Arthur
The Book of Arthur, Lost Tales From the Round Table by John Matthews is a collection of stories about King Arthur and his loyal knights. The book posses a wide range of tales, all derived from medieval texts. The Arthur depicted in the book is from the early Celtic version of the myths and is more dark and barbaric then the familiar tales of knights in shining armor. The stories in the book take place in the 6th century court of King Arthur. Throughout the book, the knights of Arthur's round table perform feats of courage and skill in order to gain honor for the kingdom.
In the first tale of the book, which I will discuss, we learn most about Merlin. Merlin is known both as a prophet and a king. However, after witnessing the death of three princes during battle, he is lost in sorrow and runs into the forest to live for a year. This traumatic experience is responsible for Merlin's internal conflict. He only finds comfort in the deep solitude of the woods, eating berries and wild cresses, talking to wild animals.
Merlin's wife and sister eventually learn of his existence in the forest and send men in search of him. Eventually someone finds him, and sings for him. The music clears Merlin's madness and he returns with the musician to Kind Rodarch's court, where his sister is queen. When he enters the gates of the city, his madness returns, but he is held at the bidding of his wife and sister. King Rodarch offers him many gifts, but Merlin denies them, only wishing to return to his forest home. When the queen enters, Merlin laughs, peaking the curiosity of the king. Merlin is allowed to leave, if he tells what his laughter is about. It turns out that he is laughing because he knows that the queen has a secret lover. The king is angered, but wishes to test Merlin. He sends a boy in front of Merlin three times, each time the boy is different in appearance. Merlin foretells three different deaths for the boy, and the king ceases to believe him. Merlin is allowed to return to the forest.
During the time which Merlin lives in the forest, his prophecy about the boy's death comes true, and the boy dies in a combination of the three prophecies. Eventually Merlin learns of his wife's planned remarriage, and brings gifts to give her when he visits. When he arrives, his madness overtakes him and he kills her fiancé and flees. He is soon caught by the court guard and is brought to Rodarch's house. The king pities him, and lets him go about the street, in the hopes that he will regain his sanity. Merlin makes prophecies about people on the street, which eventually come true. Because of this, Merlin is allowed to go back to his forest, and his sister builds him a wonderful house with 70 doors and 70 windows. Merlin remains there and makes prophecies. Eventually he is cured of his madness by a magic spring, but he remains in his woodland home. After a time, his sister comes to join him, and she gains the power of prophecy and they live out their days there. Nothing more is told of Merlin in the book, except that his name remained in the hearts and minds of the Britons for all time after.
The first in the series of tales in this book was interesting. I would recommend it to someone if they were interested in the Arthurian legends, or in medieval myths in general. However, I would not recommend this book to someone who does not present a strong interest in the genre of the book. Throughout this book, I found it hard to stay interested. A few stories from this book will go a long way. The language is somewhat confusing, especially if you are not familiar with the middle ages. There are many, many characters to keep track of. However, if you are willing keep track of all the characters, and do your research before hand, this is a rewarding book.