Before discussing the role of King Arthur in “The History of the Britons “, it is necessary to give some background about the author of this tale. Nennius, or Nemnivus, was an 8th-century writer and historian. In some sources, one can meet his other name, Nynniaw. Nennius died of the wound and was buried in London, not far from the North Gate. By the way, Caesar’s sword named “Yellow Death” was buried with him. Nennius’ main source for tales was King Arthur. His tales about Britons are of great importance nowadays and they can give us valuable information about the first Britons’ settles. “The History of the Britons” has had a significant impact on the works of Nennius’ successors. Speaking about the role of King Arthur in this tale, it should be admitted that the 6th century met a lot of men named Arthur born in the royal Britain families. In spite of this, the historians were able to identify one special person among them; this person was a legendary leader in Britain and, according to a number of sources, he led the army and defended his lands against Saxons in the 6th century. The details of this legendary leader are composed of literary inventions, and his historical existence was disputed by many historians. But the information written by Nennius served us as the major source. Nennius’ “The History of the Britons” gives precise information about King Author and the role he played for British people in times of his governing.
In this tale, Nennius tells us about lots of Britain kings, but King Arthur is described as a figure of large interest.”Then it was that the magnanimous Arthur with all the kings and military force of Britain fought against the Saxons. And though there were much nobler than himself, yet he was twelve times chosen their commander, and was often conqueror.”(Nennius, p.50). King Author was the son of King Uther Pendragon and the heir to the British throne. In those dangerous times when King Arthur was born, Merlin advised him to hide him in a secret place and to raise him there for nobody to know about his existence. As a wise magician, Merlin worried about Arthur because, when the father of a legendary child died, there was a conflict over who would be the king. Merlin produced a magic sword with the following words on it: “Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is the rightwise born king of all England.” (Marshal 36) All the contenders who were trying to pull out this sword never managed to succeed in this. Arthur was the only one who managed to pull out the sword for he was born to be king, and he eventually became one.
The king gathered Knights around him and convinced them to fight against the Saxons. At that time, Saxons, though very slowly, tried to capture the country. In “The History of the Britons” Nennius describes the battles King Arthur took part in emphasizing the fortitude and courage the British leader possessed. With time, King Arthur built a castle in Camelot. In this castle, his knights carried out numerous meetings at a Round table discussing different plans for the country’s future, adopting new laws, and fighting against their enemies who attempted to attack the castle. They also were spending a lot of time searching for the treasure which, according to the legend, could cure any sickness. “The History of the Britons” ends with a description of the final battle at Camlan in which Arthur and Mordred, his nephew, were wounded; the body of Kind Arthur has never been found.
Discovering all these facts about the legendary King Arthur presented in the tale of Nennius, one may wonder whether King Arthur has indeed existed. Thomas Malory in his wonderful romances denotes that there were no brave and strong knights as well as there was no Round Table or Merlin’s Sword in the Stone. Thomas Malory notes that “there was instead a very brave warrior, who may not even have been named Arthur, leading the remnants of romanized British resistance against a steady onslaught of foreign pagan invaders.” It is hard to disagree with such a statement because, without the wise magician, Merlin, Arthur would not have any chance to survive. Nevertheless, other opinions regarding this issue may also exist.
Numerous tales and poems prove that King Arthur’s legend varying greatly from text to text is worth finding out. Even nowadays people learn and remember more and more about this legend. Thanks to the tale “The History of the Britons” by Nennius we have excellent information about Britain, its kings, and the country’s greatest king, King Arthur.
Works Cited
- Marshal, H.E. English Literature for Boys and Girls. Kessinger Publishing, 2004.
- Nennius. The History of the Britons. Forgotten books, 2008.