Concepts of Arthur

Concepts of Arthur examines the earliest surviving literary and folkloric evidence surrounding Britain’s most enduring legendary figure. Thomas Green assesses the case for a historical Arthur while questioning the assumption that the stories must preserve the memory of a real post-Roman king.

The study considers Arthur as a supernatural defender of Britain, linked with the Otherworld and surrounded by a distinctive war-band and family tradition. It traces how later writers transformed this folkloric figure into an historical ruler, while also examining proposed origins for the name Arthur through Celtic mythology, literature, history and etymology. The discussion includes the early Arthurian material associated with sources such as the Historia Brittonum and Annales Cambriae.