The main legend of King Arthur has grown over many years as the result of poets and troubadours. This stems mainly from 12th Century writers. They constructed and sang of these tales which originated from the spoken word, passing through the years with inevitable twists. King Arthur did exist (born about 465AD) but he was not as depicted. He was said to be the son of Uther Pendragon and Ygraine of Cornwall. In early Latin chronicles he is depicted as "Dux Bellorum" or Military Leader. 

He was a Celtic Clan or Tribal Chief who united the country against Saxon invaders.  Following Roman rule, which brought with it Law and Order, the country descended into anarchic chaos for many years. Fragmented and leaderless, the tribes or clans of England frequently warred against each other. Being fragmented, the land could offer little resistance to frequent invasions from abroad. The Saxons were being driven from their European homeland by invading people from the east, the Steppes of what is now Russia. The Steppes were becoming arid and the people moved ever westward in search of more fruitful lands.  The name Arthur, back in those days, meant "Great Bear" or "Arth  Fawr", a name which could have been given to any chieftain. He was a man who forged a cohesion among the British tribes, to face the threat from Anglo Saxons, who spoke English.  As throughout the ages, the problem was that of displaced people, refugees. Each generation reinterprets the story of Arthur - in the 1970s the interest tended more towards the magical, mystical and ethereal.  Nowadays, we tend to approach these myths based on archaeology and historical research, formed in flesh, blood, fur and metal.

His home or "base" is also the subject of much debate and controversy. It has been placed in Caerleon, South Wales and most famously in Tintagel, Cornwall although the latter seems to be more unlikely. He is also associated with Glastonbury. The Tor at Glastonbury rises high about the surrounding land, which in those days, was probably well under water, or at least exceedingly marshy.  Indeed, this is the supposed location for the "lady of the lake". Avalon is reputed to be here, where the mighty sword Excalibur was forged and where Arthur's body was brought to rest. Arthur was also supposed to have made his headquarters atop Cadbury Hill nearby. Also he is alleged to have rescued his queen Guenevere from the clutches of the evil King Melwas here.  All these tales cannot be true or even close, otherwise Glastonbury would be many things and places at once, all different and all shrouded in mystery. The most famous of legends surrounding Glastonbury is the supposed landing nearby of Joseph of Arimathea, with the holy grail. He "planted" his staff in the hillside from which grew the famous Glastonbury Thorn, a tree indigenous to the Middle East. In 1190 monks "discovered" King Arthur's grave - this was probably more to do with their self importance, increasing the importance of the Abbey rather than any legitimate archaeological find. Furthermore the monks are supposed to have re-interred Arthur in Cadbury Hill. For the claims of Caerleon (Which, in Welsh, means Fortress of the Legions) to this "throne" of King Arthur visit the following web site: http://www.caerleon.net/history/arthur/. Neither Tintagel, Caerleon nor Glastonbury are going to give up their "rights" to Arthurian legend without a fight - who is wrong - who is right is not up to me to decide. I am not a historian, just a nosy Englishman who likes a mystery!

The earliest full stories concerning King Arthur and his exploits appear to be the little known Welsh tales of "Culhwch and Olwen" and the "Dream of Rhonabwy". Though dating from before the 11th century, these two stories became a late attachment to a collection of Welsh mythological tales taken from the 14th century White Book of Rhydderch and Red Book of Hergest. Together, they are known as the "Mabinogion". The Welsh monk Nennius first mentions Arthur around the year 830AD. Surprisingly he refers to Arthur as a warrior - not a king.

The book known to the Welsh as The Mabinogion is a collection of stories which evolved over 1,000 years. The stories were passed from generation to generation by bards and story-tellers from the 4th century onwards, but were not written down in a surviving manuscript form until the 13th century. The White Book of Rhydderch (1325) and the Red Book of Hergest (1400) between them contain 11 stories. The four tales known as the Four Branches of the Mabinogi are set in an imaginary magical world of early Celtic myth and two other tales tell of half-remembered history at the time of the Roman occupation.

The much-maligned Geoffrey of Monmouth, Archdeacon of Monmouth and later Bishop of St. Asaphs, first popularized King Arthur's story, around 1139, in his "History of the Kings of Britain". Though he was writing some six hundred years after Arthur's death, there is no reason to suppose that Geoffrey's history was "made up...from an inordinate love of lying" as both contemporary and modern historians almost universally insist. Geoffrey claimed he had taken most of his information from an earlier British source, unknown to us today: and why not? Later, however, he turns to real history. From the time of Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55 bc, which both Geoffrey and the great man himself relate at great length, we can no longer be sure that the Archdeacon is reciting mere legend. Much of his information has corroborative historical sources like this. Who is to say that everything he tells us, from then on, is not pure fact?

