Arthurian Resources
King
Arthur, History and the Welsh Arthurian legend
Welcome to a website dedicated to understanding the early medieval Arthurian legend. This website looks at a number of topics, including whether or not King Arthur existed -- does he belong to history or legend? -- and what was the nature of the original British Arthurian legend, before it developed into the international Romance familiar from Tennyson and Malory.
This is a text-only version of the main index for Tom Green's 'Arthurian Resources'. The full version of the main index can be found at http://www.arthuriana.co.uk.
1. The Historicity and Historicisation of Arthur
Summary: A survey of recent academic research into the non-Galfridian Arthurian legend. The first part considers the possible historicity of Arthur via a detailed discussion of the sources. The second part discusses historical prototypes for various features of early Arthurian tradition and the methodology of making such identifications. The third part looks at the ultimate origins of Arthur in light of the conclusions drawn earlier in the article.
Appendix One: The Monstrous Regiment of Arthurs
Summary: A guide to the various theories that seek to identify the historical Arthur, both scholarly and popular. This guide presents a critical analysis of the various theories that have been put forward with the intention of helping the interested reader sort the wheat from the chaff, and to show what the realistic range of possibilities are if, for whatever reason, we do choose to consider Arthur a genuinely historical figure.
Summary: A detailed and extensive examination of the early medieval Arthurian legend and the nature of Arthur in it. This study is divided up into seven chapters covering various concepts of the non-Galfridian Arthur. In addition there are three online appendices provided. Two of these are revised and updated versions of articles that previously appeared separately on this website: a 'Gazetteer of Arthurian Onomastic and Topographic Folklore' and 'A Bibliographic Guide to Arthurian Literature'; the third is a brand-new 'Chronology of the Arthurian Legend' based on recent research into the dating of the early medieval Arthurian texts.
3. A Guide to Arthurian Literature
Summary: A direct link for easy access to 'A Guide to Arthurian Literature' (Appendix One of 'Concepts of Arthur'). This now covers almost every single non-Galfridian Welsh reference to the Arthurian legend not discussed at length in 'The Historicity and Historicisation of Arthur', with extensive bibliographic details and comments on dating and content for each. For a fuller and more detailed discussion of these texts, their significance, and the concepts of Arthur they possess, see especially the main chapters of 'Concepts of Arthur' (of which this guide is now a part).
Summary: Miscellaneous observations and essays on the Arthurian legend, along with answers to some of the most common questions asked about the legend. The articles include new pieces on 'An Arthurian Reference in Marwnad Gwên?', as well as previously separate works on 'Myrddin/Merlin' and 'A Guide to Arthurian Archaeology'.
Summary: Recommended Arthurian sites on the WWW along with a brief section of advice on which books and essays in the bibliographies to the above articles should be consulted first.
Summary: A personal selection and review of Arthurian books available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (and Barnes&Noble.com, where stated). By purchasing your books from this site you will be helping to support and fund the 'Arthurian Resources' website and ensure that it continues to exist and is regularly updated :-)