King Arthur Research Paper

Supernatural Elements in the King Arthur Tales

Do you believe that supernatural elements exist today? Many supernatural elements exist in the Arthurian legends. These elements play an important role in many stories. Elements like King Arthur's sword Excalibur, Merlyn the wizard, and Avalon, a magical island, help advance the plot line in the Arthurian legends.

Excalibur, a magical sword, portrays the role of Arthur's weapon that helps him throughout many tales. Depending on the story Arthur acquires the sword in different ways. In "Once and Future King" Arthur pulls the sword from a stone as a young boy during a trip to London, a task only the future king of Britain could do. In "Morte d' Arthur" Arthur acquires Excalibur from the lady of the lake, a mysterious and mystical lady who is the titular ruler of Avalon. No matter how King Arthur acquires Excalibur, it's power helps Arthur throughout many of his tales.

Merlyn, a wizard, depicts different roles depending on the story, ranging from good to evil, but almost always displaying magical qualities.

In "Once and Future King" Merlyn possesses a magical owl named Archimedes. Archimedes can talk and displays companionship towards Merlyn. In the 1963 Disney animated movie "The Sword and the Stone" Merlyn casts a spell on Sir Ector for doubting his magical abilities. The spell creates a blizzard above Sir Ector and buries him in snow. Merlyn often uses his magical abilities to advance the plot line, this often makes him an important character for many Arthurian

legends.

Avalon, a magical island, portrays the setting of a resting place for the dead. In "Morte d' Arthur" Arthur prevails from a battle in which all his knights but one died. Barely alive and on his death bed, three queens arrive to guide Arthur to the island of Avalon on a boat so he may rest in paradise. In the historical account "Historia Regum Brittaniae" author Geoffrey of Monmouth, describes Avalon as the "Isle of Fruit Trees". This description helps to understand what Avalon was supposed to look like in the Arthurian legends. Avalon depicts a paradise for the dead in the Arthurian legends and is the resting place of King Arthur in many of them.

These three supernatural elements depict important roles in many King Arthur tales. Some of the main themes of these stories would not be possible without the supernatural elements that exist in them. King Arthur stories would be completely different than what we know today if these aspects were not in them. Elements like Excalibur, Merlyn and Avalon help progress the plot lines of Arthurian legends and the stories of King Arthur and his knights would not be the same without them.