Alexander - Myths, Symbols and Legends of Solar System Bodies

Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

Rachel Alexander 1

(1)

Our bright, beautiful, powerful light and heat-giving Sun has provided the inspiration for countless heroes, leaders and gods. The mythical English King Arthur is one of these, along with his father, Uther Pendragon, and the sorcerer, Merlin.

King Arthur of Camelot is indisputably a British national hero. He is the most popular and romantic of the mythical Sun heroes. As the son of Uther Pendragon he is closely linked to Saint Michael, Lord of the Light and a warrior angel named in the Bible. Arthur is also known as the Lord of the Summer, associated with fertility, light and the Sun in opposition to Morgan Lefay, or fate, a winter goddess of darkness and death.

Arthurs famous round table is round like the Sun, and his magnificent sword, Excalibur, which is sheathed in a magical scabbard and which protected Arthur from being wounded, is supposed to shine with the light of many torches. It is as if the sword personifies Arthur himself, shining the light of truth, justice and goodness. Handmade swords all have an alchemic quality about them, as earth, air, fire and water were all used in their creation, especially the element of fire and its association with the Sun. The English King Richard the Lionheart, in the twelfth century, also wielded a sword that he claimed was Excalibur, immediately associating himself with King Arthur. (Arthur was believed to have been a real king in medieval times.) King Edward I of England also had a round table made with 24 seats around it which is now in Winchester Great Hall. King Arthur was regarded as the model of kingship.

After the end of the Wars of the Roses, Henry Tudor, who was Henry VII, moved his court to Winchester, as this was thought at that time to have been the sight of the mythical Camelot. On September 20, 1486, the first Tudor heir was born at Camelot and so was appropriately named Arthur. But Prince Arthur died prematurely and suddenly at age 15 in 1502. Even today in England the next heir to the throne, Prince Charles, has Arthur among his middle names.

Excalibur is supposedly the magical sword that was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake. The sword is also known as Caliburn, Caladfwlch and Caladbolg, the latter name linking it to the Irish hero Fergus and other Irish heroes. The name Caladbolg comes from words meaning hard and lightning.

The idea of Arthurs Knights of the Round Table could have originated from the Fianna or Fenians of Ireland, a large group of soldiers formed around 300 b.c. with the purpose of protecting the High King of Ireland. It is also believed that many Arthurian legends are similar to those of the famous Irish hero Finn Mac Cool and his Fianna.

There are many, many stories of King Arthur. The English poet Edmund Spenser (155299) wrote an epic poem, The Faerie Queen, whereby Arthur was involved in adventures in Fairyland before he became king of Britain. Geoffrey of Monmouths Arthur battled with the Romans, while the later Arthur of Sir Thomas Malorys (14051471) Le Morte d Arthur was the product of Uther Pendragon disguised as the Lady Igraines husband by the magic of Merlin. Young Arthur was taken away from Igraine and was brought up by others. He became king when Merlin magically pushed a sword into a stone and spread the word that whoever could withdraw this sword from the stone would become king. The Round Table appears in this epic prose as a wedding gift from Guineveres father, its round shape important as there was no obvious head of the table.

Arthur left Britain to battle against Lancelot (who had been Queen Guineveres lover), who had taken her abroad with him. Arthur left his son, Mordred, to rule Britain in his absence. Mordred rose up against his father, forcing Arthur to return to stop his wayward son. Arthur and Mordred were supposed to have had their last battle on Salisbury Plain. Arthur killed his son but was mortally wounded. This final battle is known as the Battle of Camluan to the Welsh. Arthur has also been claimed by the Irish. He is the king of Britains son and dared to steal the dogs of Finn Mac Cool and Bran. The Fianna chased Arthur to Britain, took back their dogs and got Arthur to pledge his loyalty to Finn Mac Cool. Finn is one of the most famous Irish mythological heroes. The Druid Finegas educated Finn.

Finegas caught the legendary Salmon of Knowledge, which Finn cooked. During the cooking, Finn famously burned his thumb. He sucked his thumb and acquired the salmons knowledge. Finn, like Arthur, is not dead but sleeping, waiting to someday wake up for Ireland in its time of greatest need.

The age of King Arthurs reign is known as the Golden Age. Arthur is supposed to have been buried at Glastonbury Abbey. However, according to one legend, he healed from his wounds and lies in a deep sleep waiting for the bell to ring, which is supposed to wake him up when he is needed most, which makes him the once and future king and sound somewhat Christ-like. Some people believe that the island of Bardsey is Avalon, the final resting place for King Arthur. According to some Arthurian myths, Arthurs ship is at the bottom of Bardsey Sound. Arthur himself is either living as a hermit or sleeping in a cave on the island. Bardsey is supposed to be the place where 20,000 saints are buried and was established in the sixth century by Saint Cadfan as a place of pilgrimage. Legend has it that if you are buried on Bardsey, you will achieve salvation, because it is a gateway to another realm. In Welsh tradition, the dead set out for this island.

The mythical King Arthur has always been associated with the Sun. He emerged from the darkness and the obscurity of a relatively humble upbringing, like the Sun emerging from behind clouds or from the imagined darkness before the creation of light. Arthur is supposed to have been at his best in battle during the waxing of the Sun, his strength and fighting ability receding along with the Suns rays. Obviously, Arthurs power shone, increasing in the light of the knowledge of his noble birth as son of King Uther Pendragon, Head of Dragons. His obscure upbringing adds to the air of mystery, as did his sword, Excalibur, believed to have been forged from metals found in a meteorite, metal that had fallen from the sky, a gift from the gods.

King Arthur, if he existed at all, is believed to have reigned in the sixth century, a long time after the Romans had left Britain, conveniently in the historical period known as the Dark Ages, where there is very little written evidence, as most people were illiterate. Obviously, this makes it very difficult to prove or disprove his existence.

Centuries later, his actual existence is arguably insignificant. It is what he represented that matters. He became the symbol of stability, harmony, balance, continuity, bravery and a good and just leader. He is what all leaders and benign monarchs aspire to be.

King Nuada in Celtic mythology is similar to King Arthur in some ways. Like Arthur, he was a just and fair king, wise and gallant but a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. He was king of the gods and, like Arthur, was the proud owner of a magical sword. His was named Freagarthach, which was always terrifyingly accurate, always killing enemies. He, too, was a solar hero, as king of the Tuatha De Danaan, a dynasty of deities referred to as the gods of the light in Ireland before Christianity.

King Nuada fell from grace when he unfortunately had his arm sliced off in battle against the enemy, the Firbolg. The Tuatha De Danaan were victorious, but Nuada could no longer retain his position as king or leader, as his body was now incomplete. He was succeeded by Bres the Beautiful, who was an unstable and imperious ruler. He did not inspire others, as Nuada had done, and was perceived as weak. With a new enemy, the more fearsome Formorii, the wicked gods of darkness who were about to attack the Tuatha De Danaan, what was needed was the stability and sense of order that the former King Nuada had represented, again like Arthur. Bres, Nuadas replacement, was half Formorii himself, so he was not exactly trustworthy. In fact, he behaved predictably by joining with the Formorii against the Tuatha De Danaan. A magical doctor, Dian Cecht, created a replacement arm for Nuada from gleaming silver so he was whole again, and therefore could be king. Eventually, the magical doctors son used more magic to replace the metal arm with a real one, so that Nuada could lead the Tuatha De Danaan into a war against the dark Formorii gods.