King Arthur in Legend, Literature and History

The Arthurian legend is one of the most enduring and powerful of myths, and Mary Stewart's classic The Merlin Trilogy is one of its most beloved and acclaimed retellings. In prose that is as vividly, achingly real as it is poetic, New York Times bestselling author Mary Stewart brings to life the man behind the myth: Myrddin Emrys ... Merlinus Ambrosius ... Merlin. The Crystal Cave The Hollow Hills The Last Enchantment Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myrddin Emrys -- or, as he would later be known, Merlin -- leads a perilous childhood in The Crystal Cave, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of UtherPendragon ... and the conception of Arthur -- king for once and always. Keeping watch over the young Arthur Pendragon in The Hollow Hills, the prince and prophet Merlin Ambrosius is haunted by dreams of the magical sword Caliburn, hidden for centuries. When Uther Pendragon is killed in battle, the time of destiny is at hand, and Arthur must claim the fabled sword to become the true High King of Britain. In The Last Enchantment, Arthur Pendragon is king at last. Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise as Merlin works to keep safe the once and future king. But sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause -- Arthur's own half sister -- ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven. Extensively researched and beautifully written, The Merlin Trilogy is the epic culmination of an acclaimed career, a legend in and of itself.

Everyone knows the story-how Arthur pulled the sword from the stone, how Camelot came to be, and about the power struggles that ultimately destroyed Arthur's dreams. But what of the time before Arthur and the forces that created him? How did the legend really come to pass? Before the time of Arthur and his Camelot, Britain was a dark and deadly place, savaged by warring factions of Picts, Celts, and invading Saxons. The Roman citizens who had lived there for generations were suddenly faced with a deadly choice: Should they leave and take up residence in a corrupt Roman world that was utterly foreign, or should they stay and face the madness that would ensue when Britain's last bastion of safety for the civilized, the Roman legions, left? For two Romans, Publius Varrus and his friend Caius Britannicus, there can be only one answer. They will stay, to preserve what is best of Roman life, and will create a new culture out of the wreckage. In doing so, they will unknowingly plant the seeds of legend-for these two men are Arthur's great-grandfathers, and their actions will shape a nation . . . and forge a sword known as Excalibur.

The pageantry and passionate intrigues of King Arthur’s court are expertly re-created in this historical novel#151;the only Arthurian novel in which all of the central characters are portrayed asnbsp;intrinsically good people. This realistic retelling of the legend shows Arthur severing the bonds of bastardy, vanquishing the Saxons, and loving one woman. As the daring teenage warrior prepares for the throne, he discovers true love with Morgan of Avalon, the youngest of Merlin’s daughters, but fate cruelly thwarts their hopes for a future together. Never before has a telling of the Arthur story made the breathtaking drama of this charismatic king more real or moving.

The High King is dead. The land is in peril. A child has been born to save his people. But a traitor lurks with evil in his mind and murder in his heart, dogging the footsteps of those who protect the babe who would be king. But magic is at work, high magic. Gwydion the Dreamer awakes, screaming, from a prophetic dream of tragedy and loss, a dream peopled by kings of the past. Though he thinks he is not ready, the Shining Ones lay a task upon him: protect young Arthur; and locate Caladfwlch, the lost sword of the last, murdered High King of Kymru. Dodging assassins to find the woman who holds the key to unlock a horrible secret, and fighting the longings of his own shattered heart, Gwydion sets out upon his odyssey. And finds that fate cannot be fulfilled without sacrificing the life of someone he loves.

Havgan of Corania knows he is different from others, but he does not know why. He does know, however, that he adamantly hates the witches of Kymru. When he becomes Warleader of Corania, he sets the might of his empire against them and their country. Gwydion the Dreamer and his friend Rhiannon travel to Corania to spy on Havgan after Gwydion?s dream reveals Havgan?s imperialistic desires. In their frantic attempt to save Kymru, they risk everything. But when a thoughtless action threatens to doom them all, Gwydion and Rhiannon must fight not only to discover Havgan?s secret but also to understand why Havgan seems so hauntingly familiar.

A magical glimpse into the legendary age of Arthurian chivalry. Lynett, unwilling bride of the Round Table Knight, Gaheris, who leaves her husband and the true love of her life, his brother Gareth, to become the King's messenger. Knightly chivalry is beset by Dark Age barbarity in this richly woven tapestry of heroes and heroines, monsters and saints, temptresses and magicians.

A magical glimpse into the legendary age of Arthurian chivalry. Ursulet, daughter of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, captured by Saxons and doomed to lose her family and her heritageOC Knightly chivalry is beset by Dark Age barbarity in this richly woven tapestry of heroes and heroines, monsters and saints, temptresses and magicians."

