Alexander Luthor

Matter of Britain: themes and bibliography

2010-04-11T17:40:00.000+02:00

Introduction:

The Matter of Britain is historically linked to the birth of the novel genre in literature: it belongs to the French literature of the origins written in the "oïl" language. This literature includes the "Chansons de Geste" ("Songs of heroic deeds") and the "Romances".
The literature of the "langues d'oïl" is born in the Northern France, and it was strictly connected with the nobility and the courts.

"Chansons de Geste":

The "Songs of heroic deeds" are epic poems, and their production began in the second half of the XI century. These songs are composed by the so-called "Carolingian cycle" or the "Matter of France"; there are almost a hundred songs in total, and in them is the celebration of three dynastical cycles: the royal cycle, about Charlemagne and his descendants; that of William of Orange ("Chanson de Willelme"); and finally that of the rebel vassals (like Isembard and others).
The ideals that are exalted in the "Chansons de Geste" are mainly the epical defense of the Fatherland, and the ideologies of the feudal nobility and of the chivalry. Strong it is also the hagiographical component, that is the exaltation of the virtues of the leading characters: and the main of them is Roland, the hero par excellence of these compositions.

The older, important and famous among the "Songs of heroic deeds" it is the "Chanson de Roland"
(1070-1080), attributed to Turold. In this song is commemorated an historical event: the distruction of
the Charlemagne's rear-guard at Roncesvalles in 778, when the frankish army was crossing the Pyrenees for to come back in France after a fruitless expedition in Spain.

"Romances":

The "Romances" instead sing about adventures, quests, loves, and fantasy. This genre is born almost a century after the carolingian epic, and it reflects a noble society much more refined and literary.

It is characterized by a broad narration, and it is not related to collective military exploits as in the epic genre of the "Chansons de Geste", but to adventures of single individuals or small groups of knights.

These quests include both historical and wonderful elements. The audience of this "new" genre were mostly the frequenters of the feudal courts: in fact it seems that this genre was from its beginning in writing, and not oral like the "Songs of heroic deeds".
Being these pure literary works, the public was obligatorily elitarian: that is, men able to read. In this respect it must be noted that the authors of the "Romances" are known, instead those of the "Chansons de Geste" are almost always anonyms. The public of these literary works can found examples of correct behaviour and rules of chivalry.
The themes of these compositions are mainly the magic, the love, and the neverending, continuous and eternal wanderings and exploits of the warriors.

The subjects of the romances are two: the "Classical Cycle" and the "Matter of Britain", also known as the "Arthurian Cycle".

In the "Classical Cycle" there are romances inspired to stories, legends, and myths belonging to the classical antiquity, like the fall of Troy, the conquests of Alexander the Great, and many others. The authors of these poems were cultured poets who knew well the latin literature. The most famous texts pertaining to this Cycle are the "Romance of Alexander", the "Romance of Troy", and the "Romance of Thebes".

The "Matter of Britain" is based on the heritage of the myths of the ancient Celts.
The leading characters of this corpus of legends are King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table.

The first written reference to the "Matter of Britain" is found in the historical latin text "Historia Regum Britanniae" ("History of the Kings of Britain", XII century) by Geoffrey of Monmouth, who was at the service of King Henry I of England. But it was Chrétien de Troyes to give to this theme a poetical arrangement, developing so the entire Cycle and genre.

Chrétien de Troyes is the greatest medieval poet Dante before. Little is known of his life: he was a native of Champagne, and he distinguished himself at the court of Henry I and his wife Maria, in the city of Troyes. There he has lived and has created his works for most of his life, until he went to Flanders. This is the last known information about his life. Also about his literary works there are few sure information: five works are attributed to him, and these are the "Erèc et Enide", the "Cligès", the "Yvain ou Le Chevalier au Lion", the "Lancelot"(unfinished), and the "Perceval ou Le Conte du Graal"(unfinished).

The characters of the "Matter of Britain" are heroic knights, whose superiority is reflected not only in their physical strength and in the defense of values, but especially in the fidelity to their own individual destiny: these heroes are indeed exemplary figures who accept their own fate with absolute determination and responsibility.

Often they face difficult choices, and through the adventures and their own individual abilities, the knights stand out from the rest of the community.

These warriors are in continuous and perpetual search of something ( that can be the Grail, the beloved, etc. ), and many are the obstacles and the impediments they encounter in their path: the grandeur of a knight is exactly in the tenacity with which he tackles his absolute search.

Related to the context of the "Matter of Britain" are also the "Lais": short narrative works with various lyrical elements.

The Lais of Marie de France: Text and Context

Lays of Marie De France and Other French Legends

Narrative technique in the Lais of Marie de France;: Themes and variations (North Carolina studies in the Romance languages and literatures)

Among the various authors it must be remembered Maria of France (XII century), who lived at the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine. She wrote twelve "Lais" focusing mainly on the love theme, all of exceptional beauty.

Bibliography of the "Matter of Britain":

-"Historia Britonum"- (IX century)

Written by Nennius. The oldest surviving text that identifies Arthur with the Briton leader who defeated the Saxons at Badon.

Lebor Bretnach The Irish Version Of The Historia Britonum Ascribed To Nennius

-"Annales Cambriae"- (950)

Welsh chronicles. The oldest surviving source that mentions the death of Arthur and Mordred in combat.

Annales Cambriae: A Translation of Harleian 3859; PRO E.164/1; Cottonian Domitian, A 1; Exeter Cathedral Library MS. 3514 and MS Exchequer DB Neath, PRO E

ANNALES CAMBRIAE RERUM BRITANNICARUM MEDII AEVI SCRIPTORES, OR CHRONICLES AND MEMORIALS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND DURING THE MIDDLE AGES. (ROLLS SERIES) VOL 20

-Geoffrey of Monmouth-

"Profetiae Merlini";

The Prophetia Merlini of Geoffrey of Monmouth: A Fifteenth-Century English Commentary (Speculum Anniversary Monographs ; 8)

"Historia Regum Britanniae" ("History of the Kings of Britain", 1136): it contains the oldest surviving chronicle of the exploits of Arthur;

The Legendary History of Britain: Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae and Its Early Vernacular Versions

geoffrey of monmouth: historia regum britanniae: a variant version edit from manuscripts

The Historia Regum Britanniae of Geoffrey of Monmouth.

"Vita Merlini" (1148): a text based on Welsh traditions.

Vita Merlini - Vie De Merlin

-Caradoc of Llancarfan-

Welsh historian, author of the "Vita Gildae" (1130), that includes the story of the kidnapping of Guenevere.

Gildae de Excidio Britanniae, Fragmenta, Liber de Paenitentia Lorica Gilda; Gildas: The Ruin of Britan, fragments from lost letters, the penitential, together with the Life of Gildas written by the Monastery of Ruys in brittany (Vita 1) and Caradoc of Llancarfan or Nancarfan (Vita 2) . Part 2. Cymmrodorion Record Series. No 3

Two Lives of Gildas

-William of Malmesbury -

Norman historian, author of the "De gestis Regum Anglorum" (1140), and of the "De antiquitate Glastoniensis".

William of Malmesbury"s Chronicle of the Kings of England from the earliest Period to the Reign of King Stephen

The Antiquities Of Glastonbury By William Of Malmesbury

William of Malmesbury's Chronicle of the Kings of England from the Earliest Period to the Reign of King Stephen, with notes & illustrations by J.A. Giles

-"Roman de Brut"- (1155)

Written by Robert Wace, an expanded version of the "Historia" (Geoffrey of Monmouth).

