Legend as History

The following quote is from Giraldus Cambrensis's On the Instruction of Princes (De instructione principum):

The burial place is now known as Glastonbury, and in ancient times it was called the Island of Avalon. It is indeed almost an island, being surrounded by marshes; and so in the British language it was called Inis Avallon or Apple Island, since apples grow there in abundance. Then too Morgan, the noble matron and lady-ruler of those parts, who was closely related by blood to King Arthur, transported Arthur after the Battle of Kemelen [Camlan] to this island, now called Glaston, to heal his wounds. In the British language it was once called Inis Gutrin (that is, Glass Island), and for that reason the Saxons dubbed it Glastonbury since Glas means "glass" in their tongue, and bury is "city" or "camp."

This quotation stands out to me due to the way it blends history and legend. Giraldus writes as if it is a given that Arthur and Morgan lived and died as in the stories, and focuses on changes in place names over time. The way he explains Avalon's different names and where they come from is similar to how someone else might explain the different names of New York City or Istanbul. I think it shows that it is important to keep in mind as we read whether the author of a text considered Arthur to have existed, for that will affect how the author presents the material.

Wilhelm, James J. "Arthur in the Latin Chronicles." The Romance of Arthur, edited by Norris J. Lacy and James J. Wilhelm, Routledge, 2013, pp. 1-7.