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Post- Magic reveal Merthur angst oneshot (as “We hug now” by Sydney Rose)
“I have a feeling you got everything you wanted.”
The smell of mold and dust chokes up the back of his throat, strewn over the floor of a musty, wooden shack he discovered while aimlessly walking in the middle of nowhere. Only 4 days ago, he had pushed the boat into the lake, watching it drift away as his mind was now.
His eyes burned with fiery tears, the tracks engraving into his skin with molten magic - the loss never to be forgotten, embedded into his cheeks. Merlin hiccuped for breaths whenever the full feeling in his nose returned. Oh how he prayed for Arthur’s return.
Even though his bleeding body had been returned to Avalon after being struck, Merlin somewhat knew he’d done good - even without lifting the ban on magic. Merlin knew he was a good king - having achieved and done much more than his predecessors ever did for the people of Camelot.
He had a feeling Arthur did what he could and he knew he would return when Albion’s need was greatest. At least he got the life he wanted as King, portrayed as a savior and a strong ruler - a glorious battle leading to his demise.
He lived a magnificent life.
“You’re not wasting time, stuck here like me.”
At least Arthur was frozen in time rather than being stuck on an earth that would keep turning whether Merlin moves on or not. He knew the world would go on without him. Without him.
How could he ever be part of an existence without Arthur? What would be the point in living? What would his purpose be? How could he have failed? What was there left to do? He was a nobody with no political power.
Why couldn’t they have taken Merlin instead? Arthur would be able to accomplish much more than Merlin ever could in the time he’d have to wait for his other half’s return. But it wasn’t like that.
He was stuck here - without hope, without meaning and without Arthur.
“You’re just thinking it’s a small thing that happened.”
Merlin revealing his magic was insignificant compared to Arthur’s death. If he had done it much sooner, yes - there was the risk of dying, but it was a risk he should’ve taken rather than left so late.
Merlin wasn’t sure if Arthur would have ordered his execution on the spot if hadn’t been in such a vulnerable position. He wasn’t sure if he would have burst out in a fit of rage and attacked him.
But he knew Arthur had been heart broken - the trust between them was a taut thread with a blade pressed against it. Nothing could ever compare to the feeling of relief when Arthur talked to him again - when Arthur let Merlin care for him again.
“Why are you doing this?” he said, voice slurring and thick with emotion. “Why are you still acting like a servant?”
But he had never been acting. Arthur was everything to him. He would move planets and destroy galaxies to see Arthur safe, or happy. He was born to serve Arthur and he’d stand by that until the world falls to nothing.
“The world ended when it happened to me.”
When he threw up the words “I have magic.”, hoarsely whispering “I only use it for you, Arthur.”, he feared for his life. He knew Arthur was weak and vulnerable and would have to rely on Merlin if he wanted to survive. But he knew if his King ordered his execution he’d comply.
All the years of living in fear - spent watching sorcerers fight for their families and die. All the years he lived in Camelot - spent chasing after destiny. All the years he stood by Arthur’s side - spent protecting him. It all felt worthless. His life and its purpose felt meaningless.
Uther had ordered Gaius’s execution after Gaius had been a trusted member in the council for decades. After Gaius had publicly turned against his own kind to stand by Uther’s side. Would Arthur do that to him even after showing and proving he had the utmost loyalty toward him?
Merlin knew for a fact that his fear of losing Arthur and being unable to serve him by his side overpowered the notion of dying.
“I have a feeling you got everything you wanted.”
Arthur was glad his last moments were spent with his best friend - a man he cares for and loves. He was glad it was by his side that his life left his body. He was glad he didn’t have to die alone.
He somewhat knew Merlin had never trusted him. He knew Merlin didn’t love him the way Arthur loved him because if he did why would he never tell Arthur about his magic. Did he really think Arthur would kill him? After all they’ve been through together?
Arthur understood Merlin did what he had to. He understood Merlin was the only person there was for him. He understood Merlin would never want to hate or hurt him. He understood magic was a part of Merlin that would never leave him and he’d accept him as he was.
Merlin was a good man. He’d done so much for Arthur and there was no way he could ever repay him - not now as the last words lingered in his last breath.
“Thank you.”
There was a small guilty feeling swirling in the back of his throat. Maybe Merlin was even happy that Arthur had died; there was no King to persecute him. That would be everything he wanted, right? To be free.
“You’re not wasting time, stuck here like me.”
Merlin was out there living while Arthur’s carcass had been left to rot on a brittle boat in the middle of a cursed lake. He would get to do things. He would get to see his family and his friends and Arthur would be stuck here - trapped in the visceral bounds of time; choking him.
“You’re just thinking it’s a small thing that happened.”
Arthur’s death must have meant nothing to Merlin. He was a powerful warlock - the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth and Arthur just felt like some lousy king who accomplished nothing. He saved nobody.
He had blindly followed along his father’s ruling and assisted in the persecution of so many all of his life - carpet cleaning an entire community and race of people. It was only in his last days that he realised just how wrong he was.
Arthur was really the useless one between the duo - between the two men who couldn’t be more opposite. This moment must be so insignificant to Merlin who would live forever. There was definitely more important battles he fought and more important people in his life.