-Chrétien de Troyes-

"Erèc et Enide"

Erec et Enide ; Le Chevalier au Lion : Traduits de Chrétien de Troyes (Collection Médiévale)

Erec et Enide

The Welsh Knight: Paradoxicality in Chretien's Erec Et Enide (French Forum Monographs; No. 6)

"Cligès"

Cliges: Roman Traduit De La Ancien Francais Par Alexandre Micha

Chretien De Troyes: Cliges (CRITICAL GUIDES TO FRENCH TEXTS)

"Yvain ou Le Chevalier au Lion"

Etudes Sur Yvain Ou Le Chevalier Au Lion De Chretien De Troyes (French Edition)

"Lancelot"

Lancelot and Guinevere; A Study on the Origins of Courtly Love

Lancelot: Or, the Knight of the Cart

"Perceval ou Le Conte du Graal"

Arthurian Names in the Perceval of Chrétien de Troyes: Analysis and Commentary (University of California Publications in Modern Philology, Vol. 38, No. ... California publications in modern philology)

Le Conte du Graal. Perceval. TWO VOLUMES. Les Romans de Troyes. Edites d'apres la copie de Guiot. Bibl. Nat. fr. 794. Les Classiques Francais du Moyen Age. 1975 Edition

-"Draco Normannicus"- (1170)

Written by Etienne of Rouen; is a satirical version of the return of Arthur.

-"Tristant"- (1170)

Written by the German poet Eilhart von Oberge.

Eilhart von Oberge's Tristrant

The courtly elements in Eilhart von Oberge's Tristrant

-Béroul-

Norman poet. Author of a romance about Tristan (1190), of which only fragments remain.

Beroul's Tristan and the Folie De Berne (CRITICAL GUIDES TO FRENCH TEXTS)

Beroul Le Roman de Tristan: Poeme du XII Siecle

Beroul: The Romance of Tristan (French Texts)

Beroul: The Romance of Tristran (Garland Library of Medieval Literature)

-Hartmann von Aue-

German poet, author of the "Erek", a text partly based on the "Erèc et Enide" by Chrétien de Troyes; he has written also the "Iwein", based on the "Yvain ou Le Chevalier au Lion" by Chrétien.

Chivalry in Twelfth-Century Germany the Works Of Hartmann Von Aue

-"Lanzelet"- (1200)

Written by U. von Zatzikhoven.

Ulrich Von Zatzikhoven Lanzelot A Romance Of Lancelot Translated From The Middle High German

-Robert de Boron- (1200)

French poet, author of the "Joseph" and of the "Merlin".

Merlin and the Grail: Joseph of Arimathea, Merlin, Perceval: The Trilogy of Arthurian Prose Romances attributed to Robert de Boron (Arthurian Studies)

-Layamon-

Author of the epic poem "Brut", a text that follows the "Roman de Brut" by Wace.

Comprehensive Study of Layamon's Brut (Studies in Mediaeval Literature, V. 21.)

Studies in Layamon's Verse

Layamons Brut, Or, Chronicle of Britain: A Poetical Semi-Saxon Paraphrase of the Brut of Wace, Volume 1
Layamons Brut, Or Chronicle of Britain: A Poetical Semi-Saxon Paraphrase of the Brut of Wace. Now First Published from the Cottonian Manuscripts in the ... Notes, and a Grammatical Glossary, Volume 3

-"The Black Book of Carmarthen"- (1200)

A collection of ancient Welsh poems.

The Black Book of Carmarthen, Limited Edition

The Black Book of Carmarthen

-"Didot Perceval"- (XIII century)

Literary work that is a continuation of the "Joseph" and of the "Merlin" by Robert de Boron.

The Didot Perceval According to the Manuscripts of Modena and Paris

The Romance of Perceval in Prose: A Translation of the E Manuscript of The Didot Perceval.

-"Perlesvaus"- (1210)

A work that recounts the adventures of Perceval, Lancelot and Gawain in the search of the Grail.

Romance of Perlesvaus (Studies in Mediaevalism: Monographs & Texts. The Weston Papers)
The Old French Grail Romance Perlesvaus

Le haut livre du Graal, Perlesvaus: A structural study (Histoire des idees et critique litteraire ; v. 145)

-"Parzival"- (1210)

Written by Wolfram von Eschenbach.

The Parzival of Wolfram Von Eschenbach (University of North Carolina Studies in the Germanic Languages and Literatures, 5)

-"Tristan"- (1210)

Written by the German poet Gottfried von Strassburg.

Gottfried Von Strassburg (Godfrey of Strasbourg) German Poet Author of Tristan Giclee Poster Print, 18x24
Tristan: With the Surviving Fragments of the 'Tristan of Thomas' (Penguin Classics)

-Lancelot-Graal- (1215/1235)

Name given to the most comprehensive and important cycle on the "Matter of Britain".

It is divided into five parts:

."L'estoire du Saint-Graal": it is the story of the origins of the Grail, how it was brought to Britain;

."Merlin": it is a kind of prose version of the "Merlin" by Robert de Boron, and also its continuation; it is reported the story of Merlin and Arthur's youth;

."Lancelot": here are told the adventures of Lancelot and of the other knights of the Round Table, and also of Galaad.

."La queste du Saint-Graal": the knights' search for the Grail and the achievement of Galaad;

."Mort Artu": the fulfillment of the fate of Arthur and of his knights;

-"Le Roman de Tristan de Léonois"- (1250)

-"Book of Taliesin"- (1270)

Collection of ancient Welsh poems. Taliesin Was a famous bard of the sixth century, and probably he is the author of some parts of this work.

The Four Ancient Books of Wales [Black Book of Carmarthen, Book of Haneirin, Book of Taliesin, Red Book of Hergest] Containing the Cymric Poems Attributed ... Bards of the Sixth Century, by W.F. Skene
Poems From the Book of Taliesin: Ed., Amended, & Tr. By J. Gwenogvryn Evans [1915 ]

-"Meliadus"- (1271)

Written by Rusticiano from Pisa.

Meliadus De Leonnoys 1531 (French Arthurian Romances Series)

-"La Tavola Ritonda"- (1295)

Tristan and the Round Table: A Translation of LA Tavola Ritonda (Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies)

-"Sir Tristem"- (XIV century)

-"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"- (XIV century)

English alliterative romance.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Patience, Pearl: Verse Translations

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Norton Critical Editions)

The Gawain-poet: Notes on Pearl and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, with brief commentary on Purity and Patience

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the French Arthurian Romance

-"Mabinogion"-

Welsh collection of eleven stories, preserved in the "White Book of Rhydderch" (1325), and in the "Red Book of Hergest" (1400).

Tales from the new Mabinogion,

Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain: Hero Myths in the Mabinogion

King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land: The Divine Feminine in the Mabinogion

-"Morte Arthure"-

English alliterative romance.

The Alliterative "Morte Arthure"

The Alliterative Morte Arthure: A Reassessment of the Poem (Arthurian Studies)

The Alliterative Morte Arthure: A Critical Edition

-"Le Morte Darthur"- (1485)

Written by Thomas Malory.

Le Morte Darthur (2); Sir Thomas Malory's Book of King Arthur and of His Noble Knights of the Round Table

Sir Thomas Malory's Le morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the legends of the Round Table : a rendition in modern idiom

Le Morte Darthur: Sir Thomas Malory's Book of King Arthur and of His Noble Knights of the Round Table. : The Text of Caxton

Vampire Legends-Dracula part II-the Transformation, the Dark Gift

2010-04-03T18:01:00.022+02:00

Now let us turn to the fascinating and legendary aspect of history: the legends tell us that Vlad III was not an ordinary mortal, but in fact he belonged to one of the most famous and legendary creatures of the night: the vampires. Everyone knows that the vampires are legendary beings, attested in the mythologies of all the earth; nocturnal and immortal creatures who feed on human blood. And Draculea is undoubtedly the most famous and celebrated of all his "race": there are numerous books, movies, comics and even games (RPGs, card games, video games, etc.) about him. The works about Dracula are so many that it would be really impossible to list and quote them all. His fame has reached truly a global and widespread renown.