Wart, as Arthur is called, becomes a wiser, more thoughtful person and a worthy king as a result of Merlin's lessons.

T.H. White, whose The Sword in the Stone has been read by hundreds of thousands, now at last has turned his hand to retelling the entire Arthurian Epic. The Once and Future King takes Arthur from the glorious lyrical phase of his youth through the disillusioning early years of his reign to the mature years in which his vision of the Round Table develops into the search for the Holy Grail and finally to his weary old age. In part, T.H. White has drawn on published material which he has revised and reworked heavily to bring form and continuity to an overall work, a tetralogy which will stand as unique and vivid and quite apart from the individual effects of the various particular books. And in part the author has created new material as enchanting as any he has ever set on paper.

Here is the magical legend of King Arthur, vividly retold through the eyes and lives of the women who wielded power from behind the throne. A spellbinding novel, an extraordinary literary achievement, THE MISTS OF AVALON will stay with you for a long time to come....

A magnificent epic of cataclysmic upheaval and heroic love in a breathless age of mythic wonders It was a time of legend, when the last shadows of the mighty Roman conqueror faded from the captured Isle of Britain. While, across a vast sea, bloody war shattered a peace that had flourished for two thousand years in the doomed kingdom of Atlantis. From the award-winning author of THE DRAGON KING TRILOGY comes a majestic tale of breathtaking scope and haunting beauty. It is the remarkable adventure of Charis—the courageous princess from Atlantis who escapes the terrible devastation of her land—and of the fabled seer and druid prince Taliesin, singer at the dawn of the age. A story of an incomparable love that joins two astonishing worlds amid the fires of chaos, and spawns the miracles of Merlin . . . and Arthur the king! TALIESIN “Reminiscent of C. S. Lewis . . . Highly recommended.” —Library Journal

A stunning saga of courage and destiny in a legendary time of chaos and kings He was born to greatness, the son of a druid bard and a princess of lost Atlantis. A trained warrior, blessed with the gifts of prophecy and song, he grew to manhood in a land ravaged by the brutal greed of petty chieftains and barbarian invaders. MERLIN: Respected, feared and hated by many, he was to have a higher destiny. For it was he who prepared the way for the momentous event that would unite the Island of the Mighty—the coming of Arthur Pendragon, Lord of the Kingdom of Summer. MERLIN “Entertains and tantalizes . . . an exciting and thoughtful addition to the ranks of Arthurian fantasy.” –Locus

In a forgotten age of darkness, a magnificent king arose to light the land They called him unfit to rule, a lowborn, callow boy, Uther’s bastard. But his coming had been foretold in the songs of the bard Taliesin. And he had learned powerful secrets at the knee of the mystical sage Merlin. He was ARTHUR—Pendragon of the Island of the Mighty—who would rise to legendary greatness in a Britain torn by violence, greed, and war; who would usher in a glorious reign of peace and prosperity; and who would fall in a desperate attempt to save the one he loved more than life. ARTHUR “Evocate . . . intriguing . . . enthralling.” –Locus

At the dawn of his reign, a young king confronts his destiny—and must prove his greatness . . . or lose a realm Arthur is King—but treachery runs rampant throughout the beleaguered Isle of the Mighty. Darkest evil descends upon Britain’s shores in many guises. Fragile alliances fray and tear, threatening all the noble liege has won with his wisdom and his blood. His most trusted counselor—the warrior, bard and kingmaker whom legend will name Merlin—is himself to be tested on a mystical journey back through his own extraordinary past. So in a black time of plague and pestilence, it is Arthur who must stand alone against a great and terrible adversary. For only this way can he truly win immortality—and the name to treasure above all others: PENDRAGON “Though Lawhead brilliantly creates an authentic and vivid Arthurian Britain, he never forsakes the sense of wonder that has graced the legend throughout the ages.”—Publishers Weekly

A great king faces the ultimate challenge: a dangerous quest through realms of magic and the undead toward a confrontation with his destiny Drought, plague, and war have left the Isle of the Mighty battered and its heart, the beloved Arthur, grievously injured—until a secret relic is brought before the dying King; a Holy Grail that heals his wounds and restores his vigor. But soon evil enters the royal court in the guise of a beautiful maiden; a soulless, malevolent force capable of seducing the King’s loyal champion, confounding the sage whom some call Merlin, and carrying the sacred Grail—and Arthur’s adored Queen—off into the dark unknown. GRAIL “Suspenseful . . . soulful, philosophical . . . engagingly drawn . . . Arthurian Britain is invoked with robust verisimilitude.” –Publishers Weekly

The newly crowned King Arthur is unsure of himself; worse, the people are unsure of him. Too many people want the throne, and treachery is everywhere. Merlin must do something before the king is betrayed, or murdered, or--worst of all--gets married. So Merlin magically places a sword into a slab of rock, lets it be known that whosoever removes the blade will rule all of England, and invites any man who would dare, to try to pull out the sword. After a bit of showmanship, Arthur will draw the blade (with a little magical help, of course), and the people will rally around the young king. Except someone else pulls the sword out first. . . .

