Arthurian legend Britannica. Arthurian legend, the body of stories and medieval romances, known as the matter of Britain, centring on the legendary king Arthur. Medieval writers, especially the French, variously treated stories of Arthurs birth, the adventures of his knights, and the adulterous love between his knight Sir Lancelot and his queen, Guinevere. This last situation and the quest for the Holy Grail the vessel used by Christ at the Last Supper and given to Joseph of Arimathea brought about the dissolution of the knightly fellowship, the death of Arthur, and the destruction of his kingdom. Stories about Arthur and his court had been popular in Wales before the 1. European fame came through Geoffrey of Monmouths. Historia regum Britanniae 1. Marilyn Monroe born Norma Jeane Mortenson June 1, 1926 August 5, 1962 was an American actress and model. Famous for playing comic dumb blonde characters, she. In early 20th Century England Hamilton James Macaulay relates the tale of how he found himself in a Scarborough Bricabrac shop. Theatrical. This is a list of Christmasthemed films which received a theatrical release. Roman army in eastern France but was mortally wounded in battle during a rebellion at home led by his nephew Mordred. Some features of Geoffreys story were marvelous fabrications, and certain features of the Celtic stories were adapted to suit feudal times. Buy Princes And Princesses Hq. The concept of Arthur as a world conqueror was clearly inspired by legends surrounding great leaders such as Alexander the Great and Charlemagne. Later writers, notably Wace of Jersey and Lawamon, filled out certain details, especially in connection with Arthurs knightly fellowship the Knights of the Round Table. Read More on This Topicepic Arthurian romance. The Arthurian romance seems to have developed first in the British Isles, before being taken to the Continent by Bretons, who migrated to Brittany in the 6th and 7th centuries. The core of the legend about Arthur and his knights derives from lost Celtic mythology. Many of the incidents in the former parallel the deeds of such legendary Irish characters as C Chulainn, an Ulster warrior. READ MOREUsing Celtic sources, Chrtien de Troyes in the late 1. Arthur the ruler of a realm of marvels in five romances of adventure. He also introduced the themes of the Grail and the love of Lancelot and Guinevere into Arthurian legend. Prose romances of the 1. An early prose romance centring on Lancelot seems to have become the kernel of a cyclic work known as the Prose Lancelot, or Vulgate cycle c. The Lancelot theme was connected with the Grail story through Lancelots son, the pure knight Sir Galahad, who achieved the vision of God through the Grail as fully as is possible in this life, whereas Sir Lancelot was impeded in his progress along the mystic way because of his adultery with Guinevere. Another branch of the Vulgate cycle was based on a very early 1. Merlin, by Robert de Boron, that had told of Arthurs birth and childhood and his winning of the crown by drawing a magic sword see. Excalibur from a stone. The writer of the Vulgate cycle turned this into prose, adding a pseudo historical narrative dealing with Arthurs military exploits. A final branch of the Vulgate cycle contained an account of Arthurs Roman campaign and war with Mordred, to which was added a story of Lancelots renewed adultery with Guinevere and the disastrous war between Lancelot and Sir Gawain that ensued. A later prose romance, known as the post Vulgate Grail romance c. Arthurian legend with material from the Tristan romance. The legend told in the Vulgate cycle and post Vulgate romance was transmitted to English speaking readers in Thomas Malorys late 1. Le Morte Darthur. At the same time, there was renewed interest in Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia, and the fictitious kings of Britain became more or less incorporated with official national mythology. The legend remained alive during the 1. England. Of merely antiquarian interest during the 1. Victorian times, notably in Alfred Tennysons Idylls of the King. In the 2. 0th century an American poet, Edwin Arlington Robinson, wrote an Arthurian trilogy, and the American novelist Thomas Berger wrote Arthur Rex 1. In England T. H. White retold the stories in a series of novels collected as The Once and Future King 1. His work was the basis for Camelot 1. Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe a film, also called Camelot 1. Numerous other films have been based on the Arthurian legend, notably John Boormans. Excalibur 1. 98. Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1.