King of the Celts

Arthurian Legends and Celtic Tradition

Availability: In Stock

Pages: 320
Book Size: 6 x 9
ISBN-13: 9780892814527
Imprint: Inner Traditions
On Sale Date: November 1, 1993
Format: Paperback Book

A Celtic historian re-creates the life and times of the real King Arthur and explains how even today Arthurian ideals of knightly virtue remain at the heart of Western thought.

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Description

In a masterful blend of history, geography, and literature, Jean Markale re-creates the true King Arthur, the real-life Celtic warrior-hero who organized the resistance to the Saxon onslaught in fifth-century England. Markale's unsurpassed knowledge of Celtic history has enabled him to reconstruct for us the actual world in which King Arthur lived--its heros, its values, and its vicissitudes--and to define the position that Arthur occupied within it.

• Explains how the Arthurian ideals of knightly virtue and chivalry are at the heart of Western literature and thought

• Shows how the Celtic heritage continues to exert a unique formative power on our personal and moral concepts

Table of Contents

King of The Celts
Arthurian Legends and Celtic Tradition

Part 1 King Arthur in the Medieval World
1. Arthurian Literature
2. The Political Background
The Plantagenets
John of Salisbury
Glastonbury Abbey
Arthurian Chivalry
Part 2 King Arthur in the Celtic World
3. Britain in the Dark Ages
Roman Britain
Celtic Britain
The New Kings of Britain
4. King Arthur in History
5. The Arthurian Myth
The Political Aspect
The Theme of Sovereignty
The Unfaithful Queen
Arthur's Companions
Similar Legends
Arthur the God
6. The Early Saga of Arthur
Part 3 Waiting for Arthur
7. The Specific Qualities of the Celts
Roman Society and Celtic Society
The Contribution of the Celts
8. Arthur's Legacy
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index

Author Bio

Jean Markale (1928-2008), was a poet, philosopher, historian, and storyteller, who spent a lifetime researching pre-Christian and medieval culture and spirituality. He was a former specialist in Celtic studies at the Sorbonne and author of more than 40 books, including The Celts: Uncovering the Mythic and Historic Origins of Western Culture, Merlin, and Women of the Celts.

Reviews

Book Praise

"King Arthur fans, take note: your dreamy images of this rapturous medieval period will never be the same after you've read Markale's scholarly and luminous revision."

NAPRA Trade Journal

"No student or lover of Arthurian bravado and myth should pass up this book. You will immediately be caught up in Markale's telling of the familiar tale, and enchanted by the new twists on the old story."

New Age Retailer