People more important that he cared more for than Arthur. Arthur’s death was a blip of his life that he would forget as if it never happened.
“The world ended when it happened to me.”
He had felt the life being torn out of his lungs as death scraped its claws down his throat, piercing his last words in its sharp nails.
Everything he was meant nothing.
None of his life mattered because he had never been the king he should have been - a king who helped and freed people. He didn’t even get to help Merlin. And now he’d never be able to see him again, never be able to beg for forgiveness again, never be able to thank him again - never be able to voice how much he loves him.
He wasn’t sure if his world ended when blood stopped circulating around his body or when he stopped feeling Merlin by his side.
I think he would be more likely to call him "My Lord" or somthin but whatever, here's a doodle of Lancelot shadow
Now the poll is over so let's take a look at each angsty ship.
Murther:
Now, everything i know about Murther is from memes and texts posts and headcannons. So I might not know much about the show but I have pretty good idea about the ship.
The angst come from the secrets and the entanglement due to destiny. Being two half of the same coin that never really got to be one
And obviously the ending. Aurther died soon after finding out the truth i think. So we also never got them to be together being truthful. Essentially, it ended right when it was gonna get good. They were good for each other. They loved each other with such softness and inevitability.
But now one of them is dead. Leaving the other to live on alone which is one the worst outcomes out there. It's angsty but not toxic. They should have been together but alas.
Johnlock:
My idea of ship comes from BBC Sherlock. Like Murther, Sherlock and John are actually good for each other. AND they get a happy ending. As angsty as it gets. There is a positive ending. They got together. They healed each other. They were what each of them wanted.
The angst comes from sacrifice (Sherlock) and denial (John) They are the most important people in each other's life.
Their ship can be summarized in this phrase.
"I will go to hell for you, I will come with you."
However, their angst also comes from codependency. They are good for each other but they also fall apart without each other. They need each other. Their presence don't just make them better, their absence also destroy each other. It's the need! The amount of need is proportional to the amount of angst you get.
Destiel: speaking of need. This ship is defined by need. They are the best version of each other when they are together and worst version of each other when they are apart. They hate their own self but find salvation in loving each other and caring for people.
They understand each other. Dean would fight anything and everything to protect Cas but Cas won't let him and will stay in purgatory away from dean to keep Dean safe.
They are each other's strengths. They are also each other's weakness and those around them know it.
Cas will defy his purpose, his existence, his faith in God, already has, for Dean. And Dean, becomes a monster when you take Cas out of the equation. But he'd still pray, he'd still beg, he'd fight through everything to get his angel back and they even has 'i need you' stand it for I love you and I just jejdmsjnsndbbsbbebsh
Hannigram:
now we are leaving the angsty romance waters and entering the self destructive toxic love waters.
This ship is blatant. They know there is love under that obsession and vulnerability. But they are just too fucked up. Their I love you Is 'I see you'
Hannibal and Will. They both go through life feeling alone. Singular creatures. Then they come across each other and they are no longer alone. They clash they destroy each other in their love and obsession for each other. And at the end. Will brings out the selflessness out of Hannibal and Hannibal brings out the animal in Will.
Their whole story is poetic and they aren't letting each other go. Hannibal is so fucking scared of vulnerability that comes with love. He tests Will. Hoping that will won't see him. That Will will only see what he projects, like everyone else. But damn he is bared. And Will tries to deny himself over and over again but he is hopeless. Hannibal tries to eat him and Will tries to get him killed. It's their stuff and at the end. Will accepts the monster inside and kills them. And finally Hannibal gets honest and let's Will destroy him.
Finally we have Kalmoash:
Their story hasn't come to an end. AND I am not sure how Moash's arc will end. But the obsessive destruction is there. They are too, two sides of the same coin. Kaladin took a path that Moash could not.
Kaladin had people he could rely upon. Moash was encouraged into destruction. Now the choice was his but that doesn't negate that at their breaking point Kaladin had friends and people who cared in the past that gave him the strength and positive outlook to make the right choice while Mosh lost the only family he had and his whole life, lived with distain. Then at his weakest moment had odium.
And Moash loves Kaladin while kaladin is our local Aro Ace fly Boi. And he calls moash his closest. (Used to.) And as angry as Moash was, He still says to kaladin that if you say no I will stop. Its the momentum and series of wrong choices that separates them.
And even after giving everything up. Moash still has one thread that ties him to his humanity. (I know how that feels and maybe that's why Moash is the only character that I feel any kinship to.)
Their conflict comes from the fact that they are bound by their own thinking.
Moash in his skewed way, helping the man he loves. Odium wants Kaladin. Moash knows that. He also knows that Kaladin would rather be dead. The servitude of odium is no life so he wants to kill kaladin to save him a worse fate. But he also knows that no one can kill kaladin. So he baits Kaladin to kill himself. (Peak toxicity).
In his mind he is saving Kaladin and Kaladin i thinks hate only cause he can't accept the other things that he feels.
Now so far Kaladin hasn't tried to save Moash. But now maybe he will try and reach out. I doubt it but damn I want moash to get better. Become a radiant or even a bondsmith. Better yet.A SKYBREAKER.
