In Search of King Arthur

Other Glastonbury traditions hold that Arthur received the sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake at Meare Pool, a few miles northwest of Glastonbury, and that she reclaimed it at Pomparles Bridge, the river gap between Wearyall Hill and Street.

3. In Wales

Bardsey Island. Source: Wikipedia.

Wales brings magic to the Arthurian legend.  Carmarthen might have been the birthplace of Merlin. Bardsey Island, a holy isle in the extreme northwest, lays claim to being Avalon and the final resting place of Merlin and Arthur.

When Wales faced military assault from the English in the thirteenth century the legend of Arthur proved a convenient rallying call. The Welsh recounted their celtic myths of a mighty warrior and turned to a new idea.  William of Malmesbury (c1080-1143) suggested that Arthur was not dead but resting. He would return in the country’s time of greatest need.  For the Welsh facing military defeat this was great solace.

4. In Scotland and the North

King Arthur’s seat, Edinburgh. Source: Wikipedia

There are references to King Arthur throughout Scotland and northern England. The king  might have been a valiant warrior who held a northern hill fort. King Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh might have been Camelot.

A more interesting thought suggests that Arthur might have commanded a mercenary band of cavalry. This concerns the Sarmatian hypothesis.  When Marcus Aurelius defeated a Sarmatian tribe from the Russian steppes in 175 AD he 8,000 of their elite cavalrymen into Roman service. Some 5,500 of these recruits were sent to the northern borders of Britain. These men settled in the area that is now Lancashire. The descendants continued to operate as a military force after the Roman army had withdrawn from Britain. The interesting cultural point is that the Sarmatian people worship their swords and have tales similar to that of Sword in the Stone and the Lady of the Lake that are found in the Arthurian tales. Their standard like that of Arthur includes a dragon motif.

5. In Europe

One possibility is that Britain, struggling to fend off Saxon invasion, appealed to Europe for help.  Arthur might have been a European warrior.  

In 446 The Groan of the Britons was sent to the military leader of the Western Roman Empire.

To Agitius, thrice consul, the groans of the Britons… the barbarians drive us to the sea, the sea drives us to the barbarians, between these two means of death we are either killed or drowned.

There is no known reply. The Roman Empire would have been too overstretched to send much in the way of military support, but it could have sent a charismatic leader to bolster local defence.

Which option you chose to believe is a matter of personal taste.  T here is scant archaeological evidence. My personal view is that the Arthurian legend is an amalgam. The story includes the exploits of many war lords embellished with a wide range of magical tales.  The fantasy within is superb.