Le Morte D'''Arthur'

by Thomas Mallory

Of all the classic tales and stories that have come to us from the middle ages, and even earlier, few have captured the imaginations and even the racial consciousness, as strongly as that of King Arthur and his Knights. Mallory's telling of the tale is a classic of literature, and is the essential core of modern Arthurian scholars' information.

Originally, the tale of Arthur was not a Christian one, centering around a quest of the Cup of Christ carried out of Israel by Jospeh of Arimathea, but rather a pagan tale of the quest for the Cauldron of celtic myth, 'the Holy Grail of Immortality'. As time passed, and the British Isles fell under the sway of Christianity, even the old legends of a mighty King and warlord were subjected to a process of syncretism, and Christ's influence was found even here, in the archetypal realms of the British racial unconscious.

The tale of Arthur's life is really the tale of Merlin, the great magician and Druid, and his far-reaching plans to unite all of Britian under one King, for as is so poignantly pointed out in the cinematic adaptation of this tale, 'Excalibur', (1980) the land and the king are one.

The historical Arthur was a man named Artorius, who held the title of Dux Bellorum, or 'War Lord', and this tale is a classic example of how easily one man's life can become the focal point for myths and legends that endure unto the end of time.

Modern authors have attempted the retelling of the Arthurian legend, notably Marion Zimmer Bradley's ''The Mists of Avalon', but few capture the feel of the tale as well as Mallory's classic. Here then, presented in its entirety, is the tale of Arthur, Dux Bellorum, the Once and Future King.

Book One/ Book Two / Book Three / Book Four / Book Five / Book Six

Books Seven through Twenty One coming soon!