin. Other stories say that Merlin was his advisor in later life. Some people believe that he never really died, but passed from this world to another to return when he is needed.
The story of Arthur has been re-created in modern literature and film with a book series called “Avalon High” by Meg Calbot and a movie loosely based on the book, as well as a TV series, “Merlin” that follows the potential young wizard as he develops a relationship with Arthur. There are a significant number of credits to the character of King Arthur in IMDb.
In most modern re-tellings, Arthur is a Christian, but it’s possible that this is due to the bias of the re-tellers and the environment that they are working in. In spite of this, Arthur is often revered, and even worshiped, by pagans today.
I am just beginning on my journey into Welsh magical systems, and many of the leads that I have been following seem to lead to Arthur and the mythical land of Avalon with which he is associated.
I look forward to the journey, and understanding both the mythical Arthur and the Kindred that is Arthur.