It was the French medieval poet, Chrétien de Troyes, however who, not long after Geoffrey, introduced us to most of the characters and tales that we now think of as an integral part of the Arthurian story. He specialized in tales of Arthurian courtly love and thus brought us: Erec & Enid (1160), Lancelot (c.1162), Cligés (1164), Yvain (c.1170) and the Count of the Grail (also known as Perceval) (1180). He transformed the names of Geoffrey's characters from Welsh to the medieval French used today. It was Chrétien and those who followed him who distorted the Arthurian story, so that the true historical Arthur became lost in an amalgam of Celtic myth and literary fantasy. For example, neither Lancelot nor the Holy Grail were part of the Arthurian legend before Chrétien came along. Both do have origins in early Celtic myth, but there is little justification for including them in Arthur's story.

During the early 13th century, the anonymous Vulgate Cycle further embellished the Arthurian stories. This collection of romantic prose was apparently put together by Cistercian clerics between 1215 and 1235, some say at the instigation of their founder, St. Bernard of Clairvaux. The vast work consists of the Prose Lancelot, Queste del Sainte Graal, Estoire del Sainte Graal, Mort Artu and Vulgate Merlin. It is particularly noted for introducing the idea that Mordred was the incestuous son of King Arthur.

Sir Thomas Malory's 15th century work, "Le Morte d'Arthur" is, perhaps, better known than Geoffrey or Chrétien. He took their stories and retold them with an epic unity, creating the Romantic Age of Chivalry. With one stroke of his pen, he transformed Arthur's Court from Dark Age obscurity to the height of medieval pageantry. Being written in English and printed by Caxton, "Le Morte d'Arthur" was instantly available to the masses, and it remains highly popular, even today, as a classic work of literature. Malory's work, however, is just that: a work of literature. There is little history left amongst his pages. I suppose we could refer to him as the Jack Higgins or David Eddings of his day - pure fiction! This gentleman is probably the main reason we think of Arthur in the chivalrous, shining knights theme of today! Also  guilty is Lord Tennyson.

Arthur's modern popularity owes much to his re-emergence during the Victorian Age at the hands of Alfred, Lord Tennyson. His huge poetic elegy entitled "Idylls of the King" led to a resurgence in interest in this early monarch, as reflected in much of the pre-Raphælite art of the time. The fascination is still going strong today. However, modern Arthurian students have become much more critical of the romantic picture woven by many of these literary greats. Nowadays, we tend to be much more interested in the real Arthur, drawing upon the Mabinogion, Geoffrey and beyond, to examine historical sources that may just show us a glimpse of the truth behind this strangely compelling character.

Merlin was almost certainly a purely fictitious character. Once again Geoffrey of Monmouth seems to be to blame. However, it is nice to think that such a mystical character could have existed in those times; it is, however, highly unlikely and is probably based upon some ancient tales of wild men living in woods handed down through the ages.  Britain was mostly woodland then anyway - thus there may have been a lot of "wild men" to go round! I believe that Merlin was about as "real" as Gandalf the Grey, another fictitious mystic of more modern literature. Geoffrey's modern day equivalent would surely have written scripts for such rubbish as "Dallas"!!

Merlin first appears in  records (Armes Prydein, Y Gododdin) from the early 10th century as a mere prophet, but his role gradually evolved into that of magician, prophet and advisor, active in all phases of the administration of King Arthur's kingdom. He was apparently given the name Emrys (or Ambrosius) at his birth in Caer-Fyrddin (Carmarthen). He only later became known as Merlin, a Latinized version of the Welsh word, Myrddin, taken from the place of his birth. Geoffrey of Monmouth is thought to have invented this form (as he did so much else), since he did not want his character to be associated with the French word, merde, meaning "excrement".

Merlin was the illegitimate son of a monastic Royal Princess of Dyfed. The lady's father, however, King Meurig ap Maredydd ap Rhain, is not found in the traditional pedigrees of this kingdom and was probably a sub-King of the region bordering on Ceredigion. Merlin's father, it is said, was an angel who had visited the Royal nun and left her with child. (Oh the excuses they came up with in those days?) Merlin's enemies claimed his father was really an incubus, an evil spirit that has intercourse with sleeping women. The evil child was supposed to provide a counterweight to the good influence of Jesus Christ on earth. Merlin, fortunately, was baptized early on in his life, an event which is said to have negated the evil in his nature, but left his powers intact. The original story was presumably invented to save his mother from the scandal which would have occurred had her liaison with one Morfyn Frych (the Freckled), a minor Prince of the House of Coel, been made public knowledge (See what I mean?).

Legend then tells us that after the Roman withdrawal from Britain and the usurpation of the throne from the rightful heirs, Vortigern was in flight from the Saxon breakout and went to Snowdonia, in Wales, in hopes of constructing a mountain fortress at Dinas Emrys where he might be safe. Unfortunately, the building kept collapsing and Vortigern's house wizards told him that a human sacrifice of a fatherless child would solve the problem. One small difficulty was that such children are rather hard to find. (Especially if they are going to be sacrificed!) Fortunately for Vortigern's fortress, Merlin was known to have no human father and happened to be available.

