What is Camelot? It is impossible to give a definite answer to this question. However, there are many sources from which it is known that a castle could exist under that name, which was the residence of the legendary King Arthur and his faithful knights. Although their reliability leaves much to be desired, since there is no conclusive evidence of the existence of both the king and the castle today. So what is Camelot? Photos of his images, as well as a story about the fate of its inhabitants will help to understand this issue.
The news is too good to be true
Where Camelot was located, to date, no one knows for certain. For a long time, researchers have been searching for it. In the recent past, a message appeared in foreign media that fragments of the castle that existed there in the 5th-6th centuries were found in the county of Cornwall, located in the south-west of England. Archaeologists find it similar to the legendary Camelot.
Naturally, the find aroused great interest. But at the same time, healthy skepticism manifested itself, expressed in the English proverb that was put in the title of this section. Moreover, soon a message appeared about another find. It was made in British Chester, located southeast of Liverpool. Reported the discovery of a number of artifacts, which, in the opinion of a group of scientists, are fragments of Camelot. That is, two legendary castles at the same time?
Further, to study the history of Camelot, it is briefly necessary to talk about the life of King Arthur.
Legendary king
Camelot Castle was the home of King Arthur. Here he spent many of the days of his life. Here was the Round Table, at which his faithful knights gathered.
There are many legends about Arthur and many literary works have been written. From them it is known that he was the great sovereign who ruled the kingdom of Logres. By it they mean Britain, Ireland and French Brittany before the conquest by the Anglo-Saxons.
In Camelot, Arthur created a brilliant courtyard. Here from all over Europe the most famous and noble warriors gathered, who made up the famous group of knights of the Round Table. King Arthur Castle is seen as the starting point for the quest for the Holy Grail.
Arthur was the most famous among all Celtic heroes. His name was especially popular in the Middle Ages. Then the fame of the exploits of the king and his associates spread throughout Western Europe.
Understanding what Camelot is, it is worth giving some details from the life of Arthur and his kingdom.
Knights of the Round Table
Arthur was the illegitimate son of Igreina and Uther Pendragon, the British king. The wizard Merlin secretly handed the boy to the Author, the glorious knight. The death field of Pendragon Merlin helped Arthur take the throne in the kingdom of Logres and became his adviser.
He defeated those who did not want to recognize the rebellious barons, receiving the wonderful sword Excalibur, which smashed iron and stone. Arthur assisted Leodegrons, king of the Scots, in defeating the Irish. In gratitude for this, the latter gave his daughter Ginevra to Arthur. This marriage received the blessing of Merlin, who, according to one version, gave Arthur a round table for the wedding, set in the Camelot Castle.
Around the table were 150 chairs, on the backs of which were marked the names of knights. This prevented quarrels over the place. And also this table was a symbol of unity and referred to the image of the table of the Last Supper, in the middle of which was the Holy Grail.
Over time, the glory, wisdom, and power of King Arthur only increased. He, along with his knights, performed feats. They fought, searched for the Grail, saved the beauties. Until in the absence of Arthur in Camelot, his nephew Mordred rebelled. Returning home, the king began to fight with the treacherous relative. As a result of a terrible battle in which the color of British chivalry was lost, Arthur, although he won, but died of severe wounds. Logres fell under the onslaught of the Anglo-Saxons, and Queen Guinevere died in the monastery.
Continuing consideration of the question of what Camelot is, it is necessary to say about versions regarding the origin of its name.
The origin of the name of the castle
To date, the etymology of the name "Camelot" is not precisely defined. In the novels of the so-called Arthurian cycle, dating back to the French Middle Ages, it has many options. Among them there are such as Camaalot, Camchilot, Kaamelot, Gamalaot.
One of the art historians, Ernst Brugger, suggested that the word “Camelot” is a distorted translation from the Welsh language of the name “Camland”. This is the place where the last battle of Arthur took place. It is known as the Battle of Camland.
Other versions
There is another opinion expressed by the American scientist Roger Loomis. He is an authoritative specialist both in medieval literature in general and in Arthurian in particular. He believed that the name of the castle comes from the word "Cavalon", which is a distortion of "Avalon", which occurred under the influence of the name of one of the places "Cavallon" in Breton.
In addition, Loomis put forward another assumption that Cavalon / Camelot could in legend be associated with the capital of the kingdom of Arthur due to confusion. Traditionally, Arthur was also credited with another residence - Carlion.
A number of other researchers are of the opinion that the name has a Roman-British origin and is derived from the toponym Kamulodun. The latter arose during the so-called Iron Age in Britain as the name of one of the first capitals that existed in Roman Britain.
Mentions of Camelot
Figuring out what Camelot is, it should be noted that in the oldest stories telling about King Arthur, his castle does not have such a name. It was first mentioned in the novel Lancelot, authored by Chretien de Trois, who wrote it in the 12th century.
The historian Urban Holmes in 1929 claimed that de Trois was based on the Natural History, which belongs to the pen of Pliny the Elder, where it is mentioned specifically about Kamulodun.
But then it is not clear why in his novel Chretien de Trois used not this, but a different name. According to researchers, this author was inherent in a tendency to create fictional characters and stories. With this in mind, some of them believe that the name "Camelot" may be fictional.
Location
At the end of the story, Camelot will be told about where he could be located. At different times, different authors placed Camelot in many different places.
- So, in the novel "The Death of Arthur" by Thomas Mallory, it is said that he is in Winchester.
- In The History of the Kings of Britain, Geoffrey Monmouth, Camelot is identified with Carleon Castle in Wales.
- There is the city of Krimmich, which also refers to the Welsh land. It is assumed that off the coast of Krimmichskoy land are ruins, swallowed by the Irish Sea.
- Another possible location mentioned above is the ancient Kamulodun. Today in those places is the city of Colchester.
- According to studies conducted by British historian Christopher Gidlow, Camelot could be located in an amphitheater located in the city of Chester in the west of England, in the county of Cheshire.
Thus, the location of Kamelot Castle is unknown today, as there is no unequivocal opinion on the origin of its name. Moreover, it cannot be argued whether it really existed. But, despite this, the legend of King Arthur and his castle does not become less interesting and popular.