english king arthur test

Merlin

A magician and primary mentor figure for Uther and Arthur in most of the legends. Considered in some tales to be at least part fairy. Arranges for Uther to claim Igrain as his own wife, in exchange for taking baby Arthur as soon as he’s born. In some versions of the tale, he has time-traveled or even ages backwards through time.

Vortigern

Attempts to build a tower to defend against his enemies. Considers using the blood of the child Merlin to shore up the foundations, but instead young Merlin tells him it’s foolish to build a tower on a lake. He foresees his own downfall in the battle of the red and white dragon

Uther Pendragon

Arthur’s father. Receives a prophecy from an image of a dragon in the sky predicting the birth of his son. Receives magical aid from Merlin so that he can sleep with Igrain. Arthur is conceived in this union.

Joseph of Arimathea

In scripture, this is the man who oversees the burial and provides the tomb for Jesus. In legend, he is the possessor of the Holy Grail (the cup Christ used at the Last Supper) and brought the (now magical/blessed) cup to England

Alan the Rich Fisher

In our version, the Rich Fisher is a friend of Joseph of Arimathea who could catch a magic fish that would provide plenty of food for all around the table. Travels with Joseph to England. In other versions, the Fisher King is a mysterious figure that some of the knights questing for the Holy Grail encounter.

Lady Igraine

Mother of Arthur (by Uther) and Morgan Le Fay (by the Duke of Cornwall). In some versions, clueless of Uther’s deception. In others, she is willingly his lover and wanting to be “rescued” from her husband.

Lord Cornwall

Igrain’s first husband and father to Morgan le Fay.

Arthur

Legendary king of England. Sometimes portrayed as mediator between Celtic paganism and Christianity

Morgan Le Fay

Half-sister of Arthur. Depicted as a sorceress and nearly as skilled at magic as Merlin. Her depiction in the legend varies from friendly to villainous. In some versions, she has a sister Morgause; in others the two characters are combined. She (or her sister) sleeps with Arthur and gives birth to Mordred. In some versions, she and Arthur are both deceived into this; in others, she schemes to make it happen.

Sir Hector

Arthur’s foster father, who raises him out in the country. Since he grows up in obscurity, Arthur’s identity as the heir to the throne is generally unknown.

Sir Kay

Arthur’s foster brother. Tries to lie at the famous Sword in the Stone incident, saying he pulled the sword. But later becomes a valuable knight of the Round Table.

King Leodogran

Father of Guinevere. King of Camliard and friend of Uther. Keeper of the Round Table after Uther’s death until Arthur’s marriage to Guinevere.

Sword in the Stone

A magical sword in an anvil only able to be pulled by the true king of England. Inscribed on the hilt, “Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born of all England.”

Camelot

Arthur’s castle and general name given to his court and kingdom. Symbol of light, truth, justice, and chivalry

Lady of the Lake

From The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester: “The Lady of the Lake is an especially ambiguous and shifting character in the Arthurian legends. She accordingly goes by several other names, most of which are variations on Nimue or Vivianne, the latter derived from a Celtic water-goddess. In her initial appearances, however, she is nameless: in the Old French Le Chevalier de la Charette Lancelot mentions a powerful ring given to him by a "fairy" who raised him in youth, while the later Middle German Lanzelet describes a "mermaid" who raises Lancelot and lives in an enchanted sea realm …In Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, the Lady of the Lake famously gives Arthur his sword Excalibur and is later killed by Balin. Another Lady of the Lake, Nenyve, charms and imprisons Merlin. She is eventually named the chief Lady of the Lake and accompanies Arthur on the barge to Avalon.” She gifts Arthur with the undefeatable sword, Excalibur, and in some versions an enchanted scabbard that makes Arthur un-woundable.

King Pellinore

In our version, he takes on all-challengers in a near-by forest. Arthur accepts the challenge. When his sword breaks, Merlin puts Pellinore to sleep and takes Arthur to receive Excalibur

Guinevere

Arthur’s wife. Lancelot’s courtly lover.

The Seat Perilous

A mysterious seat at the Round Table with no name, awaiting the special knight who will be the most worthy and the one to succeed at the Grail Quest.

Lancelot of the Lake

Comes late to the Round Table. Raised by a fairy, perhaps the Lady of the Lake. Is a devoted knight/best friend of Arthur. Becomes a devoted courtly lover to Guinevere.

Elaine

From The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester: “Elaine is the … mother of Galahad. …Because she was considered the fairest lady in that country, Elaine was put into a tub of boiling water by Morgan le Fay and the Queen of Northgales and could be freed only by the best knight. After Elaine spends five years in the tub, Lancelot arrives at Corbenic and frees her from her torment. With the assistance of her handmaiden, the sorceress Brisen, Elaine tricks Lancelot into sleeping with her, and she conceives Galahad. Later, Elaine visits Camelot and tricks Lancelot into her bed once again. Guinevere’s subsequent rejection of Lancelot drives him mad. Eventually, Lancelot reaches the castle of [Elaine’s father] Pelles, who intends to make him a fool at the knighting of his nephew Castor. Elaine recognizes him and has him carried to the tower where the Grail resides; there, he is cured by its power.”

Galahad

Son of Lancelot and Elaine. Is the one the Seat Perilous has been waiting for. Succeeds in the Grail Quest.

Grail Quest

The Holy Grail is the cup that Christ drank from at the last supper. Also said to be used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch some of the blood that spilled from Christ’s side. Legend has it that Joseph brought the cup to England centuries before Camelot. The finding of the Grail becomes the main quest of the Knights of the Round Table in the latter days of Camelot – almost an effort to bring healing to the land and restore the glory of Arthur’s court. Only the purest and best knights can find it.