Before the sacrifice could take place, Merlin used his great visionary powers and attributed the structural problem to a subterranean pool in which lived a red and a white dragon. The meaning of this, according to Merlin, was that the red dragon represented the Britons, and the white dragon, the Saxons. The dragons fought, with the white dragon having the best of it, at first, but then the red dragon drove the white one back. The meaning was clear. Merlin prophesied that Vortigern would be slain and followed on the throne by Ambrosius Aurelianus, then Uther, then a greater leader, Arthur. It would fall to him to push the Saxons back.

True to the prophecy, Vortigern was slain and Ambrosius took the throne. Later, Merlin appears to have inherited his grandfather's little kingdom, but abandoned his lands in favour of the more mysterious life for which he has become so well known. After 460 British nobles were (allegedly) massacred at a peace conference, as a result of Saxon trickery, Ambrosius consulted Merlin about erecting a suitable memorial to them. Merlin, along with Uther, led an expedition to Ireland to procure the stones of the Chorea Gigantum, the Giant's Ring. Merlin, by the use of his extraordinary powers, brought the stones back to a site, just west of Amesbury, and re-erected them around the mass grave of the British nobles. We now call this place Stonehenge. We know Stonehenge to be much older than the supposed time scale of this tale. (Geoffrey of Monmouth, of course, did not!)

After his death, Ambrosius was succeeded by his brother, Uther, who, during his pursuit of Gorlois and his irresistable wife, Ygerna (Igraine or Eigr in some texts), back to their lands in Cornwall, was aided by Merlin. As a result of a deception made possible by Merlin's powers, Uther was transformed into the image of Gorlois. He entered their castle, managed to fool Ygraine into thinking he was her husband, had his way with her and in the course of things, conceived a child, Arthur. Poor Gorlois, not knowing what was going on, went out to meet Uther in combat, but instead, was slain by Uther's troops.

After Arthur's birth, Merlin became the young boy's tutor, while he grew up with his foster-father, Sir Ector (alias Cynyr Ceinfarfog (the Fair Bearded)). In the defining moment of Arthur's career, Merlin arranged for the sword-in-the-stone contest by which the lad became king. Later, the magician met the mystic Lady of the Lake at the Fountain of Barenton (in Brittany) and persuaded her to present the King with the magical sword, Excalibur. In the romances, Merlin is the creator of the Round Table, and is closely involved in aiding and directing the events of the king and kingdom of Camelot. He is pictured by Geoffrey of Monmouth, at the end of Arthur's life, accompanying the wounded Arthur to the Isle of Avalon for the healing of his wounds. Others tell how having fallen deeply in love with the Lady of the Lake, he agreed to teach her all his mystical powers. She became so powerful that her magical skills outshone even Merlin's. Determined not to be enslaved by him, she imprisoned the old man in a glass tower, a cave or similarly suitable prison. Thus his absence from the Battle of Camlann was ultimately responsible for Arthur's demise.

According to Geoffrey's "Vita Merlini" (c. 1151), Merlin/Myrddin was a sixth century prophet living in the north of Britain where his career extended beyond Arthur. Merlin travelled north, after Camlann, to the court of King Gwendoleu of Caer-Guenoleu (north of the Salway) where the locals called him Lailoken (or Llallogan). Shortly afterward, a war broke out between Merlin's Royal master and the three allies, King Riderch Hael (the Generous) of Strathclyde and Kings Peredyr & Gwrgi of Ebrauc (York). Gwendoleu was killed in the ensuing Battle of Ardderyd (Arthuret) and Merlin, sent mad with grief at the death of his nephew and four brothers, fled into the Caledonian Forest. He lived there in a mad frenzy for over a year, becoming known as Myrddin Wylt (the Wild), before Riderch, who was his brother-in-law, found him and brought him to safety in the Strathclyde Court.

Some scholars believe there were two Merlins: Myrddin Emrys and Myrddin Wylt. The fact that Merlin apparently lived from the reign of Vortigern (c.420) to the reign of Riderch Hael (c.580) would certainly support this view. The stretch from Vortigern to Arthur is itself unlikely and early versions of the "Vortigern at Dinas Emrys" story give the fatherless boy as Emrys Wledig (Ambrosius Aurelianus) who was living in Campus Elleti in Glywysing. Despite Myrddin Wylt's story indicating he may have had a conceptual origin in one of the wild-man-in-the-woods motifs common to the ancient folklore of the British Isles, this man's historicity is quite well established. His real name, however, may have been Lailoken. Was this man misplaced in time, by Geoffrey of Monmouth, to become King Arthur's mentor, some memory of a similar character from Caer-Fyrddin giving rise to his new name? PC Bartrum thinks not and points out that "fundamentally there is only one Merlin/Myrddin, and some of the later legends cannot be consistently classified as appropriate to one rather than the other."

His prison and/or burial place is said to be beneath Merlin's Mound at Marlborough College in Marlborough (Wiltshire), at Drumelzier in Tweeddale (Scotland), Bryn Myrddin (Merlin's Hill) near Carmarthen (Wales), Le Tombeau de Merlin (Merlin's Tomb) near Paimpont (Brittany) and Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island) (Also thought of as another "Avalon") off the Lleyn Peninsula (Wales).