Historical fiction - the earliest account of Arthur

 

No one said this would be easy.....

The earliest written documentation of Arthur is given to us by a 9th Century monk who went by the name of Nennius. Nennius wrote Historia Brittonum, The History of the Britons. It is not an easy read. Structure and organisation were two words Nennius chose to ignore. But it is worth persevering with his work, because there are some real gems in there. 

What I love about the work of Nennius is how he portrays Arthur. Think of a Dark Age version of Iron Man and you might be getting somewhere.  Strangely however, he does not describe Arthur as a king. See what you think?

"then Arthur fought against them in those days with the Kings of Briton, but he himself was leader of battles."

Has time and folk law turned a general into a King?

Maybe.

Nennius also describes a prophet called Ambrosius. Ambrosius and Arthur are often portrayed in later works as being one and the same. Nennius clearly states that they are not. They are two very different people.

So what does Nennius say about Arthur? First and foremost, he describes Arthur as a great warrior and lists the twelve battles which Arthur led. I am not going to describe all the battles here, but I am briefly going to look at the two most controversial.

 Battle number 8

"The eighth battle was in Fort Guinnion in which Arthur carried the image of St Mary, ever virgin, on his shoulder..."

With old text I think we have to be very careful as to how we translate them. And I believe that the translation here is wrong. I do not think that Arthur carried an image of St Mary on his shoulder. I think he carried the image on his shield, which would make slightly more sense. Ignoring the translation, it does tell us that Arthur was a Christian.

Battle number 12.

"The twelfth battle was at Mount Badon, in which nine hundred and sixty men fell in one day from one charge from Arthur, and no one overthrew them except himself alone."

Badon Hill

This is the most famous battle that Arthur fought in. It is generally accepted that this was Arthur's greatest triumph and he did hold back the Saxon invasion.  Did Arthur slay 960 men in a single charge without any help? Probably not. Was he a great military man? Almost certainly.

Arthur, whoever he was, had captured the imagination of a nation and in later works he became the hero that we all know and love.

Historical fiction...Who was Arthur?

 I have been very busy researching, writing, more researching. And yes, that is candy floss you can see in the picture...best not ask!

My book, The Du Lac Chronicles, is set roughly 24 years after the fall of King Arthur. When Arthur died it seemed all the heroes did too and I wanted to do something about that. But, in order to write about Britain in post Arthur years, I had to know how Arthur changed the political landscape of the kingdom. So before I put pen to paper, or fingertips to keyboard as it was, I researched the world of Arthur.

Arthur has been a hero for centuries. By the Norman conquest he was already firmly fixed in the imagination of the people. There is a lovely story about nine monks from Laon in Northern France who visited Britain in 1113. They traveled to the heart of southern England looking for 'relics' of Arthur's time. When they visited Bodmin in Cornwall, the subject of Arthur came up. The Laon monks dared to suggest that the idea that Arthur would rise again was nothing but a child's fairy tale. This did not go down well with the locals. The monks were in 'Arthur's country.' How dare they suggest such a thing? A full blown riot was only just avoided!

Not long after this incident, Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote the best seller of the middle ages, The History of the Kings of Britain. I love reading Monmouth's masterpiece, he turned Arthur into a hero and although some of his fact must be taken with a pinch of salt, it gives you the sense of how much pride the British had for their past. And also how much we need heroes,  someone to look up to. Arthur is portrayed as a King who stands for chivalry, honour and everything noble. He's almost to good to be true. He certainly had an amazing life...if the stories are to be believed.

The Sword in the Stone.

'Whoso Pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil rightwise King born of all England.'

Many tried - only Arthur succeeded.

Merlin

Arthur's closest advisor was a wizard called Merlin. And why not? We could all do with a wizard in our lives.

The Somerset Levels

(The Isle of Avalon.)

Excalibur

Arthur needed a special sword, I guess the one he pulled from the stone wasn't good enough...perhaps he broke it.

With the help of Merlin, the Lady of the Lake presented Arthur with his magic sword.

Camelot

King Arthur's home.

His knights

Arthur could not rule alone so he chose a selected few to help him rule. They were as honourable and chivalrous as he was and they often went on quests.

The Round Table

Arthur believed in equality, so he commissioned a round table to be built. Those who sat around it were equal in all things.

Guinevere

Arthur's beautiful wife.

Lancelot

Arthur's first knight and the man who ultimately betrayed him....maybe?

Mordred

The knight who murdered Arthur in a vicious battle.

Those who know the Arthur stories will recognise some of the themes I have just listed. But, I wanted to try and find out the truth...if that was possible...behind the myths. I wanted to know what Arthur was really like.

Thats all for now. Be sure to watch out for my next blog when I explore how an ordinary man became such an extraordinary legend.

Historical Fiction...my favourite place to be.

I am inspired by beautiful places, especially those rich in history. I grew up a mere 20 minutes drive away from the Ancient Isles of Avalon...or Glastonbury, as it is now known.

Glastonbury means many things to many people. The annual music festival is obviously a very big draw, although the locals like to point out that it is in fact held in the village of Pilton and the old folks still call it Pilton Pop Festival!

For me, Glastonbury is all about the history and the myths. One of my favourite places has to be Glastonbury Abbey which holds a special place in my heart.

Glastonbury and the Abbey have always attracted pilgrims and I can understand why. There is something special about the place, a feeling, a sense of peace, despite its brutal destruction during Henry Tudor's reformation of the monasteries in the 1540s. Henry may have burnt the walls, but he could not destroy its tranquillity or its appeal.

It is reputed to be the resting place of Joseph of Arimathea, who reportedly helped Jesus carry the cross and who placed Jesus in his own tomb. And of course, it is said that the Abbey is the resting place of King Arthur.

No one knows where Arthur is buried. The story goes that when the monks heard that King Henry was going to destroy their home, they moved Arthur's body to a secret location. If you ever find yourself at the Abbey, you will see a plaque that claims to be the last known resting place of Arthur. It isn't grand or showy and no way befits a king, but I think it adds to the mystery of the man. There is no tomb as such, but he does not need one in order to be remembered. For his legacy is long and everlasting.

Please come back and visit again soon. Remember, my historical novel,  The Du Lac Chronicles will be out in the new year, 2016. If you would like to know when my next blog is out, make sure you sign up to my mailing list.  See you soon.  xx

Historic Fiction...my beginnings!

 I grew up in the South-West of England, an area rich in history and ruled over by myth. From the grandeur of Stonehenge to the mysteries of a large man-made hill, known simply as the Tor. How could I not have been inspired to write.

I decide to write a blog, not only because I want to promote my book, but also because I wanted to share with you my great passion for history, mythology, and books!

I have always...and I really do mean forever....been absolutely fascinated with the King Arthur stories. Considering where I grew up, I guess it isn't really surprising. My poor children are dragged annually around the county on the hunt for Arthur...we go to all the places where he was supposed to have been. My husband has come to except that his barmy wife has to do this at least once a year!

I have always loved writing. My parents recently cleared out their attic and handed me a whole bag full of old school books. My poor history teacher, he must have really hated me. When he asked me to write a short story about slavery, I used the whole of my book! And I have not stopped writing since.

My story is set in the Dark Ages in the year AD507, just after the fall of King Arthur and it explores what happens next through the eyes of Lancelot's Du Lac's sons. The Du Lac Chronicles is out in the spring of 2016. If you would like to find out more, please do sign up for my newsletter where you will be the first to hear the news of my upcoming book launch! Sign up here.

I look forward to sharing my journey with you.