History Main / KingArthur

The [[KnightInShiningArmor perfect king]], who ruled UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} during a GoldenAge with {{Merlin}} at his side, but fell to treachery, and [[KingInTheMountain now sleeps]], waiting for Britain's [[InItsHourOfNeed hour of greatest need]]. Subject of many a ChivalricRomance, long known as the "Matter of Britain," alongside the Matter of France (stories of Charlemagne's court and wars with the Saracens) and the Matter of Rome (The Trojan War, the Aeneid, Alexander the Great).[[note]]These three ''matières'' (sources of inspiration) were defined ca. 1200 by the French poet Jean Bodel for French works; it does not encompass themes important to other literature, such as the German cycles about the Burgundians and the Goths, notably represented by the ''Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}}''. Or, for that matter, all French or Anglo-Norman romances, whatever they claimed.[[/note]]

* Camelot wast the setting for multiple albums in the Belgian Comic Book series ''DeRodeRidder''.

** According to ''TheBooksOfMagic'', Arthur himself slumbers beneath the earth in Fairyland, awaiting the day Britain needs him again.

** {{Aquaman}}, King Arthur Curry of {{Atlantis}}, is sometimes compared to KingArthur. At one time, his HookHand was even replaced with a hand made of magic water given to him by the Lady of the Lake.

** Merlin was the original patron of Captain Britain. In ''[[{{Comicbook/Excalibur}} Excalibur]]'' it is later revealed that Merlyn (now spelled with a y) is a powerful cosmic being who helps police TheMultiverse. Merlin's many, [[DependingOnTheWriter wildly varying]] appearances in earlier Marvel stories are explained by the fact that when dealing with humans, Merlyn likes to shapeshift and give people wildly contradictory impressions of him so that no one knows what he's really all about.
* RomSpaceknight once encounters the [[SealedGoodInACan frozen form of King Arthur]] in a subterranean chamber, slumbering away the ages until Britain's hour of greatest need will awaken him. As an alien, Rom doesn't know who Arthur is, but as a KnightInShiningArmor himself, he feels an instinctive kinship with him.

* ''PrinceValiant''.

** Merlin was the original patron of Captain Britain. In ''[[{{Comicbook/Excalibur}} Excalibur]]'' it is later revealed that Merlyn (now spelled with a y) is a powerful cosmic being who helps police TheMultiverse. Merlin's many, [[DependingOnTheWriter wildly varying]] appearances in earlier Marvel stories are explained by the fact that when dealing with humans, Merlyn likes to shapeshift and give people wildly contradictory impressions of him so that no one knows what he's really all about.

* TheChosenOne: [[OracularUrchin Merlin predicts]] Arthur's coming in the form of a vision of a red (Celtic) dragon slaying a white (Saxon) dragon.
** Wrong king. He was predicting Arthur's father, Uther, whose banner was the red dragon, slaying the usurper Vortigern, whose banner was the white dragon

* ''Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table'' was a humorous Australian version from TheSixties. Arthur was a very small man, only half the height of Guinevere who was always implied to be the brains of the pair. Lancelot was rather vain and had a speech impediment caused by a gap in his teeth. The Court Jester was the resident DeadpanSnarker ("What do you take me for - a fool?"), while Merlin was always coming up with new potions, not all of them entirely successful. Morgana le Fay was allied to the Black Knight, but their efforts to overthrow Camelot were always defeated, usually by a combination of their incompetence and bad luck. A handful of episodes made it onto DVD in Britain in 2001.

* {{Lancelot}} The common label for a cycle of 13th-century French prose epics, originally a trilogy consisting of the so-called ''Lancelot propre'' (partly based on Chrétien), the ''Queste del Saint Graal'' (TheQuestForTheHolyGrail, which introduces Galaad/Galahad), and ''La Mort le Roi Artu'' and in all likelihood produced by several writers (quite possibly Cistercian monks) according to a general plan. This was followed by two prequels, the ''Estoire del Saint Graal'' and the ''Estoire de Merlin'', completing the first cycle to relate the entire story from the beginning of Arthur's rule to his death.

