History Main / KingArthur

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[[redirect:Myth/KingArthur]]

[[redirect:Literature/KingArthur]]

[[quoteright:200:[[http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/42-25648773/arthur-draws-the-sword-from-the-stone http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/king_arthur.jpg]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:200:[[Literature/{{Discworld}} I'm more impressed by whoever put the sword there to begin with]].]]-]

-> '''I was not born to live a man's life, but to be the stuff of future memory. The fellowship of the Round Table 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.''"
-->-- '''King Arthur''', from John Boorman's ''Film/{{Excalibur}}''

The [[KnightInShiningArmor perfect king]]. 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}}''--nor, for that matter, all French or Anglo-Norman romances, whatever they claimed.[[/note]] A legendary, and somewhat tragic figure, in most versions of the myth Arthur tries to overcome the chaos of the land and the notion of 'might equals right' through chivalry, but is ultimately undone as noble chivalry depends on might to enforce order. This, in conjunction with his failings as a husband in trying to be the perfect King, along with his last act often attributed as being forced to kill his only son in battle. Nevertheless, the romantic Arthurian legend stands for all that was noble and good in the medieval ideal of chivalry, and of how a perfect king should be, compassionate, decisive and just.

Like the other great British folk hero RobinHood,[[note]]whose legend developed many centuries later, and is more of an exclusively English figure[[/note]] [[ShroudedInMyth there may be a kernel of historical truth to the myth]], but [[MemeticMutation it has been obscured by centuries of elaborations]]. If he existed, the historical Arthur may have been a Romano-British leader who fought the invading Saxons after the Roman provincial government collapsed. Documents show that after the [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Battle of Mount Badon]], the Saxon conquest was turned back for almost a century, but the records are confused as to who was in charge of the Britons at the time, if anyone; if he existed, Arthur's realm may have been an outpost of people not-getting-killed. The first surviving reference is from circa 600 A.D., and implies that either the legend or at least the man's reputation was well known even then.

It became very popular during the Middle Ages, during which times it was thoroughly reworked into ChivalricRomance and the Knights of the Round Table became heroic [[KnightErrant Knights Errant]]. Even French writers, despite patriotic liking for the Matter of France, agreed that the King Arthur tales were among the best ones of CourtlyLove. (Also, since nobles and kings were actually related to Charlemagne and some of his knights, and more claimed to be, even to the fictional ones, tales about King Arthur were safer from WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical -- the political usage of King Arthur being both later and less personal.)

The themes of CourtlyLove and later, the Holy Grail, caused writers to invent entirely new characters to introduce them. The version best known today is ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur'', the work of Sir Creator/ThomasMalory, based on [[Literature/HistoriaRegumBritanniae earlier material by Geoffrey of Monmouth]] and other [[FanFic literary predecessors]], including multiple layers of {{retcon}}s and {{crossover}}s. This version incorporates many originally separate stories about the Knights of the Round Table, and other legends such as ''[[Literature/SirGawainAndTheGreenKnight Gawaine and the Green Knight]]'', CourtlyLove, and the myth of the Holy Grail.

This holds true for the English-speaking world. As far as the French are concerned, Creator/ChretienDeTroyes' romances are the most important version of the Arthurian myth and for German-speakers it is the verse epics of the trio of Hartmann von Aue, Wolfram von Eschenbach, and Gottfried von Straßburg, especially Wolfram's ''Parzival''. This is not founded on priority, but also on the superior literary quality of these four authors in comparison with their successors. In general, the way the Arthurian myth is viewed can depend very much on the nationality of the viewer; for people from the British Isles (and by extension, from the rest of the Anglosphere), it usually goes without saying that the Welsh (and English) medieval texts reflect an older and more "genuine" version of the myth than the French ones, even though they were in fact written down later. Here a lot is speculation and inference, as the (presumably mostly oral) traditions on which Geoffrey of Monmouth, Maistre Wace, Chrétien de Troyes and others based their works are lost to history.

