King Authur - Man or Myth
Arthur, Legendary King of the Britons, and the major figure in Arthurian Legend. He defeated foreigners from Britain, brought peace to the country and established a kingdom based on justice, law, and morality. He held court at his castle at Camelot and instituted an order known as the knights of the Round Table. Eventually his realm crumbled, and his illegitimate son Mordred grievously wounded him in battle. Many versions of Arthurian legend say that Arthur will someday return, when he is again needed by Britain.Arthur was the son of King Uther Pendragon and the lady Ygraine . After Arthur is born, the magician Merlin gives him to a man named Hector, to be raised with Hector's son, Kay. Arthur grows up as a commoner, but then he alone succeeds at a test devised to choose Uther's successor: Arthur draws a sword from a stone (other versions of the story that have been passed down have used an anvil). Because of his humble origins, Arthur must overcome strong opposition from the British nobles to his royal right, but eventually he is crowned King. To help him in leading Britain, he receives the great sword Excalibur, offered by a hand that rises mysteriously from a lake. To defeat Britain's enemies, Arthur undertakes a series
Through out history, historians have been looking for actual factual evidence that the real King Arthur existed. Mentions of him in Historical documents are few and far between, but, documents that do exist today with references to the man, Arthur, are of extreme value to modern day historians. The Dream of Rhonabwy, c.1200 -- Excerpts from a tale of the Welsh Mabinogion, refer to Arthur as "Emperor," and mention the Battle of Camlann. (http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/rhonabwy.html) During the war with Lancelot, Arthur learns that the Romans plan to attack him. He defeats them, but at the same time his illegitimate son (in other versions of the story, his nephew), Mordred, tries to take over the throne. Arthur then fights Mordred on Salisbury Plain that leaves many of Arthur's knights dead. Arthur kills Mordred, but before dying, the he seriously wounds the king. Early Welsh Verse, 7th Century to 14th Century -- The mentions of Arthur in Welsh poems and verse are many. Sometimes he is a warrior, sometimes a leader, sometimes a ruffian, but he is almost never a king. Most of these verses are twelfth to fourteenth century copies, but are believed to have been originally composed much earlier. (http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/stanzas.html)
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1084
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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