Their relationship is essentially. "You betrayed me I have to hate you or I will love you" "I hate you I will save you by killing you." They have such strong passion for each other and it will destroy them.
But I am hopeful that sunshine Boi Renarin can save them.
Let the war begin
The last stretch.
Let the war begin
Kalmoah is at the bottom. And loosing. The funny thing is. It's the most toxic relationship in fiction. Hannigram and destiel got nothing on kalmoash in terms of toxicity. Maybe it will Win a toxicity poll. This goes to show how few people know about it. Will explore it in the next post.
Let the war begin
From Le Roman des Franceis (AKA Li Romanz des Franceis or Arflet) by André de Coutance, in which the poet is very concerned about the widespread(?) slanderous accusations that King Arthur was killed and replaced as king by a giant cat.
The hero tapestries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Cloisters in New York City, NY
The people who are with Arthur in Avalon or are in a Cave alongside him:
(Disclaimer: Not including Morgan, the other fairies and/or Merlin)
La Bataille Loquifer: Gawain, Ywain, Percival and Guinevere (Guest Star: Roland from the Charlemagne series)
Lanzelet: Lout (Loholt)
Craig-y-Ddinas: Ywain, Kay, Bedivere, Gawain, Percival, Geraint/Erec, Tristan, Culhwch, Yder and Calogrenant (Source: The Welsh Fairy Book, by Willaim Jenkyn Thomas)
Sewingshields Folklore: Guinevere
Tally:
Queen Guinevere: 2
Sir Gawain: 2
Sir Ywain: 2
Sir Percival: 2
Sir Loholt: 1
Sir Kay: 1
Sir Bedivere: 1
Sir Geraint/Erec: 1
Sir Yder/Edern ap Nudd: 1
Sir Tristan: 1
Sir Culhwch: 1
Sir Calogrenant: 1
In the end, Arthur won't be alone...
Of course, none of the later French characters - Lancelot, Bors, Galahad, Palamedes, Dinadan, etc. - made it to Avalon or the Enchanted Cave. It's the older tradition characters who have a chance.
....They're COUSINS!!?!
(Source: Dream of Rhonabwy)
(Source: A Welsh Classical Dictionary)
Arthurian Quotes I Love, pt. ?
“The music of the sword of the High-king of the World”. I love that phrase. Given that this is TSotCED, it could be poetic imagery or an actual, magical singing sword, but either way, I think it’s beautiful, and so is Lancelot recognizing Bhalbhuaidh by the sound of a weapon which Arthur lent him for his quest. Here, Galahad/Bhalbhuaidh, who might actually be intended to be Gawain, is not said to be Lancelot’s son and was fostered by Arthur (who is the High-king of the World, not only Britain or Logres). That Arthur raised him and gave him the sword, that Arthur sent Lancelot to lead the search party for his ward, and that Lancelot was immediately able to recognize him by the sound alone says a lot about how close to Arthur both of them are and how they slot into the court in general. You get so much from that one phrase.
The bit at the end about the Knight of the Lantern being able to fly like a bird is only a plus.
could you tell me about arthur's bastard (and legitimate) children?
(Word of Caution: For various reasons, including inaccessibility of source materials, I am not fully read up on all the details of the source materials involving the following characters. Nor am I aware of all known children of Arthur. Therefore, I should advice discretion)
First are the two major sons, both of whom changed legitimacies as the legend evolved:
Mordred - Originally a nephew by Arthur's full sister Anna/Morgause in Historia Regum Britanniae, Mordred is later converted into Arthur's bastard son, conceived incestuously, in Vulgate Cycle. The Welsh Dream of Rhonabwy suggests that Mordred was fostered by Arthur (a normal practice of both Romans and Celts)
Loholt/Ilinot - First appeared in Erec and Enide and apparently based on the Welsh character of Llacheu, Loholt was originally a Legitimate son of Arthur by Guinevere in Perlesvaus and the German Tradition. But Vulgate Cycle alters this so that Loholt is instead another bastard son by a certain Lisanor prior to Arthur's marriage to Guinevere.
Next are the ones with Unknown Mothers (and thus of ambiguous legitimacy and relationship to Guinevere):
Amr/Amhar - Son of Arthur mentioned in Historum Brittonum as being killed by Arthur himself. His grave is described as naturally changing size with every look, implying supernatural influence. He is also mentioned in the Welsh Geraint, as one of Arthur's Four Chamberlains
Gwydre - Son of Arthur mentioned only in Culhwch and Olwen. He is killed by Twrch Trwyth alongside two maternal uncles of Arthur.
Llacheu - The most celebrated of the Welsh sons of Arthur, with mentions in Pa Gur, The Welsh Triads and other Welsh Poetic Material. Is usually identified with Loholt, with the Welsh adaptation of Perlesvaus - Y Seint Grail - being the most notable in that regard.
Duran - Son of Arthur only found in a 15th Century Welsh Manuscript, where he is said to have perished during the Battle of Camlann
Archfedd - Daughter of Arthur, found in the Welsh genealogical work Bonedd Y Saint, where she is said to have married Llawfrodedd, one of Arthur's warriors, and bore two children, Efadier and Gwrial
Apollonius, Iron and Hilde - Two sons and a daughter found in the 13th Century Icelandic Thidrekssaga.