!!The Main Plot Features Are:
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: King Arthur's sword (called {{Excalibur}} or Caliburn or whatnot) is almost always portrayed this way.
* AdaptationExpansion: Oh. Dear. Christ. To call this the greatest example in history is an understatement. As stated above, Arthur (may have) started out as a prominent [[strike:Celtic chieftain]] [[TheRemnant Romano-British]] warlord and leader of a band of warriors. Think JasonAndTheArgonauts in fur with Cornish or Welsh accents. Several centuries and several foreign conquests later, Arthur has ''his own entire extensive mythology named after him!'' Also before Malory, come to that.
* AnachronismStew: Knights in shining armor during the fall of the Roman Empire? Why not? Anything pre-19th century is bound to fall into this.
* AntagonisticOffspring: Mordred in some adaptations. The trope's alternate name is ArthurAndMordred for a reason.
* BastardBastard: Mordred, who may be the Ur-example. The illegitimate son of King Arthur and [[BrotherSisterIncest his half sister]], who plotted against his father.
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: The sword in the stone and the rise of Camelot
* BedTrick: Both Arthur and Galahad are conceived this way.
* BefriendingTheEnemy: In ''Prose Lancelot'' Sir Lancelot manages to befriend Prince Galehaut of Sorelois, who at the time was at war with King Arthur over a disputed territory, which eventually resulted in a peace settlement between the warring royals.
* BigGood: Arthur, at least in the stories that focus mainly on his knights.
* BittersweetEnding: Arthur's power is broken at the Battle of Camlann and he departs for Avalon to AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence [[KingInTheMountain from which he'll return when Britain (or France) needs him again.]] Can be a straight DownerEnding if this note of hope is downplayed.
* ABoyAndHisX: ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvain,_the_Knight_of_the_Lion Yvain, the Knight of the Lion]]'', AKA "A Knight And His Lion".
* BreakoutCharacter: Arthur himself. He isn't mentioned at all in some of the earliest histories, though the authors were often writing within living memory of some of the greatest victories attributed to him. Later stories have him as the ''dux bellorum''[[labelnote:Trans.]]Basically the commander-in-chief of the army; literally "war leader"[[/labelnote]] of a coalition of Briton kings; while he's a fairly important figure, he's apparently not mentioned as being a king himself. It isn't until still later tales that Arthur comes onto the scene as a king himself and the single pivotal character.
* BreakoutVillain: Mordred, Arthur's nephew/son, and Morgan Le Fay, his half-sister and sometimes Mordred's mother, remain the only villains of the Arthur legends who are well-known to this day, even though there are loads of others. The popular image of Morgan herself as propagated by ''Film/{{Excalibur}}'', ''TheMistsOfAvalon'' and other modern retellings [[CompositeCharacter combines her]] with Arthur's other half-sister Morgause who is Mordred's mother in the older literature.
* BrotherSisterIncest: In later versions of the story, to [[TrueArtIsAngsty add more angst]], Mordred is both son and nephew of King Arthur. In earlier stories, he's simply Arthur's nephew, which also makes him Arthur's successor (given that either Arthur or Guenevere are barren). In the earliest Welsh sources, Arthur and Medrawd (Mordred's original name) aren't related at all.
* TheCallLeftAMessage: The Sword in the Stone and the Siege Perilous.
* CelticMythology: Has its roots in Cornish and Welsh legends.
* ChangelingFantasy: Arthur is raised by Sir Ector. Though treated well, he's considered of lower rank than Ector's biological family, who have no idea of his true identity.
* ChildByRape: Both Arthur himself (see BedTrick above) and Mordred, through rape by fraud.
* TheChosenOne: [[OracularUrchin Merlin predicts]] Arthur's coming in the form of a vision of a Boar [[note]]For Cornwall, where he was concieved)[[/note]] driving out the Saxons and relieving the Britons.
** Earlier was his predicting of Arthur's father, Uther, whose banner was the red dragon, slaying the usurper Vortigern, whose banner was the white dragon.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: It is unsurprising that as Arthurian mythology evolved over the centuries and spread across Europe, many characters faded from existence or were replaced with local variations. Arthur's sons - Amr, Gwydre, Llacheu, Kyduan and Duran - had all vanished by the 12th century. His full sister Anna became the mother of Mordred (who was not originally related to Arthur); she was eventually replaced by half-sister Morgause, who kept the blood-tie but is a different character entirely.
* ContinuitySnarl: In spades. To pick one example: who is KingArthur's greatest knight: Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad? In the oldest tales, it was certainly Gawain.
** Another example: In some versions, Arthur battles the Roman Empire (which fell no later than 476 AD) but his knights include Sir Palomedes the Saracen (which can be taken to mean either the Arab or the Muslim - and Islam began in 610 AD).
* CoolSword
* CourtlyLove: From very early on. Much of the medieval popularity of the King Arthur stories stemmed from the troubadours' discovery that these stories contained many elements (such as the rescue of ladies) that could be pressed into service of CourtlyLove.
* CrossOver: Morgan Le Fay originally appeared in the Matter of France, not Britain.
* DamselErrant
* DeathOfTheOldGods: Most modern re-tellings have this going on at least in the background.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Lancelot, King Lot, King Urien, King Pellinore, and Galehaut ([[IAmNotShazam no, not Galahad]]).
** And possibly the earliest example: Osla Big Knife, who is the only named leader of Saxon forces at Badon Hill in Welsh sources, and who later joins Arthur on a quest to hunt Twrch Twyth.
* DependingOnTheWriter: Pretty much ''the'' textbook example. Arthur and his court have been re-interpreted by generation after generation over the centuries, to the point where any given Arthur would have great difficulty recognizing any of his counterparts.
* DoubleInLawMarriage: Brothers Gareth and Gaheris marry sisters Lyonesse and Lynet.
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Balin and Balan do this on their separate adventures, though disguise was not their intent; their respective enemies simply had better armor and shields than they did. By the time they met up again, they couldn't recognize each other, and their reunion ended... [[CainAndAbel badly.]]
* TheFairFolk: Usually present to some degree.
* FisherKing: The TropeNamer, particularly in stories concerning Perceval.
* FiveManBand
** TheHero: Arthur
** TheLancer: Lancelot
** TheSmartGuy: Merlin
** TheBigGuy: Gawain
** TheChick: Guinevere
* FolkHero: King Arthur is popular legend in Britain ''and'' France.
* GiveMeASword: Arthur sometimes pulls out the sword without noticing, because Kay sent him to get him a sword.
* TheGoodKing: Arthur is the TropeCodifier
* HalfHumanHybrid: {{Merlin}} is only half human. His father may have a been a [[TheFairFolk Fae]], TheDevil, an incubus, or no one.
* HealingShiv: Excalibur's scabbard stops its wielder from bleeding, making it invaluable on the battlefield.
* HeroicBastard: Most prominently, Galahad, son of Lancelot. Sometimes Mordred, DependingOnTheWriter. Though he is conceived out of wedlock, Arthur himself is not technically a bastard since his father marries his mother before his birth. In Malory, Arthur also fathers a son named Borre before he meets Guinevere - later a knight of the Round Table.
* HeroicLineage: [[http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/mostyn117.html Mostyn MS. 117]] and ''Bonedd y Saint'', Welsh manuscripts dating from the 12th-13th century, describe Arthur as a direct descendant of Llŷr Lledyeith, who also fathered the heroes of the {{Mabinogion}}.
** This has also been {{invoked|trope}} by "descendants" of Arthur on many occasions. Most notably, [[TheHouseOfTudor Henry VII]] following the UsefulNotes/WarsOfTheRoses, who named his first-born son Arthur and claimed him to be the prophesied [[KingInTheMountain second coming]] who would herald the Golden Age. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Might have been cool if he'd lived longer than his dad]], but we got UsefulNotes/HenryVIII instead.
* HiddenBackupPrince: Arthur.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Possibly Mordred. He is first mentioned (as Medraut) in the 10th-century ''Annales Cambriae'' (Annals of Wales) as having been killed in the battle of Camlaun along with Arthur, but the entry is ambiguous as to whether they were fighting on opposing sides.
* HolyIsNotSafe: Later interpretations of the mythos said that only Sir Galahad, the [[IncorruptiblePurePureness purest of knights]], could survive looking upon the Holy Grail. The same applied to his seat at the Round Table, the Siege Perilous, which marked the knight destined to complete the Grail quest. Anyone other than Galahad who sat in it would immediately die.
* ICallItVera: Not just [[CoolSword Excalibur]]. Most of Arthur's equipment has names, such as his dagger Carnwennan and his spear Rhongomyniad.
* 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. [[Creator/WilliamBlake William Blake's]] poem "And did those feet in ancient time" (better known as the lyrics to "Jerusalem") was inspired by this story.
* KillEmAll: Almost everyone present at the Battle of Camlann dies, including Arthur in versions where he (later) succumbs to his wounds. Welsh traditions have either three or seven survivors of the battle, but by Malory only Sir Bedivere is left.
* KingInTheMountain: Arthur sleeping until his hour comes again.
* KnightErrant: Particularly Gawain, Lancelot, and Galahad. ''Literature/GawainAndTheGreenKnight'' is the TropeNamer.
* KnightInShiningArmour: The extent, as with just about every trope associated with King Arthur, depends on the version.
* TheLadysFavour
* LastOfHisKind: Merlin is revealed as the last of the shape-changers in his childhood, before Arthur's birth.
* LawfulStupid: Arthur. So determined to bring about this new Rule of Law idea that he lets himself be used by evil people in the guise of upholding the law.
* LivingMacGuffin: Guenevere.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters
* TheLostWoods: Where else to go for your quest?
* LoveTriangle: Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot; and Guinevere, Lancelot and Elaine.
** Tristan/Isolde/King Mark as well.
** Also: Gorlois of Tintagel / Igraine / Uther Pendragon
** And while we're at it : Blonde Esmerée / Gingalain / la Pucelle aux Blanches Mains
* MerlinAndNimue: The trope maker and namer, as Merlin's relationship with the pupil that betrays him sets the pattern for the relationship between many future mages and their younger, opposite sex pupils.
* TheMiddleAges: Nearly every version of the story is set in a ''mélange'' of centuries stretching from about 500 to about 1,000 years (or even more) after Arthur's time. Very few are set properly in the period of the late Roman Empire.
* MidSeasonUpgrade: Arthur pulled the Sword on the Stone successfully to become king of Britain. Said sword got destroyed in battle, but he was able to receive the better and the more famous Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake.
* MosesInTheBullrushes / SecretLegacy: The young King Arthur; also an embittered anti-Moses, in the form of Mordred, after Arthur (our hero!) [[MoralDissonance had a lot of babies killed.]] (Different versions put different twists on this last bit.)
* MultipleChoicePast: Everyone.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Arthur himself, depending on where you believe his name comes from. There are some who have linked it to the old Indo-European word for "bear", whence also Ancient Greek ἄρκτος and Latin ursus, though it was replaced in most northern languages[[note]]That is, the ones spoken by people who would have run into bears quite often[[/note]], including English, Old Norse and Russian, by euphemisms (for more details, see BearsAreBadNews). Oh, and as if being named after a bear wasn't {{badass}} enough, that same root word was probably connected to the Proto-Indo-European word for "harm".
* NiceJobBreakingItHerod: The massacre of the May Day babies.
* OddNameOut: The Orkney Brothers are Gawain, Gaheris, Gareth, Agravain, and Morded. Want to guess which two put the fall of Camelot into motion by demanding Arthur punish Guinevere and Lancelot for their adultery?
* OffingTheOffspring: Arthur tries to do this to baby Mordred, and succeeds years later. In earlier Welsh tradition Athrur kills a son named Amr.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted like whoa. There are ''four'' distinct Elaines, three of whom are connected to Lancelot: there's Elaine, Lancelot's mother who [[DeathByChildbirth dies in childbirth]]; there's Elaine, Galahad's mother who '''rapes''' Lancelot because [[StalkerWithATestTube her daddy is an early advocate of eugenics]]; there's Elaine, the lady of Astolat who goes [[StalkerWithACrush a bit Alex Forrest]] for Lancelot and ends up dying from her unrequited love; and then there's Elaine, sister of Morgan le Fay and Morgause, who accomplished less than either of them.
** It's also apparently common in Arthurian mythos for parents to name their different children the same thing. There's a Sir Ywain and his half-brother, Ywain the Bastard. Leodegrance also pulls this when he names his bastard second daughter [[strike: Guinevere]] Guinevak who, later in life, somehow manages to convince the Knights of the Round Table that she's the real Guinevere and her sister the imposter. Note to future authors, when trying to find inspiration for a villain's scheme, TheImportanceOfBeingEarnest is ''not'' the place to look.
** There are at least three different Isolts. Tristan only marries Isolt of Brittany because he's in love with Isolt of Ireland and they're both called Isolt. Often the marriage doesn't work out too well, unsurprisingly.
* OnlyTheWorthyMayPass: Why only Arthur can pull the sword in the stone.
* OracularUrchin: Merlin's first appearance in the legend.
* PhlebotinumBattery: Sir Gawaine is solar-powered, he's strongest in the morning as the sun rises but grows weaker and as it sets.
* AProtagonistShallLeadThem: Arthur's archetype in pretty much every adaptation.
* PublicDomainArtifact: Excalibur/Caliburn, the Sword in the Stone, the Round Table, and the Holy Grail
* PublicDomainCharacter: [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters A literal army of them]] -- ''See below''.
* RasputinianDeath: The Welsh version of the "historical" Merlin says he could only be killed this way.
* RoyalBlood
* SadlyMythtaken: From a Celtic folk hero, to a Post-Roman-Occupation Saxon-battling Welsh king, to an anachronistic Middle Ages King of Britain, the "modern" notion of King Arthur is ''radically'' different to the original legends.
* SecondComing: See BittersweetEnding above.
* SemiDivine: Merlin is often portrayed as the child of a demon and mortal, although in the original myths he was depicted as something of a fey spirit, so half-fairy was more likely.
* SoleSurvivor: Only Sir Bedivere survives Arthur's last battle in Malory. Earlier Welsh legends also have just a few survivors: one warrior was [[PrettyBoy so beautiful that he was mistaken for an angel]] while another was [[TheGrotesque so ugly that he was mistaken for a devil]], and thus they escaped harm.
* SpaceWhaleAesop: The origin of [[ChildOfRape Merlin]]: Don't forget to say your prayers, and don't argue with your siblings, or else you'll be raped by HornyDevils while you sleep.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Every character's name has multiple spellings.
* SupernaturalAid: The Lady of the Lake giving Arthur Excalibur. In versions of the mythos where this actually happens, anyway.
* StabTheSky: Many depictions of Arthur after pulling the sword out of the stone show him standing like this.
* StarterVillain: Lucius, Emperor of Rome, is pretty much the first major enemy that Arthur has to face as king.
** In some variations, King Lot (or Loth) is the first major enemy. This is usually depicted in such a way that although Arthur has been ''proclaimed'' High King, Lot and a number of other lesser rulers defy him and rebel.
* SwordPlant: How the Sword in the Stone got into the stone.
* TakingTheVeil: In many versions Queen Guinevere ends up a nun, and Lancelot, a monk.
* {{Tsundere}}: Queen Guinevere and Lady Lynette.
* TrialByCombat: One way of settling disputes in the setting, and especially important to protecting the adulterous relationship between Lancelot and Guinevere.
* TurnOutLikeHisFather: Percival's mother did not want him to become a knight.
* TheWorfEffect: Gawain seems to suffer from this a bit - the Johnny-come-lately knights (Lancelot et al.) often establish their badass cred by defeating him.
* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: Guinevere
** In ''Erec and Enide'' by Chrétien de Troyes, Enide is ascribed this title.
* WoundThatWillNotHeal
* AYearAndADay: The time span in ''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight''
* YouCantFightFate: The fall of Camelot.

