Port Arthur town of Knights of Round Table

(from Wikipedia)

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"King Arthur"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur

King Arthur

"King Arthur

is a legendary British leader who,

according to medieval histories and romances,

led the defence of Britain

against Saxon invaders

in the late 5th and early 6th centuries.

The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians.

The sparse historical background of Arthur is gleaned from various sources, including the

Annales Cambriae, the Historia Brittonum, and

the writings of Gildas.

Arthur's name also occurs in early poetic sources such as Y Gododdin.

Arthur is a central figure in the legends making up

the Matter of Britain.

The legendary Arthur

developed as a figure of international interest largely through the popularity of

Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative

12th-century

Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain).

In some Welsh and Breton tales and poems

that date from before this work,

Arthur

appears either as a great warrior defending Britain

from human and supernatural enemies or as a magical figure of folklore,

sometimes associated with

the Welsh Otherworld, Annwn.

How much of

Geoffrey's

Historia

(completed in 1138)

was adapted from such earlier sources,

rather than invented by Geoffrey himself,

is unknown.

Although the themes, events and characters of the Arthurian legend varied widely from text to text, and there is no one canonical version;

Geoffrey's version of events often served as the starting point for later stories.

Geoffrey depicted

Arthur as a king of Britain who defeated the Saxons and established an empire over

Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and Gaul.

Many elements and incidents

that are now an integral part of

the Arthurian story appear

in Geoffrey's Historia, including

Arthur's father

Uther Pendragon,

the wizard Merlin,

Arthur's wife Guinevere,

the sword Excalibur,

Arthur's conception at Tintagel,

his final battle against Mordred at Camlann,

and final rest in Avalon.

The 12th-century

French writer

Chretien de Troyes,

who added

Lancelot and

the Holy Grail to the story,

began the genre of Arthurian romance that became a significant strand of medieval literature.

In these French stories, the narrative focus often shifts from King Arthur himself

to other characters, such as various

Knights of the Round Table.

Arthurian literature thrived during the Middle Ages but waned in the centuries that followed until it experienced a major resurgence in the 19th century.

In the 21st century, the legend lives on, not only in literature but also in adaptations for theatre, film, television, comics and other media."

"The historical basis for the King Arthur legend has long been debated by scholars. One school of thought, citing entries in the Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons) and Annales Cambriae (Welsh Annals), sees Arthur as a genuine historical figure, a Romano-British leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons some time in the late 5th to early 6th century.

The Historia Brittonum,

a 9th-century Latin historical compilation attributed in some late manuscripts to a Welsh cleric called

Nennius,

contains the first datable mention of King Arthur,

listing twelve battles that Arthur fought. These culminate in

the Battle of Badon, where he is said to have single-handedly killed 960 men. "

(from Wikipedia)

"The other text that seems to support the case for Arthur's historical existence is the 10th-century Annales Cambriae, which also link

Arthur with

the Battle of Badon.

The Annales date this battle to 516-518, and also mention

the Battle of Camlann, in which

Arthur and Medraut (Mordred)

were both killed,

dated to 537-539.

These details have often been used to bolster confidence in the Historia's account and to confirm that Arthur really did fight at Badon.

Problems have been identified, however, with using this source to support the Historia Brittonum's account.

The latest research shows that the Annales Cambriae was based on a chronicle begun in the late 8th century in Wales.

Additionally, the complex textual history of the Annales Cambriae precludes any certainty that the Arthurian annals were added to it even that early.

They were more likely added at some point

in the 10th century and may never have existed in any earlier set of annals.

The Badon entry probably derived from the Historia Brittonum."

[no evidences of the real existing by historical studies results]

(from Wikipedia)

...

"An alternative theory, which has gained only limited acceptance among professional scholars, derives the name

Arthur

from

Arcturus,

the brightest star in the constellation Bo"otes,

near Ursa Major or the Great Bear.

Classical Latin

Arcturus

would also have become Art(h)ur when borrowed into Welsh, and