Movies on Drakulya

In one of the many movies about Dracula, "Blade III", he himself, awakened from his sleep by some vampires, is surprised and annoyed in seeing how much his figure is known and also marketed in the modern world.

But despite the numerous films and books about Dracula, very few are those who tell us how Vlad III, a prince who was a fierce opponent of the Ottomans, became a vampire, or rather the King of Vampires.

The movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula" by Coppola, undoubtly the best among all the movies about Draculea, is one of the few titles that tells how the prince was transformed in the legendary creature of the night. In the movie, after the suicide of his beloved wife Elizabetha, a death provoked by the deception of the Ottomans, Vlad III, facing the condemnation of the byzantine priests for the act of his beloved Queen, denounces god and desecrates his altar: thus he is cursed and sentenced to become a vampire, a damned soul, a son of the darkness.

In the movie he says: "I renounce god! I shall rise from my own death .... to avenge her with the Powers of Darkness! The blood is the life .... and it shall be mine!"

But this explanation was in reality invented for the Coppola's movie, and in fact this event is not found anywhere in the various Dracula's legends.

Instead, more reliable informations concerning the origin of the transformation of Vlad III into a vampire can be found in the text of B. Stoker, albeit fleetingly, vaguely and superficially.
There it is told of Arminius of the Budapesth University, a friend and collegue of Van Helsing, a man who spent his life in the study of Draculya and his family. And it was from Arminius that Van Helsing has learned much about Draculea:

"I have studied, over and over again since they came into my hands, all the papers relating to this monster, and the more I have studied, the greater seems the necessity to utterly stamp him out. All through there are signs of his advance. Not only of his power, but of his knowledge of it. As I learned from the researches of my friend Arminius of Buda-Pesth, he was in life a most wonderful man. Soldier, statesman, and alchemist. Which latter was the highest development of the science knowledge of his time. He had a mighty brain, a learning beyond compare, and a heart that knew no fear and no remorse. He dared even to attend the Scholomance, and there was no branch of knowledge of his time that he did not essay".

But the most important reference on the mutation of Vlad III into a vampire, and hence on the origin of his powers, is present in the eighteenth chapter of the book by B. Stoker, where it is reported:

"The Draculas were, says Arminius, a great and noble race, though now and again were scions who were held by their coevals to have had dealings with the Evil One. They learned his secrets in the Scholomance, amongst the mountains over Lake Hermanstadt, where the devil claims the tenth scholar as his due. In the records are such words as `stregoica' witch, `ordog' and `pokol' Satan and Hell, and in one manuscript this very Dracula is spoken of as `vampyr,'which we all understand too well".

Very little is known of the origins of the "Scholomance's legend": in the text of B. Stoker, only in those two passages there is reference to this secret and occult school. Probably Bram Stoker read about it in the works by Emily Gerard on the Transylvania and its legends: a book called "Land Beyond the Forest" (1888), and an article entitled "Transylvanian Superstitions".

In her works, E. Gerard wrote that the Scholomance was a school where the students learnt the secrets of nature, the languages of the animals, and all the magical spells, as taught by the Devil, the Master of the school:

"As I am on the subject of thunderstorms, I may as well here mention the Scholomance, or school supposed to exist somewhere in the heart of the mountains, and where all the secrets of nature, the language of animals, and all imaginable magic spells and charms are taught by the Devil in person."

As regards the place where this occult school was located, the various legends speak of many different places,therefore the sources do not agree on its location.

In his work, B. Stoker testifies that the Scholomance was located amongst the mountains over Lake Hermanstadt, in Transylvania.

The same place was also mentioned by E. Gerard, the possible source of B. Stoker on this subject: she refers to the fact that the Scholomance was a mythical school situated in the Carpathian Mountains and that overlooked the town of Hermanstadt, that is the Romanian city of Sibiu in Transylvania.

The ancient stories tell that upon the acquisition of the devilish insight, nine students would leaved the school as "solomonari", and one would have been retained by the Devil as payment. The scholar C. Leatherdale linking the vague reports of B. Stoker with those of E. Gerard and other legends, says that Draculya has been undoubtedly the tenth student.

Regarding the destiny of this tenth scholar, there are different traditions:

B. Stoker says simply that at the Scholomance "the Devil claims the tenth scholar as his due".
Instead, in her works, E. Gerard tells:

"Only ten scholars are admitted at a time, and when the course of learning has expired and nine of them are released to return to their homes, the tenth scholar is detained by the devil as payment, and mounted upon a Dragon he becomes henceforward the Devil's aide-de-camp, and assists him in 'making the weather,' that is, in preparing thunderbolts".

According to other legends, the tenth scholar would became the Dragon that would have guarded the school until the time in which the next class would have been convened.

Hence, from an accurate reading of the texts, it is possible to know how Vlad III became a supernatural being. He was not the victim of a curse, nor he was bitten by another vampire: he obtained his vampire status as a result of his studies about the secrets of nature and magic in a school. An occult school, that is described to lay nestled "amongst the mountains over Lake Hermannstadt", a school run by the Devil himself, and known as "Scholomance".

For to have more informations:
http://alexanderluthor.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/vampire-legends-dracula-part-ii-the-transformation/

In search of Dracula: A true history of Dracula and vampire legends
Thesaurus Dracularum, a monograph of the genus Dracula.

Vampire Legends-Dracula part I-"Historical Introduction"

2010-04-03T17:59:00.002+02:00

With this article I begin a series of studies about the legendary nightly creatures known as "Vampires".

In this "quest" I will refer to ancient legends, ballads, books, and also movies, all that can be useful.

Indeed there are many and also numerous elements relating to these legendary creatures of the night, so it is necessary to organize this matter in an ordinate manner.

Therefore, I start with the most celebrated of all the vampires, that is Draculya.

First of all must be considered the historical character of Vlad III, and after it, a fundamental argument: how he became a nightly hunter.

Historical Introduction:

Vlad III, also known as Vlad Tepes (the "Impaler", a surname coming from his methods of torture and execution) and "Dracula"( also pronounced "Draculea" and "Drakulya") was a Prince of Wallachia during the fifteenth century.

Draculea, historically, distinguished himself as voivode of Wallachia, in protecting the Oriental Europe and so also the entire Europe, from the assaults and attempts of conquest by the Ottoman Empire.

At that time in fact, the Ottomans were a strong empire that was preparing and planning the conquest of the West: but it is important to remember that the expansion of the Ottomans in Europe (but not their will of subjugation) was actually caused by the Byzantines themselves, as in the fifth century, during the barbarian invasions against the Roman Empire. At that time in fact the Byzantines, using bribery and money, deviated the incursions of the barbarians (especially but not only, of the Goths) against what remained of the Roman Empire, so provoking its invasion and fall: a real betrayal.

Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West, 376 - 568 (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks)Decline And
Decline And Change in Late Antiquity: Religion, Barbarians And Their Historiography (Variorum Collected Studies Series)
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (14 volume set)
THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. IN TWELVE VOLUMES
But coming back at the time of Vlad III, nothing remains unpunished in history. In 1345 the Byzantines asked help to the Ottomans against the Serbs, but soon the turks extended their rule over the Byzantine territory, leaving free and safe only Constantinople, the byzantine capital: they defeated the Serbs, and after having occupied the Bulgaria, the turks conquered also the Wallachia.

At that point, the entire Europe sent the Crusaders for to oppose and for to end the advance of the Ottoman armies; but they were defeated at Nicopolis (near the Danube, on the border of Wallachia) in 1396, and after also in Varna in 1444.

