DOCSLIB.ORG

The Theme of the Magical Weapon 1. Excalibur

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Theme of the Magical Weapon 1. Excalibur The Theme of the Magical Weapon Below, you will find three stories or portions of stories from different myths, movies, and legends. All three are tales about a magical sword or a wand. They all have similarities and differences. Focus on the similarities. Use the chart below to compare these items to one another. 1. Excalibur Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was associated with the Arthurian legend very early; in Welsh, the sword was called Caledfwlch. Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone In surviving accounts of Arthur, there are two originally separate legends about the sword's origin. The first is the "Sword in the Stone" legend, originally appearing in Robert de Boron's poem Merlin, in which Excalibur can only be drawn from the stone by Arthur, the rightful king. The second comes from the later Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin, which was taken up by Sir Thomas Malory. Here, Arthur receives Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake after breaking his first sword, called Caliburn, in a fight with King Pellinore. The Lady of the Lake calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel," and Arthur takes it from a hand rising out of the lake. As Arthur lay dying, he tells a reluctant Sir Bedivere (Sir Griflet in some versions) to return the sword to the lake by throwing it into the water. Bedivere thinks the sword too precious to throw away, so twice only pretends to do so. Each time, Arthur asks him to describe what he saw. When Bedivere tells him the sword simply vanished underwater, Arthur scolds him harshly. Finally, Bedivere throws Excalibur into the lake. Before the sword strikes the water's surface, the hand reaches up to grasp it and pull it under. Arthur leaves on a death barge with the three queens to Avalon, where as his legend says, he will one day return to save Britain from a threat. Malory records both versions of the legend in his Le Morte d'Arthur, and confusingly calls both swords Excalibur. The film Excalibur attempts to rectify this by having the Lady of the Lake only repair the sword after it is broken. 2. Star Wars Lightsaber "Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn't allow it. He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some fool idealistic crusade like your father did." Said Obi-Wan "What is it?" asked Luke "Your father's lightsaber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age." ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker 3. Harry Potter’s Wand Description of the item Family Connections? History Percy’s Pen Excalibur Lightsaber Harry’s Wand Question: How is the Lightsaber story similar to the story Chiron tells Percy about the pen? .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Queen Guinevere
    Ingvarsdóttir 1 Hugvísindasvið Queen Guinevere: A queen through time B.A. Thesis Marie Helga Ingvarsdóttir June 2011 Ingvarsdóttir 2 Háskóli Íslands Hugvísindasvið Enskudeild Queen Guinevere: A queen through time B.A. Thesis Marie Helga Ingvarsdóttir Kt.: 060389-3309 Supervisor: Ingibjörg Ágústsdóttir June 2011 Ingvarsdóttir 3 Abstract This essay is an attempt to recollect and analyze the character of Queen Guinevere in Arthurian literature and movies through time. The sources involved here are Welsh and other Celtic tradition, Latin texts, French romances and other works from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Malory’s and Tennyson’s representation of the Queen, and finally Guinevere in the twentieth century in Bradley’s and Miles’s novels as well as in movies. The main sources in the first three chapters are of European origins; however, there is a focus on French and British works. There is a lack of study of German sources, which could bring different insights into the character of Guinevere. The purpose of this essay is to analyze the evolution of Queen Guinevere and to point out that through the works of Malory and Tennyson, she has been misrepresented and there is more to her than her adulterous relation with Lancelot. This essay is exclusively focused on Queen Guinevere and her analysis involves other characters like Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Enide, and more. First the Queen is only represented as Arthur’s unfaithful wife, and her abduction is narrated. We have here the basis of her character. Chrétien de Troyes develops this basic character into a woman of important values about love and chivalry.
    [Show full text]
  • How Geoffrey of Monmouth Influenced the Story of King Arthur
    Western Oregon University Digital Commons@WOU Student Theses, Papers and Projects (History) Department of History 6-10-2019 The Creation of a King: How Geoffrey of Monmouth Influenced the Story of King Arthur Marcos Morales II [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/his Part of the Cultural History Commons, Medieval History Commons, and the Medieval Studies Commons Recommended Citation Morales II, Marcos, "The Creation of a King: How Geoffrey of Monmouth Influenced the Story of King Arthur" (2019). Student Theses, Papers and Projects (History). 276. https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/his/276 This Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at Digital Commons@WOU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Theses, Papers and Projects (History) by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@WOU. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. The Creation of a King: How Geoffrey of Monmouth Influenced the Story of King Arthur. By: Marcos Morales II Senior Seminar: HST 499 Professor David Doellinger Western Oregon University June 05, 2019 Readers Professor Elizabeth Swedo Professor Bau Hwa Hsieh Copyright © Marcos Morales II Arthur, with a single division in which he had posted six thousand, six hundred, and sixty-six men, charged at the squadron where he knew Mordred was. They hacked a way through with their swords and Arthur continued to advance, inflicting terrible slaughter as he went. It was at this point that the accursed traitor was killed and many thousands of his men with him.1 With the inclusion of this feat between King Arthur and his enemies, Geoffrey of Monmouth shows Arthur as a mighty warrior, one who stops at nothing to defeat his foes.