!!The Main Characters Are:
* King Arthur: TheHero, TheCaptain and KnightInShiningArmor.
* 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
* Sir Kay: Arthur's foster brother, originally a BoisterousBruiser, later the ButtMonkey; also TheBigGuy (literally "The Long Man" in Welsh). In many versions, he is also the SnarkKnight.
* Galahad: MessianicArchetype and an early MartyStu.
* Guinevere: TheChick, DamselInDistress, TheHighQueen and GodSaveUsFromTheQueen in some iterations.
** Sometimes has a sister, called [[DarkChick Gwenhwyfache or the False Guenivere.]] The former is [[BigBad Mordred's]] [[UnholyMatrimony wife.]]
* 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]].
* Percival: [[KidAppealCharacter The young, naive fool]] who became a knight and saw the Grail... until later stories had Galahad see it instead.
* Lancelot: TheLancer, The TragicHero, The SixthRanger, SailorEarth (He is a latecomer in two senses: first, in that he first appears at the Round Table long after the vast majority of its membership has assembled; and second, the character entered the myth cycle several hundred years after it was first compiled.) Originally found in French-language sources, hence his name.
* Morgause: Arthur's half-sister, Mordred's mother, sometimes blended with her sister Morgana.
* {{Merlin}}: [[UrExample The original]] [[TheObiWan Wizard]], {{Mentor}}, TheProfessor, sometimes [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demon]]. Based on legendary Welsh mystic Myrddin Wyllt, who [[WalkingTheEarth wandered the woods]] as a [[HermitGuru wild haired mystic]] and converted to Christianity, later adopted as an oracular figure for Arthur, since both of them were basically Welsh; the Welsh maintain [[AdaptationDisplacement separate accounts]] of the "historical" Myrddin's life and places he visited.
* Morgan (or sometimes Morgana) Le Fay: Sometimes TheManBehindTheMan and would-be [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen]], sometimes a TricksterMentor, almost always an EvilSorcerer. Except in certain feminist and/or neo-pagan retellings of the stories, in which she's usually the hero and Arthur is an evil patriarchal Christian bastard, or the pawn of same; and in probably her [[CharacterizationMarchesOn earliest appearance]] in Geoffrey of Monmouth, where she's just [[WhiteMagicianGirl Arthur's on-staff magical healer]] and sister.
* Nyneve/Nimue: Merlin's pupil, and lover. She eventually goes DeceptiveDisciple on him and, in the classical version, places him under an enchantments and [[SealedGoodInACan seals him in a tree or rock]]. Whether or not this is justified [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation depends on how she and/or Merlin are portrayed.]] Frequently blended with Morgan for the convenience of having a CompositeCharacter be responsible for all of Arthur's woes.
* Mordred: TheDragon, Arthur's illegitimate son [[BrotherSisterIncest and nephew,]] though he was originally just a nephew and foster son on roughly equal footing with Arthur.
* The Orkney Brothers (Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris, Gareth and Mordred): FiveManBand
** TheHero: Gawain
** TheLancer: Agravain
** TheSmartGuy: Mordred (though he swaps roles with Agravain later on.)
** TheBigGuy: Gaheris
** TheChick: Gareth
* Tristram and Iseult: StarCrossedLovers
* [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail Sir Not Appearing In This Film (or Epic, or whatever)]]: Obviously.

There are many other [[KnightInShiningArmor knights of the round table]], each with their own complex storyline, and, just in case you thought that wasn't enough, most of the names [[SpellMyNameWithAnS also have other, wildly different spellings]]. The worst offenders are probably 'Guinevere', 'Mordred', and 'Iseult', with special mention going to 'Nyneve', who sometimes gets entirely new names such as 'Nimue' and 'Vivien.' (Then again, try telling those names apart in cramped Gothic handwriting.) It's pretty much [[DependingOnTheWriter up to the individual]] what you chose to call them.

!!The Main [[PublicDomainArtifact Public Domain Artifacts]] Are:
* {{Excalibur}}, which is part of the early legends. Alternately known as Caliburn. There are two origins to Excalibur: the first, and older tradition, stating that Arthur received it from a surprisingly benign member of TheFairFolk, the Lady of the Lake, after the Sword in the Stone was broken; the second, that Excalibur was the Sword in the Stone from the beginning - this is a more modern origin, as writers thought it simpler to have only one magical sword, rather than two.
** The only magic power Excalibur was ever traditionally specifically accredited with was [[PowerGlows glowing brightly]], and that not always, but the ''scabbard'' was said to stop the wearer from bleeding, making it almost invaluable on the battlefield. It was said that the wielder of Excalibur could never be defeated in combat, but the actual mechanics of how this was possible were never traditionally [[IncrediblyLamePun set in stone]] (if even stated at all).
** [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Insane sharpness]] is another reasonably-constant quality of the sword
* [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield The Sword in the Stone]], which is featured as an entirely different sword than Excalibur/Caliburn in most versions of Arthurian myth.
* The Round Table: Barring Excalibur, the most iconic item in Arthurian Mythology - the freakin' furniture they installed. The congregation of knights are named for it, after all.
** The Siege Perilous, the last chair of the Round Table to be filled, prophesied to be filled by a knight who would not live long thereafter.
* The HolyGrail, an addition which [[PlotTumour came to dominate]] the late medieval version of the myth, though it is often excised in modern works.

There are also [[GottaCollectThemAll a metric ton]] of other lesser-commonly-known artifacts from the myths. Just a few are:
* The Broken Sword - The Grail Sword
* The Sword of the Red Hilt
* The Shield of Joesph of Arimathea
* The Shield of [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Burning Dragon Knight]]
* [[SirGawainAndTheGreenKnight The Green Sash]]
* The Thirteen Treasures of Britain
* The Ship and Armaments of Arthur (including his knife, shield, spear, chain-mail, tabbard, and ship)
* The Shield of Judas Macabee
* Fail-Not, the Bow of Tristan
* The Dispelling Ring of Lancelot
* The Stone of Giramphiel
* Excalibur's ivory scabbard, which could shield life

!!!The Grail in Detail:
The history of the Holy Grail is rather complicated. Ostensibly the cup that Jesus drank from during the Last Supper, brought to Glatonsbury by Joseph of Aramathea, it's a [[CelticMythology Celtic invention]] that was unknown on the continent before the Arthurian mythos brought it there. It first surfaced in the late 1100s, in an incomplete poem by Creator/ChretienDeTroyes (whose contributions to Arthurian canon were action packed and unconcerned with spiritual matters), in which a naive Welsh knight named Perceval meets the FisherKing. A grail appears as part of a larger and quite bizarre mystical procession and is referred simply as "a grail" with no holy context, apart from carrying a host wafer. Perceval fails in his quest by not asking the Fisher King what the hell's going on (making this story the first ever {{Sierra}} adventure game).

Over subsequent centuries, the Holy Grail grew into the entire ''raison d'etre'' of the entire Arthurian Court, when originally the Grail Quest was so singularly dangerous that there was a special chair at the Round Table reserved for those who dared attempt it, called the Siege Perilous. By giving the knights a single sacred focus rather than having them [[WalkingTheEarth stumbling around Britain]] falling ass backwards into [[TheQuest quests]], this transformation made the sprawling tangle of stories more coherent, and elevated the moral standing of the knights.

The Holy Grail itself also grew hugely in significance, in some cases taking on parts of various other magic hamper and cauldron myths, which created a [[ContinuitySnarl mythological snarl]] whose origins modern scholars are nowhere close to deciphering (compare to the several lucid theories about the Sword in the Stone that have cropped up in modern scholarship). By the first decade of 13th century, in ''Parzival'' by Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzifal's calling to the Grail Quest is explicitly a calling to a higher and better world than the normal quests of Arthur's court. The text claims that the Grail itself was the stone the neutral angels of Heaven stayed in during the war against Lucifer. By the 15th century, Malory depicts the Grail [[CosmicKeystone as so powerful]] that when Galahad (the most pure and dedicated of all the knights) succeeds on the Grail quest he [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence instantly ascends to Heaven]].

!!The Main Storylines Are:
Any modern Arthurian story that is not about either a) Lancelot/Guinevere/Arthur/Mordred/Morgan and the subsequent collapse of the court or b) specifically about Merlin, is generally going to be about the Grail Quest, despite dozens of other possible plots. However, Tristram and Iseult (usually under the German forms of their names, Tristan and Isolde) by themselves are also becoming more popular, mainly due to the popularity of romance stories.

The genres used may vary from HistoricalFiction ([[DoingInTheWizard no magic]] and Saxon [[TheHorde hordes]] as {{Mooks}}), to HeroicFantasy, and the story can be set either in the Dark ages [[AfterTheEnd after the fall of Rome]] or in the present day, when King Arthur [[RightfulKingReturns has returned]].

