(#2) Arthur Is Conceived Through Deception And Rape
In his origin story, Arthur is born as the result of deception, magic, and rape. His father, Uther, is High King of the Britons but doesn't have a wife, having fallen deeply in love with the spouse of one of his vassals. She is the lovely Igraine, Duchess of Cornwall, reputed to be the most beautiful woman in all of the land. At court, when her husband Gorlois sees Uther eyeing up Igraine, he takes her home, and Uther gets furious.
Uther then rises up against Cornwall, besieging Gorlois in one castle, while Igraine gets shut up for safety in the seaside fortress of Tintagel. However, regardless of the conflict he's involved in, Uther insists on making Igraine his own, so he convinces the magician-prophet Merlin to help him. Merlin transforms Uther into Gorlois so he can enter Tintagel. Thinking that he's her husband, Igraine has intercourse with Uther, with no one the wiser. In that one deceptive night, Arthur is conceived.
While Uther was assaulting Igraine, his armies were engaging Gorlois's, and they slew Uther's rival. In the morning, Uther goes out again, assumes his regular guise, and then weds newly widowed Igraine, by then pregnant with his child.
(#5) A Knight And A Lion Become BFFs
Sir Ywain is one of Arthur's greatest knights, and, like most of Arthur's favorites, his life isn't exactly a charmed one. Ywain is most well-known for the series of adventures and misadventures that lead to him going insane and roaming a forest like a "wild beste" until he's befriended by a hermit and a nice lady who restore his sanity. Once he's sane again, Ywain sees a dragon fighting a lion, and he makes the game-time decision to be on Team Lion, saving the big cat's life.
Thereafter, Ywain and the lion become BFFs, and Ywain calls himself "the Knight of the Lion." When his wife is in trouble and wishes for the famed Knight of the Lion to help her, someone tells her that he'll only assist her if she pledges to help get him back together with his wife... which she of course does (not knowing all the while that the "Knight of the Lion" is actually her estranged husband, Ywain). When she realizes who Ywain really is, she's pissed, but they reconcile.
(#8) Every Single One Of Arthur And Guinevere's Children Perishes
Many Arthurian stories portray Guinevere as being barren (in stark contrast to Arthur's twisted romance with one of his sisters that produces Mordred). But not every version leaves the royal pair childless. However, any tales that do result in kids also result in the subsequent passings of those children.
Welsh romances (which differ from, and predate, most of the English, French, and German versions) mention Arthur having sons named Amr or Amhar, Llacheu, and Gwydre, presumably by Guinevere. Legend has it that Arthur accidentally slays Amr. Llacheu fights for his father, and poets remember his passing as being particularly bloody; one account has him slain by his dad's own foster brother, Sir Kay.
And Gwydre? He dies during a hunt for a magic boar, although mythographers think this Gwydre might have been confused with another hero of the same name.
(#7) Sexual Powerhouse Morgan Le Fay Swipes Excalibur
Arthur's sorceress half-sister Morgan has numerous lovers (often making her "threatening" to knights in the romances, from the point of view of the male authors who write her) and is unapologetic about it. She pines for Lancelot and takes a lover named Accolon (son of her husband, Urien).
Morgan hates her brother, mostly because his dad, Uther, slew her own father. So, she manipulates Accolon into fighting Arthur, seeking to slay and depose him in order to make the man she loves king. She even takes Arthur's famous sword, Excalibur, and his protective scabbard and gives them to Accolon, so when the two fight, Arthur doesn't have any magical aid, instead relying on fakes. Sadly, Accolon wounds Arthur, who doesn't perish but then passes from his own injuries.
(#4) Twin Brothers Accidentally Slay Each Other
When a lady wearing a sword shows up at Arthur's court, everyone is stunned. As with many of the craziest stories of Arthurian legend, she also issues a challenge upon her arrival - let the knight who is without blemish draw the sword from its scabbard. Many knights try and fail at the task. That is, until a poor, shabbily dressed knight named Balyn amazes everyone with his success. After he draws the sword, however, he doesn't want to give it back. The Lady warns him, though, that if he keeps it, he'll slay the person he loves. Yikes. But then the Lady of the Lake shows up, demanding either the swordswoman's demise or Balin's. Quick-thinking Balyn solves the problem by slaying the swordswoman. Later banished, Balyn winds up wounding the eventual Fisher King in a fight (that's an important moment for the Grail Quest, FYI).
But his most awful moment really comes when he decides to challenge a stranger knight - actually his brother Balan - who's wearing armor he's never seen before. The two knights slay one another in combat, but not before each realizes the one he's slain is his sibling.
(#10) Guinevere's Sister Slaps Her And Starts A War
Guinevere isn't the only problem child in her family. Apparently, her sister, Gwenhwyfach, also likes to cause some trouble. The Mabinogion relates that Guinevere is "chief queen" of Britain, and Gwenhwyfach is her sister, but it's another Welsh account that tells the tale of an epic slap Gwenhwyfach delivers to her royal sibling.
This smack is one of the "Three Sinister Hard Slaps of Britain," each of which causes lots of trouble in Welsh mythology. In this case, somehow Gwenhwyfach's strike on Guinevere causes the Battle of Camlann, the final conflict between Arthur and his son-nephew Mordred, at which both men perish. (Or, alternatively, at which one perishes and one falls asleep forever.) There's really no explanation from how things escalate from a slap to a massive conflict, though.
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The story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is well-known in the world. According to ancient legends, King Arthur was the son of King Uther Pendragon. Arthur has not only talented divine power but also lofty ambitions. When he saw the chaotic state of the country, he vowed to get the entire British Isles out of the chaotic war situation.
King Arthur was brave and wise, he led various tribes to defeat the Anglo-Saxons who invaded Britain, and became a legend in medieval Britain. However, the image of King Arthur is constantly changing along with the legends. The random tool also shares 15 amazing and bizarre stories about King Arthur that you did not know.
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