Poll: Is Arthurian Legend Important?

[the1ultimate]

<a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur>King Arthur is quite an interesting character, more than likely a little bit of myth and man. Especially since I'm still not sure if he was handed his sword by some sort of water sprite or found it abandoned in a rock. But I digress.

King Arthur is said to be a great leader and his name is extremely recognizable to many people.
He can be seen in many popular cultural works. I have even seen him at least referenced in several anime series, and some fairly mediocre cartoon.

If you want, also post the answers to one or more of the following questions:
So, do you know the legend of King Arthur?
Where do you know the legend from?
Do you think the legend of King Arthur is important to us now?
Is there a legend of similar themes you believe to be superior?

And where do you think King Arthur got his sword from?

 

[darkless]

Completely Irreplaceable King Arthurius Pendragon is a paragon of chivalry and self sacrifice you simply can not replace that legend.

1: I do know the legend quiet well in fact

2: I learned It myself because It isn't taught in Ireland

3: I believe It is important as despite being a legend he sets a great example for children of this day and age.

4: Not that I can think of right now.

 

[Datalord]

F*CK YEAH ARTHUR IS IMPORTANT!

He's classic, and so is merlin, that's like saying if Shakespeare is important, or if the Nebelungenlied will survive, or if the Arabian nights will remain in human memory

And everyone knows he got his sword from the Lady of the Lake......Oh wait, you meant the real guy, not the guy in the legend.


OK, i would hypothesize that he merely had a superior smith forge him a sword out of a meteorite, as the alloy formed of iron and cobalt would increase the strength of the sword without significantly increasing its weight, resulting in a powerful sword with greater power relative to armor of his time period (No evidence for this, just a guess)

 

[Pimppeter2]

I love these legends.

My favorite is with the Green Knight. I think I'll go rent a book on him again

 

[NeutralDrow]

Just below irreplaceable, so I'll go with that last option. For the questions...

So, do you know the legend of King Arthur?

Some of it. I'm not really a scholar on the subject, though.

Where do you know the legend from?

Books, mostly. History texts mentioning the legend, books on the Arthurian Mythos (Young Readers series, The Once and Future King, Le Morte D'Artur, etc.), and the like, as well as Wikipedia and Fate/Stay Night.

So do you think the legend of King Arthur is important to us now?

Of course. I'm very much in favor of myth and legend of all stripes (especially ones that might have some basis in fact). I don't assign any special inherent meaning to it, I just like reading them.

Is there a legend of similar themes you believe to be superior?

...none off the top of my head, no. The Fiann Cycle of Celtic mythology might be similar, but I actually prefer Ulster, myself.

And where do you think King Arthur got his sword from?

Depends on which legend you refer to. I think most of them refer to Vivian giving him the sword (and it being returned to her upon his death), but I know there are some legends where the sword in the stone is his sword...

 

[WolfThomas]

And where do you think King Arthur got his sword from?

The first sword he used was the one pulled from the stone to prove he was the king of England, he then broke it in a fight with a future knight of his (not actually sure who it was Gawain? Lancelot?). So Merlin took him to the Lady of the lake and she gave Excalibur (which would make him unstoppable in combat) and a magic sword belt that made him impervious to injury, I remember he had that stolen before the last battle. It was returned to lady of the lake when he died.

However what I do like is in Captain Britain and MI13 (Marvel) they find Excalibur in a stone because the majority of people in Britain think its the sword from the stone and this belief shapes their magical plane.

 

[the1ultimate]

And where do you think King Arthur got his sword from?

Depends on which legend you refer to. I think most of them refer to Vivian giving him the sword (and it being returned to her upon his death), but I know there are some legends where the sword in the stone is his sword...

I know, that's the problem with legends; it's like a picture that every painter in history has felt the need to contribute to, even at the cost of parts already painted.

 

[rampantcreature]

And where do you think King Arthur got his sword from?

The way I remember hearing it (from reading various stories, watching movies), is that he got the King's Sword, which made him eligible/able to become king, from the stone. That one later broke and he was given Excalibur by Ms. Lady-of-the-Lake.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

'Tis indeed an important legend to modern culture. He stood for good and virtue, honor and chivalry, law and order in times where such things were scarce to find.

So yes,

I know the legend of Arthur.

Obtained from multiple sources (each version is also slightly varied but the theme remains the same); books, documentaries, internet..etc..etc

Yes it is.

None at the moment.

And where do you think King Arthur got his sword from?

Which sword?. The original sword which he supposedly pulled from the rock is said to be the sword of nobility, giving him entitlement to the throne.

Excalibur on the other hand has a lot of myth surrounding it, maybe more that Arthur himself. It is said to be the water spirit's sword by some, Merlin's sword by others, the sword forged in Avalon by a few..and..a very few believe it wasn't even a sword at all. They believe that Excalibur was actually a metaphor for something quite different, like a comet (I am not kidding). Comets of old were called 'swords' because of their shape across the night sky, and some comets have been known to break apart and shower the landscape lightly with debris leaving a massive wake of destruction (not to be confused with a meteor impact), like those in the tales that describe Arthur and his battles when he rode with Excalibur.

So you know, Excalibur can be anything.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxOZMpuGBjI

if it spawns this, it's worth keeping. Also, that's similar to asking if other cultures should keep record of their epic tales.

 

[TailsRodrigez]

i plan on reading about thios subject next semester, but from what i know it seems very interesting.

 

[the1ultimate]

It's good to see that everyone values King Arthur and the knights of the round table as irreplaceable, or at the very least, the basis of at least <a href=http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=3&ved=0CBUQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMonty_Python_and_the_Holy_Grail&rct=j&q=monty+python+search+for+the+holy+grail&ei=fRkaS6_sAYzqsQPCvNyHBw&usg=AFQjCNHaP3XxmrR9tQzcnz_Ja9e09omJpg>one humorous sketch.

