Many claim J.R.R. Tolkien was creating “a mythology for England” when creating Middle Earth. Certainly there was some inspiration from his homeland, but he drew more from the mythos of Northern Europe, among other sources. This is why Tolkien scholars have disputed he was creating a myth for England. Jason Fisher writes in the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, “This must surely be the most-often cited quotation that Tolkien never actually said.”
At any rate, Britannia has its own mythos, it always has. It has endured for centuries, since the age when Rome once ruled the island.
This is the story of King Arthur.
Perhaps no figure from Europe, legendary or historical, has been the focus of more writings – and in the modern era – film and television. Each era reinvents him through the culture-glasses of their time. Much like the tales told in The Iliad and The Odyssey, it is hard to unpack was is true, and what is not, in Arthur’s story. Like Homer’s stories, though, there is likely some truth hidden between the lines.
Our modern perception of Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the Roundtable, has been framed through medieval eyes, by the likes of Howard Pyle (who we also owe much of Robin Hood’s story to), and Thomas Malory. Many researchers, however, place the origins of Arthur to the end of the Roman era in Britain. Whispers of a king named Arthur during the time of Rome’s retreat and the arrival of new invaders exist in old Welsh tales.
For decades, Geoffrey Ashe documented the ongoing search for the real Arthur in many books such as The Discovery of King Arthur and The Quest for Arthur’s Britain. Many others joined the quest for the historical Camelot, including The Holy Kingdom and The Mystery of King Arthur. The fantasy versions, often centered around Merlin, are undeniably great fun. Some fiction tries a more historical approach – though often with a mix of myth.
A quick search reveals hundreds of books and films still re-imagining this mythos centuries after it began. Will some archaeological discovery finally reveal the man behind the legend? Or will we only ever have entangled stories from across the ages?
Arthur’s story won’t disappear anytime soon. This mythos of England tantalizes us with what may have been. More importantly, it has left us with a legacy of truth often coming to us wrapped in fiction.
This truth is one of a fearless hero who protects his people, oversees a golden age, and has been prophesied to return. He inspires us to undertake the Hero’s Journey, of our own longing for a lost creation, and perhaps, to remember another who is to return.
In every great Mythos, there is great Truth.
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Darrick Dean 