Arthur-msg

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Arthur-msg - 2/11/00

Information on the King Arthur legends and possibly the "real" King Arthur.

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NOTICE -

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.

Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

Thank you,

Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous

Stefan at florilegium.org

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Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 17:08:13 -0400

From: dy018 at freenet.carleton.ca (Micaylah)

Subject: Re: SC - Fwd: [aten] Fwd: Archaeological Find

This also appeared on ther BBC Online news

Thursday, August 6, 1998 Published at 13:51 GMT 14:51 UK

Clue to King Arthur Discovered

An ancient stone bearing a sixth century inscription similar to the name

Arthur has been unearthed at Tintagel Castle, the mythical birthplace of the

legendary king.

The discovery could prove that King Arthur had his headquarters at the site

of ruined castle on the coast of north Cornwall.

The stone is a 35cm by 20cm piece of slate inscribed with the name Artognov

- - Latin for the English name Arthnou.

A spokesman for English Heritage, the conservation organization that

announced the discovery, said the stone was "the find of a lifetime."

He said it added "a new dimension to the possibility of there having been a

real Arthur on whom the mythical figure was based."

The stone was unearthed towards the end of the latest round of excavations

at Tintagel, which is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.

It had been broken in order to be used as a drain cover outside a sixth of

seventh century building.

Arthur's stone, along with other recent finds, helps fill in some of the

many gaps that still exist in Tintagel's history, despite extensive

excavations in the

area that first began in the 1930s.

The new discoveries provide further evidence for the existence of some kind

of royal headquarters at Tintagel for a Dark Ages ruler of Cornwall.

Dr Geoffrey Wainwright, chief Archaeologist with English Heritage, said:

"Despite the obvious temptation to link the Arthnou stone to either the

historical or the legendary figure of Arthur, it must be stressed there is

no evidence to make this connection.

"Nevertheless it proves for the first time that the name existed at that

time and that the stone belonged to a person of status."

Tintagel expert Professor Charles Thomas said the inscription's informal

Roman lettering could be translated as: "Artognou, father of a descendant of

Coll, has had (this) constructed".

English Heritage said that as a historical figure Arthur almost certainly

did exist as a successful soldier fighting battles across the country in the

sixth century.

Literary references to Arthur can be found in the ninth century. The 12th

century writer Geoffrey of Monmouth first wrote of him as a romantic hero

and linked him with Tintagel.

The famous tales of Arthur and his round table were put together by the

Norman writer Wace. These were followed in the 15th century by Sir Thomas

Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur chronicle.

The stories were taken further by the 19th century poet Alfred, Lord

Tennyson.

Excavations at Tintagel over the years have provided clues that it was a

high status - possibly royal - site of a Cornish chieftain.

The Arthur stone also shows that the inhabitants of Tintagel carried on

living a Romanized life, and read and wrote Latin, long after the Romans

left England in 410 AD.

Tintagel relies heavily on its connection with King Arthur, and the new

stone will enhance that link.

There are many variations in tales of the mythical king's life. Geoffrey of

Monmouth's 12th century legend told how Arthur was born after his mother was

seduced by a king, whom the wizard Merlin had transformed into her husband.

Another version says that Merlin found the baby Arthur was ashore in a cave

below the castle.

As one guidebook for Tintagel says: "Fact hereabouts is tremendously hard to

separate from fiction."

Tintagel Facts

- - Occupation of the site at Tintagel castle dates back to Roman times.

- - Historians believe the castle was built in the early 13th century by Earl

Richard of Cornwall.

- - By the late 15th century the castle was ruined and deserted.

- - A fire at the site in the early 1980s led to the discovery of the remains

of around 50 buildings and some pottery.

- -Despite decades of investigation Tintagel remains a mystery, says English

Heritage.

Sorry there was no byline. It can be found and viewed at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_146000/146511.stm

Micaylah

Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 11:22:27 MST

From: rmhowe <magnusm at ncsu.edu>

Subject: Snippet

To: stefan at texas.net,

"Mark.S Harris (rsve60)" <rsve60 at email.sps.mot.com>

, MelanieWilson at globalnomad.co.uk

The British Library has announced that it will provide digitized images

of its Arthurian collection to the Arthurian Heritage Trust. These include

parchments with the 11th-century writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth and

Sir Thomas Malory's Morte D'Arthur, published in the 15th century. The

Trust, in turn, plans to distribute the material in CD form and, eventually,

place it online. Check out the BBC story