* ''Manga/NanatsuNoTaizai'' draws several influences from the Arthurian myth. The country which the series takes place in is called [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} Britannia]] and there is a kingdom called Lyonesse. An allusion to the Sword in the Stone was made by one of the antagonists. One of the characters is a GenderFlip version of {{Merlin}}. Two others are named after Lancelot's parents, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Ban Ban]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_%28legend%29#Elaine_of_Benoic Elaine]]

* Arthurian mythology is apparently true in the world of ''HarryPotter'', which is hardly surprising given that the series is, after all, a FantasyKitchenSink. In the first book, two of Harry's first Chocolate Frog cards are of Merlin and Morgan le Fay and throughout the series there are references to a medal of valor known as the "Order of Merlin", but we're not really given any details beyond that -- except that he's a Slytherin. Merlin seems to be a wizarding version of an extreme MemeticBadass and/or FolkHero, as wizards generally swear by him in a fashion similar to how people swear by Jesus ("Merlin's Beard", "by Merlin", "Merlin!", "what in the name of Merlin", etc.) However, he was probably ''not'' a religious/holy figure, as not all references are reverent ("Merlin's Pants", "what in the name of Merlin's [[CurseCutShort saggy left —"]])

* ''Series/{{Merlin}}'': A 2008 BBC Saturday Night series focusing on the early life of the wizard. It follows the legends only loosely,with Arthur raised prince of Camelot and Merlin a boy close to Arthur's age who is Arthur's servant and must hide his magic due to King Uther and later Arthur forbidding magic in Camelot. Gwen/Guinevere is the servant of Morgana introduced as Uther's ward and only revealed as his daughter in season 3. Mordred is a Druid boy, Gwaine is a noble hiding as a commoner and Lancelot is a commoner for real. Gwen is seduced by a zombie-type Lancelot but never cheats on Arthur.

* ''Series/{{Merlin}}'': A 2008 BBC Saturday Night series focusing on the early life of the wizard.

* RomanticPlotTumor: The original information on Arthur focused on his ability to destroy Saxon armies whole-sale in twelve battles before dying in PhyrricVictory due to base treachery from his rival Mordred. Nowadays, the late romantic subplot of Lancelot dominates almost all retellings of the story, sometimes as the entire plot!

* Sir Bedivere: Arthur's [[PowerTrio oldest companion, besides Kay]]; BashBrothers with Kay and vice-versa. As the spotlight shifts to other (newer) characters, both remain Arthur's [[TheGoodChancellor court officials]]. Also likely to become a [[Expy carbon copy of Lancelot]] in any Dark Age story where the latter isn't present

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}: Dark Knight of the Round Table'' was an {{Elseworlds}} story featuring Batman as...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a Knight of the Round Table]].

-> "''I was not born to live a man's life, but to be the stuff of future memory. The fellowship was a brief beginning, a fair time that cannot be forgotten. And because it will not be forgotten that fair time may come again. Now once more I must ride with my knights to defend what was...and the dream of what could be.''"

-> "''I was not born to live a man's life, but to be the stuff of future memory. The fellowship was a brief beginning, a fair time that cannot be forgotten. And because it will not be forgotten that fair time may come again. Now once more I must ride with my knights to defend what was...

...and the dream of what could be.''"

* Sir Bedivere: Arthur's [[PowerTrio oldest companion, besides Kay]]; BashBrothers with Kay and vice-versa. As the spotlight shifts to other (newer) characters, both remain Arthur's [[TheGoodChancellor court officials]].

* Gawain: [[BadAss Originally]] TheLancer, then [[BadassDecay wimpified]]. [[CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys by the French]] [[TheWorfEffect to pump up Lancelot]]. [[PragmaticAdaptation Modern versions]] [[TookALevelInBadass are more forgiving]], [[AntiHero after their]] [[BoisterousBruiser fashion]].

* Mordred: TheDragon, Arthur's illegitimate son [[BrotherSisterIncest and nephew.]]

* JesusTheEarlyYears: There is a legend that Jesus travelled to Britain during his lost years -- this perhaps explains the idea that Joseph of Arimathea brought the HolyGrail to England after Jesus' death, and thus why the Knights of the Round Table are seeking it there. WilliamBlake's poem "And did those feet in ancient time" (better known as the lyrics to "Jerusalem") was inspired by this story.