In any case, because I'm not entirely convinced that my poll wasn't biased, I'm going to present a counter-argument:

Why should we consider a story that condones both chivalry (based on outdated sexist values) and Monarchy (a failed form of government) as relevant to us now?

 

[wynnsora]

I believe he is important even in this day. Being a hero whom lead an example for the future, it's important to keep the original in view and not forget what once was. Also, it's King Arthur! Need we say more?

 

[GrandAm]

Is king Arthur important?

Is Moby dick, the Bible, Twilight, War and Peace, your school's textbook, etc. important?

Whether what you read/movie is real or fiction is irrelevent, it boils down to this.

A stupid person makes a mistake and doesn't learn a lesson from it only to make the same mistake again and again.

A smart person makes a mistake only realise they did and learns a lesson to not repeat that mistake.

A wise person observes others. They see the mistake others have made and learns the lesson from them before they make it themselves. They learn the lesson and avoid making it themselves.

When it comes to examples either by fiction or real examples that a wise person can perceive enough to avoid mistake with, it is important. You have to temper it with current reality. But there is always a lesson to be learned by having perception, before you make the mistake.

Be wise if you can, be perceptive, regardless of the subject matter.

 

[the1ultimate]

Is king Arthur important?

Is Moby dick, the Bible, Twilight, War and Peace, your school's textbook, etc. important?

Whether what you read/movie is real or fiction is irrelevent, it boils down to this.

A stupid person makes a mistake and doesn't learn a lesson from it only to make the same mistake again and again.

A smart person makes a mistake only realise they did and learns a lesson to not repeat that mistake.

A wise person observes others. They see the mistake others have made and learns the lesson from them before they make it themselves. They learn the lesson and avoid making it themselves.

When it comes to examples either by fiction or real examples that a wise person can perceive enough to avoid mistake with, it is important. You have to temper it with current reality. But there is always a lesson to be learned by having perception, before you make the mistake.

Be wise if you can, be perceptive, regardless of the subject matter.

You are basically saying that the story of King Arthur is canon, and we can still learn lessons from it, regardless of what we consider wrong about the story.

A good point, especially since as a legend, King Arthur is effectively what we make of him.

How about this then:

Why does King Arthur get all the attention as a king of Britain when it is doubtful that he is even real? Is he the most realistic and relevant king we could have chosen to portray these values?
Wouldn't a king like (for example) <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_the_Great>Alfred the Great be a more historically certain and realistic king to choose?

 

[Clyde]

So, do you know the legend of King Arthur?
Vaguely Familiar

Where do you know the legend from?
High School

So do you think the legend of King Arthur is important to us now?
To be candid, the legend is bizarre by today's standards. The value of equality has superseded chivalry and hierarchy. Perhaps if it had more allegory, I'd have a better opinion of it, but it's still valuable as a product of its time.

Is there a legend of similar themes you believe to be superior?
The old TV series, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

Every nation needs its heroes. The English have King Arthur, the French have Joan of Arc, Germans have Siegfried, and a lot of other countries have their notable heroes. They may or may not have been real, but they stand for something that will never die.

 

[GrandAm]

the1ultimate...

You make a good point about how some things may not be real and the real should be herald first.

But that is not my point. My point is finding some wisdom that is presented before you by others whether fiction, factual, or legend to gain pespective to avoid mistakes or worse continue with repeated mistakes because as an individual person (you or I) don't have perception enough to avoid making that mistake again.

A silly example is the movie Ghostbusters. It was a comedy about paranormal activty that real science has never found any evidence for. You may say how can I learn a lesson about that. Simple, besides the obvious humor and absurdity it does have good lessons. Such as: They worked as a team to accomplish their goals. It was over something fictional, but the teamwork is something you see in a sports team, an office, a classroom study group, etc. It was a fictional world, but the characters learned that that there are things they don't understand that they still must overcome. In it's pure form it is silly, but with open perception you can see the lessons that are there.

The movie Aliens, again fictional. Ripley could have bailed any time she wanted. But her character realised that there are bigger thing than her and fought to recover the "mostly" girl from the alien.

Arthur, sure we know binks in a pool are not going to throw swords at us. With perception it can tell us that sometimes we face something that must, and if not embrace, but accept. We must live with what life throws at us. We must understand that what is given to us may appear awsome and in one moment be a negetive we never expected to deal with. In the next we push past any negative so we can be something great. Something of legend. That is what I see in Arthur. It is not a histrical writing. But it does provide lessons to gain perception from.

Non-fictional. Hitler. We have learned those lessons well where most people see it as a no brainer and will not make the same mistake again.

Japan and the nukes the USA dropped on them. Sure it ended the war, but over 70K died in a flash, plus hundreds of thousands more died as a result. We learned of long term redio active exposure, all the dangers. Not only to "them" but to "us". We fought a 50 year cold war where both sides could have killed all humanity. It didn't happen because lessons were learned and both sides knew the results if it did. I was perception that saved us all from nuclear war. Lessons learned that prevented Moscow or Washington from glowing for the next 100 years.

I hope you can see I am focusing on wisdom and lessons; instead history, fiction, fact, or legand. And how the Story of Athur has wisdom and lessons to at least consider for perception.

You have made good points regardless.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Every nation needs its heroes. The English have King Arthur, the French have Joan of Arc, Germans have Siegfried, and a lot of other countries have their notable heroes. They may or may not have been real, but they stand for something that will never die.

I would say that King Arthur is more of a French fictional chivalric hero.

We English have Robin Hood and Beowulf who better represent the national character.

 

[wordsmith]

Of course! No Arthur, no Legend of Zelda!