Aristes - Son of Arthur mentioned in the Old Norse Mottuls saga
Legitimate Children of Arthur (Although not necessarily Guinevere's children)
Samson the Fair and Grega - Son and Daughter of Arthur by his wife, Queen Silvia. Both found in the Norse Samson saga fraga
Adeluf III, Morgan the Black and Patrick the Red - Three sons of Arthur, from Eldest to Youngest, from Rauf de Boun's 14th century chronicle, Petit Brut. Presumbly, sons of Queen Guinevere, but Rauf de Boun fails to mention the name of Arthur's wife. However, Adeluf III is made heir and assumes the Throne of England whilst Patrick and Morgan are given sizable inheritances in the form of Scotland and Wales. (Note: Wikipedia claims they're Arthur's sons by a fairy queen, but the cited source does not say so. Link to source HERE)
Seleucia - Daughter of Arthur by his first wife, Liscanor (Lisanor), in Jorge Ferreira de Vasconcelos' 16th century Portugese novel Memorial das Proezas da Segunda Tavola Redonda. (*This technically makes her the full sister of Lisanor!Loholt) She married Arthur's successor, Sagramor Constantino (a combination of Sir Sagramore and Constantine, son of Cador) and may have even bore a daughter, Princess Licorida
Huncamunca - Daughter of Arthur and his wife, Queen Dollalolla, from Henry Fielding's 1730 Tom Thumb play
Melora - Daughter of Arthur and Guinevere from the Irish romance Eachtra Mhelóra agus Orlando. One of the more well-known daughters of Arthur and one of the very few warrior women in Arthuriana.
Merevie/Smerbe/Smerviemore - Son of Arthur by his second marriage to a french princess, Elizabeth. Figures primarily in the genealogical legends of Scottish Clan Campbell, who claim descent from Arthur through Smervie.
Rowland, Ellen and Two unnamed older brothers - Certain versions of the Ballad of Childe Rowland and Burd Ellen portray them as the sons and daughter of Arthur and Guinevere, apparently due to the mention of Merlin.
Tryphine's son and daughter - A certain mystery play collected by François-Marie Luzel in 1863 merges Saint Tryphine from the Conomor legend with aspects of Queen Guinevere, with the primary antagonist being the lady's brother Kervoura. The two children are unnamed, but the son goes by an alias, "the Malouin"
Iduna - Daughter of Arthur and Guinevere from Edgar (1839), by Adolph Schutt
Blandine - Daughter of Arthur and Guinevere from Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde (1937), by Jean Cocteau
Bastard Children of Arthur:
Kyduan/Cydfan - Son of Arthur by Eleich ferch Iaen. Mentioned in Culhwch and Olwen and Bonedd yr Arwyr
Arthur le Petit - Son of Arthur from Post-Vulgate, born of Arthur's deliberate rape of a daughter of Sir Tanas. Arthur le Petit serves as a "good" counterpart to Sir Mordred. He loyally serves his father incognito for many years and despises Lancelot's faction for causing the destruction of Logres. He is slain by Sir Bleoberis.
Tom a Lincoln - Eponymous hero of the 16th century romance Tom a Lincoln, by Richard Johnson. Son of Arthur by Angelica, a daughter of the Mayor of London. Fathers two additional characters, the Black Knight and the Faerie Knight.
Gyneth - Daughter of Arthur by a half-genie named Guendolen. From Walter Scott's The Bridal of Triermain (1813). A huntress whose Marriage competition results in the death of many knights including Vanoc, who is implied to be Merlin's son. As a result, Merlin puts her into an enchanted sleep for many centuries until her true love awakens her with a kiss.
And finally, those with a tenuous link to Arthuriana:
Nathalia - a supposed daughter of Arthur who accompanied St. Ursula according to De Sancta Ursula: De undecim milibus Virginum martirum (1183), by Herman Joseph
Baeddo - Wife of the Visigothic Spanish king Reccared. Claimed to be a daughter of Arthur by Compendio Historial, by Esteban de Garibay y Zamalloa
Tortolina - a daughter of Arthur according to Pantochronachanon (1652), by Thomas Urquhart
*(Additional Source link about the Daughters of King Arthur: HERE)
I love speculating about medieval Welsh poetry! As a Cauldron Kids enthusiast, I'd like to elaborate a little about the poetic bit with Creirwy and Garwy Hir. Here it is in Welsh and English:
Whether Hywel ab Einion Llygliw (yes, a different Hywel) is drawing a parallel between his feelings for Myfanwy Fychan and Garwy's feelings for Creirwy or whether he's referencing two unconnected characters, one known for being beautiful and the other known for an unhappy love life or just a lot of generalized woes, is kind of ambiguous, so while I would be happy to have more Creirwy lore, unless there's some other source which mentions this, I don't think we can say that it's supposed to mean they were in a relationship for certain. There's also another Creirwy, daughter of Saint Gwen the Triple-Breasted, though I don't think she's as likely to be the one referenced here.
I'd also like to add that one really dubious Wikipedia entry claims Myfanwy married Goronwy ap Tudur Hen. This is a fun tidbit because he's yet another guy named Goronwy, though almost certainly not the "Cad Goddeu" poet's pal Goronwy, and because if it were true, that would make her a direct ancestor of the House of Tudor.