The History of the Crusades, Vols. I, II, III
A History of the Crusades Complete Set of Six Volumes (Vols. I,II,III,IV,V, & VI by Wiscinsin, Publ. 1969-1989)
A History of the Crusades Vol. I: The First Crusade and the Foundations of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Volume 1)
A History of the Crusades: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187 (A History of the Crusades, Vol 2) (Volume 2)
A History of the Crusades: Volume 3, The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades

So the Ottomans turned directly against Constantinople: the city was besieged and conquered in May 1453, and also its name was changed. It was the end of the Byzantine Empire, surviving for almost a thousand years to the fall of the Roman Empire, a fall that indeed was provoked and instigated by the oriental empire.

Fall of Constantinople 1453
The Fall of Constantinople 1453 (Canto)
A Companion to Byzantium (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World)

Fall of Constantinople

At that time, Vlad III had approximately twenty years, and Transylvania was a border land, a land on the brink of the total invasion, a land divided also internally, mainly because of the corruptions made by the Ottomans to its various princes and kings: Transylvania was in fact the door for to come to Vienna and then to begin the conquest of the whole Europe from the east.

Turkey, Ancient and Modern: A History of the Ottoman Empire from the Period of Its Establishment to the Present Time

Crisis of the Ottoman Empire: Prelude to Collapse, 1839-1878 (Quellen und Studien zur Geschichte des Ostlichen Europa (SGO))

In these tragic times, the prince Vlad III distinguished himself as a protector and a defender of Europe.

He is better known for his cruelty toward his enemies, that were the turks and even his own countrymen who have betrayed him, all preys of the ottoman's corruption.

Feared and widely criticized for his acts of fierce cruelty against his enemies, Vlad III is instead greatly respected by the Romanian tradition, also contemporary, that sees him as a patriot and a saviour, a warrior-Prince who was able to save his homeland and his people by the advance of the Ottomans, who in fact would have certainly caused cruelties even worse of him, if they had succeeded in their intent to conquer Europe, that would have been a prey for the hordes of invaders: just think in this respect to the results caused by that conquest in other parts of the world such as North Africa and Greece, where entire populations and cultures were literally erased from human history for to fade into mere remembrance.

Besides, the moslem pincer in those years threatened the Europe by two points, namely Spain and Eastern Europe: hence the general situation at the time of Vlad III was even worse and more tragic in respect to the old days of the Battle of Poitiers (732), when instead in the East there was still the byzantine empire (and in fact this latter defeated the arabs in their first attempt to conquer Constantinople, in 717).

After the "death" of Vlad III, the Ottomans succeeded to conquer Transylvania, reducing it in a state of vassalage, and they continued for many centuries their attempts of invasion of the whole Europe (several were in fact the sieges against Vienna, in 1529 and in 1683, always failed), but they never succeeded. And this thanks especially to the sacrifice of men like Vlad III, of whom one can criticize the methods, but certainly not the goal: to protect and save his people and his world, the whole Europe and its people, from an invasion that would have brought only to death and destruction of entire peoples and cultures and traditions.

A movie that is fairly faithful to the life story of Vlad III is "Dracula-The Dark Prince".

Dracula: Essays on the Life and Times of Vlad Tepes (East European Monographs)

Brendon d'Arkness-a Guide to the series-part III

2010-03-30T05:01:00.001+02:00

The secondary characters:

The world of "Brendon" is full of enemies and difficulty, a world dominated by desperate struggle for survival. And in this world, Brendon is very much alone, despite his constant search of friends and love.

He meets friends and allies on the path of his fate, but almost all die around him of an untimely death, preys of a world thirsty for blood, leaving Brendon increasingly alone and putting more and more at test his hope and his faith in justice.

Many are the enemies of Brendon, and this is natural, given the fate of revenge chosen for our wandering knight. And he accepts his fate, inevitably but with responsability and value.

Anja:

Anja

Anja is a warrior-assassin, fierce, beautiful and full of sadness and despair, once one of the best warrior in the "Army of Nympha", an army composed exclusively of ruthless and cruel women. "The Race of Nympha", the number 59 of the comics, is dedicated to this army, where also Shawnee and Greta have fighted, both friends and allies of Anja and of Brendon.

Shawnee

The Castle of the Army of Nympha

Shawnee

Anja and Greta during the training in the Fortress of the Army of Nympha

The story of Anja is told in the second number, "Tears of Darkness",where Brendon meets her.

Anja is the only woman that Brendon loves deeply, and indeed one is the reflection of the other: both have experienced a childhood and a life full of pain, and both live for the revenge. But while in Brendon there is also hope, Anja lives just with pain and death. Their love is not wanted by destiny, and in fact Anja dies prematurely, leaving Brendon in the continuously painful memory of her, a sorrow that accompanies him constantly.

In the number 39, "Anja returns", the two lovers meet again, but only in a parallel world, where Brendon, and not Anja, is dead. But their encounter is temporary and illusory, but in all cases it is, also if only for a moment.

Anja in dejection

Anja and Brendon

Skarr :

Skarr is the murderer of mother and of the master of Brendon. Character disturbing, powerful and cruel, Skarr is an adept of the "Black Moon", blinded by his faith in the sect and by his thirst for blood and destruction.

His weapon is a sickle black crescent-shaped, the main symbol of his belonging to the sect.

The fate of Skarr meets the destiny of Brendon, marking him profoundly, when the adept was searching a lost ritual knife of the "Black Moon", a kind of key able to open one of the "Time capsules" assiduously sought by the sect.

Skarr goes to kill the dear-ones of Brendon. The fairies are hiding and fleeing before him.

The "Black Moon":

The "Black Moon" is a mysterious religious sect, the most influential sect of the "New England". Many other sects exist in the world of "Brendon", as the "Sect of Death", but the "Black Moon" is the most powerful and dangerous, and also the oldest one: it already existed in the times prior to the "Great Darkness", and the four high priests have been largely responsible for the catastrophe on Earth; a destruction supported and hoped by the "Black Moon", with the end to be able to destroy the world and for to start a new beginning in the human history.

The "Black Moon"

The adepts of the "Black Moon" are armed with blacks sickles, ritual weapons with which they celebrate their sacrifices of blood. They gather in temples of steel and glass, inside the galleries of the old subway (like some humans of the movie "Planet of the apes").

A Temple of the "Black Moon"

The "Black Moon" is constantly in search of the "Time capsules", a sort of underground libraries built prior to the "Great Darkness" and dispersed all over the world once civilized. In these libraries were saved and hidden all the knowledge of the past. And the "Black Moon" seeks the knowledge, that is an ineffable source of power. It is precisely due to a key that is able to open one of these old libraries, that the fate of the "Black Moon" and that of Brendon meet, tragically and in blood.

The adepts of the sect worship the "Black Snake". This serpent was born from the blood of the four high priests at the time of the ritual celebrated by the sect to prevent the deviation of the huge asteroid, called by them the "Messenger of the Darkness."

The "Black Snake" is hidden in one of the temples of the sect, asleep. In honour of that serpent the adepts make constant sacrifices of blood in attempt to awake him, bringing thus a new "Great Darkness" on the whole Earth.

The "Black Serpent"

The four high priests of the "Black Moon" at the time of the ritual

Zeder:

Zeder is a sorcerer who lives among the ruins of "Old London". Among his magical powers Zeder has the ability to make the souls of the living able to travel in time and space.

He appears for the first time in the n. 11, called "Back to the Past", a tale regarding the inevitability of fate: Brendon encounters the sorcerer for to go back in time, initially with the sole purpose of understanding his fate, but then instead trying in vain to change his tragic past and to save Boris and his mother from death.

The mother of Brendon in another dimension as an adept of the "Black Moon", tries to kill his own son

First friend and ally, Zeder after becomes the nemesis of Brendon, the anti-hero of the saga: after being killed, Zeder reborn together with the snake of the "Black Moon". The "Black Serpent" now lives in him and inside him.

