Arthurian Legends
May. 9th, 2016 03:36 pmI often like Arthurian legends, although often more towards the fantasy end than the more historical versions.
(If you like Arthurian urban fantasy, you should consider looking up The Knights of Breton Court, which I found really hard to get into, but moves the Arthurian legends, partly reincarnated-ly, partly thematically, to a deprived estate full of gang violence. And The Pendragon Protocol about an elite British secret organisation/force based on reincarnations of Arthurian knights.)
At some point it occurred to me, that many of the most prominent features of the legend come from (a) being SET in the 5th/6th centuries AD, a king who united many parts of Britain and repelled Saxon invaders and (b) being first widespread-ly recorded in the 12th century onwards.
And you can certainly reconcile this, several authors have written great books on the idea that there were original historical happenings the later legends were based on. But when I think of the legends, I think of that mish-mash, of a Britain with a political situation in the 5th century, but some of the technology from and an idealised form of the chivalry from the 12th century. Which can't actually be set in any non-alternate historical period, but naturally belongs in legends and feature films where the spectacle and aspirations are more important than the accuracy :)
But I'm not sure if that's a fair summary -- anyone able to be more accurate?
(If you like Arthurian urban fantasy, you should consider looking up The Knights of Breton Court, which I found really hard to get into, but moves the Arthurian legends, partly reincarnated-ly, partly thematically, to a deprived estate full of gang violence. And The Pendragon Protocol about an elite British secret organisation/force based on reincarnations of Arthurian knights.)
At some point it occurred to me, that many of the most prominent features of the legend come from (a) being SET in the 5th/6th centuries AD, a king who united many parts of Britain and repelled Saxon invaders and (b) being first widespread-ly recorded in the 12th century onwards.
And you can certainly reconcile this, several authors have written great books on the idea that there were original historical happenings the later legends were based on. But when I think of the legends, I think of that mish-mash, of a Britain with a political situation in the 5th century, but some of the technology from and an idealised form of the chivalry from the 12th century. Which can't actually be set in any non-alternate historical period, but naturally belongs in legends and feature films where the spectacle and aspirations are more important than the accuracy :)
But I'm not sure if that's a fair summary -- anyone able to be more accurate?