Hello, it's me. I am back again to bore you all to utter DEATH.
Okay, so I was doing some reading in my lil book nook and I came across this poem:
(Sorry it's sideways. I hate it too.)
It's Ode Five by Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd (who is awesome in his own right. Might do a post about him if anybody would like it.) Anyways, there are two (2) things that jumped out straight off that I have highlighted:
1. The reference to Ogrfan Fawr who is Gwenhwyfar's dad. It's super interesting to me that it reads a bit like Hywel (or whoever is narrating the poem) uses Ogrfan to imply that he's being kept apart from his lover. (Presumably the fair - pls remember Gwen is another word for fair, or white, in Welsh - shy girl lady he mentions in the second line.)
Who's got fair in their name? Gwenhwyfar. "Okay, Sarah," I imagine you're saying. "Cool stuff. But what the fuck does this have to do with a twelfth-century poet dude and a fictional queen?"
Ah, okay. WELL. LEMME REFER U TO GARWY HIR:
He's the father of Indeg who is one of Arthur's mistresses, AND lover of Creirwy, daughter of Cerridwen. Now, I find the author's insinuation that the poem is specifically about Garwy Hir to be a bit of a stretch, because why tf is Ogrfan mentioned in the same breath as Garwy? They have little connection to each other in all honesty. (And I have never heard of Ogrfan, Garwy, being Cerridwen being connected.)
Well, there's a Very Prominent Lad who is connected to both of those ladies.
ARTHUR!!!!!
Husband to Gwenhwyfar, lover of Indeg. The dumbass boi himself. (Respectfully. He is just... look, a lot of Welsh sources are mixed about him. Gildas has Proper Beef with Arthur cuz he killed his brother. Also, this is the same man who called Maelgwn Gwynedd, 'a sodomitical grape.' So. He's not fuckin about.)
It sounds like - to me - this Ode could be perceived as a quest - much like his quest to Annwfn (Not outside of Hywel's subject matter. Man LOVED to intertwine war and love. Read his Gorhoffedd. You'll see what I mean.) - that's been forgotten about over the intervening centuries. One that Arthur went on to get Gwenhwyfar from her father's hall. Perhaps this is also - maybe - a far older version of the Gwenhwyfar/Guinevere and Melwas/Melegaunt myth, but idk. I cannot say for certain.
Now. You can think that this is all a bit tenuous. It very much is, I grant you. In 'The Arthur of the Welsh,' O.J. Padel suggests that Hywel is imagining himself as a suitor for Gwenhwyfar's hand (entirely fair. Right there with you, fella. I too would want to be a suitor for Gwenhwyfar.) But I think it makes a little more sense for the Ode to be Arthur.
Also, yes, I admit the reference to Gwenhwyfar is an indirect one, and I am running on 12 cups of coffee, and this didn't go anywhere, but still. It's FUN.
Now, go read about Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd, pls!!!!! His dad, Owain Gwynedd, gets compared to Cai, Cynyr, Gwalchmai, and Dillus in an elegy by Cynddelw, while his court at Gwynedd is seen to be like Arthur's at Celli Wig. (Cynddelw did a praise poem about Hywel too, which also contains lots of Arthurian references.)
Hi :) Could I have the source for "wherever Arthur walks, plants die"? That's very "Holly King" coded of him
Sure thing! It's from Triad 23 in the Red Book of Hergest. Here's a translation by John Rhŷs and John Gwenogvryn Evans:
Three Red Ravagers of the Island of Britain: Rhun son of Beli, and Lleu Skilful Hand, and Morgant the Wealthy. But there was one who was a Red Ravager greater than all three: Arthur was his name. For a year neither grass nor plants used to spring up where one of the three would walk; but where Arthur went, not for seven years.
Peniarth MS 54 lists "{t}hree red-spotted ones of the Island of Prydain. Arthur; and Run son of Beli; and Morgant Mwynfawr" (W.F. Skene's translation), which probably means the same thing, since both include Arthur, Rhun son of Beli, and someone named Morgant. In Welsh, "Morgant the Wealthy" is Morgant Hael, and I haven't been able to determine whether he and Morgant Myfanwyr are the same person.
Thanks for the ask!
I noticed that Caradoc’s and Arthur’s arms are similar: both feature crowns on an azure field, though Arthur has multiple crowns or and Caradoc just has one crown argent. Caradoc is married to one of Igraine’s daughters in the Vulgate Merlin, and he is the son of Arthur’s niece (but referred to as his nephew) in The Story of Caradoc. It’s quite possible that whoever designed Caradoc’s arms meant them to look like a humbler version of Arthur’s.
Coats of Arms of (some) Knights of the Round Table from a 16th century French manuscript, including most of our favourite Merlin knights.
From left to right:
Galahad, Percival, Lancelot du Lac, Bors
King Arthur, Gawain, Tristan, Lionel
(H)elyan the White, King Bagdemagus, King Edern, King Rience,
King Carados, King Clariance, Duke Chaliens of Clarence and (H)ector de Maris.