In the n. 63, "The Serpent and the Sorcerer", Zeder is then supported by Ysp, who kills the former high priest of the "Black Moon", taking so the supreme power together with Zeder. In addition to use his new immense magical powers, the sorcerer begins also to gather all the followers of the "Black Moon", with the end to arrange a war in the "New England" and cause a second "Great Darkness", a new disaster, a return of murkiness, already prophesied in the prophetical texts of the "Black Moon".

Zeder with Brendon, Margaret, Boris, Skarr, and other characters of the comics

Brendon and Zeder

Conclusion:

"Brendon" shows us, in all its various characters, the human response to despair and to the pain of the loss, that is the pain of an entire era; and everyone reacts according to his own nature: some abandon themselves to sorrow; some instead fight the violence with other violence and madness; others still do ignore the reality, pretending to live in a normal world; the sect of the "Black Moon" seeks power and magic for to create a world of darkness and obscurity and for to rule the whole Earth; and then there is Brendon, who lives for revenge and hope, wandering constantly in search of his own destiny.

Complete list of the issues of "Brendon" till now:

1 Born February 31 (drawings M. Rotundo)

2 Tear of Darkness (drawings G. Franzella)

3 The Black Moon (drawing M. Rotundo)

4 The wings of the night (drawings C. Roi)

5 Animah (drawings by E. Maroto)

6 The Ballad of the assassins (drawings M. Rotundo)

7 The man of the stars (drawings G. Franzella)

8 The shadows of Pinewood (drawings E. Maroto)

9 The chariot of fear (drawings C. Roi)

10 The reflection of evil (drawings G. Ricciardi)

11 Return to the past (drawings M. Rotundo)

12 The blue fairies murder (drawings E. Maroto)

13 Anja (drawings G. Franzella)

14 The Orcs (drawings G. Ricciardi)

15 The legend of Lizard (drawings E. Maroto)

16 Tales of death (drawings M. Rotundo)

17 The night of the witches (drawings E. Simeoni)

18 The breath of the afterlife (drawings L. Simeoni)

19 The mystery of Jacknife (drawings L. Arduini)

20 Dreams of blood (drawings G. Franzella)

21 Line of Fire (drawings G. Ricciardi)

22 The Breath of Darkness (drawings E. Maroto)

23 The Death and the Maiden (drawings M. Rotundo)

24 Heart of Crow (drawings L. Arduini)

25 The woman who came from the impossible (drawings E. Maroto)

26 The return of the Black Moon (drawings G. Ricciardi)

27 Before the dark (drawings Franzella)

28 Love and Darkness (drawings L. Airaghi)

29 The road on the edge of the world (drawings G. Viglioglia)

30 Beyond the Universe (drawings L. Airaghi and G. Ricciardi

31 The Lord of Illusions (drawings L. Arduini)

32 Horror Night at the drive-in (drawings C. Spadavecchia)

33 The shadow of the jester (drawings G. Viglioglia)

34 The man who never sleeps (drawings G. Franzelli)

35 Gifts from Hell(drawings L. Airaghi)

36 The stories of the not-never (drawings L. Arduini)

37 A kingdom without light (drawings M. Rotundo)

38 Midnight at Stonehenge (drawings G. Acciarino)

39 Anja returns (drawings G. Ricciardi)

40 The man of the desert (drawings C. Spadavecchia)

41 The revenge of the magician (drawings L. Arduini)

42 The sign of the crime (drawings E. Simeoni)

43 The king of the autumnal dolls (drawings G.Franzella)

44 Lostville (drawings G. Acciarino)

45 The tears of the innocents (drawings C. Spadavecchia)

46 The door of nightmare (drawings L. Airaghi)

47 Magic show (drawings G. Viglioglia)

48 The Lost Truth (drawings L. Arduini)

49 The secret of Wynkle Tynkle (drawings M. Rotundo)

50 The double life of Marianne (drawings G. Acciarino)

51 Bogey Man (drawings by E. Maroto)

52 Desert of ice (drawings C. Spadavecchia)

53 Where the unicorns die (drawings G. Viglioglia)

54 The day of violence (drawings L. Arduini)

55 Year Zero(drawings M. Rotundo)

56 In Search of Oz (drawings by E. Maroto)

57 The exterminators (drawings G. Ricciardi)

58 Fate of blood (drawings G. Acciarino)

59 The race of Nympha (drawings L. Arduini)

60 Beatrix (drawings E. Pugliese)

61 The angel of the Apocalypse (drawings G. Viglioglia)

62 The dark side (drawings by E. Maroto)

63 The Serpent and the sorcerer (drawings G. Acciarino )

64 The island of no return (drawings A. Vitti)

65 The Shining (drawings E. Simeoni)

66 Timerider (drawings A. Fattori)

67 From the ashes of the centuries (drawings G. Acciarino)

68 Techno-Darkness (drawings G. Franzella)

69 Framents of madness (drawings C. Spadavecchia)

70 From dream to death (drawings L. Airaghi and S. Corbetta)

71 The girl of the river (drawings E. Maroto)

The Special numbers (Annuals):

1-"Memories of another time"

2-"The murderer of the Beyond-World"

3-"The secret of the alchemist"

4-"We are Legend"

5-"The signs of evil"

6-"Games of death"

7-"The flowers of the demon"

http://www.sergiobonellieditore.it/auto/cpers_index?pers=brendon

Archivio arretrati

Brendon d'Arkness-a Guide to the series-part II

2010-03-30T04:03:00.001+02:00

The main character:

The title of the comics comes from the name itself of his protagonist, Brendon D'Arkness, an horseman of fortune, a mixture between a wandering knight and an investigator\mercenary, at the service of righteousness and hope in a world steeped in barbarism and despair.

A man with an hard character and a noble soul, Brendon is a twilight hero guided by a mysterious fate, and his same past is shrouded in darkness, but it is revealed in small doses, especially in some numbers of the comics, such as the 1, the 3, the 11, the 26, the 58.

Brendon d'Arkness

Brendon D'Arkness borns in Stonehaven, in the "New Scotland". The life of Brendon is marked since his childhood by pain and suffering: at age nine his father Steven D'Arkness disappears in the Grampian Mounts, for to never return again; so Brendon lives alone with his mother, Margaret, and at the age of twelve years he is dragged by the necessity to the fulfillment of his own destiny: he meets with his master, an horseman of fortune named Boris, who begins to train Brendon in the art of war, and that our future wandering knight considers as a second father.

The mother of Brendon

Boris

But Brendon encounters also the death, the death of his mother and of his teacher, thanks to Skarr, an emissary of the "Black Moon", a mysterious religious sect, the most powerful and active in the "New England", linked also to the advent of the "Great Darkness". Brendon begins, driven by grief and despair, his career of horseman of fortune, which leads him to neverending appalling adventures and dangerous difficulties, in a continuous and eternal wandering, constantly searching for the "Black Moon" in search of revenge in a world in ruins and full of sorrow.

The young Brendon and his dying mother, Margareth, in his arms

In his continuing wanderings, Brendon is always accompanied by his faithful and inseparable companion, Falstaff.

Falstaff is a beautiful black stallion with a white star on the forehead, agile and robust, which accompanies Brendon in the path of his destiny since childhood, being grown up together. In a time oblivious of the technological breakthroughs in fact, the horses are back to being the only means of transport, the only way to cross large distances.

Brendon, being a warrior, has many weapons, but his main weapon is a gun, given to him as a gift when he was a young boy, from Wildo Jumper, the armourer of the gnomes of the "Fairyland". Wildo wanders in the "New Scotland" to give his creations to those who, thanks to their heart and to their nature, are able to recognize them among many "misleading" weapons: this story is told in a number fundamental for to understand the psychology of Brendon; it is the special-number called "Memories of another time", composed of several stories, set in the palace of the memory of Brendon, where beyond each door, there are his memories, the keys to penetrate into the recesses of his past.

