by slim'n'none

Created on: July 19, 2008

Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. So says Babe Ruth in the movie The Sandlot. This quote is quite appropriate to the question, Was King Arthur real. You see, a hero will be remembered, as any man may be. But those rare men who step beyond even what heroes may dare, and do things that no man thought possible, they slip into the next level of reverence, as legends. Around these men, great stories grow up. Stories of deeds that are truly impossible to concieve of someone real actually succeeding in. And yet, listeners and readers drink in these tales like a man dying in a desert. The question of Arthur's existence is complicated by the fact that he supposedly lived during the period we call "The Dark Ages."

The sacking of Rome led to what has become known as the dark ages. Essentially Europe went thorugh a several century period of regression from the heights of civilization it had reached under the Roman Empire. This time is referred to as the Dark Ages for just that reason, the window that lets us look into the past is darkened here. There are few records beyond artifacts and oral histories that tell what happened.

It was during this time that King Arthur supposedly lived. And supposedly had his knights of the round table and pursued the Holy Grail and had many other fair adventures. With no records, who is to say whether or not these adventures were real? However, with the application of a bit of common sense coupled with what we DO know about this time, we can reach an answer as to whether or not Arhtur really existed.

The simple truth is that King Arthur is at once real and he is not. That is to say, there was a warlord with a name similar to Arthur, Artorious, who led the Celts during the dark ages and the saxon invasion of Briton, and was a mighty warrior and great leader by all accounts of that time. It is quite likely that the legend of King Arthur is descended down from this man.

Did he have a round table? He very well may have. There is often a fair amount of truth in the old tall tales, though one has to dig deep and sift carefully in the sands of time to find it. Was there a quest for the holy grail? That is quite doubtful. Most of the exploits attributed to Arthur's legend are highly unlikely.

However, Arthur the man, was probably very real. And he probably did do some amazing things in his time. So, as you see, Arthur is at once real and he is not. The legends surrounding him cloud the truth of his existence, as a Celtic Warlord who achieved a legendary status among the Britons and whose exploits were handed down, and changed into ever greater adventures as the years went along.

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