yunusdanielbirenlecturemyth.ppt

MYTH Part One: King Arthur, the Myth Part Two: A Semiotic Analysis of Arthur King Arthur, the Myth Some people believe that King Arthur is so inextricably tied up in Celtic Mythology that he must, in origin, have been, not a man at all, but a god.Arthur in his earliest form, appears almost entirely mythical. He and his companions have superhuman strength and abilities, and consort with giants and other mythological creatures. The name Arthur itself appears to derive from the Celtic word Art, meaning bear. Could Arthur, like so many other Celtic gods, be merely a personification of the many reverred animals of the wild? Later to become humanized like Loucetios one of several Celtic deities known to be able to transform themselves into birds or beasts of the forest. Many such gods had stellar associations and the constellation of Ursa Major or the Great Bear is sometimes known as Arthurs Wain even today. (David Nash Ford ,2007 Britannia History) King Arthur: CommentaryWhat the Historians and Writers Say About Him Michael Wood - In Search of the Dark Ages (1987)Yet, reluctantly we must conclude that there is no definite evidence that Arthur ever existed. John Steinbeck - The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights (1976)Somewhere theres a piece missing in the jigsaw and it is a piece which ties the whole thing together. So many scholars have spent so much time trying to establish whether Arthur existed at all that they have lost track of the single truth that he exists over and over.“ Historical Arthur Arthur is the name that inspired people to think of the Age of Chivalry, where the tall, impregnable castle overlooked the field of combats, a clash between two opposing armies or tournaments between jousting knights, or where we romanticised armoured knight embarked on a perilous journey to prove his prowess and worth. Arthur had gone through various stages, where rose from warlord of the forgotten period to his status the warrior-king. Then later, h