Wildo Jumper, the armourer of the "Fairyland"

The palace of the Memory of Brendon

Brendon is a character in continuous research and wanderings, as befits a wandering knight, but he also has a residence: an old castle in ruins, in the "New Cornwall", where Brendon lives very rarely. It is a manor full of old objects, by he himself collected in his adventures, a place full of memories of the past. It was given to him as prize from a "Burgomaster", for having saved his life. Instead therein Christopher lives permanently, an android at solar energy of the "Old Era", created to carry out domestic functions, a sort of butler, and similar to a puppet. Brendon has found him among the ruins of a large scientific laboratory of "Old London". Christopher takes care of the castle, and, as Brendon says of him: " He works because he not knows that he should not be able to work ...".

The manor of Brendon

Christopher

Inside the manor

Brendon d'Arkness-a Guide to the series-part I

2010-03-29T17:12:00.001+02:00

Introduction to the comics:

"Brendon" is an Italian comics, created by Claudio Chiaverotti and edited by "Sergio Bonelli Editore", on sale every two months from the June\July 1998.

"Brendon" is a comics that takes us into a dark world, magical, cruel and violent, characterized by the struggle for survival, a world of nightmares and ghosts, heroes and mysteries, in which destruction and rebirth coexist.
The story takes place in a near post-apocalyptic future, gloomy, supernatural and violent, subsequent to the advent of the "Great Darkness", a period of total obscurity originated from the impact on Earth of a huge asteroid, bearer of an enormous destruction on the entire planet, coupled to the loss of the historical memory of most of the scientific and technological discoveries of our time. It is a comics that tells of a future possible world.
The peculiarity and the uniqueness of this comics is its setting during the "Era of the Rebirth", in a world that is trying to begin again, and not during the same period of the catastrophe or immediately after it, as it is in other titles of the same genre, such as the manga series "Hokuto No Ken" or movies like "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome", "The Day after tomorrow", and many others.

Setting and plot:

The setting of this comics combines multiple genres, evenly harmonized among themselves in an exemplary manner by the author as a new alchemist, until the creation of a new and original genre that blends fantasy, horror, the occult and the science fiction, both in story and illustrations.

The story of "Brendon" starts 138 years after the begin of the "Great Darkness", a period of extreme violence, brutality and disorder: a period of obscurity of the sky and also of loss of the mankind's conscience. The "Great Darkness" began in the 2029 of the "Old Era": on 28 April 2029 the "Three Corporations Combined" of America, Europe and East, that govern the world, are trying to avert the impact of a giant asteroid in collision course with the Earth, by hitting him with missiles in order to divert its route, succeeding instead only in crumble it into smaller meteorites, most of which fall on the entire planet, causing a deluge of fire: a true Apocalypse.

The rain of fire destroys and devastates all over the world, accompanied by earthquakes, floods, conflagrations, upheavals climate and of the geology , famines ... .
Then the ashes and the incandescent materials ascend to the sky, obscuring the sunlight; and the Earth remains shrouded in a dark night without end, caught in a relentless frost. The energy resources are exhausted quickly, and everywhere the violence and the human madness are unleashed : this is the beginning of the "Great Darkness".

But after 70 years of natural upheavals and complete obscurity, the sunlight returns upon the Earth and the murkiness finally ends; slowly the climate returns to be in equilibrium, and the Earth become again fertile. Humanity awakens herself from the "Great Darkness" in a world changed profoundly compared to the times prior to the destruction. A world oblivious of most of the scientific and technological discoveries of our time, plunged into social disorder and political ruin.
But a New Era begins with the end of the "Great Darkness": the "Era of the Rebirth". In the "New England", a woman, called Regina, founds a small community in Norfolk, called "New Hope"; in a short time are founded other small groupings, along the model of "New Hope"; the civilization begins to revive. Each village is in self-governing: the political power is held by a "Burgomaster", and instead the military power is in the hands of the "Chief of the Militia"; the economy is structured on a local basis and tends to be self-sufficient, since the trips are almost impossible because of the dangers and risks of the outside world, still prey to disorder and violence.

"Wasteness"",one of the new villages of the "New Era

"Bladeness"

Many are the beings that inhabit the world of "Brendon": strange and monstrous creatures, such as the new breeds, daughters of the "Great Darkness" such as the "Nomads of the Desert" (human mutated due to radiation of the meteorites fallen on Earth), and the "Arachnoids" (huge spiders, semi-humans and men-eaters); besides, the world of "Brendon", ignorant of science and technology, sees the return of the ancient and obscure beings of the ancient times, as Witches, Fairies, Gnomes, and the return of magic itself, everything always in the name of the original mixture of genres that characterizes this comics.

The nomads of the desert

The story of "Brendon" begins roughly 70 years after the start of the "Era of the Rebirth," in a world in constant struggle between the threat of a return to the darkness and the desire for rebirth, a dark world full of violence and disorder, but also full of hope. And not only: there is conflict also between the ideal of a pure return to the times prior to the "Great Darkness" and the ideal of a complete new beginning.

"Adelphia", the science city

The illustrations and the scenery show a world very variegated, in keeping with the "mixed" nature of this comics: there are the deserted and ghostly old cities, like Bristol or London, populated only by ruins and spectres; dry and stony deserts inhabited by monstrous creatures; beautiful and unspoiled fantasy landscapes, caves and underground labyrinths full of darkness and horrors; dreamy places full of mysteries; and the villages of the "New Era", some of whom are oases of safety, but others are imbued with injustice, corruption and violence. Great is indeed the skill and the talent of the illustrators of the series, capables of passing from one register to another and to merge together the horror, the fantasy and the science fiction in wondrous designs.

"Boorman's Excalibur" and the Legend of King Arthur- part II

2010-03-20T04:24:00.005+01:00

"Excalibur" the movie:

Despite several changes and additions to the text of Malory, this movie represents in a unified manner and generally faithful to the work, the legend of Arthur from his birth to his death as the entire corpus of these legends (the "Matter of Britain") tells. Therefore, there is not in this movie an attempt to historical research on the legend, like with other movies on this same subject, such as "King Arthur", but there is only and exclusively the legend, devoid of historical speculation and opinions.

Indeed, the merit of Boorman in this movie, which makes it almost unique among the many titles that exist on King Arthur's legend, is to have told this story coming back to its most distant origins, which have their roots in the ancient Celtic world and in its mythology, abandoning and ignoring completely all the subsequent influences belonging to another age; influences that instead are prominent in the text of Malory.

Among the changes, the most important-ones are:

the concept of the "Dragon"; the fact that in the movie it is the betrayal of Lancelot and mainly the betrayal of Guinevere, to cause the weakening of King Arthur, and so the decadence of the Kingdom; for to renew the Kingdom it is so necessary to find the lost Grail, and the Secret of the Grail itself. As someone says, certainly there are been times in which King Arthur repented for having drawn the sword from the stone, but he never renounced his quest.

Plot of the movie:

The movie can be divided into five parts:

-the story of Uther Pendragon;
-Arthur becoming King, and his conquests;
-the story of Lancelot and Guinevere;
-the decadence of the Kingdom and the quest for the Grail;
-Mordred and the death of King Arthur;

Igrayne, Morgana and Guenevere, in the "Cave of the Dragon"

The movie begins telling the last part of the story of Uther Pendragon, the future father of King Arthur: from the end of Uther it will starts the story of King Arthur.

