Introduction
Ancient histories about empires and kingdoms are usually surrounded in mythical theories, as the passage of information usually does not stand the test of truth and perfection. These ancient histories are taught in legendary tales of heroes and heroines and are usually confined in their heroic deeds. The history of the Britain is not spared either in this mist of myths and mythology. The legendary history of King Arthur, a hero in the mythical history of the British kingdom is analyzed hereafter (Alcock, 1971).
Arthurian legends
Arthur was a legendary king of the traditional British kingdom in the twelfth century (Morris, 1973). He originated from the tribe of Silures in the south Wales, a British state. After the king’s death, his burial place was preserved traditionally, even though many people held the mythical belief that king Arthur did not actually die, but was carried off to a fairly land to get healed of his wounds. It is however doubted, denied and criticized by many that Arthur ever ruled the British kingdom, as modern critics hold to the belief that there was prince by his name and they have got enough proof and evidence (Tatlock, 1950).
Morris, (1973) claimed that Arthur was chosen the British king at the age of fifteen years. This happened after he successfully drew out a sword from a miracle stone after many heroes were unable to detach the sword from the stone, hence being the heaven chosen king of the Britons (Morris, 1973). The mythic object in this story is the miraculous stone and the sword in it. It is mythic how Arthur is able to draw the sword out but no other person could do it.
The mythical ‘miracle stone’ is relevant to today’s believe in superstitious objects in many events. For instance in events like sports, many people are hooked to the belief that a certain superstitious object can determine their success or the fate of their opponents. A good example is in the football sport where a magical object on the goal posts, is usually among the major allegations for a team’s defeat. The mythical aspect of death as a form of transition to some other better place is also highly comprehended in lives of the religion faithfuls.
Conclusion
A truthful fact can be compounded as a myth, depending on effect of various agents of the transition. The transition of information from a generation to another is highly affected by agents in between. However, myths have a great relevance in individuals as well as the society, hence should never be taken for granted at any chance.
References
Alcock, L. (1971). Arthur’s Britain. London: The Penguin Press. Web.
Morris, J. (1973). The Age of Arthur. London: Weidenfield and Nicholson. Web.
Tatlock, J. S. (1950). The Legendary History of Britain. Berkeley: University of California Press. Web.