Agravain

Half brother to Mordred and brother Gawain. Son of Morgan (or her sister Morgause, depending on the account). In our closing chapters one of the main agitators stirring up suspicion against Lancelot and Guinevere.

Mordred

Son of Arthur and his half-sister Morgan. Born out of wedlock and through incest, he is the consummate villain of the legend. Responsible for Lancelot’s and Guinevere’s public disgrace. Makes war against his father in the end, where they both exchange mortal blows.

Gawain

Son of Morgan (or Morgause). Nephew to king Arthur. In our closing chapters, he’s against publicly shaming Lancelot and Guinevere due to the lack of evidence and what this split will mean for Camelot. Counsels his brother Agravain against his course of action, and so rather pitiless when he dies. Has a fantastic adventure in a separate tale, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Gaheris and Gareth

Two brother knights who appear in our closing chapters. They side with Gawain in support of protecting Lancelot and Guinevere’s reputations. Accidentally slain by Lancelot in the battle to free Guinevere from being burned at the stake.

Lucan

One of the few knights left alive after the battle with Mordred. Dies trying to move the mortally wounded Arthur to safety when his guts burst out from the strain of trying to carry him.

Bedivere

One of the few knights left alive after the battle with Mordred. From The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester: “Sir Bedivere is best known to readers of the English Arthurian tradition as the knight charged with returning Excalibur to its lake of origin, as King Arthur lies mortally wounded from his final battle. Thrice Bedivere tries to follow his lord’s orders to throw the sword into the lake, but the first two times he is unable to part with Excalibur and keeps it as the last remaining symbol of Arthur’s glorious reign. He only musters the will to discard Excalibur on his third attempt, and is then rewarded with a marvelous sight: the Lady of the Lake’s hand rising from the water to catch the sword and draw it into the water, signaling the end of Arthur’s reign.”

Avalon

A magical, mystical island shrouded in mystery. The final resting place of King Arthur where his mortally wounded body is taken by three weeping ladies – often identified as Morgan le Fay, and two other queens (sometimes the Lady of the Lake). Did he die there, or was he healed? “Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead, but had by the will of our Lord Jesu into another place; and men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the holy cross. …And many men say that there is written upon his tomb this verse: Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam, rexque futurus.[Here lies Arthur, the once and future king.]”

Who was Lady Igraine married to before Uther?

Duke of Cornwall

What countries did Arthurian Legend develop

England and France

What is Merlin’s role in Arthurian Legend?

Mentor to Uther and Arthur

What is special about Merlin’s nature?

He is half-fairy; could be aging backwards in time

Guardian of the grail

Joseph of Arimethea

Who owns the Round Table before Arthur

King Leodogran

How does Arthur recieve the Excalibur?

The Lady of the Lake

What magic item does Lancelot’s mother give him?

A magic ring

Which of the knights of the round table is First Knight of the Grail?

Sir Galahad is the 1st knight

Where did Sir Thomas Malory write Le Morte?

in jail/prison

What original story in Le Morte did Malory write?

The Tale of Sir Gareth

With whom did Arthurian Legend originate?

Bretons (Celts) Mythology

Who was Arthur most likely?

Roman General or Celtic Chieftan

What did the Knights do at the Round Table once a year at Pentecost?

Renew their vows to obey the Code of Chivalry

True or False: Quests originated with the Christian concept of a spiritual journey.

False: originated with the Celts

What, in Arthurian Legend, is the Sangreal

The Holy Grail

What war did Malory fight on both sides of?

The English War of the Roses

What King does the Red Dragon represent in Merlin’s prophecy?

King Vortigern

Who are the three Authors of Arthur

Geoffery of Monmouth, Chrétien de Troyes, Sir Thomas Malory

What becomes of Lancelot and Guinevere?

As the legend draws to a close, we learn they both seek seclusion in a religious life and die remorseful and pentient.

The Latin, “HIC IACET ARTHURUS, REX QUONDAM REX FUTURUS” translates as

Here lies Arthur, the once and future king

Who is Sir Galahad’s father?

Sir Lancelot

How do King Arthur and Guinevere meet?

Arthur saves her father’s castle from invaders

The real arthur most likely lived around what century?

500-599 A.D.

The legends developed primarily in which country other than England?

France

What do the knights of the roundtable do every year at Pentecost

Renew their vows to obey the code of chivalry

Who publised Le Morte d’Arthur

William Caxton

Who refuses the love of Sir Pelleas

Lady Ettard

How does Arthur obtain the sword Excalibur

Lady of the lake gives it to him

Who is the first knight of the round table to attack Lancelot in the queens chamber

Sir Colgrevance

Who does sir lancelot mortally wound in the great battle with King Arthur?

Sir Gawain

The seat perilous was reserved for

Galahad

Who are primarily responsible for the public outcry against Lancelot and Guinevere

Sir Agravain and Sir Mordred

Lancelot holds to the knights code in all ways except

Having an affair with guinevere

What is the cause of Gawain’s change in attitude towards Sir Lancelot

Though he was initially against publicly shaming Lancelot, the death of his brother by Lancelot’s hand sets him on a course for vengeance

The battle between Mordred and Arthur begins when

A knight kills a snake with his sword, violating a truce

What is Sir Luncan’s role in the legend

He serves as a great example for putting others ahead of self

Where did the concept of quests originate

Celtic chiefs exploring new lands