The Complete King Arthur:
Many Faces, One Hero
By
John Matthews & Caitlín Matthews
A comprehensive examination of the historical and mythological evidence for every major theory about King Arthur
• Explores the history of every Arthur candidate and the geographical arguments that have placed him in different locations
• Examines 1,800 years of evidence for Arthur’s life and the famous
series of 12 battles fought against the Saxons in the 6th century
• Reconstructs the history of the 6th century in Britain, when the first
references to Arthur and the core events of his reign appear
Few legends have had the enduring influence of those surrounding King
Arthur. Many believe the stories are based on historical truth. For
others Arthur represents the archetype of the brilliant monarch reigning
over a fairy-tale kingdom, offering his knights the opportunity to
prove their mettle in battle and find gnostic illumination through
initiation into sacred mysteries like that of the Grail.
Presenting the culmination of more than 40 years’ research, John and
Caitlín Matthews examine the historical and mythological evidence for
every major theory about the existence of King Arthur. Drawing on modern
techniques in archaeology and scholarship, they reconstruct the history
of the 6th century in Britain, the period when the first unambiguous
references to Arthur appear. They explore the history of every Arthur
candidate, the geographical arguments that have placed him in different
locations, and the evidence for his life and famous battles fought
against the Saxons. Was the greatest British hero of all time not a king
but a 2nd-century Roman officer active around Hadrian’s Wall in
Cumbria? A 5th-century soldier who operated in areas as far apart as
Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, or Brittany? Or an entirely mythical fiction
that provided a figure of light during a dark period of British history?
Examining other literary figures from the 5th century such as Vortigern
and Ambrosius, the authors also break down the plots of all the major
Arthurian romances, including those by Chretien de Troyes, Sir Thomas
Malory, and Robert de Boron, to reveal the historical events they are
based on. Piecing together the many fragments that constitute the image
of Arthur, both the man and the myth, the authors show how each face of
Arthur has something to offer and how his modern popularity proves the
enduring power of the hero-myth, truly earning Arthur the title he first
received in the 15th century: The Once and Future King.
What did I think of the book?
The
Complete King Arthur: Many Faces, One Hero, is a comprehensive look at
the many different persona’s of King Arthur. I have read many books from
notable scholars on the subject of Arthur, so I was looking forward to
seeing what John Matthews and Caitlín Matthews had to say for
themselves. I was hoping for something fresh and easy to read, I got
that.
The
authors do not claim to have found Arthur, this isn’t that type of
book, although I got the impression the authors were leaning towards the
Roman Centurion, Artorius Castus, as a probable candidate!
This
book covers a vast period, from Roman occupation of Britain, to now,
which is a long period of history to cover, but I have to commend John
Matthews and Caitlín Matthews, for they did it remarkably well.
This
book looks at how Arthur has changed through the ages and how he has
been used, to some extent, for political purposes. It also shows us how
Arthur ‘the man’ was turned into Arthur ‘the legend’ and how the ancient
texts were possibly misinterpreted. So as with anything to do with
Arthur you expect to look at the works of Gildas, Nennius, Bede, etc...
which this book does, and John Matthews and Caitlín Matthews have come
up with some really interesting thesis as they interpret what they think
this writing is, and isn’t, telling us. The authors arguments are very
compelling, and I have to admit I had this book in one hand, and the
rest of my vast Arthurian collection spread out before me while I
cross-referenced. And for the most part, I found myself agreeing with
what John Matthews and Caitlín Matthews have so elegantly put forward as
an argument. Their interpretation makes sense.
This
book spends a long time looking at Nennius’s 12 famous battles and how
these "battles" have been interpreted / miss-interpreted over time, and,
more importantly, what they say about the political landscape that they
are set in. I thought the authors were right to dedicate this amount of
time to these battles and for those new to Arthurian Legend this would
be enlightening.
The
book takes us on a journey and show us how Arthur changed over time
from a soldier to a king, and it pays particular attention to the great
poets, who of course, were responsible for this change. There is a
fascinating chapter on Geoffrey of Monmouth, who is the founding father
of the somewhat fictitious Arthur that we would recognise today. The
authors look in great detail at Monmouth’s life and where he got his
facts from - that missing ancient manuscript raises its head again - and
more importantly, they look at why Monmouth wrote it in the first
place.
The
authors show the two sides of Arthur — the Christian King, and the
spoilt, arrogant, almost evil Arthur that he was sometimes portrayed as.
The book looks at principle players in Arthurian Legend as well - Kay,
Mordred, Bedivere, Gawain, and Lancelot, as well as Arthur's Queen, all
get a mention and as with Arthur, the authors demonstrate where the
'historical' characters came from, and which ones have a rather
fictitious beginning!
I thought this book was very well thought out, there are lots of amazing images,
a very useful timeline, maps, and everything is chronicled in order, so you really
do need to start at the beginning as there is a lot of references to earlier chapters.
This is a book that is suitable for those who are just starting out on their
Arthurian journey, as well as those that are well on their way into their research.
This is a book that I am going to come back to again. It is a welcomed addition
to my shelf.
I Highly Recommend.
*I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley, for review consideration*
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