    [Show full text]
  • King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Movie Review)
    Digital Collections @ Dordt Faculty Work Comprehensive List 5-31-2017 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Movie Review) Donald Roth [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/faculty_work Part of the American Film Studies Commons Recommended Citation Roth, D. (2017). King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Movie Review). Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/faculty_work/725 This Blog Post is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Collections @ Dordt. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Work Comprehensive List by an authorized administrator of Digital Collections @ Dordt. For more information, please contact [email protected]. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Movie Review) Abstract "First, I really liked this movie, and, second, I think it says something really interesting about the nature of evil." Posting about the movie King Arthur: Legend of the Sword from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation. http://inallthings.org/king-arthur-legend-of-the-sword/ Keywords In All Things, movie review, King Arthur, Legend of the Sword Disciplines American Film Studies Comments In All Things is a publication of the Andreas Center for Reformed Scholarship and Service at Dordt College. This blog post is available at Digital Collections @ Dordt: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/faculty_work/725 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword inallthings.org/king-arthur-legend-of-the-sword/ May 31, 2017 Donald Roth With the movie looking to be one of the biggest financial flops in recent cinema history, and with iAt’s resident snarky film critic, Josh Matthews, out of town, you might wonder why I would be volunteering to write a review of this movie (aside from a borderline-pathological need to write that makes this my 50th piece for iAt).
    [Show full text]
  • Actions Héroïques
    Shadows over Camelot FAQ 1.0 Oct 12, 2005 The following FAQ lists some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding the Shadows over Camelot boardgame. This list will be revised and expanded by the Authors as required. Many of the points below are simply a repetition of some easily overlooked rules, while a few others offer clarifications or provide a definitive interpretation of rules. For your convenience, they have been regrouped and classified by general subject. I. The Heroic Actions A Knight may only do multiple actions during his turn if each of these actions is of a DIFFERENT nature. For memory, the 5 possible action types are: A. Moving to a new place B. Performing a Quest-specific action C. Playing a Special White card D. Healing yourself E. Accusing another Knight of being the Traitor. Example: It is Sir Tristan's turn, and he is on the Black Knight Quest. He plays the last Fight card required to end the Quest (action of type B). He thus automatically returns to Camelot at no cost. This move does not count as an action, since it was automatically triggered by the completion of the Quest. Once in Camelot, Tristan will neither be able to draw White cards nor fight the Siege Engines, if he chooses to perform a second Heroic Action. This is because this would be a second Quest-specific (Action of type B) action! On the other hand, he could immediately move to another new Quest (because he hasn't chosen a Move action (Action of type A.) yet.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Fantasy of Crusade : Sarras in the Vulgate Cycle. Christopher Michael Herde University of Louisville
    University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 5-2019 A new fantasy of crusade : Sarras in the vulgate cycle. Christopher Michael Herde University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Recommended Citation Herde, Christopher Michael, "A new fantasy of crusade : Sarras in the vulgate cycle." (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3226. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/3226 This Master's Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The nivU ersity of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The nivU ersity of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A NEW FANTASY OF CRUSADE: SARRAS IN THE VULGATE CYCLE By Christopher Michael Herde B.A., University of Louisville, 2016 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Louisville in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in History Department of History University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky May 2019 Copyright 2019 by Christopher Michael Herde All Rights Reserved A NEW FANTASY OF CRUSADE: SARRAS IN THE VUGLATE CYCLE By Christopher Michael Herde B.A., University of
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction: the Legend of King Arthur