The most important pre-modern Arthurian works include:
* ''Literature/HistoriaBrittonum'' (or ''History of the Britons''), traditionally ascribed to Nennius in the 9th century, although it may be much older. While not a story, per se, it contains the oldest written record of Arthur and lists the twelve battles he fought against the invading English. Of note is the fact that Arthur is not depicted as a king here but a ''dux bellorum'', a warlord fighting on behalf of the native kings of Kent. According to ''Historia Brittonum'', Arthur was so successful against the English that they were forced to bring in further troops and kings from Germany, increasing their numbers dramatically until the island of Britain was finally subjugated.
* ''Pa Gur yv y Porthaur?'' ("''What Man is the Gatekeeper''?"): a poem found in the [[http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=blackbookofcarmarthen Black Book of Carmarthen]], the oldest known list of Arthur's warband and the first mention of Cei and Bedwyr (later to be Kay and Bedivere). Arthur seeks entrance into a fortress, recalling the heroic feats of his retinue for the gatekeeper. This list was expanded on over the centuries, with each tale adding more and more characters from both history and folklore. A decendant is found in [[Literature/{{Mabinogion}} ''How Culhwch Won Olwen'']], at which point the retinue has swollen to over 260 warriors, not counting [[CoolHorse fantastic]] [[FullBoarAction animals]].
* ''Literature/HistoriaRegumBritanniae'' (History of the Kings of Britain) by Geoffrey of Monmouth, who is thought to have been of mixed Breton and Welsh stock. Completed ca. 1138.
* ''RomanDeBrut'' (Romance of Brutus) by Maistre Wace from Jersey, an expanded version of Geoffrey's ''Historia'' written for king Henry II of England in French verse and making even greater use of Breton traditions, completed in 1155. The Round Table is mentioned here for the first time.
* Several stories from the ''Literature/{{Mabinogion}}'', a compilation of prose from several 14th-century Welsh manuscripts. Scholars generally agree that the stories are older, but how much older (and in particular if they are or not older than Geoffrey's ''Historia'' or even Chrétien de Troyes' romances) is still a matter of debate. Currently the stories are placed in the years between 1060 and 1200 and it is assumed that the version of the stories of Peredur/Perceval, Geraint and Enid/Erec et Enide, and Owain/Yvain were developed independently by Welsh writers and Chrétien based on the same older sources.
* The Arthurian romances of Creator/ChretienDeTroyes, written ca. 1170 to 1190 - ''Erec et Enide'', ''Cligès'', ''Le Chevalier de la Charrette'' (The Knight of the Cart) aka ''Lancelot'', ''Yvain'', and the unfinished ''Perceval (Conte du Graal)''. Literary historians see Chrétien as the first author to treat the legends as fiction. In many ways, he created Arthurian romance and was very influential on other authors.
* ''Erec'' and ''Iwein'', Middle High German verse epics by Hartmann von Aue, both based on Chrétien de Troyes.
* ''Parzival'' by Wolfram von Eschenbach, from the first quarter of the 13th century. The most successful verse epic of the middle ages (by far the most manuscript copies surviving), a retelling and continuation of Chrétien de Troyes' last Arthurian romance. Wolfram also ties in the story of Percival with two other existing legends, making Parzival the father of Lohengrin, the Knight of the Swan, and establishing Parzival's half-moorish elder brother Feirefiz as the ancestor of Prester John. Wolfram started a prequel epic somewhat misleadingly called ''Titurel'' (after the first person mentioned in the text), but did not live long enough to finish it.
* {{Tristan}} by Gottfried von Straßburg, a contemporary of Hartmann and Wolfram, based on an older form of the story of TristanAndIsolde by the Anglo-Norman Thomas of England (of which only fragments survive). Gottfried did not finish this "classic" version of a much older story (which originally was not part of the Arthurian myth), so two other Middle High German authors wrote their own endings.
* Lancelot-Grail, or Vulgate Cycle; followed by the Post-Vulgate Cycle - 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'' (The Quest For The Holy Grail, 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.
* ''Literature/SirGawainAndTheGreenKnight'': A 14th-century English poem, translated by Creator/JRRTolkien, among others.
* TheWeddyngOfSyrGawen
* The Stanzaic Morte Arthur
* The Alliterative Morte Arthure
* SyrLaunfal
* ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur'' by Thomas Malory, an Early Modern English compilation of the earlier stories and epics, fusing the French ''Lancelot'' cycle with other stories like ''Literature/TristanAndIsolde'', completed in 1470 and printed in 1485. Considered to be the ultimate medieval AdaptationDistillation of the legend (in the English-speaking world) due to its late date.
----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* In an episode of ''TimeTroubleTondekeman'', our time-traveling protagonists accidentally screw up the part where Arthur is supposed to draw the Sword from the Stone, and once they realize who their new-found friend actually is, must set "history" back on track, coincidentally also sparking the British love of footy.
* ''VinlandSaga'' has [[spoiler:Askeladd, who declares himself to be the descendant of Arthur, and thus the rightful king of Britain.]]
* ''CodeGeass'' draws from Arthurian myth, most prominently with Britannia's SuperPrototype HumongousMecha being named for Knights of the Round Table (Lancelot, Gawain) and the presence of the Knights of the Round, described as the Emperor's twelve elite soldiers. There's also Arthur, the stray cat that follows the Lancelot's pilot around, apparently for no other reason than to bite his hand whenever he lets his guard down.
* ''Manga/NanatsuNoTaizai'' draws several influences from the Arthurian myth. To name a few: The main character Meliodas is named after Tristan's father. The country in 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, Ban and Elaine.
* ''Manga/SoulEater'' features Arthur's sword Excalibur as the legendary sword who's... ''extremely annoying as fuck''. However, it is implied that Arthur himself put up with Excalibur and the sword wasn't as annoying when in Arthur's hand, even growing a beard. Now, without Arthur, though... yep, super annoying as ever.
* The myths were adapted into two series by Toei in the late 1970s / early 1980s: Entaku Kishi no Monogatari: Moero Arthur (lit.: "Story of the Knights of the Round Table: Burn Arthur"), and Moero Arthur: Hakuba no Ouji ("Burn Arthur: Prince on White Horse"). A number of foreign language dubs of the former series are called simply "King Arthur", although there was an English dubbed compilation movie called "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table". Video game players may recognize the theme from latter series in the arcade game VideoGame/{{Frogger}} (if they get far enough).
* Saber of the ''Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}'' is [[spoiler: a gender-bent King Arthur and wields both Caliburn (the Sword in the Stone) and Excalibur. Mordred appears as her evil clone and ''Fate/Zero'''s Berserker is revealed to be Lancelot]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Camelot is a recurring element in Franchise/TheDCU's BackStory. Characters linked to Arthur's court include:
** The Demon {{Etrigan}}, a fiend from Hell summoned by Merlin to defend Camelot in its final hour against Morgaine le Fey. Morgaine has gone on to become a recurring foe of both WonderWoman and the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica.
** The Shining Knight, a member of the Round Table who was [[HumanPopsicle frozen in ice for many centuries]] (years before ComicBook/CaptainAmerica thawing out with Comicbook/TheAvengers was a glimmer in Stanley Lieber's mind) and decided to keep protecting Britain by fighting ThoseWackyNazis.
** Grant Morrison's ''Shining Knight'' book, a part of his ''Seven Soldiers'' maxi-series, revealed that the King Arthur myth keeps repeating throughout history: the Shining Knight in question is thrown forward in time from a more Celtic rendition into modern Los Angeles.
** The Silent Knight, another one of Arthur's knights and a previous incarnation of {{Hawkman}} and the (adopted) ancestor of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent.
** ComicBook/MadameXanadu, who was once Merlin's lover and Morgaine's sister, Nimue.
** According to ''ComicBook/TheBooksOfMagic'', Arthur himself slumbers beneath the earth in Fairyland, awaiting the day Britain needs him again.
** ComicBook/{{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.
* In Creator/MarvelComics:
** The backstory of Comicbook/TheBlackKnight.
** Probably the most famous King Arthur story in the MarvelUniverse is a trilogy of ComicBook/IronMan stories by David Michelinie and Bob Layton, in which Iron Man and Dr. Doom visit Dark Ages Camelot (published in 1981), King Arthur's revival in the future (published in 1989), and have an adventure searching for Excalibur in the present-day (2008).
** In the first post ''HeroesReborn'' ''[[Comicbook/TheAvengers Avengers]]'' story arc, the reunited Avengers fight Morgan Le Fey who uses the Scarlet Witch to transform reality into an alternate Medieval version where she is the absolute ruler.
*** Morgan Le Fay is a recurring supervillainess. In the BronzeAge, she was mostly SpiderWoman's archenemy. These days she'll pop up and give any superhero a hard time. She uses her son Mordred as her [[TheDragon dragon.]]
** 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.
* In one ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom'' comic, it was revealed that one of [[LegacyCharacter the ancestors of]] the Phantom was a Knight of the Round Table.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Camelot 3000}}'', Arthur and Merlin return in the year 3000. The knights are reincarnated in various forms (Tristan is female, Perceval is a grotesque mutant).
* Matt Wagner's ''MageTheHeroDiscovered'' and ''MageTheHeroDefined'' utilizes Kevin Matchstick as KingArthur reborn, Edsel as the LadyOfTheLake, Mirth as Merlin, et al. The Fisher King, the Marhault Ogre, Crom Cruich and the Wild Hunt put in appearances, often with some {{Modernisation}}.
* The eponymous ''ComicBook/{{Witchblade}}'' is the feminine counterpart to Excalibur.
* Creator/DonRosa's DonaldDuck story "The Once and Future Duck" has Donald, his nephews, and Gyro Gearloose traveling back in time to meet King Arthur... only this Arthur is a lot closer to the historical figure that may have inspired the legends. Once again, Don Rosa [[ShownTheirWork shows his work.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}: Dark Knight of the Round Table'' was an {{Elseworlds}} story featuring Batman as...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a Knight of the Round Table]].
* ''{{Caliber}}'' is a comic series that transports the Arthurian Mythos to TheWildWest. A magic gun replaces Excalibur, a [[MagicalNativeAmerican Native American Shaman]] stands in for Merlin, etc, etc.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} The Wild Hunt'', Hellboy meets Morgana Le Fay of the Arthurian mythos, and discovers [[spoiler: that his mother was the last remaining descendant of King Arthur, via the daughter of Mordred, and so he is the rightful king of Britain, as well as Hell. After some hesitation, he takes up Excalibur to call together an army of "The Noble Dead of Britain" to combat Nimue/The Morrigan's ChaoticEvil army of TheFairFolk]].
* ''TheMuppets King Arthur'' - Kermit as Arthur, Rowlf as Merlin, Piggy as Morgana, Camilla the Chicken as Guenevere and Gonzo as Lancelot. The twist is [[spoiler: that the Arthur/Morgana and Guenevere/Lancelot pairings are stable, there's no LoveTriangle and they all live HappilyEverAfter]]. The LemonyNarrator notes that this isn't how it's ''supposed'' to go, but there we are.
* Part of the backstory of ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen includes King Arthur and Camelot, which is mentioned several times in the source material. The major addition to the mythos is that one of the Leagues members, the immortal genderchanger Orlando, was present not only when King Arthur was crowned, but was also part of the Round Table, and, after surviving the final battle, salvages Excalibur from the battlefield, which remains a treasured possession of his/hers, until present day.
* ''ComicBook/DraculaVsKingArthur'': In which {{Dracula}} is transported to his timeline and begins a conquest to take over Camelot, turning many of Arthur's knights [[spoiler: and even his wife]] along the way.
* Camelot wast the setting for multiple albums in the Belgian comic book series ''ComicBook/DeRodeRidder''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone'', a Creator/{{Disney}} animated version of the first book of T.H. White's ''Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing''.
* ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'', a 1998 AnimatedAdaptation of ''The King's Damosel'' by Vera Chapman.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Lancelot du Lac'', a deglamorized telling of the Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot story by Robert Bresson
* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' is essentially a parody of various facets of the King Arthur legend, the Round Table, and medieval fiction in general. Ironically, because one of the Pythons was in fact an Arthurian scholar, this film is at times also one of the most ''accurate'' cinematic representations of the myths. For instance, it is the ''only'' film to properly depict Lancelot as he is written in Malory. No, ''really'' -- Malory's Lancelot is a mentally unstable berserker prone to slaughtering innocents at almost no provocation, then collapsing in abject apologies afterward. ''Spamalot'', the film's musical adaption, makes him StraightGay, which is...tangential from Malory, to say the least. (Other writers were apparently more HoYay-oriented with Lance.)
** It also features an OriginalGeneration character by the name of 'Sir Robin', whose defining feature is his cowardice and of course PlayedForLaughs.
* John Boorman's weird and haunting ''Film/{{Excalibur}}'' is often considered one of the best modern versions to play the myth mostly straight, explicitly setting the story in a mythical version of TheDarkAges and surrounding it with a mysterious sort of magic.
* ''Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'', a 1984 film starring Sean Connery as the Green Knight and based on the poem of the same name.
* ''Film/TheFisherKing'' sets a semi-symbolic Grail Quest in modern Manhattan.
* ''Film/FirstKnight'' deals with the whole Arthur/Lancelot/Guenevere love triangle.
* ''{{Film/Dragonheart}}'' is set after the Arthurian era, but the hero is a knight of the "Old Code" estsblished by Arthur and the Round Table.
* ''Film/KingArthur'' (2004), in the Dark Ages setting. A bit of a flop, it was infamous for a poster that gave flat chested Creator/KeiraKnightley [[http://badtaste.it/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/alg_keiraknightley_3.jpg what can only be called Photoshop surgery on her breasts.]] It's unusual among popular portrayals for having Arthur as a Roman officer. It was also unusual for [[DanBrowned claiming]] to be VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory. The writers studied up on the various candidates for the historical Arthur and settled on a "historical" account (actually written several hundred years after the events supposedly took place) that the public are [[AluminumChristmasTrees generally unfamiliar with]], namely that Arthur was the commander of a legion of [[FishOutOfWater displaced Sarmatians]], TrappedBehindEnemyLines and FightingForAHomeland, who became leader of the Britons after the fact. Ironically they got it [[GoldenMeanFallacy from both sides]] [[UnpleasableFanbase for their trouble]], in part because they decided to mix up an [[{{Demythtification}} unfamiliar historical portrayal]] with [[ExecutiveMeddling newly bizarre]] [[HollywoodHistory Hollywoodisms]], such as the aforementioned Keira Knightley as Guinevere, a blue, {{Breast Plate}}d Pictish (!) {{Warrior Prince}}ss.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gamebooks]]
* The ''Literature/GrailQuest'' series by J.H. Brennan are ChooseYourOwnAdventure books where the main character is instead a farm boy turned knight (with the mind of the reader implanted in him). Merlin would send him off on tongue-in-cheek adventures.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Edmund Spenser's ''Literature/TheFaerieQueene'' contains a barely recognizable version of Arthur.
* Alfred Tennyson's ''Literature/IdyllsOfTheKing'', a series of long poems, was very influential in the 19th century.
* Creator/WilliamMorris wrote quite a few poems about Arthurian characters.
* The Squire's Tales: Classic King Arthur stories, accompanied by a Reconstruction of Camelot and Arthur as heroic ideals while deconstructing the $#!% out of courtly love. The heroes frequently point out all the Arthurian Romance cliches. Lancelot and Guenivere become TheAtoner early on in the series after he gets his butt kicked in a lucky shot by one of the narrators.
* Creator/MarkTwain's ''Literature/AConnecticutYankeeInKingArthursCourt''.
* T. H. White's ''Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing'' and ''Literature/TheBookOfMerlyn''.
* Creator/CSLewis' ''Literature/ThatHideousStrength'' brings back Merlin as a person who trod the line between light and darkness when the distinction was less sharp. Both the heroes and villains are concerned about which side he'll be on when he awakens. It also depicts "Pendragon" as a divine title, now held by one of the heroes, and implies that it descends from [[Literature/TheSilmarillion "Numinor"]].
* ''The Weirdstone of Brisingamen'' by Alan Garner conflates Norse and Arthurian myth with real places in England. The cave with the sleeping Knights (and their horses) is a local legend in Alderley. Well worth reading.
* ''Literature/SwordAtSunset'' by Rosemary Sutcliff takes the legend back to its roots, including partly Romanized Britons fighting off invading "Sea Wolf" Saxon raiders, the difficulty in gathering and maintaining mounted warriors, horses barely big enough to carry large men and saddles without stirrups, near-starvation every winter, ambiguous mysticism and superstition regarding both curses and the Hill Folk, rare chainmail armor stolen from enemy war chiefs in place of "shining armor", and a dilapidated ex-Roman hill fort replacing "Camelot".
* ''Literature/TheDarkIsRising Sequence'' by Susan Cooper. Most specifically ''The Grey King'' and ''Silver on the Tree'', the fourth and fifth in the series, respectively. Arthur, himself, makes only minute appearances in the series but many aspects reveal a heavy Arthurian influence (with a few events being direct consequences of the Arthurian Legends). And, of course, there's [[TheObiWan Uncle]] [[SueDonym Merry]].
* Mary Stewart's ''Literature/TheCrystalCave'' (and its sequels) tell the story of Arthur from Merlin's perspective.
** The point of view changes to Mordred for ''The Wicked Day.'' There is also a "side story," ''The Prince and the Pilgrim.''
* One of the more popular modern versions of the Arthur legend is the ''TheMistsOfAvalon'' by MarionZimmerBradley, and its sequence of novels, a retelling from the point of view of feminist neopaganism which began the trend of highly sympathetic readings of Morgan.
* Phyllis Ann Karr's ''Literature/TheIdyllsOfTheQueen'' (a title playing on Tennyson's ''Idylls of the King'') is a retelling of part of Malory's ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur'' as a murder mystery, using Kay as the {{narrator}}/detective and ''Mordred'' as his sidekick.
* Gillian Bradshaw's "Down the Long Wind" trilogy, containing ''Hawk of May'', ''Kingdom of Summer'', and ''In Winter's Shadow'', follows in the footsteps of Sutcliff, casting the story in terms of historicity, with sub-Roman Arthurian forces and messy political and relationship tangles. However, she also includes elements of the supernatural, focusing on the character of Gawain (called here by the Welsh name Gwalchmai, another Sutcliff parallel) and his battle against the forces of Darkness summoned by his mother Morgan, and his alliegance to the forces of Light (capital letters firmly in place). The first two books focus on Gawain's journey, and he continues as a major figure in the final volume, but Guenevere (called Gwynhwyfar in the trilogy) takes the role of viewpoint character.
* In ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'' novels by Creator/StephenKing, Mid-World has a mythical figure called "Arthur Eld" who is largely equivalent to King Arthur. The barrels and handles of Roland's guns are said to have been forged from the blade and hilt of his Excalibur. Roland is in fact a descendant of this Arthur, and has a son named Mordred, which is a fitting name for the unhappy young half-demon.
* Stephen Lawhead's books, beginning with ''Taliesin'', have Celtic mythology being mixed with Atlantean (clearly Greek-influenced) mythology and is written from a strongly Christian perspective.
* PeterDavid wrote [[KnightLifeSeries a series of books]] with King Arthur set in the present day. The first book, ''Knight Life'', had Arthur (using the name "Arthur Penn") Schwarzenegger his way into the office of Mayor of New York City. The second book had him quit being President to find the Holy Grail. And the third had the [[ASimplePlan simple plan]] of his using the Grail to produce a healing tonic.
* ''The Power of One'' and its sequel ''Tandia'' by Bryce Courtenay borrow heavily from Arthurian Myth, even though it's about a South African boxer during the beginnings of Apartheid.
* TeresaEdgerton's [[{{Celydonn}} Green Lion trilogy]] has strong Arthurian overtones, particularly the {{backstory}} in which the kingmaker wizard Glastyn brought the heir of the High King out of obscurity after an interregnum. The current High King established [[KnightInShiningArmor the Order of St. Mark]] as a knightly order supposedly based on merit. By the opening of the first book, however, Glastyn has left the StandardRoyalCourt, turning over his job to his young apprentice, and the king and most of his older knights have stopped going on [[TheQuest quests]] and aren't paying enough attention to their respective jobs of running TheKingdom and keeping order.
* Many of the characters in the ''[[Literature/TheWheelOfTime Wheel of Time]]'' series and much of the underlying skeleton of the story are adapted from Arthurian myth: Egwene Al'Vere (Guinevere), Morgase (Morgawse), Elayne (Elaine of Carbonnek), Nynaeve (Nineve), Rand Al'Thor (Arthur) and many, many others. Also, ''sa'angreal'' (a rare type of magical artifact) = "Sangreal" = The Holy Grail.
** One particular ''sa'angreal'' is Callandor, the Sword in the Stone - that is, the Sword in the fortress called the Stone of Tear - and Rand draws it.
** The most obvious Arthur parallel would be Artur Hawkwing, the legendary great king whose middle name was Paendrag, and whose descendants, at least, are returning across the Aryth Ocean.
** The perhaps most interestingly named character is Galad Damodred - named after Galahad ''and'' Mordred? - who is a Religious Zealot and [[spoiler:Rand's half-brother through their shared mother, Tigraine.]]
*** Galad's half-brother Gawyn appears a parallel to Gawain.
** Some parallels can be seen between Elayne of Andor (whose symbol is a golden lily) and Elaine of Astolat, the lily maid.
* Jack Whyte's ''ADreamOfEagles'' series follows several Celtic, Roman, and Frank characters as they weave a "could have been, realistic" take on the Mythology.
* In ''Literature/TheMagicTreehouse'' books, one of the major characters is Morgan Le Fay, who helped the kids in disguise for the first four books. They had no idea until she revealed herself near the end of Book 4.
* Creator/TerryPratchett's short story "Once and Future" features a {{time travel}}ler stuck in the past re-enacting the King Arthur legend. [[spoiler:In a twist, the king who pulls the sword from the stone happens to be a woman.]]
* Bernard Cornwell's ''TheWarlordChronicles'' tell a largely historically plausible version of the story with lots of Saxon {{mook}}s. The same author's ''Grail Quest'' series moves the quest for the Holy Grail up to the time of the Hundred Years' War, by which time Arthur is a legend, claimed by the English, Welsh, Scottish and Bretons as one of their own. It also subverts a number of traditional aspects, especially in regard to Mordred (who is Arthur's half brother and his king) and Lancelot (who is a [[ChronicBackStabbingDisorder treacherous]] [[DirtyCoward coward]]).
* Arthurian mythology is apparently true in the world of ''Literature/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 —"]])
** Ginevra "Ginny" Weasley may or may not be named after Guinevere ("Ginevra" is the Italian form of "Guinevere"), which would be... interesting what with her father being named "Arthur". And then there's her brother Percy (Percival?).
* ''I am Mordred'' by Nancy Springer tells the story of King Arthur from Mordred's perspective (duh). Written as a young adults novel, it touches upon nearly all of the main Arthurian characters and heavily plays on the dichotomous themes of destiny and free will. Maybe Mordred isn't all that bad and maybe King Arthur isn't the paradigm of honor and chivalry he's always portrayed as. She also wrote a prequel, following Morgan in her early years.
* Gerald Morris's ''TheSquiresTales'' retells a number of Arthurian legends.
* Kevin Crossley-Holland's ''Arthur'' trilogy: ''The Seeing Stone'', ''At the Crossing-Places'' and ''King of the Middle March'' retells the Arthurian legend and several others alongside the story of Arthur de Caldicot, heir to the Mediaeval estate of [[SignificantAnagram Catmole]], as he travels to the Holy Land on crusade.
* Creator/JoWalton's Literature/{{Sulien}} series, composed of ''The King's Peace'' and ''The King's Name'', features the King-Arthur-equivalent of the fantasy world it's set in. Some readers have found it confusing that not everything in the story is the direct counterpart of something in Arthurian legend, especially the protagonist and title character, who is an entirely new character.
* Meg Cabot's ''Literature/AvalonHigh''. It's actually not bad, or better than a lot of teen fare out there, at least.
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', it is pretty much confirmed that Micheal's sword, ''Esperaccius'', is Excalibur. Also, Harry's (second) magic teacher [[spoiler:and maternal grandfather]] Ebenezer [=McCoy=] is the latest link of a MasterApprenticeChain stretching all the way to the original Merlin himself, who was also the founder of the White Council (and his name having since become the title given to TheArchmage leading it).