It is night, and a great and fierce battle is fought, by torchlight: it is the war between Uther Pendragon and the Duke of Cornwall: the last battle of Uther to unify all the lands under his dominion.
Soon it appears Merlin, the sorcerer, dressed with his dark black mantle, and with his dragon-staff. He gazes at the great slaughter, and calls Uther, who rides on the field of battle. Uther cries to Merlin, saying "I am the strongest. I am the Chosen-One!", continuing to kill men in great number with his mighty battle-axe. The King asks to Merlin the Sword of Power, Excalibur, promised to him by Merlin himself, the sacred symbol of the unity of kingship. Merlin answers to Uther saying "And you shall have it, but to heal, not to hack". Merlin ask to Uther a truce, but Uther refuses, saying "Talk.Talk is for lovers; I need the sword to be King".

Uther Pendragon on the Field of Battle

Then Merlin goes to the mysterious Lady of the Lake, who entrusts the sacred sword to him: it is a very magic moment of the movie, and a very beautiful and deep music accompanies this moment, while the sword come out from the waters, in the hand of the Lady of the Lake.
In the next scene, Uther, on the back of his black horse, shows the Sacred Sword to his last enemy, the Duke of Cornwall, the war being not yet finished, and all warriors are very amazed at the sight of the Sword of Power. Then Merlin says to all of them: "Behold the Sword of Power. Excalibur. Forged when the world was young ... and birds and beasts and flowers were one with men...".
Then, instructed by Merlin, Uther says to all: "One Land. One King. That is my peace, Cornwall". The Duke yields to the sword and so also to Uther, and the latter says to the Duke: "The land from here to the sea shall be yours, if you enforce the King's will". The Duke accepts the peace of Uther, and invites the King to his castle, for to feast together their alliance and their recovered unity.
At the manor-house, both the King and the Duke make a blood-pact between them, for to seal once again their friendship. But here, among musics and dances, Uther sees Igrayne, the Duke's wife, and he is spellbound by her beauty. The Duke, full of pride for his wife, says to Uther, haughtily : "You may be King, but no queen of yours could even match her". The enchantment of Uther grows even more, while Igrayne dances as ordained by the Duke.
The Duke sees the desire of Uther, and, enraged, makes and end to the truce. So the war starts again, and the siege of the Duke's castle begins.
Meanwhile, Uther is in search of Merlin, who is enraged for the lust of the King, that has broken the peace, awaited for so long times. But he, nor his warriors, cannot find the sorcerer; instead it is Merlin himself who comes to Uther, during the siege, saying to him: "I have walked my way since the beginning of Time. Sometimes I give, sometimes I take. It is mine to know which and when". Uther asks the help of Merlin, who, full of rage, says to him: "Years to build and moments to ruin, an all for lust". But Uther is deep enchanted by Igrayne, and Merlin agrees to use the magic powers for the king's purpose to seduce her, yet saying: "You will swear by your true kingship: what issues from your lust shall be mine".
Uther accepts, and he swears it by Excalibur, and Merlin uses his powers. During the spell, Merlin speaks to the King about the Dragon, saying: "I have awoken the Dragon. Can't you see, all around you, the Dragon's breath?".
Meanwhile, the warriors of Uther withdraw, and the Duke pursues them. Merlin transforms Uther into the semblance of the Duke, and so, riding on the mist ("the Dragon's breath") upon the cliff and the sea, and accompanied by a magic and mysterious music, the King goes to the castle, to Igrayne, who thinks her husband has returned. In reality the Duke dies during the assault. No one recognizes Uther, apart the young Morgana, the daughter of the Duke and Igrayne. This scene ends with the meaningful words of Merlin: "The future has taken root in the present. It is done".
Igrayne gives birth to Arthur, the war is ended, and Uther goes to her for to see his child. When he sees him, he says: "All I know is how to butcher men. From now on, I shall learn to love them. I am weary of battle. I shall stay by his side ... and his mother's".
But two crows appear, and then Merlin comes, for to take the child.
The sorcerer says: "It's not for you, Uther...hearth and home, wife and child".
And Uther answers: "To kill and be King, is that all?", and Merlin: "Perhaps not even that, Uther. No one trusts you for what you have done. You're not the chosen-one. Give me the child, I will protect him".
So Merlin takes the child with him, and later Uther pursues him, but the King is ambushed by the remaining warriors of the Duke. Uther dies, but before he thrusts Excalibur into a great stone. Merlin, with the child in his arms, sees all, saying: "he who draws the sword from the stone, he shall be King. Arthur, you are the one".

Merlin and Uther Pendragon with Excalibur

Igrayne with the little Arthur in her arms

Merlin and Arthur

Then begins the second part of the story.
The scene opens with a jousting tournament of warriors, the bests of whom will tries to draw Excalibur from the stone. And at this tournament comes Sir Ector, together with his son Kay and Arthur, who was brought to him by Merlin when he was a child.
During the contest, Arthur, searching a sword for Kay, his weapon being stolen, sees Excalibur, and he draws it from the stone. All the knights then gathered around him, amazed for his act, and then also Merlin appears, who reveals to him and to all the knights Arthur's birth.
Some of the warriors accept the rule of Arthur and his right to be King, as child of Uther; but many others do not believe in Merlin, and do not recognize Arthur as King, being he furthermore a young man without experience of war.

So the knights part, and a new war begins between the followers of Arthur and the others. Arthur, confused about his own destiny, goes to Merlin, who speaks to him about the Kingship and the Dragon.
Arthur then, counselled by Merlin, guides the war against those who do not recognize him as King: Arthur and his followers counter-assault the siege of Leondegrance's castle and finally he wins the war. Furthermore all the knights accept Arthur as King, also Uryens, who was his greatest opponent, and who, recognizing Arthur's value and right, says, in a moving and touching scene: "I am your humble knight ... and I swear allegiance to the courage in your veins ... so strong it is ... its source must be Uther Pendragon. I doubt you no more".
Then a great feast is celebrated by all, and Arthur falls in love for Guenevere, the daughter of Leondegrance, in spite of the warnings of Merlin: "I see Guenevere, and a beloved friend who will betray you".

Arthur draws the Sword of Power, Excalibur

Merlin

Arthur and Uryens

Few years later, Arthur encounters Lancelot, a brilliant knight, and after a combat, he swears his fidelity to the King, becoming his best warriors, his champion.
But for to win over Lancelot, Arthur uses the power of Excalibur, and the magic sword is broken; Merlin shocked says: "You have broken what could not be broken. Hope is broken"; and Arthur, shameful, answers: "My proud broke it. My rage broke it. I used Excalibur for to win. I have lost for all time the ancient sword of my Fathers ...whose power was meant to unite all men ... not to serve the vanity of a single man. I am nothing".
Arthur throws the sword in the lake, but the Lady of the Lake suddenly appears, and she gives to him the restored Excalibur.

The Lady of the Lakee with Excalibur

Arthur and the Lady of the Lake

The next scene shows Arthur and all his knights gathered on a hill: after a series of battles in all the four quarters, they have unified all the land.
And Arthur says: "The wars are over. One land one King. Now the peace rules".
Then appears Merlin, and all the knights and Arthur encircle him, under the red flag of the Dragon. And Merlin, at the centre of that circle, says to all of them: "Look upon this moment. Savor it. Rejoice with great gladness. Remember it, always ... for you are joined by it. You are one under the stars. Remember it well then, this night ... this great victory ... For it is the doom of men that they forget"; and King Arthur says: " Merlin, your wisdom has forged this ring".
Then Arthur decides to build the castle of Camelot, to create a Round Table, and to marry Guenevere, saying, not knowing the future: "And the land will have an heir to wield Excalibur".

King Arthur

Then starts the third part of the movie, dedicated to the love of Lancelot and Guenevere, the wife of King Arthur: it is the betrayal against Arthur, by his champion and by his wife.