@usedtobeaduchess Triad 20 is where Arthur as Terror of the Sod comes from.
Arthur has superpowers too (Sort of)
From The Welsh Triads
From Layamon's Brut
From Don Quixote. (Too bad its Post-Camlann...)
Extra Points:
A few things which are “canon” somewhere for people who are worried they’re stretching it too far
Arthur was killed by a giant cat.*
Arthur killed the cat.
Arthur didn’t fight the cat. Kay did.
Kay and Bedivere use salmon as taxis.
Lucan is half giant, half lion. (This Lucan, Lucano in the original Italian, is evil and not related to Bedivere).
King Arthur raided the land of the dead.
The human knight Caradoc Briefbras has three half siblings: a dog, a horse, and a pig.
A large portion of Arthur’s troops was killed a while before Badon by his nephew’s attack ravens in self-defense. Arthur and said nephew were playing chess at the time and neither did much to stop it. [Edit: before Badon, not Camlann, which has apparently already happened despite Arthur and Mordred being alive]
Merlin retired peacefully and went to live in the countryside with his also-magic sister Ganieda, Taliesin, and another of their friends. [Edited]
Wherever Arthur walks, plants die. They don’t grow back for years.
Arthur had a spunky (half?) brother who died in battle after making a mysterious oath.
Dagonet is more or less able to run the kingdom when Arthur is gone. His biggest error is overspending on mercenaries.
Guinevere has an evil almost identical twin half-sister.
Hector beat up all the best knights except for Galahad while possessed by a demon.
Gawain plays tennis.
Gawain has used a chessboard as a weapon.
Near the start of his reign, Arthur left Lot in charge of the kingdom and went on a quest with a sassy parrot.
Gawain or Galahad succeeded Arthur as king.**
*Whether or not this is canon anywhere is a somewhat meta matter. André de Coutance complains that the story that Chapalu/Cath Palug killed King Arthur and conquered England is a slanderous lie while also implying it's widely circulated. He's saying that it's canon in other places and also that it's wrong. As far as I know, no other text mentions a tradition where the cat kills the king.
**Not in different texts--Bhalbhuaidh is either Irish Gawain or Irish Galahad.
Dindrane: claimed I could remember my unborn sibling from Heaven, then gave a description of said sibling which turned out to be accurate
Taliesin: went outside during a lightning storm and tried to fly away by using a Mary Poppins umbrella to catch the wind while making dramatic poetic declarations (I got about two feet in the air)
Sebile: tried to practice necromancy to talk to a dead Monarch butterfly
.
This isn’t something I did, but an evangelical organization once showed up at my family’s house to see whether one of us was the Messiah, and that seems pretty Galahad-esque.
arthurian legend characters as weird things i did as a kid
Arthur: created clubs for the sole purpose of making myself in charge of them
Guinevere: played barbies, but the plot of the game was that they were fighting in world war iii
Lancelot: pretended to be an exterminator by spraying actual hornets with a hose, and somehow not getting stung, against all odds
Gawain: held stair-jumping competitions, and regularly jumped down around 10 stairs at a time
Merlin: designated a particular tree branch for reading and refused to let anyone climb this branch
Gaheris: held ‘screaming contests’ in my backyard to which invited my friends (this is exactly what it sounds like and it was banned by my mother immediately)
Dinadan: eaten spaghetti while riding a bike
Galahad: made a graveyard for bugs
Morgana: recruited a friend’s little brother to spy on said friend because she wasn’t talking to me
Mordred: accidentally made a gallon of poison
In a fairer world Guinevere would have done the job and we would have the rescue romance we deserve
Challenge: Find the Holy Grail
The Death of King Arthur by James Archer
I normally don't like Tennyson's narrative around the female characters due to his framing of them being the source of all the faults in Camelot.
But there's a part of this story that often catches my attention and its Guinevere's rejection of Arthur:
Like, I can't help but dig idea that Guinevere rejects Arthur because of his virtue. As if his holy character actively irritates her.
If I was writing, I would take it further and outright imply Guinevere is some kind of demonic being. If Tennyson can get away with turning Arthur into a mysterious, divine entity that Merlin found instead of being born of Uther's misdeeds, then I don't see why I can't apply that to Gwen.
Welsh Myth already provides the idea of Guinevere as a Fae/Giantess so I would just present her as a "Reverse Persephone" -
Guinevere is actually a mysterious girl who came up from the "Kingdom beneath the Earth", "a daughter of a Colossus of Old" and is reared as ward of one of Arthur's vassals. Arthur, being taken by her beauty, took her as his wife. "And so, the Worthiest and Most Righteous King on Earth married a she-devil, the fairest of all her race, and made her his Queen."
The reason she finds Arthur repulsive is because she's a "primal spirit" who was born deep underground and can't stand the presence of someone so "Heavenly", so divorced from "the touch of the Earth". Camelot falls into "sinfulness" because Guinevere is in fact a physical avatar of all Materialism and Worldly Values, both good and bad.
And instead of Guinevere repenting of her actions, I would just take a cue from E.A. Robinson and have Gwen reject Arthur to the very end:
And if Arthur and Guinevere ever meet again, Guinevere could go as far as threaten to eat Arthur - "as is the habit of my kind, says the Queen" - especially if Arthur starts posturing about his (Victorian) morals and being chaste for her.
