#arthurian romances

[lepetitdragonvert]

The Story of King Arthur and his Knights by Howard Pyle

1933

[apaladinsventure]

“But just as the rose is more lovely than any other flower when it opens fresh and new, so where liberality appears it surpasses all other virtues and increases five hundred times the qualities it finds in a worthy, upright man.”

Chrétien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances

#Art 🎨 by Julek Heller

[illustratus]

La Belle Dame sans Merci by Paul Julien Meylan

[ripmyfictionalfriends]

Cligés is the one where Alexander the Great is also randomly in it. And Fenice!!! Who is Cligés' uncle's wife! And she fakes her death just to get out of the marriage and go with Cligés!

me in 2020 apparently: ah yes chretien's four romances-- *is interrupted by a messenger who comes and whispers in my ear* what the fuck is a cliges

[popsixesq]

Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library

[blood-starved-beast]

Do you think Nemesis fantasizes about being the Knight to Melinoe's Princess and being quest-given to fight Chronos for her or something. Then she sees Melinoe out on the Run somewhere covered in blood and bruises and such and it fills her with unfathomable rage.

[sexy-sapphic-sorcerer]

Recall the tale of Icarus.

Choose to be Icarus.

Linda K. Hughes, Text and Subtext in "Merlin and the Gleam", p.166 /// Alfred Tennyson, Merlin and the Gleam /// BBC Merlin, The Last Dragonlord (2x13) /// Natalie Wee, Patroclus Dreaming /// Hozier, I, Carrion (Icarian) /// BBC Merlin, The Wicked Day (4x03) /// Hozier /// Natalie Wee /// BBC Merlin, The Disir (5x05) /// Alfred Tennyson /// Hozier /// BBC Merlin, The Diamond of the Day: Part 2 (5x13) /// Natalie Wee /// Alfred Tennyson, The Passing of Arthur /// BBC Merlin, The Diamond of the Day: Part 2 (5x13) /// Hozier /// Alfred Tennyson /// Natalie Wee

[gawrkin]

You're not alone. I also tend to think of Arthur as a Warlord fundamentally rather the Idealized Ruler figure hyped in Modern retellings. His real titles from the stories are "Dux Bellorum (War Duke)" "Red Ravager" "Ameraudur (Emperor/Imperator, a military title originally)" and "King of Adventure". Doesn't really paint a picture of a person who ruled peacefully and stably.

It helps that there are elements of his medieval characterization that do not jive with Modern sensibilities. For example, "The Conquest of Europe" - his invasions of Norway, Gaul, Denmark, etc. - in the Chronicle Tradition, as well as his Sexual escapades in the Romances.

It's also pointed out by Guinevere's Mom in Awntyrs off Arthure in Tarn Weddling that his primary failing is his covetousness.

In Le Morte D'Arthur, Malory justifies - and dismisses as "mischief" - Mordred's Revolt as a result of the Common people fed up with Arthur's rule as having been nothing but constant war and only found peace during Mordred's tenure. Which, ironically, perfectly describes the Arthur of the original non-romance narratives

When it comes down to it, King Arthur is really more alike his fellow "Nine Worthies" - Alexander, Julius Caesar, David and Charlemagne - than not.

EDIT: On the flip-side, Geoffrey of Monmouth does say in his Chronicle that there was 20 year period of relative peace inbetween the Battle of Badon Hill and the beginning of Arthur's Conquest. So there's that.

EDIT2: I HAD JUST REMEMBERED: There is a moment in Vulgate Cycle (at the beginning of Lancelot pt. II) where, during the War with Galehaut, a random hermit comes along to scold Arthur for his misfortunes and teach him how to be a christian good king to get back in God's good graces. lol

I believe whole heartedly that Arthur was not a good king, he was brought up to be a soldier, a knight, a second son. He probably would not have had a high quality education in administration, unlike Kay the firstborn, and so when he becomes King of Britain he would have been horribly unprepared. Was Arthur a great soldier? Yes. Was he a great king? Probably not.

[ruinemade]

Percival and the Fisher King

Submission to Gallant and True zine.

The Fisher King, in Arthurian legends, is depicted with a wound to the groin that renders him impotent and his lands barren. The inability to sire children makes him unfit to carry on his charge, which is to guard the Holy Grail. For this queer retelling of the story, I interpreted him as a trans man.

Thank you for reading! It was an honor to participate along with other amazing artists and writers.

Leftover sales are going on right now, get your hands on a copy before it sells out!

[nyxshadowhawk]

Chrétian de Troyes is legit the funniest medieval writer i’ve read so far??

Like. percival is all masquerading as a badass knight and then the moment he opens his mouth everyone can immediately tell that he’s an idiot. he won’t stop talking about his mom and it takes his mentor to give it to him straight to get him to stop. he’s called an idiot to his face.

And the whole time arthur is like, Kay i swear to god it’s ok for perceval to act like an idiot because no one knows who he is, but if you act like an idiot you make me look bad, so sit the fuck down.

LIKE??? THIS IS LITERATURE

[drrav3nb]

AVALON HIGH (2010)

[cain--abel]

Why marry Arthur Pendragon?

💍Gender selectable! (Marry Elaine Pendragon instead!)

🥲 Make your father proud!

💰 Get rich-quick-scheme!

🫅 Marry a fellow royal worthy of you!

🏰 Gain a barony!

🛏️ Optional affair!

💘 True love?

[sickfreaksirkay]

[illustratus]

Enid and Geraint by Rowland Wheelwright

[aneurinallday]

Lancelot and the Lady of Shalott

Bold Sir Lancelot and the Lady of Shalott

(she dies from unrequited love for a hot guy she saw for 2 seconds in the distance and decided to chase down a river. girl same)

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

A Tempest of Tea

first in a YA fantasy duology

follows a young immigrant woman in a fantasy Victorian city who runs a tearoom that doubles as an illegal bloodhouse for vampires at night

when their business is threatened, she gets a chance to save it by teaming up with her best friend, a rich girl with a talent for forgery, a vampire artist, and a mysterious city guard to do a heist to infiltrate high society and collect a logbook that may reveal the extent of the corruption in the city

fantasy city with a masked ruler, arthurian elements, themes of colonialism