King Arthur: In Search of the Once and Future King

Everyone loves Arthurian legend and we’re well steeped in it’s lore here at Heroes and Mortals. Much of that is because we’re avid readers of Medievalists.net, one of the most popular sources for medieval lore, history, art, and content online.

Author James Turner at medievalists.net just wrapped up an 8-part series titled “In Search of the Once and Future King” where he delves deep into the various histories and myths of King Arthur from Edward I to Mark Twain to modern films. It’s an epic adventure worth every word and we highly recommend reading the entire series.

Part 1: In Search of the Once and Future King: Arthur and Edward I
Part 2: In Search of the Once and Future King: The Soul of Chivalry
Part 3: In Search of The Once and Future King: Attack of the Prequels
Part 4: In Search of the Once and Future King: Arthur and the Twilight of the Middle Ages
Part 5: In Search of the Once and Future King: King of the Who?
Part 6: In Search of the Once and Future King: In Glorious Technicolour
Part 7: In Search of the Once and Future King: A Constructed Authenticity
Part 8: In Search of the Once and Future King: A Continuing Quest

Of note on a personal level was James’ final paragraph which we’ll copy here in it’s entirety, as it sums up fairly well how we at Heroes and Mortals feel about history, myth, the modern world, and heroic legend’s place within it.

There is no single historically verifiable or definitive individual at the heart of the Arthurian legends. Instead, the real Arthur is to be found in the world of myth and literature, of entertainment and popular culture. There is a whole pantheon of real Arthurs, differentiated from each other often by a matter of degrees, each of which was created to better reflect and fulfill the needs and eccentricities of changing regional and global cultures. We live in uncertain and frighting times but there is no point in simply waiting for the return of the Once and Future King. It is for us to conjure him up.
– James Turner