The many sides of Arthur

Though it saddened the king, he entrusted her to Kay, for never was he known to break his word; but his anger and pain were written clearly upon his face.
(116)

I just love how each story so far has presented a new side to the legendary King Arthur!

The Knight and the Hair

"He was willing for her to have the comb, but first he removed the hair, being careful not to break a single strand. Never will the eye of a man see anything so highly honored as those strands, which he began to adore, touching them a hundred thousand times to his eyes, his mouth, his forehead and his cheeks. He placed the strands on his breast near his heart, between his chemise and his skin. He would not have traded them for a card loaded with emeralds and carbuncles; more did he fear that ulcers or anything other disease could afflict him; he had no use for magic potions mixed with pearls, nor for drugs against pleurisy, nor for theriaca, nor even for prayers to St. Martin and St. James! He placed so much faith in these strands of hair that he felt no need for any other aid." (Lacy, Norris, Wilhelm, 128)


Although I do not know much about King Arthur literature, I chose this quote because the relationship between Lancelot and Guinevere seems integral for the legend. It seems like the feelings shared between the two, and with Arthur in the mix, could make life extremely complicated as a knight of the round table. Does this cause problems between the three throughout the collective narrative? I also chose this because of the intense nature of Lancelot's feelings. Doing all that with just some hair.....it almost seems as if Lancelot is mentally unstable. That he is not only in love with the King's wife, but is completely and utterly obsessed with her. What gives Lance? This is bad for business bro.


cite:
Lacy, Norris J., and James J. Wilhelm. The Romance of Arthur an Anthology of Medieval Texts in                                          Translation. Routledge, 2013.

Special Kay

As I was reading the story here was a quote that stood out to me:

"In desperation King Arthur went to his queen and asked, "My lady, have you no idea what the seneschal wants from me? He has asked for leave and says that he will quit my court. I don't know why. But what he wouldn't do for me, he'll do at once if you beg him. Go to him, my dear lady; though he deign not stay for my sake, pray him to stay for yours and fall at his feet if necessary, for I would never again be happy if I were to lose his company"" (115).


I found this quote to be very interesting because Arthur is practically telling his wife to plead to Kay to stay with his court and do anything he asks in order for him to stay. What I could gather from this is that Kay must've been a very important piece to Arthur's court for him to go to all these measures to ensure that he doesn't leave. But what I don't understand is that when Kay requests to leave with the queen to go after the knight in the forest, Arthur becomes salty even though he set himself up for something like this. Also for him to say he would never be happy again if Kay was to leave is very significant, their relationship must be very strong or they have built a strong bond throughout the years.

Kibler, William W. "Chretien de Troyes, Lancelot, Or The Knight Of The Cart." The Romance of Arthur, edited by Norris J. Lacy and James J. Wilhelm, Routledge, 2013, pp. 112-180.

Bon Jovi=The Knight of the Cart

I felt that the quest to find the find queen was mostly The Knight of the Cart hoping and praying that they would make it and eventually get there. This song reminded me of that while reading.

Culwich the Great

I chose this song because I could not stop thinking about what a alpha male Culwich seems to be. He is constantly riding a horse and presenting his toughness in the reading. He teamed up with Arthur on the quest for Olwen, and we know Arthur would only chose the finest of warriors to fight along with.
Some examples of his alpha personality could be...

pg. 40 (paragraph 5) "And the Culwich said, "Everyone has received his gift, but I am still without one. I shall leave and take your honor with me."

pg. 41 (paragraph 7) "Culwich said to her, "Ah, girl, it is you that I have loved. Come with me."

pg. 43 (paragraph 8) "And Culwich caught it. And he threw it back just as he wanted to and pierced him through the eyeball so that it came out at the nape of the neck"

A Friend Like Arthur

Culhwch is told by his father that he doesn't have a chance of marrying Olwen, the daughter of the giant, unless he gets help from Arthur. Arthur, a distant cousin, really doesn't have much reason to help Culhwch, but he does anyway. The powerful King Arthur blesses the helpless young lad with six of his finest knights on his quest for love, just like how the Genie uses his magic to help Aladdin win the heart of Jasmine. All Culhwch really had to do was ask for help and Arthur gave it to him, not asking for anything in return. With Arthur's help in the form of his men, Culhwch is able to win Ysbaddaden's approval and Olwen's hand in marriage.

We could all hope for a friend like Arthur.

 

Pork chop

Culhwch the Bluffing

I could not believe that I stood there blushing in front of my stepmother. I had just met her and already she was proposing that I marry her daughter. I said the first thing that came to my mind: “I am not yet old enough to marry.” Stupid and insolent as always, I had tried to bluff my way out, but she beat me at my own game. She cursed me to win a giant’s daughter— I now fully understand why my own mother tried so hard to prevent my father from ever remarrying: stepmothers truly are wicked.
My father called me out on my own bluff and asked why I was so stupidly blushing. After offering my explanation, father reminded me of my salvation—“Arthur is your first cousin.”
King Arthur, my first cousin, is the most fantastic, powerful man to ever live, and though I personally could never win a giant’s daughter, I knew I could stick to my old trick, bluffing, and he would win the girl for me.
My good-looks got me through the front gate, and with a little more bluffing, I got exactly what I came for: Arthur's help. I knew that he and his knights would take care of getting me the girl.
Arguably, the most difficult part of my quest was standing before Ysbaddaden Chief Giant and listening to his list of demands. He asked me to do some crazy farming, and I said the first thing that came to mind: “it's easy for me to manage that, though you think it's not easy.” Fake-it-till-you-make. I repeated that phrase 39 times as he droned one with ridiculous demand after ridiculous demand. I couldn't think of anything else to say. But I knew Arthur would come through, and he did. I got the girl. Turns out I never fooled the old giant. My bluff was called again when he told me, “but you don't have to thank me for that. Instead thank Arthur, the man that made this happen for you.”
Thanks Arthur.