If there was a way to present Guinevere as a proper Anti-heroine or compelling villainess without the usual sexism/misogyny, this is how I would do it.
She's not so much an actively evil force as she is simply incompatible with the "Blameless" Arthur and indeed, the marriage's eventual failure was inevitable.
But for a time, while the marriage endured, Camelot was the place where the Spiritual and Material meet as fellows and prosperity ensued.
for the ask game, 💚💛😤🗡️ !!!
I started writing this and realized that my quest/story arc answer could also work for the sibling dynamic one and vice versa, so the first two are both for both.
I’m very fond of The Story of the Crop-Eared Dog—which is to Arthurian lit what Lilly Onakuramara is to the Barden Bellas, only less important—and its weird anticlimax in which the sidekick shows up and reveals that he’s achieved their key goals by killing a vast number of people, including all of the naked monks on the Island of Naked Monks, then defeating but sparing the main antagonist. (The antagonist—the Knight of the Lantern, henceforth known as Lanny—is Alastrann’s—the sidekick’s—younger half-brother. Alastrann’s earlier speeches concerning Lanny can be briefly summarized as, “My baby brother is sooo talented and amazing, but he destroys everything he touches, so I’m going to kill all his friends and steal his stuff and hope that solves the issue.” Somehow, this works). There’s a lot more to unpack there, but it’s a complicated mess. A charming complicated mess.
Arthur’s sudden ascent to greatness, and the barriers that likely creates between the (formerly unwitting) foster brothers, has its own sort of pathos, but their dynamic in Cullwch and Olwen is heartbreaking and seems to get overlooked. (They aren’t referred to as brothers or foster brothers there, but I’ll count it anyway). They have a falling out over an extemporaneous song with which Arthur ridicules Cai’s tactics on a specific killing errand. It might be meant as a joke, but it angers Cai so much that he leaves, never to return or aid Arthur again. The twist is this: it’s already been said that when Cai is killed, Arthur avenges him by killing not only his killer but also his killer’s brothers. Arthur’s vengeance is brutal and unfair and a mark of extreme grief; clearly, he never stopped caring about his friend/brother, even though he was never able to make up with him in life.
Your Most Specific Nitpick About Your Fave (anything from "Gareth would not have a beard" to "this is basically a different guy"):
One of my faves is Dinadan, and an adaptational/fandom nitpick of mine is when he gets shipped with random people. I personally headcanon him as aroace. There are some texts where I can understand reading him as being gay and having feelings for Tristan, but writing about, say, him and Mordred makes no sense to me and I find it aggravating. Aroaces (and aspec people in general) have such little representation as it is.
Who Are You Betting On In This Month's Tournament?
Assuming that Lanny is out of town, I’ll place a small bet on Dinadan. He doesn’t win often, so I could get great odds for him, and when he does win, it’s very funny. I also really like Dinadan.
Arthur, Lucan, Bedivere, and Griflet Incorrect Quote
Arthur: Would you die for me?
Lucan: Of course, my liege. If I had to.
Arthur: Would you die for me?
Bedivere: As the Marshal of Camelot and a man of honor, it is my duty to do whatever is required of me by the throne.
Arthur: Would you die for me?
Griflet: No. That would be stupid. I would hold you in my arms as you died, then burn all your possessions.
Arthur: Out of grief?
Griflet: Yeah. Grief.
Obscure Arthurian text which everyone should read #2: The Awntyrs off Arthure at the Terne Wathelyne
The name is a bit misleading, since Gawain and Guinevere (here referred to as Dame Gaynour) feature more in the story. The first part concerns their lakeside encounter with the terrifying ghost of Guinevere’s mother, who bemoans her fate, gives Guinevere advice, and doles out prophecies of doom, predicting the death of Gawain and the fall of Camelot to Mordred. The second part is about a fight between Gawain and Galeron, which is more mundane in subject but suggests some of the factors which will make the ghost’s prophecies come to pass.
I just discovered TV Tropes' Wild Mass Guessing page for Arthurian legend. If you haven't read it, check it out. It's absolutely wild. For example, we have...
The theory that Merlin stole Kay’s powers
The theory that Guinevere is sterile segueing into the theory that Arthur is a cis female segueing into the theory that Arthur is Mordred’s mother segueing into the theory that Guinevere is male and Lancelot is gay
The theory that Guinevere wasn’t a historical figure but Arthur and Lancelot were (and Arthur was female)
The theory that Arthur has already returned and its possible Arthur subtheories (Winston Churchill, the Duke of Wellington, Queen Elizabeth I, Prince Harry, Sonic the Hedgehog…)
The theory that Merlin is John the Apostle
The theory that Isolde is Tristan’s mother (ick)
The theory that all versions of the legends, medieval and modern, are retellings by different characters
Also, TV Tropes is a wiki, so you can add your own theories to the page.
