Mention of King Arthur first appeared in print around the year 1130 AD as part of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain. The text describes Arthur’s birth and marriage to Lady Guinevere, then called Ganhumara. Although this text was originally taken as historical, it no longer enjoys that status. Instead, it has found its proper place in the literary world and is considered “pseudo-historical,” which simply means “pretend history.”  

In fact, that’s what makes King Arthur a legend. It is quite possible that King Arthur has some factual basis, but his life has grown far beyond any semblance of actual history.  

For example, around the mid-twelfth century, tales of the British monarch moved south to Normandy where a poet named Robert Wace expanded on King Arthur’s story. Most significantly, he added the Round Table and Excalibur, two of the most famous, not to mention magical and mysterious, icons of the legend. 

By the end of the century, King Arthur had been further transformed into a powerful warrior by Chretien de Troyes. It is through his narration that we first meet Camelot, Lancelot, and the Holy Grail.  

In the mid-fifteenth century, Sir Thomas Malory drew from these many versions and the oral tradition that no doubt still persisted and wrote The Whole Book of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table. In 1485, his publisher changed the title to The Death of Arthur and released it as 21 books. Clearly, much had been imagined since 1130 to have a story of such substantial length.  

And that was not the end of it! We have countless additional versions and endless spin-offs (including my own).  

The bottom line is: King Arthur has captured the imagination and the heart of generation after generation of people all around the world for centuries. Though his story is quintessentially “medieval” with its knights in shining armor and courtly romances, it is forever modern because of its timeless insights into human nature, social structures, and the like.