Speaking with Merlin in his castle, Arthur asks his help: "I need you now, more than ever", but the sorcerer answers: "This is the moment you must face at last, to be King, and alone".
Arthur after finds the two asleep together in the forest, and he thrusts Excalibur between the couple. Lancelot awakens, and at the sight of the sword of power, he flees in shame, crying desperately: "the King without a sword, the Land without a King!".
Meanwhile Merlin, before to leave this world, leads Morgana in a cave, where there are "the coils of the Dragon".
But when Arthur abandons Excalibur, Merlin is wounded, and Morgana, having grabbed from the sorcerer the "Charm of Making", traps him in a huge crystal.
Then Morgana, with her new magic powers, seduces Arthur taking the form of Guenevere: from Morgana and Arthur Mordred is born.

King Arthur and Guenevere

Morgana and Merlin

King Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot

The "Cave of the Dragon"

So it begins the decadence of the Kingdom and the weakening of King Arthur himself: the famines rule the land.
Arthur says to his knights that for to renew the Kingdom, the Holy Grail must be founded: "We must find what was lost ... Search the land, the labyrinths of the forests, to the edge of within".

The knights start the quest, many years pass, and many warriors die on the search.
At last, after many difficulties, Parsifal founds the Grail and its secret, afterwards he brought it to King Arthur, who drinks it: he is so healed and renewed.

The young Mordred

Parsifal, during the search for the Grail, encounters Morgana and the young Mordred

The Grail

After the finding of the Grail, there is the last melancholy part of the movie: the war between Arthur and his child Mordred.
Arthur goes to Guenevere, who have hidden Excalibur, and after, he starts the gloomy conflict.
Merlin, still trapped in the crystal, speaks to the sad King: "You brought me back. Your love brought me back. Back to where you are now... in the land of dreams". Then Merlin goes to Morgana, and he deprives her of the magic powers.

Then there is the epilogue of the movie: Mordred and King Arthur kill each other in the war. The dying Arthur then commands Parsifal to throw the Sword of Power into a pool of calm water, saying: "One day a King will come ... and the sword will rise again". Parsifal throws Excalibur into the pool, and the Lady of the Lake takes it.

Mordred

Morgana and Mordred

Morgana and Merlin

View the End of "Excalibur" on YouTube

Bibliographical advices on the topic:

Movies advices:

Other:

"Boorman's Excalibur" and the Legend of King Arthur-part I

2010-03-18T15:36:00.187+01:00

Introduction:

"The Dark Ages.

The Land was divided and without a King.

Out of those lost centuries rose a Legend ...

Of the Sorcerer, Merlin,

Of the coming of a King,

Of the Sword of Power":

so begins the movie of John Boorman, "Excalibur".
Among the many movies dedicated to the legend of King Arthur, the so-called "John Boorman's Excalibur" is undoubtedly one of the best on this issue.

History and legend, reality and fantasy are mingled together in the numerous texts related to this story. It tells of a King who became sovereign of a vast empire, comprehending the entire Europe; after a long and brilliant life, a life of conquests and wise administration of Justice, a life lived with valorous knights, his friends, King Arthur retired in an enchanted island, from which a day he will returns, for to take back the Sword of Power, Excalibur, and for to rule again the world ... .

The legend of King Arthur has been written in many ancient texts, grouped in the "Matter of Britain", a collection of books dating from the 900 to the XV century. Among the authors of the "Matter of Britain", Malory is one of the most known. And the screenplay of the movie "Excalibur" was in fact adapted by R. Pallenberg from "Le Morte d'Arthur", written by Malory, the most famous text regarding this legend.

View "Excalibur" Trailer on YouTube

The Author of "Le Morte d'Arthur", Sir Thomas Malory:

Very little is known about the author of "Le Morte d'Arthur", a man whose life was a mix of reality and legend, as the subject itself of his literary work. From the studies of G. L. Kittredge, however, something about Malory's life can be reconstructed: born in the early 1400's, Malory lived at Newbold Revell, the family estate in the Warwickshire.

He had fought among Richard Beauchamp's retinue, the Count of Warwick, in the siege of Calais of 1436; then around 1444, Malory became a member of the Parliament as representative of his county. Until then Malory therefore lived a life normal for that time; but from around 1450 his life changed radically. From 1450 he lived alternately as a prisoner, a runaway, and a fugitive, marred by terrible and shameful accusations for which he was imprisoned and forgiven several times; but since it is not come down to us any documents relating to processes or convictions against him, it is also possible that the charges against him were in fact false, and then only slander. In 1450 the "Wars of the Roses" (1455-1485) began in England, a fierce dynastic civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. It can be said with certainty that during those times of trouble wars in England, Malory was first by the side of the House of York, but after some times he became a follower of the Lancastrian: he was a great Enemy of the Duke of Buckingham, and a great friend of the Count of Warwick: with his friend, Malory fought for the House of York, in the name of the King Edward IV, and against the Lancastrian Henry VI. But when the Count revolted to the House of York, Malory followed his friend, and therefore the House of Lancaster. Imprisoned again, he was then also excluded from the pardon granted to the Lancastrian Edward VI in 1468. Malory died a few years later, in 1471, and the fact that he was buried at the prison at Newgate suggests that the death reached him right there, between the walls where he wrote his literary work.

The literary work of Malory:

His work survived him, and it was published in 1485 by W. Caxton.

W. Caxton, the first English printer, printed the writings of Malory, but he changed the author's style and prose overall, and he also entitled the work "Le Morte d'Arthur ",a title which has since become common. But in reality, the text covers the entire life of King Arthur, from the tale of Uther, his father, until the death of the King himself: hence the title of Caxton is actually attributable only to the last part of the work.

Originally, Malory divided his work principally into eight tales:

-The story of King Arthur

-The story of the noble Arthur who became emperor with his own strength

-The tale of Sir Lancelot Du Lac

-The tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney

-The book of Sir Tristan de Lione

-The noble tale of the Grail

-The book of Lancelot and Guinevere

-The death of King Arthur

Malory wrote in fact eight separated novels, by grouping them in an unique work, thus creating an actual rewriting of the famous medieval cycle of legends that belong to the Matter of Britain: the stories of the magic of Merlin and Morgana, the story of King Arthur, the loves of Lancelot and Guinevere and Tristan and Isolde, the search for the Grail, the adventures of the wandering knights, and so on.

In the work of Malory there is then the transition from the medieval romance to the modern romance: in fact he replaced the structural complexity of the cyclic French romances, in which the various themes alternate each other and are repeated, with a unified and continued prose. Malory's literary work was soon widely known, and became the most famous text on the legend of King Arthur. And also it had the merit of giving a large spread and popularity to the legends about the knights of the round table.

Caxton, in addition to have changed and modified the text, has had also the merit to have preceded his edition by an interesting preface, in which he states and expresses explicitly the purpose, the end, the meaning and the message of the work of Malory:

"I, according to my copy, have done set it in imprint, to the intent that noble men may see and learn the noble acts of chivalry, the gentle and virtuous deeds that some knights used in those days, by which they came to honour, and how they that were vicious were punished and oft put to shame and rebuke; humbly beseeching all noble lords and ladies, with all other estates of what estate or degree they been of, that shall see and read in this said book and work, that they take the good and honest acts in their remembrance, and to follow the same. Wherein they shall find many joyous and pleasant histories, and noble and renowned acts of humanity, gentleness, and chivalry. For herein may be seen noble chivalry, courtesy, humanity, friendliness, hardiness, love, friendship, cowardice, murder, hate, virtue, and sin. Do after the justice and leave the unrighteousness, and it shall bring you to good fame and renown. And for to pass the time this book shall be pleasant to read in, but for to give faith and belief that all is true that is contained herein, ye be at your liberty: but all is written for our doctrine, and for to beware that we fall not to vice nor sin, but to exercise and follow virtue, by which we may come and attain to good fame and renown in this life(...)"

Search Amazon.com for arthur malory

Search Amazon.com for Legends of King Arthur

Some illustrations by G. Doré concerning the Legend of King Arthur:

Search Amazon.com for Gustave Doré artwork