The Passing of Arthur by Sidney Harold Meteyard
Arthurian hot takes from before I joined the fandom
Funny story: the way I got into this fandom was a seventh-grade assignment to write an alliterative paragraph using the letter G. Something clicked (or snapped, however you want to look at it) and though I’d never given much thought to the Round Table before, I wrote a paragraph about Gawain, which spiraled into a chapter, which spiraled into an attempt at a novel, which spiraled into a neverending research wormhole and long term fixation. Older and at least a little wiser, I give you ten of my original takes on the characters and how they seem in retrospect.
Guinevere doesn’t really do anything. In my defense, my knowledge of her mostly came from watching the first half of an amateur production of Camelot, which is bound to give anyone the wrong idea.
Mordred is a socially awkward evil wizard. In my book, he made a number of cartoonish villain speeches, mostly to his long-suffering familiar, since no one else would listen. No, I have no idea why I thought he had magic… Is it awful that I kind of like him that way?
Arthur is perfect. Uh…
Gawain is perfect. Uh….
Lancelot is an absolute monster. My version of him was a mix of a guy who bullied me and the god Ares as depicted in D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths. Needless to say, he did not have an affair with Guinevere, because she would never cheat on Arthur, because only morally pure characters are good, and she is secretly awesome, even though most people think she doesn’t do anything… Uh… Yeah. I was wrong.
Agravaine is mildly aggravating. Gareth and Gaheris are just sort of there and uninteresting. This opinion was derived entirely from their names.
Morgause is an evil witch but has great style. That sounds more like Morgan.
Morgan is a terrible name. I debated renaming her Marianne or Meredith. Yes, I have seen the error of my ways.
Galahad is a rustic himbo. That was the vibe I got from the name “Gallahad”.
The Lady of the Lake is awesome. I stand by this one and always will.
“The Lay That Had No End” by Ernest Rhys
"Puis comence le iengleor Bloys
Deslaiaux de mort du roy:
Mais porquoi on dit.
Sanz fin james laisser çi."
I
"The sun sank red, the moon as red
As blood did rise o'er Caerbrë town;
The King," he sang. "But Bloys," I said,
"Come tell me where is Caerbrë town?"
II
"The Haut King, red with blood, returned
From Barendown's fire, and came therein
To die," he sang. "What in him burned,
Dark Mordred's death? or Gwenevere's sin?"
III
"They buried in his blood the dead;
But One bore water there to save
The King," he sang. "But Bloys," I said,
"Where lies indeed the Haut King's grave?"
“Dagonet the Fool” by Susan Spilecki
They call me "little man," "King Arthur's fool,"
And "simpleton," those lackeys at the court,
But this fool's mother had the Second Sight,
And sometimes when I caper for the king
I see more than Taliesin the bard
And Merlin the enchanter can, combined.
I stand before the dais, juggling:
The red balls first, then yellow, green and blue,
And when I add the gold and silver spheres,
The oval blur between my hands takes form.
A glowing, rainbow mirrow it becomes
Through which I see the king an older man.
His beard is shot with grey. Astride his horse
He sits up straighter than he would on land
When all the kingdom's cares, some awful guilt,
And the death of all his dreams lie on his back.
I see two rows of soldiers and a snake,
A sword unsheathed to kill it, turned on him--
I drop the balls and stammer out some jest,
A wish for pardon, while the courtiers roar.
He does not laugh. He sees my face go grey
With terror. Arthur thinks I fear his wrath.
He hands me the gold ball, rolled to his feet,
Says, "Dagonet, all people make mistakes."
He glances at his wife; she looks away.
Fool I may be, but even I can tell
There's something wrong when Guinevere looks down
Among the milling courtiers at one knight,
The tallest, bravest, handsomest in spurs:
At Lancelot, who never makes mistakes.
I scramble for the balls. He looks at me,
Then looks away, and shrugs his lion's mane.
Dismiss me as a fool, Sir Lancelot.
Better a fool in small things all my life
Than a great lord who, with one folly alone,
Casts all he loves to ruin at life's end.
Crop-Eared Dog Quotes No. 2: Lanny beat up over 7,000 knights and Arthur has the healthiest priorities (not)
Like any decent gatecrashing antagonist, the Knight of the Lantern demands battle, which shouldn’t be a problem, because Arthur is (inexplicably) the King of the World and
not more were the plants through the floor of the world, or joints in a human body, or days in the year, than the active warriors and very valiant knights in the household of that powerful king: that is to say, there were twelve knights of valour, and twelve knights of activity, and twelve knights of the Round Table, and twelve knights of counsel, and two hundred and two-score knights of the Great Table, and seven thousand knights of the household…
but…this happens:
{T}he Knight of the Lantern bound them all save only Galahad de Cordibus, who was a young, beardless boy, on that spot. And he goes straight back by the same way, after leaving the king and his people tightly bound in that fashion, and he pours a dark mist of druidry behind him, and they were thus till the setting of the noonday cloud, and to the rising of the sun on the morrow. Then the king spoke to the household, and thus he said:
"A pity is this thing which has happened to us," said he, "for were the ladies and women of the Fort of the Red Hall to know of our being like this, they would make the mischief of a mock and jest of us, and publish our despite and our weakness over the whole world, and to doomsday and the world's end would never again be beside us…"
One knight has just beat up all of his knights, even though there are well over seven thousand of them, and Arthur’s big concern is that the ladies of the court will laugh at them.