In a darkened house not far from the place where Camelot may once have stood, a madman schemes, plotting toward the day when he will wrest the cup that men call the Holy Grail from the boy who is its guardian. Arthur Blessing is no ordinary ten-year-old. The Grail is his by chance, this time, but the power to keep it--a power as ancient as time itself--is his by right. Now he must stay alive--battling foul sorcery and indefatigable assassins--long enough to use that power. "A fresh and exciting view of the Arthur legend." —Robert Jordan on Molly Cochran'sThe Forever King

It takes a truly great storyteller to make an old story as fresh and compelling as the first time it was told. In The Winter King, Bernard Cornwell, who has been called one of the most accomplished and stylish storytellers now writing (Kirkus Reviews), tells the tale he was meant to tell: the mythic saga of King Arthur.

With Enemy of God, master storyteller Bernar Cornwell continues the legend he began in The Winter King, the first volume of his Arthurian epic.Arthur, having defeated the last holdouts of civil war in southern Britain, has secured King Mordred's throne. But the unified kingdom seems no steadier, its balance threatened by Merlin's ceaseless quest for the last of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain, by the conflict between the ancient religion and the new Christianity, and by Britains war against the Saxons. Arthur must face other foes as well, foes more powerful and more dangerous, because they pose as friends.Brilliantly written and peopled with the familiar characters of legend, as well as with new faces, Enemy of God is an immensely powerful continuation of one of the greatest Arthur stories of our time.

Describes King Arthur's final battle with Mordred, who has summoned the power of the gods to help his evil cause.

A final stand for Avalon... Sara, Greg, and Eric Lowry are exploring the woods near their uncle's Hudson Valley estate when they are magically transported to the land of Avalon. There they meet Huon, Warden of the West. When he tells them that the forces of darkness have stolen the three talismans that protect Avalon-King Arthur's sword, Excalibur; Merlin's ring; and Huon's horn-the children set off on a quest to find the three tokens of power. For Avalon stands as a wall between the Dark and the mortal world. And if Avalon falls, so does Earth....

Travel back to medieval times with Keeping Tryst: A Tale of King Arthur's Time, an engaging short story packed with adventure and romance from the pen of Annie Fellows Johnston, the renowned creator of the Little Colonel series of novels for young adults. Readers young and old will lose themselves in the lyrical language and tightly plotted action of the yarn Johnston spins.

On holiday in Cornwall, the three Drew children discover an ancient map in the attic of the house that they are staying in. They know immediately that it is special. It is even more than that -- the key to finding a grail, a source of power to fight the forces of evil known as the Dark. And in searching for it themselves, the Drews put their very lives in peril. This is the first volume of Susan Cooper's brilliant and absorbing fantasy sequence known as The Dark Is Rising.

On the Midwinter Day that is his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers a special gift-- that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping the world from domination by the forces of evil, the Dark. At once, he is plunged into a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid the Old Ones in the final battle between the Dark and the Light. And for the twelve days of Christmas, while the Dark is rising, life for Will is full of wonder, terror, and delight.

Jane's invitation to witness the making of the Greenwitch begins a series of sinister events in which she and her two brothers help the Old Ones recover the grail stolen by the Dark.

A strange boy and dog remind Will Stanton that he is an immortal, whose quest is to find the golden harp which will rouse others from a long slumber in the Welsh hills so they may prepare for the ultimate battle of Light versus Dark.

In this conclusion of the tale begun in Over Sea, Under Stone, Will Stanton, the Welsh boy Bran, and the Drew children try to locate the crystal sword that alone can vanquish the strong forces of Dark.

Howard Pyle's classic tale of magic, bravery, and honor tells of the adventures of King Arthur. From the time young Arthur pulled the fabled sword from the stone, he was a just king. As the head of the Round Table, King Arthur led the most gallant men and brought peace to the land. King Arthur's most dramatic struggles are retold in the Calico Illustrated Classics adaptation of Pyle's King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.