    Department of History University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire “HIC FACET ARTHURUS, REX QUONDAM, REXQUE FUTURUS” THE ANALYSIS OF ORIGINAL MEDIEVAL SOURCES IN THE SEARCH FOR THE HISTORICAL KING ARTHUR Final Paper History 489: Research Seminar Professor Thomas Miller Cooperating Professor: Professor Matthew Waters By Erin Pevan November 21, 2006 1 Copyright for this work is owned by the author. This digital version is published by McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with the consent of the author. 2 Department of History University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Abstract of: “HIC FACET ARTHURUS, REX QUONDAM, REXQUE FUTURUS” THE ANALYSIS OF ORIGINAL MEDIEVAL SOURCES IN THE SEARCH FOR THE HISTORICAL KING ARTHUR Final Paper History 489: Research Seminar Professor Thomas Miller Cooperating Professor: Matthew Waters By Erin Pevan November 21, 2006 The stories of Arthurian literary tradition have provided our modern age with gripping tales of chivalry, adventure, and betrayal. King Arthur remains a hero of legend in the annals of the British Isles. However, one question remains: did King Arthur actually exist? Early medieval historical sources provide clues that have identified various figures that may have been the template for King Arthur. Such candidates such as the second century Roman general Lucius Artorius Castus, the fifth century Breton leader Riothamus, and the sixth century British leader Ambrosius Aurelianus hold high esteem as possible candidates for the historical King Arthur. Through the analysis of original sources and authors such as the Easter Annals, Nennius, Bede, Gildas, and the Annales Cambriae, parallels can be established which connect these historical figures to aspects of the Arthur of literary tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • The Arthurian Legend Now and Then a Comparative Thesis on Malory's Le Morte D'arthur and BBC's Merlin Bachelor Thesis Engl
    The Arthurian Legend Now and Then A Comparative Thesis on Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur and BBC’s Merlin Bachelor Thesis English Language and Culture, Utrecht University Student: Saskia van Beek Student Number: 3953440 Supervisor: Dr. Marcelle Cole Second Reader: Dr. Roselinde Supheert Date of Completion: February 2016 Total Word Count: 6000 Index page Introduction 1 Adaptation Theories 4 Adaptation of Male Characters 7 Adaptation of Female Characters 13 Conclusion 21 Bibliography 23 van Beek 1 Introduction In Britain’s literary history there is one figure who looms largest: Arthur. Many different stories have been written about the quests of the legendary king of Britain and his Knights of the Round Table, and as a result many modern adaptations have been made from varying perspectives. The Cambridge Companion to the Arthurian Legend traces the evolution of the story and begins by asking the question “whether or not there ever was an Arthur, and if so, who, what, where and when.” (Archibald and Putter, 1). The victory over the Anglo-Saxons at Mount Badon in the fifth century was attributed to Arthur by Geoffrey of Monmouth (Monmouth), but according to the sixth century monk Gildas, this victory belonged to Ambrosius Aurelianus, a fifth century Romano-British soldier, and the figure of Arthur was merely inspired by this warrior (Giles). Despite this, more events have been attributed to Arthur and he remains popular to write about to date, and because of that there is scope for analytic and comparative research on all these stories (Archibald and Putter). The legend of Arthur, king of the Britains, flourished with Geoffrey of Monmouth’s The History of the Kings of Britain (Monmouth).
    [Show full text]
  • Celtic Folklore Welsh and Manx
    CELTIC FOLKLORE WELSH AND MANX BY JOHN RHYS, M.A., D.LITT. HON. LL.D. OF THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH PROFESSOR OF CELTIC PRINCIPAL OF JESUS COLLEGE, OXFORD VOLUME II OXFORD CLARENDON PRESS 1901 Page 1 Chapter VII TRIUMPHS OF THE WATER-WORLD Une des légendes les plus répandues en Bretagne est celle d’une prétendue ville d’ls, qui, à une époque inconnue, aurait été engloutie par la mer. On montre, à divers endroits de la côte, l’emplacement de cette cité fabuleuse, et les pecheurs vous en font d’étranges récits. Les jours de tempéte, assurent-ils, on voit, dans les creux des vagues, le sommet des fléches de ses églises; les jours de calme, on entend monter de l’abime Ie son de ses cloches, modulant l’hymne du jour.—RENAN. MORE than once in the last chapter was the subject of submersions and cataclysms brought before the reader, and it may be convenient to enumerate here the most remarkable cases, and to add one or two to their number, as well as to dwell at some- what greater length on some instances which may be said to have found their way into Welsh literature. He has already been told of the outburst of the Glasfryn Lake and Ffynnon Gywer, of Llyn Llech Owen and the Crymlyn, also of the drowning of Cantre’r Gwaelod; not to mention that one of my informants had something to say of the sub- mergence of Caer Arianrhod, a rock now visible only at low water between Celynnog Fawr and Dinas Dintte, on the coast of Arfon.
