Chapter · England · Legends
A very ancient book in the British tongue
Arthur in the three texts that made him
The Arthur we know was written, and every addition can be dated. This path reads the three texts in order, watching what each century adds and what it takes away.
Context first
A lesson to read before the others, to set the scene.
- The place
- The era
- The people
A very ancient book in the British tongueThe Arthur we know comes from a book written around 1136 whose author calls himself the translator of a very ancient British volume. That volume never resurfaced, and his 1848 editor says so in a footnote.9 min
The lessons in this chapter
- 1Twelve battles and one numberThe oldest Arthur is no king: he is a war leader elected twelve times, victorious in twelve places nobody can locate, and killer of nine hundred and forty men with one arm.10 min
- 2Fables the Britons fondly tellAround 1125 an English historian sets aside the British fables about Arthur, keeps one man against nine hundred anyway, and records that his tomb is nowhere to be seen.10 min
- 3Four hundred and seventy with one swordIn 1136 Arthur is given a named sword, a shield, a lance, a wife and an empire from Norway to Gaul. And the number of men killed by his hand drops to four hundred and seventy.10 min
How these lessons are written
Each lesson starts from first-hand sources: Wikisource, Gallica, Persée, archives, museums and institutes. A fact without a source does not get written, and every lesson lists its own as direct links.
The rhythm
A lesson is five minutes of cards and four questions. Those questions then come back the next day, then at 3, 7, 21 and 60 days, and that return is what makes it stick. One a day is enough, and you can do several in a row.