* Douglas Clegg's ''Mordred, Bastard Son'' is another retelling of the legend from Mordred's point of view, casting Arthur as an incestuous rapist and Morgan and Morgause as insanely violent trauma victims. Oh, and Mordred's gay and in love with Lancelot.
* ''Here Lies Arthur'' by [[MortalEngines Philip Reeve]] is a new [[{{Demythtification}} Demythtified]] version of the story. The main character is Gwyna, the real Lady of the Lake, who is a slave girl taken in by the bard Myrddin (pronounced almost exactly like Merlin), and helps Arthur to deceive people into thinking he's a destined hero. Most of the names return to something akin to their medieval versions, with Kay being Cei and Bedivere being Bedwyr.
* ''The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights'' by Creator/JohnSteinbeck. A modern-English adaptation of the Arthurian legend, based on the Winchester Manuscript text of Sir Thomas Malory's ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''. Sadly, Steinbeck died before finishing and it currently ends with the tale of Lancelot.
* According to ''Literature/NightWatch'', Arthur was a not-particularly-nice puppet king of Merlin, the most powerful Dark Other of all time.
* In ''Literature/DragonsInOurMidst'', the main character, Billy Bannister, is the second coming of Arthur. The entire plot is built around the Arthur/Christianity principle.
* DavidLodge's satirical CampusNovel ''SmallWorld'' uses the Grail legend as a frame for the story of academics on the conference circuit. Characters include leading professor Arthur Kingfisher (Fisher King, geddit?) and the Irish Innocent Abroad {{Persse McGarrigle}} (Percival/Parzifal) and the Grail itself is a lavishly-funded sinecure.
* Shanna Swendson's ''Literature/EnchantedInc.'' features Merlin as the CEO of the company.
* Parke Godwin's ''Firelord'' and ''Beloved Exile'', which use the post-Roman warlord versions of the story. What little magic appears can be handwaved away, and TheFairFolk are cast as the pre-Celtic inhabitants of Britain. Notable in that the second book deals with the aftermath of the legends, following Guenevere through a fragmenting Britain after Arthur's death.
* In the 4th novel in ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' [[LightNovel/DisgaeaNovels novel]] series [[Characters/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Laharl]] and [[Characters/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Flonne]] travel back in time and meet KingArthur.
* JohnCWright's ''War of Dreaming'' delves into the Arthurian mythos, and includes Merlin as a character in the present day. It notably [[{{Reconstruction}} re-examines]] certain aspects of the story, such as what the heirs of Arthur would do if they were actually around.
* DavidDrake's early novel ''The Dragon Lord'': Drake has commented that the personality of his Arthur -- a military genius, but vicious and twisted -- is a cross between Alexander the Great and UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler.
* FantasyKitchenSink series ''TheSecretsOfTheImmortalNicholasFlamel'' uses Sir Palomedes the Saracen Knight, one of the more obscure Arthurian characters.
* In Creator/TimPower's novel ''Literature/TheDrawingOfTheDark'', Duffy, a 16th century mercenary, learns to his dismay that he is the reincarnation of KingArthur, sent to protect Vienna (and a magical dark beer), from the Turkish invasion.
* The young adult novel, ''Winter of Magic's Return'' by Pamela F. Service, and its sequel, concerns three young children in [[AfterTheEnd post-nuclear war]] England. One of them turns out to be a youthened/reborn Merlin who had [[LaserGuidedAmnesia lost his memory]] and, even after he gets it back, [[IneptMage has some issues with remembering spells]] [[HilarityEnsues and making them work right]]. Ends up becoming a [[TheMagicComesBack Magic Comes Back]] scenario.
* Another young adult novel, ''The Magic Cave''/''The Hidden Cave'' by Ruth Chew, concerns two young children who find Merlin [[ShownTheirWork trapped inside an oak tree]] (although he's there by his own error, thanks to [[CuriousAsAMonkey wanting to know]] [[TooDumbToLive what was inside an acorn]], rather than due to Nyneve). The titular cave is actually a transformed drainage pipe which uses portal magic to take Merlin and the kids to various places, such as the library, the botanical gardens (for herbs to do magic), and eventually the museum to obtain an artifact (the Eye of Horus) to take Merlin back to his own time.
* MercedesLackey's book ''{{Gwenhwyfar}}'', which takes the Welsh tradition that Arthur married three different women all named Guinevere (Gwenhwyfar in Welsh) and tells the story of the third girl.
* Marcus Pitcaithly's ''Literature/TheRealmOfAlbion'' is set in an Arthurian world, albeit a few centuries before Arthur's birth.
* Dawnflight features a [[ActionGirl dangerous Guenivere]], here called Gyanhumara, who's from Scotland and finds herself in an ArrangedMarriage with one of Arthur's [[TheStarscream untrustworthy allies.]] Then she and Arthur meet, fall into love (and plenty of lust) and wind up becoming a BattleCouple, breaking off her engagement by the end. Notably, several key subplots and characterizations were derived from Norma Goodriche's theory on the mythos.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* The ''FantasyIsland'' episode "King Arthur in Mr. Roarke's Court", which brings Arthur (played by Robert Mandan), onto that 70s island, leaving a guest whose fantasy was to meet King Arthur (Tommy Smothers) to keep him out of trouble 'till Roarke can put him back in his proper place and time.
* ''TheAdventuresOfSirLancelot'', the first UK series made in colour.
* ''Series/ArthurOfTheBritons'' was series featuring a realistic Arthur as a warlord fighting Saxon invaders in Dark Ages Britain.
* ''MrMerlin'': A modernized Merlin seeks out a present-day hero to teach.
* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial "Battlefield" has near-future Earth invaded by two factions of MagicFromTechnology Arthurian knights from a parallel universe, the good ones serving the (dead) Arthur and the evil ones led by Morgana and Mordred. It is strongly suggested that their Merlin was a future incarnation of the Doctor himself.
* ''Series/MacGyver'', episode "Good Knight [=MacGyver=]": As he is prone to do, Mac gets clocked on the head and finds himself transported to King Arthur's court, where he saves King Arthur, discovers Merlin to be little better than a stage magician, clears the good name of his ancestor, prevents the early discovery of gunpowder by Morgan La Fey, and finally reveals his own first name.
* ''[[Series/BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'': "A Late Delivery From Avalon", and other references. In that episode King Arthur himself arrives on the station but [[spoiler:turns out in fact to be a gunner whose actions triggered the devastating Minbari war in the show's BackStory. He adopted the King Arthur persona as a way to cope with his guilt.]] Arthurian symbolism makes sporadic appearances throughout B5 and ''Crusade'' in the form of the council of races, and the sword and shield on the emblem.
** This episode also demonstrates a CriticalResearchFailure on the part of the writer - or at least on the part of the characters. Doctor Franklin protests that the man cannot be Arthur because his speech patterns are too modern... An interesting observation, since King Arthur shouldn't be speaking English at all!
* ''Series/{{Kaamelott}}'': a comical French series, close in spirit to ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''. At least in the first seasons, it focused on everyday life and mundane events at Kaamelott/Camelot (though it also incuded mythological/historical jokes from all over the middle ages.) Most characters were made to be really, er, obtuse.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'': Merlin is revealed to be an Ancient who had stayed on Earth to develop a defense against the Ori. Camelot is on another planet, and SG-1 finds the Sangraal, a piece of Merlin's anti-Ori weapon. They never quite confirm who Arthur actually was, but Daniel theorizes that he was a mortal who Merlin helped [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend]].
** Morgan le Fay was also an Ancient, sent to stop Merlin. In a subversion of the mythology, she ended up aiding him (and SG-1).
* ''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 who may or may not be Arthur's nephew, 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.
* ''Film/{{Merlin}}'': A 1998 miniseries starring Sam Neill in which [[CelticMythology Queen Mab]] figures in place of Morgaine Le Fay, brings Celtic mythology into play, similar to:
* ''TheMistsOfAvalon'', a 2001 miniseries [[TheFilmOfTheBook adaptation]] of MarionZimmerBradley's 1981 book, with pro-feminist subversions.
* ''Series/TheGoodies'' protect a descendent of King Arthur from having Camelot seized by a greedy land developer. Because medieval law still applies on Arthur's land HilarityEnsues as both sides resort to torture and jousting to force the issue. Gags include Excalibur being used as a club (because no-one can remove the stone from the end) and Ye Secret Weapon -- a giant magnet that proves highly effective against metal armor and swords.
* ''Series/{{Camelot}}'': A 2011 series co-produced by Starz and GK-TV.
* The "Fisher King" two-parter that bridged the first and second seasons of CriminalMinds featured an unsub who believed himself to be the titular King from the Grail myths and envisioned the BAU as modern-day Knights of the Round Table, forcing them on a "quest" to save a young girl's life. According to behind-the-scenes features, the show's writers built the initial characters and story around that same theme, and you can find plenty of parallels between the two if you try.
* Briefly mentioned in the ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' episode; "Sword and the City", Piper pulled the sword [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Excalibur]] from the stone in a very Arthurian-style and later became corrupted by it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/LedZeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore" contains numerous references to Arthurian legend.
* Rick Wakeman's ConceptAlbum ''The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table''.
** Various edits of the opening track, ''Arthur'', which tells us briefly of Arthur's ascendency, have been used by Creator/TheBBC to herald every general election since 1979 (with one exception).
* Music/BlindGuardian's "A Past and Future Secret" is about King Arthur and the fall of Camelot. "Mordred's Song" is, unsurprisingly, about Mordred. "The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight" is about Tristan and Isolde. The singer's other band DemonsAndWizards has "Winter of Souls," which is also about the conflict between Arthur and Mordred.
* {{Ayreon}}'s "The Final Experiment" involves the protagonist going to King Arthur's court and getting on Merlin's bad side.
* Music/GraveDigger's ConceptAlbum ''Excalibur'' is based on legend of King Arthur.
* A large portion of the songs by Heather Dale. Among others:
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny7NZPfl0l4&NR Mordred's Lullaby]] is about Morguase telling baby Mordred how he's going to grow up and kill Arthur.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGvepxEl7Pw& Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]] is about Gawain fighting the Green Knight.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpiT1HoqzZI Kingsword]] Go ahead and guess what this one's about.
* There is a power metal band called Kamelot. While they haven't really played on Arthurian themes in any of their recent work, their fourth studio album featured a song titled "The Shadow of Uther". And their third album was titled ''Siege Perilous''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''[[PrinceValiant Prince Valiant, In the Days of King Arthur,]]'' of course.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pinball]]
* In ''VideoGame/CrystalCaliburn'', the player ''is'' King Arthur, and must assemble the Knights of the Round in order to undergo a quest to retrieve the Holy Grail.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''King Arthur Pendragon'' is heavily based on Malory's ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur'', but not afraid to plunder other sources if need be, and notable for magic causing the timeline to advance rapidly from the Dark Ages (complete with marauding Picts and Saxons) right through to the 15th century during the course of Arthur's reign allowing just about any Arthurian tale from any of myriad versions of the myth to be fit in somewhere. The ''Great Pendragon Campaign'' explicitly identifies the phases of Arthur's reign with periods in the history of England, from the Norman Conquest to the Wars of the Roses, in terms of the political situation and the available technology.
* ''{{GURPS}} Camelot'', which includes rules for three possible settings: "Traditional", "Historical", and "Cinematic" with the option of mixing-and-matching depending on what you want to be accurate mythology, what you want to be realistic Dark Ages, and what you want to be RuleOfCool. All three Camelots are referenced in ''GURPS TabletopGame/InfiniteWorlds'', which notes that the "Historical" Arthur (Artorius Riothamus) is one of many Arthurs found in otherwise non-mythic timelines, fitting just about any theory as to who the "historic" Arthur was.
