Excalibur And The Sword In The Stone By RoundGlass Music

Named ‘The Matter of Britain,’ by 12th-century poet Jean Bodel, the legendary history of England made of one of the primary story cycles that dominated Western medieval Europe. The centerpiece of it is the story of Arthur. Though exact details differ common national mythology has arisen around the figure.

The legends grew and expanded over time, as different authors added their own flavor to the growing myths. Early sources such as Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britannae (History of the Kings of Britain), finished in 1138. Monmouth’s work was written as a history book and although it was taken seriously as history into the 16th century, it is now seen as useless as a historical text. However, the work has great importance as a piece of medieval literature, primarily because it is our oldest surviving source of Arthurian legend.  His work was itself compiled of earlier lost sources but establishes pieces of the myth that would become central over time, such as the wizard Merlin, Guinevere, and the sword Excalibur.

Interestingly, one of the greatest influences on Arthurian legend wasn’t even British, but French. Chrétien de Troyes wrote five Arthurian Romances in the late 1100s, these added Lancelot, the holy grain, the round table, and much of what is conjured to mind when we think of King Arthur. De Troyes wasn’t the only writer to tackle the subject of Arthur through the lens of the Romantic genre but is perhaps the most influential. The nature of the character of Arthur himself also changed greatly during this period. In earlier sources, he was portrayed as a bloodthirsty warrior of great strength, who would personally be out vanquishing foes and killing witches. During this period the stories focused far more on the other characters around Arthur, rather than Arthur himself. In these stories, he is portrayed as a wise, even-tempered king. He rarely gets involved, and instead rules from Camelot.

However, probably the greatest influence on our own cultural adaptations of Arthurian legend comes from Thomas Mallory’s 15th century Le Morte d’Arthur (The Death of Arthur). Where before the stories of Arthur were largely disconnected and self-contained, much like Ancient Greek Myth, Mallory attempted to create a single comprehensive work that collected Arthur’s entire life and story. In an interesting twist, historians aren’t one hundred percent sure which sir Thomas Mallory wrote this great work, as there were at least six historical figures with that name from that time. Regardless, Mallory pulled from many of the existing sources to link together the stories across Arthur’s life.

In this, Arthur is the son of King Uther Pendragon, but upon his father’s death, he is smuggled away to be raised by Sir Ector. He grows up knowing nothing of his lineage. One of the most captivating parts of the legend is the moment Arthur becomes king, by drawing the famed sword Excalibur from an anvil sitting atop a stone. The legend foretold that only the true King of England would be able to pull the sword from the stone. Though lords and nobles from across England tried they all failed. It was only when young Arthur, who at this point believed himself to be a squire of little importance, can draw Excalibur. This both proclaim his birthright, as Uther’s son, and his divine right, to rule. This is an early example of the chosen narrative that is found across contemporary fiction, from The Matrix to Star Wars.

Arthur’s reign ushered in a golden age in Britain, centered around his court at Camelot. His greatest knights joined him around a round table and had many adventures, most notably, the search for the Holy Grail. Camelot’s downfall came from within as Arthur’s wife Guinevere and his most noble knight Lancelot fell deeply in love. In a truly Christian moralistic fashion, their adultery is a corruption from which Camelot can ultimately never recover.

This mix was designed to recall the Epic fantasy of the legendary history of England, specifically King Arthur, Camelot, his Round Table, and his sword Excalibur. So the next time you put on your slippers, put your feet up by the fire, put on this mix, and crack open the final book Thomas Malory’s 15th-century work ‘The Noble & Joyous Boke Entitled Le Morte Darthur Notwythstondyng It Treateth of the Byrth Lyf and Actes of the Sayd Kynge Arthur; Of His Noble Knyghtes of the Rounde Table, Theyr Merveyllous Enquestes and Adventures Thachyevyng of the Sanc-Greall and in the Ende the Dolourous Deth; And Departynge out of This Worlde of Them Al,’ you’ll have an even greater appreciation for the origins of these stories that continue to captivate us. Boy, they knew how to title a book back then!