Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticCat
The jury is still out (and probably always will be) on whether there was an actual person who became the King Arthur of legend.
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No kidding
Academic careers have risen and fallen in this debate - but for the most part it is almost impossible not to do any work on the sub-Roman era of the British Isles without touching on Arthur and the attendant myths and legends.
So far the earliest mention of him, as far as I know, is in the Welsh epic poem
Y Gododdin from around 600AD (or 80 to 90 years after the battles that Arthur was supposed to have fought). Incidentally this manuscript/poem also includes the earliest mention of a Myrddin (Merlin) as an ancient Celtic bard/advisor who accompanied the host defeated at Catraeth (Catterick).
Anyways... it's also debatable whether or not Robin Hood is a fictional character ~ not the Hollywood Robin Hood - but the Robin Hood of earlier legends... or whether Robin Hood is actually the amalgam of two seperate bandit lords.
Interesting mediaeval factoid - Old King Cole of the song is actually a real person; a King of the early British kingdom of Strathclyde.. King Cole was noted as a bardic king how composed and played his own music, held lavish music festivals, was a great patron to bards and poets, and finally lived to a very old age.
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