-->On any parallel with a current date between 410 and 660 A.D., the Patrol by now routinely expects to discover the “real Arthur” in a North Welsh hill fort, a Scottish border wall, or a detachment of Roman cavalry.
* TSR's ''Amazing Engine'' game, ''Once And Future King'' supplement. The game takes place during the 46th century (4,500-4,600 A.D.) throughout the Earth's solar system, with everyone involved (including King Arthur and his knights) using high tech devices and weaponry. Merlin is a computer program with ArtificialIntelligence. How did this come about? Scientists created clones using DNA from 5th century British warriors and programmed their brains with the principles of chivalry. The clones [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters rebelled against their creators]] and took over the solar system by force.
* The [[RecycledInSPACE CAMELOT Trigger]] FATE setting has John Arthur as a freedom fighter in a RobotWar turned King of Earth, [=MerLN=] and [=MerGN=] as good and evil AI, Project MORDRED is about [=MerGN=] creating an evil clone of Arthur, and the "armour" of the knights is in fact mecha.
* What the Noble Knight archetype in the ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh TCG'' are based on, with the exception of Joan. To wit, Artorigus is Arthur, Laundsallyn is Lancelot, Gawayn is Gawain, Medraut is Mordred, Gwalchavad is Galahad, Drystan is Tristan, Borz is Bors, and Peredur is Percival.
* The knights of Bretonnia in ''{{Warhammer}}'', replacing Britain with France, Arthur with Gilles le Breton, and the Christian elements with a (possibly) sham religion of the [[TheFairFolk Wood Elves]].
** The newly-dubbed knights are Knights Errant, young warriors roaming the countryside in search of adventure. Once they prove themselves worthy, they become Knights of the Realm, your standard KnightInShiningArmor (with a piece of land and peasants). A Questing Knight gives up the land and title to look for the Grail, the cup held by the Lady of the Lake (see sham religion by the Wood Elves). If she deems him worthy and lets him drink of it, he becomes a Grail Knight, living longer than other humans.
* ''TabletopGame/ShadowsOverCamelot'' is a board game styled after the Arthurian myths, where the players take on the roles of Knights of the Round Table of their choosing (including King Arthur himself). The knights cooperate in going on quests and defending Camelot against encroaching evil forces--with a twist that one of ''them'' is secretly evil (i.e. the other players don't know who the traitor is) and must work to ensure Camelot's downfall.
* In ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'', King Arthur is a werebear. Yeah, it is awesome.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* Henry Purcell wrote the "semi-opera" ''King Arthur, or The British Worthy'' (1691), at least one number of which, the ''Cold Song'', is popular today. The libretto by John Dryden dumps pretty much all characters apart from Arthur and Merlin in favour of a new cast of new characters; Arthur ends up marrying Emmeline.
* Creator/RichardWagner's ''Parsifal'' is somewhat loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Arthurian romance ''Parzival''. Wagner's earlier ''Lohengrin'' also tangentially touches the Grail myth. Note that Wagner moves the action from the 5th to the 10th century A.D.
* Lerner and Loewe's musical ''Theatre/{{Camelot}}'', an adaptation of White's ''Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing'' focusing on the Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot LoveTriangle.
* Eric Idle and John Du Prez's musical ''{{Spamalot}}'', an adaptation of ''Monty Python And The Holy Grail'' focusing on being very silly.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Videogames]]
* One of the early Sierra games was ''ConquestsOfCamelot'', involving King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail and the three knights that went missing in search of it. It combines almost every aspect of the Arthurian mythos, and naturally, has room for several Creator/MontyPython references.
* Though they don't appear in the story proper, the [[LastDiscMagic exceedingly powerful]] Knights of the Round summon in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' is clearly based on Arthur and his knights.
** The name is a reference to ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheRound'', an old Arthurian-themed side-scrolling beat-em-up.
* ''[[BackyardSports Backyard Skateboarding]]'' has the unlockable Excaliboard (obviously based on Excalibur) and mentions of the Knights of the Round Table in the MedievalEuropeanFantasy level, Merry Old Englandland.
* ''VideoGame/KingArthurTheRoleplayingWargame''
* Prince Arthas of ''VideoGame/WarCraft'' is a inversion of King Arthur. The sword he pulled from a stone (actually, magic ice or something) was very powerful, and marked him as destined for a throne. But it stole his soul, and the throne in question was that of an undead EvilOverlord rather than the throne of TheKingdom he was born to. He's advised by a wizard with an odd life cycle, like Merlin, but the weird thing about this wizard is that he's a ''necromancer'' who Arthas ''killed'' and later helped come back as a lich. He disbanded the Silver Hand, an order of paladins, and while he later founded an order of death knights, which is an inversion on more than one level: not only are they ignoble and unholy but it wasn't even a new idea or original in-world, making it the reverse of both the Round Table and the Silver Hand.
* ''TearsToTiara'' is a prequel of sorts in an AlternateUniverse, showing the rise of King Arthur with the help of a Demon King, Arawn.
* ''VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend'' [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructs]] the King Arthur myth by making Excalibur in reality a really, really ancient artifact that [[OlderThanTheyThink predates the Arthur myth]] and is mentioned in various other myths and legends. "Every culture's got one." ''InsufferableGenius'' [[TheScrappy Alister]] constantly states how [[LampshadeHanging unlikely the legend is to be true]], while Lara remains optimistic and [[TheDitz Zip]] just thinks Excalibur is a cool sword and [[OverusedRunningGag constantly]] confuses it with the sword in the stone. When he realises this is [[BerserkButton irritating]] [[TheChewToy Alister]] greatly, he continues to do this [[ObfuscatingStupidity deliberately]]. Lara approves. In the end, it turns out that [[spoiler:Excalibur is real, as is King Arthur and Avalon, and Lara gets to use the sword as a weapon on the final boss.]]
** Sent up by the real location of the Sword being hidden beneath a fake, theme-park-ride version of Arthurian myth.
* The Arthurian motifs in ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' deserve more than a passing mention and are significant enough for people to be able to write papers on them. Just check out [[http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/References_to_Arthurian_mythology_in_Ace_Combat_Zero this page]].
* ''{{Sonic and the Black Knight}}'' involves SonicTheHedgehog as a FishOutOfWater as he is summoned the legends of Arthur, for he must save the kingdom from Arthur himself, who is now BrainwashedAndCrazy, with a new getup akin to [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]] and a very unique sword, and is ruling the land tyrannically as the eponymous Black Knight. Oh, and Merlin has a grand daughter in Merlin'''a'''. And other ''Sonic'' characters serve as the likeness for Arthurian characters: Knuckles is Gawain, Shadow is Lancelot, and Blaze is... Percival? Tails being a blacksmith and Amy being the Lady Of The Lake makes more sense, though.
* There are several references in the ''FireEmblem'' video game series to the Arthurian legends. In Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword there is a Lord called Uther who has a brother named Hector which may be a reference to Ector, Arthur's foster father. Also in Blazing Sword, there is a tome called Excalibur. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance has Gaiwain[[spoiler:, also known as Greil]]and an early sword called Ettard could be named after the Lady Ettard. In the sequel to POR, Radiant Dawn, there is a mage called Pelleas which is the name of the knight who loved the Lady Ettard. There are also the twin swords Ragnell and Alondite. Ragnell was the name of Sir Gawain's wife, Alondite is supposedly the Japanese pronounciation for Lancelot's sword, Arondight.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' revolves around mages [[SummoningRitual summoning heroic spirits]] to help them fight for the [[PublicDomainArtifact Holy Grail]]. One of these heroic spirits, Saber, [[spoiler:is a [[GenderFlip female]] Arthur]]. The prequel ''Literature/FateZero'' also has [[spoiler:Lancelot as Berserker, bearing the appropriate grudge against Arturia/Saber]]. The AlternateUniverse ''VideoGame/FateExtra'' also has [[spoiler:Gawain as an enemy-exclusive Saber (your Saber is a gender-flipped Nero)]].
** [[spoiler:Mordred also gets a brief mention in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' and a cameo in the anime, and is also a GenderFlip; in the {{Nasuverse}}, she was a [[OurHomunculiAreDifferent homunculus]] created from Saber's DNA. The same Mordred later becomes the Saber of Red for ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha''.]]
** In ''Anime/FatePrototype'', a 12-minute [=OVA=] that gives us a look at [[WhatCouldHaveBeen what Nasu originally planned for]] ''FateStayNight'', [[spoiler:King Arthur is still the main character's Saber-class Servant, but he's not a GenderFlip]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'' presents different perspectives on the King Arthur story as seen from different times and places ? the basic HeroicFantasy England, ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway, PresentDay America, and so on.
* ''Webcomic/TheDreamlandChronicles''.
* ''Webcomic/DeadDuck'': One story arc had the title character come to reap Arthur and his knights. But run into trouble with the Fairie Queens who are guarding their gravesite.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''TheLegendOfPrinceValiant''
* ''WesternAnimation/KingArthurAndTheKnightsOfJustice'' had a modern professional American football team transported back in time to fill the roles of the knights of the round table.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' was a series where AllMythsAreTrue - including King Arthur. A proposed {{spinoff}}, ''Pendragon'', would've followed him in his search for Merlin and then the Holy Grail (as well as addressing the fact that he woke up ''before'' Britain needed him).
* ''BlazingDragons'', series created by Monty Pythons' Terry Jones stages a parodic re-enaction of the Arthurian myth where all the characters are replaced by Punly-named Dragon (King Allfire, Castle of Camel-hot, Sir Loungelot and so on and so forth)
* ''DragonBooster'' features a hero called Artha Penn (and his brother Lance) whose arch foe is named Moordryd Paynn.
* ''KingArthursDisasters'' a humorous, [[AnachronismStew anachronistic]], British Cartoon about a moronic King Arthur's failed attempts to woo the spoilt Princess Guinevere.
* ''{{Thundercats}}'' had an episode where [[BigBad Mumm-Ra]] [[MasterOfDisguise disguised]] himself as Arthur to fool the Lady of the Lake into giving him Excalibur, the greatest sword that ever existed, so he could finally defeat Lion-O and the Sword of Omens. [[NearVillainVictory It almost worked]], but then he made the mistake of revealing his identity, [[DeusExMachina prompting Merlin to show up and kick his ass.]]
* Morgane Le Fey was a recurring enemy in WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague and WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited, who was frequently seen with her [[RoyalBrat bratty son]] Mordred. In their final appearance, [[spoiler: she helps the justice league defeat Mordred, who has cast a spell to banish all adults in the world to another dimension so he could rule the world. Eventually [[HoistByHisOwnPetard they trick Mordred into breaking the spell that keeps him ageless,]] and ends up with AgeWithoutYouth.]]
* ''Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table'' was a humorous Australian version from TheSixties, with quirky design and animation influenced by {{UPA}}. 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.
* WesternAnimation/PrincessGwenevereAndTheJewelRiders[[note]]known as "Starla and the Jewel Riders" in Europe[[/note]] ([[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Robert Mandell]]'s other series) was largely inspired by the myths. Including (but not limited to) Gwenevere's name (based on "Guinevere" from the original), Merlin as their spiritual advisor, Merlin's talking owl companion Archimedes (called Archie for short), and the series setting: the kingdom of Avalon (whose capital city is called "New Camelot").
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' Season 9 episode "Smurfs Of The Round Table" is set in Camelot, England with Morgan le Fey as the episode's main nemesis.
[[/folder]]
----

