Knights Of The Round Table Facts: Find Out What It Meant
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In 12th century literature, King Arthur occupied a special place, and his round table was known as the special table.
King Arthur was well known to be a legendary leader who led the army of Great Britain against Saxon invaders back in the late fifth and early sixth centuries. Brave knights assembled him, and the round table they adorned to design their strategies was no ordinary one, having no head and depicting equal voice to everyone.
Matter of Britain, the French literary offshoot of Arthurian legend, appeared in the 12th century. This depicted the knights in the kingdom of King Arthur, the legend, as dedicated to ushering peace in the war period.
Later they went on a mystical quest for the Holy grail, the ultimate treasure. The knights swore to stand by King Arthur to ensure peace and dedicate themselves to this motive.
The Holy grail has a significant motif in Arthurian literature. It is described in different traditions as a dish or cup with supernatural powers to bestow eternal youth or endless abundance.
Being in the custody of Fisher King, the holy grail is often denoted to signify an elusive goal or treasure sought after for its miraculous importance. The Holy grail was referred to in several literary works of the middle ages, and sometimes, the word grail was also referred to as a stone.
Though evidence of the existence of these knights is not clear, several literary references to these knights are present in stories and myths for many centuries later. Read on to know more about these Knights of the round table who stood by King Arthur.
Members Of The Round Table
Who are these knights who became popular with the round table in the reign of King Arthur? Literature suggests that there could be several hundreds of them pulled together from stories across several cultures and countries like Scottish, Welsh, French, and English.
The most prominent legends were brought into fame by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his work, History of Kings of Britain, in 1136 AD. Sir Thomas Mallory, Alfred, Lord Tennyson also popularized many of the Knights as late as 1800.
The legends ranged from minor nobles to sovereign royals. The most prominent of them were Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Sir Galahad, Sir Geraint, Sir Gareth, Sir, Gaheris, Sir Bedevere. In some literary works, a few more well-known knights like Sir Lionel, Sir Percival, Sir Tristan, etc., are also referred to as great legends.
After King Arthur, the first knight of the round table was Sir Lancelot or Sir Lancelot du Lac. He was born to King Ban of Benwick and Queen Elaine.
He was known to be very gentle, courteous, and courageous, which is a rare combination. He was a great fighter and the fastest swordsman among all the knights. Intelligent and shrewd, he was charming and had a good sense of humor.
Along with bravery and courage, he was very well known to serve others, making him very popular and famous. But he was also associated with adultery with King Arthur's wife, Queen Guinevere.
Sir Gawain was the nephew of King Arthur and considered to be the rightful heir of King Arthur. After Sir Lancelot, he was known as the greatest knight of the round table and was Sir Lancelot's trusted aide and friend.
Sir Galahad, son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine, was of Welsh origin and grew up in a nunnery. Sir Galahad occupied the vacant seat at the round table, which was reserved for the knight who succeeded in the quest for the Holy Grail and then became popular by drawing the sword in the stone.
Sir Geraint, another Knight of the round table, was the Knight of Devonshire and son of King Erbin. He spent all his time in the court of King Arthur, and after the death of his first wife, he engaged in action and adventure.
Sir Lamorak was another fierce knight known for being the strongest legend with prowess on the battlefield and killing 30 knights alone.
Sir Gareth legend is another legend knight whose character led the tragic ending to the final scenes of Le Morte d' Arthur. He avoided anyone who did not have chivalry, including his brothers. Sir Gaheri, before knighthood, was a squire or shield-bearer to his brother Sir Gareth.
The tales depict that Sir Lancelot killed Sir Gareth and his brother Sir Gaheri by mistake while trying to rescue Queen Guinevere. This aggravated Sir Gawain, who was the elder brother of Sir Gareth, and demanded that King Arthur punish him. This rift between them ultimately led to the change in kingship and throne to Mordred.
Sir Bedevere was another ardent supporter of King Arthur who was with him at his deathbed. He was the most loyal supporting knight to King Arthur from the beginning to the end. He lost one of his arms in a battle, and he spent his remaining life fighting with one hand and was chivalry personified.
Symbolism
The emergence of the round table itself has a distinguished history. After the death of King Uther, there was no ruler for the entire England.
Merlin, who placed a sword in a stone, declared that whoever drew the sword from the stone would become the ruler of England. Arthur did not know his status and grew up with Sir Ector and his son Sir Kay. He pulled the sword out of the stone and was made the King.
This led to a revolt from eleven rulers, and King Arthur defeated them, winning all the battles. Then he got married to Guinevere and received the round table as dowry from the father of Guinevere.
The Knights often met at the round table to share their deeds and strategies. The round table was symbolic that all the knights were equal in taking upon them the responsibility of supporting King Arthur and protecting the kingdom's safety and peace.
Another version of the roundness of the table also reveals that King Arthur got the table made round to avoid quarrels between his knight legends, especially about precedence.
Along with the round table, several other landmarks and structures like Stonehenge Tintagel castle are associated with King Arthur's knights. They all give a flavor of his reign in and around England, Wales, Scotland.
Design And Shape
The first reference to Kind Arthur's round table was in 1155 by Norman Chronicler Wace in Roman de Brut. As the legend knights met at the round table to discuss their plans and further adventures, issues of hierarchy and precedence were most common.
To avoid such problems and create psychological equality and responsibility among the legends, the round shape of the table was a practical idea that was given by a Cornish carpenter.
The large wooden table, made of oak, in the Great Hall of Winchester dates back to the thirteenth century. It was known to have been made at the order of King Edward III to revive the order of chivalry. In the reign of Henry VIII, it was repainted with green and white colors.
This table, made of oak, is 18 feet (5.4 m) in diameter and about three inches (7.6 cm) thick. The table weighed almost 1.25 tons and was no simple piece of furniture. Its grandeur perfectly signified the chivalry of the legends, and its round shape positioned every knight on par with each other.
FAQs
Q: What was the purpose of the Knights of the Round Table?
A: The knights met at the round table to share their deeds and further adventures of chivalry.
Q: Who is the strongest knight of the Round Table?
A: Sir Lancelot was the strongest legend after King Arthur.
Q: Are Knights of the Round Table real?
A: Knights of the round table were historical references in several literary works of the middle ages.
Q: Who are the 8 Knights of the Round Table?
A: The eight knights of the round table in the reign of King Arthur were Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Sir Galahad, Sir Geraint, Sir Gareth, Sir, Gaheris, Sir Bedevere, Sir Lamorak. This number varies significantly from a dozen to several hundred in different historical references.
Q: Who put the sword in the stone?
A: Merlin put the sword in the stone.
Q: What happened to the Knights of the Round Table?
A: Sir Lancelot killed Sir Gareth and Sir Gaheri to rescue Queen Guinevere. They have finally perished into oblivion due to a split within themselves as warring factions, and eventually, the kingship moved Mordred.
Q: Who made up the Knights of the Round Table?
A: The Knights of the round table were made up of sovereign royals and several minor nobles.
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