Conclusion

Arthur as a tale therefore incorporates several ‘mythic’ elements or components; a mystic sword, a journey or quest, a magical or wise individual, sacred relics or experiences and a final journey into another world or plane of existence. Using sacred and magical imagery brings a new ‘mythical’ dimension to the legends. The person of Arthur is used to personify the spirit of the land, he is imbued, by the use of these mythic motifs, with the concept of divine kingship epitomising the spirit or ideal of the living community. Similarly, Arthur’s death fulfils the same symbolic function as the tradition of the deification of a dead monarch prevalent in some pagan cultures, but, as it is a Christian ideal the motif cannot be taken too far, he is not, cannot be worshipped in his own right, but he can be saved by ‘magic’ that is endorsed by God as befits Arthur’s position as saviour to his people.

As the king, Arthur then epitomises or personifies the spirit or character of a living community as it exists in a moment of time. The mythic elements allow Arthur to replace the figure of a tribal god, that would personify or epitomise the spiritual essence of the community perceived that is seen as an ideal. The feelings that surround the Arthur of legend stop just short of worship, restrained by Christian ideals. However, as worship is more than just mere respect, it entails veneration and awe, piety and subservience, it could be argued that there is an element of ancestor or hero worship contained within the Arthurian myth. An ancestor must possess some special extra quality that sets him apart. That quality consists precisely of the fact that he is, or was, a convenient vessel and the vehicle or an ideal and an ‘essence’, it is this essence that is being worshipped not his earthly personality. In the field of hero worship, the innate divinity of the hero is often portrayed under the image of positive deification; after his death he is translated to a higher realm or caught up into heaven.

The mythic element so captured the popular imagination that it became an integral part of the perception of the tale, it cannot now easily be divorced from it. It exists because there was a requirement, a need for it to exist, the characters almost had a responsibility to follow a sacred or mythological element within the story to justify their actions within it.

In capturing the spirit of the Romantic and traditional mythic, components of the Arthurian cycles, Sir Thomas Mallory was elevating the whole corpus to the status of an origin myth for a ‘united’ Britain, under the leadership of a king designated both by God and tradition.

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The above was presented as an undergraduate dissertation and apologies are made for its 'stilted' style.

(This work is the sole property of R. A. Bracewell and no part of it may be reproduced without permission.)

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