[[folder:Role-Playing Games]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]

* In Werewolf The Apocalypse, King Arthur is a werebear. Yeah, it is awesome.

* MidSeasonUpgrade: Arthur pulled the Clarent (a.k.a the Sword on the Stone) successfully to become king of England. Said sword got destroyed in battle, but he was able to receive the better and the more famous Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake.

* ''Film/KingArthur'' (2004), in the Dark Ages setting. A bit of a flop, it was infamous for a poster that gave flat chested KeiraKnightley [[http://badtaste.it/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/alg_keiraknightley_3.jpg what can only be called Photoshop surgery on her breasts.]] It's unusual among popular portrayals for having Arthur as a Roman officer. It was also unusual for [[DanBrowned claiming]] to be VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory. The writers studied up on the various candidates for the historical Arthur and settled on a "historical" account (actually written several hundred years after the events supposedly took place) that the public are [[AluminumChristmasTrees generally unfamiliar with]], namely that Arthur was the commander of a legion of [[FishOutOfWater displaced Sarmatians]], TrappedBehindEnemyLines and FightingForAHomeland, who became leader of the Britons after the fact. Ironically they got it [[GoldenMeanFallacy from both sides]] [[UnpleasableFanbase for their trouble]], in part because they decided to mix up an [[{{Demythtification}} unfamiliar historical portrayal]] with [[ExecutiveMeddling newly bizarre]] [[HollywoodHistory Hollywoodisms]], such as the aforementioned Keira Knightley as Guinevere, a blue, {{Breast Plate}}d Pictish (!) {{Warrior Prince}}ss.

The [[KnightInShiningArmor perfect king]]. 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]] A legendary, and somewhat tragic figure, in most versions of the myth Arthur tries to overcome the chaos of the land and the notion of 'might equals right' through chivalry, but is ultimately undone as noble chivalry depends on might to enforce order. This, in conjunction with his failings as a husband in trying to be the perfect King, along with his last act often attributed as being forced to kill his only son in battle. Nevertheless, the romantic Arthurian legend stands for all that was noble and good in the medieval ideal of chivalry, and of how a perfect king should be, compassionate, decisive and just.

->''Here lies Arthur; King once, and King again to be.''

** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGvepxEl7Pw& Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]] is about. . . [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gawain fighting the Green Knight]].

* ''King Arthur Pendragon'', of course. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin It's there in the title.]] Heavily based on Malory's ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur'' but not afraid to plunder other sources if need be, and notable for magic causing the timeline to advance rapidly from the Dark Ages (complete with marauding Picts and Saxons) right through to the 15th century during the course of Arthur's reign allowing just about any Arthurian tale from any of myriad versions of the myth to be fit in somewhere. The ''Great Pendragon Campaign'' explicitly identifies the phases of Arthur's reign with periods in the history of England, from the Norman Conquest to the Wars of the Roses, in terms of the political situation and the available technology.

* ''[[BackyardSports Backyard Skateboarding]]'' has the unlockable Excaliboard ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin obviously]] based on Excalibur) and mentions of the Knights of the Round Table in the MedievalEuropeanFantasy level, Merry Old Englandland.
* VideoGame/KingArthurTheRoleplayingWargame is... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin more or less that, yeah.]]
* [[VideoGame/WarCraft Prince Arthas]] is a inversion of King Arthur. The sword he pulled from a stone (actually, magic ice or something) was very powerful, and marked him as destined for a throne. But it stole his soul, and the throne in question was that of an undead EvilOverlord rather than the throne of TheKingdom he was born to. He's advised by a wizard with an odd life cycle, like Merlin, but the weird thing about this wizard is that he's a ''necromancer'' who Arthas ''killed'' and later helped come back as a lich. He disbanded the Silver Hand, an order of paladins, and while he later founded an order of death knights, which is an inversion on more than one level: not only are they ignoble and unholy but it wasn't even a new idea or original in-world, making it the reverse of both the Round Table and the Silver Hand.

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** Various edits of the opening track, ''Arthur'', which [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin tells us briefly of Arthur's ascendency]], have been used by Creator/TheBBC to herald every general election since 1979 (with one exception).

** Various edits of the opening track, ''Arthur'', which [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin tells us briefly of Arthur's ascendency]], have been used by TheBBC to herald every general election since 1979 (with one exception).

* DonRosa's DonaldDuck story "The Once and Future Duck" has Donald, his nephews, and Gyro Gearloose traveling back in time to meet King Arthur... only this Arthur is a lot closer to the historical figure that may have inspired the legends. Once again, Don Rosa [[ShownTheirWork shows his work.]]

->''Here lies Arthur in Avalon; King once, and King once again to be.''

* DavidDrake's early novel ''The Dragon Lord'': Drake has commented that the personality of his Arthur -- a military genius, but vicious and twisted -- is a cross between Alexander the Great and AdolfHitler.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: Lancelot and Galehaut ([[IAmNotShazam no, not Galahad]]).

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial "Battlefield", Merlin is revealed to be a future regeneration of the Doctor.

** This has also been {{invoked|trope}} by "descendants" of Arthur on many occasions. Most notably, [[TheHouseOfTudor Henry VII]] following the UsefulNotes/WarsOfTheRoses, who named his first-born son Arthur and claimed him to be the prophesied [[KingInTheMountain second coming]] who would herald the Golden Age. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Might have been cool if he'd lived longer than his dad]], but we got HenryVIII instead.

Like the other great British folk hero RobinHood,[[note]]whose legend developed many centuries later, and is more of an exclusively English figure[[/note]] [[ShroudedInMyth there may be a kernel of historical truth to the myth]], but [[MemeticMutation it has been obscured by centuries of elaborations]]. If he existed, the historical Arthur may have been a Romano-British leader who fought the invading Saxons after the Roman provincial government collapsed. Documents show that after the [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Battle of Mount Badon]], the Saxon conquest was turned back for almost a century, but the records are confused as to of who was in charge of the Britons at the time, if anyone; if he existed, Arthur's realm may have been an outpost of people not-getting-killed. The first surviving reference is from circa 600 A.D., and implies that either the legend or at least the man's reputation was well known even then.

* SpaceWhaleAesop: The origin of [[ChildOfRape Merlin]]: Don't forget to say your prayers, and don't argue with your siblings, or else you'll be raped by HornyDevils while you sleep. [[SarcasmMode Hmm...right.]]

''Major Arthurian Stories:''

* ''Shadows Over Camelot'' is a board game styled after the Arthurian myths, where the players take on the roles of Knights of the Round Table of their choosing (including King Arthur himself). The knights cooperate in going on quests and defending Camelot against encroaching evil forces--with a twist that one of ''them'' is secretly evil (i.e. the other players don't know who the traitor is) and must work to ensure Camelot's downfall.

->'''Here lies Arthur in Avalon; King once, and King once again to be.'''

-> "''I was not born to live a man's life, but to be the stuff of future memory. The fellowship of the Round Table 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.''"