    [Show full text]
  • LEGENDS of the ROUND TABLE by JEFF POSSON
    LEGENDS OF THE ROUND TABLE by JEFF POSSON 2 LEGENDS OF THE ROUND TABLE SETTING The forests of England in the Middle Ages. A Lake with magic in its waters. CHARACTERS Merlin – A wizard Morgan Le Fay – An enchantress who likes to make fun of Merlin King Arthur- A king, Morgan Le Fey’s brother Sir Bedivere- A knight The Black Knight- A knight, a bit of a bully Sir Gawain- A knight The Green Knight- A knight, has a magical talent Sir Galahad- A knight The Lady of the Lake- A mystical goddess of the water Villager- Running from a dragon Scene 1 MERLIN Oh a legend is sung! Of when England was young And Knights were brave and.... (MORGAN runs on because she is tired of MERLIN’S singing.) MORGAN STOP! MERLIN What? MORGAN !Stop singing! I’m trying to cast a spell and it is INCREDIBLY distracting. MERLIN! Oh come now Morgan, it is not that distracting. MORGAN! It is, it really is. You may be the most famous wizard in history, Merlin, but your pitch is all over the place. MERLIN! 3 Fine, I’ll stop.... wait, what spell are you casting, Morgan Le Fey? Are you up to mischief again? MORGAN Oh yes, without a doubt. Mischief is what I do. MERLIN Well, you should stop it. ! MORGAN Pardon me? Do youth think I need your permission to do anything? MERLIN Well... no but...! MORGAN! No buts Merlin. This is my island you’re currently sitting on. Avalon, the isle of Apples. My island, my rules, I can do what I want.
    [Show full text]
  • Arthurian Legend
    Nugent: English 11 Fall What do you know about King Arthur, Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table? Do you know about any Knights? If so, who? If you know anything about King Arthur, why did you learn about King Arthur? If you don’t know anything, what can you guess King Arthur, Camelot, or Knights. A LEGEND is a story told about extraordinary deeds that has been told and retold for generations among a group of people. Legends are thought to have a historical basis, but may also contain elements of magic and myth. MYTH: a story that a particular culture believes to be true, using the supernatural to interpret natural events & to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. An ARCHETYPE is a reoccurring character type, setting, or action that is recognizable across literature and cultures that elicits a certain feeling or reaction from the reader. GOOD EVIL • The Hero • Doppelganger • The Mother The Sage • The Monster • The Scapegoat or sacrificial • The Trickster lamb • Outlaw/destroyer • The Star-crossed lovers • The Rebel • The Orphan • The Tyrant • The Fool • The Hag/Witch/Shaman • The Sadist A ROMANCE is an imaginative story concerned with noble heroes, chivalric codes of honor, passionate love, daring deeds, & supernatural events. Writers of romances tend to idealize their heroes as well as the eras in which the heroes live. Romances typically include these MOTIFS: adventure, quests, wicked adversaries, & magic. Motif: an idea, object, place, or statement that appears frequently throughout a piece of writing, which helps contribute to the work’s overall theme 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
    A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSICS EDITION OF SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT BY KELLI McCALL SELF TEACHER’S GUIDE TEACHER’S DR Gawain TG 100912a.indd 1 10/24/12 4:55 PM 2 A Teacher’s Guide to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................3 LIST OF CHARACTERS .............................................................................................................3 SYNOPSIS OF THE POEM .......................................................................................................4 PREREADING ACTIVITIES .......................................................................................................6 I. BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE IN HISTORY AND LITERATURE ................................................................................6 II. BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE THROUGH INITIAL EXPLORATION OF THEMES ............................................10 DURING READING ACTIVITIES..........................................................................................13 I. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ..................................................................................13 II. ACTIVITIES TO GENERATE RESPONSE AND EXPLORATION OF THE TEXT ......................................................................15 AFTER READING ACTIVITIES .............................................................................................16 I. TEXTBASED TOPICS FOR ESSAYS AND DISCUSSIONS ..........................16
    [Show full text]
  • THE STORY of KING ARTHUR and HIS KNIGHTS by Howard Pyle
    THE STORY OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS By Howard Pyle HOW KING ARTHUR HELD A ROYAL WEDDING, AND ESTABLISHED THE ROUND TABLE. AND now was come the early fall of the year; that pleasant season when meadowland and wold were still green with the summer that had only just passed; when the sky, likewise, was as of summertime-extraordinarily blue and full of large floating clouds; when a bird might sing here and another there a short song in memory of springtime (as the smaller fowl doth when the year draweth to its ending); when all the air was tempered with, warmth and yet the leaves were everywhere turning brown and red and gold, so that when the sun shone through them it was as though a cloth of gold, broidered with brown and crimson and green, hung above the head. Now was come the early autumn season of the year, when it is exceedingly pleasant to be afield among the nut-trees with hawk and hound, or to travel abroad in the yellow world, whether it be ahorse or afoot. Such was the time of year in which had been set the marriage of King Arthur and the Lady Guinevere at Camelot, and at that place was extraordinary pomp and glory of circumstance. All the world was astir and in a great ferment of joy, for all folk were exceedingly glad that King Arthur was to have a queen. In preparation for that great occasion the town of Camelot was entirely bedight with magnificence, for the stony street along which the Lady Guinevere must come to the royal castle of the king was strewn thick with fresh-cut rushes, smoothly laid.
    [Show full text]