Did King Arthur Ever Exist? That is the Question.

The Legend of King Arthur is a great heroic story of how a man led his people out of
darkness. Since the original tales of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table were originally
told we can see many different spin offs have been created. Yet through the ages all of these tales
originate around certain facts. These facts include that Arthur was British, he lived around the
Angelo-Saxon period, and he more or less brought Britain out of their evil times and into a
brighter era. Though we know that time has muddled the facts of whether King Arthur ever
existed it has been rumored that he was buried at Glastonbury Abbey and the question I ask you
now is: Did King Arthur ever Exist and if he did, was he buried at Glastonbury Abbey? Some
believe that he did exist and they believe that he was buried at Glastonbury Abbey, but as for me,
I believe that he never existed and I will prove it with Facts of the tale, what we know about that
time period, and the facts that just arent there.
As I have mentioned before, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table were a
heroic group that fought evil and rescued damsels in distress. At Arthurs right hand was his wife
Guinevere who was thought to be very beautiful and helped him lead his people. Yet what we
know about his tale is that the first recordings of it dated back to about 830 A. D. by the writer
Nennius. Then in the 11th century we see another more elaborate tale of King Arthur by the writer
Geoffrey of Monmouth be published. It is at this time that we see the Legend of Arthur and his
Knights really take hold in British literature. Yet by the time that Henry VIII takes the throne the
Legend of King Arthur has such a hold of England that he has the Winchester Round Table of
Edward III to be repainted. Yet now he has himself depicted at the top with King Arthur. (The
Real King Arthur)

Now that you know the origins of the tale itself we must look back at the Angelo-Saxon
time period and all that has come after. We all know that during the Angelo-Saxon period Britain
was in chaos. The Romans had just left and all of these people were coming in and trying to raid
Britain and conquer the land. It would seem almost natural that someone would rise up and set
the world back into peace. Yet except from legends and random documents we dont know
exactly what happened in these time periods. What we do know is that there wasnt an Arthur but
an Arturius and if we go with that spelling the name comes up in random documents multiple
times. We also know that at least one Arturius had a father with the same name as King Arthur in
the legend. With that we know that Arturiuss father was a great ally to Britain and that he
viewed himself as the leader of the people. (Carroll) So is it possible that the Legend of Arthur
deprived from Arturius and his great conquests? Yes, but the Legend of Arthur as we know him
today most likely isnt anything other than a legend.
When we question King Arthurs burial cite we now have to question if it is not King
Arthur that was buried there but if it was Prince Arturius. Since both men lived similar lives is it
easy to question if they are one in the same. What we know about Arturius is that he led a battle
against the Picts alongside the Britains. We also know that he died in that battle. (Carroll) When
comparing the two tales is it easy to see where they start to line up. This is also where we dont
know what happened to Arturius after he died or what happened to his body. All we know for
fact is that he died. What we do know about the grave where it is believed that King Arthur was
buried is that two bodies were found. One being female and the other male. It is also said that a
lead cross was found with the grave showing that it there had been a noble person buried there.
(King Arthur & Avalon)

Now looking into the Legend of King Arthur it is almost easy to see that the King Arthur
that we know today most likely never existed. We know that the stories of today are a little
farfetched but some can make excuses as to how they have come to be that way. Yet the hard
truth is that Arthur never existed but a man named Arturius did. We know that the ideals of
Guinevere and Merlin didnt come into the story until centuries later. We also know that Britains
come up with great stories in time of peril such as the Legend of Arthur and Robin Hood. As far
as the grave at Glastonbury Abbey, someone was buried there and that is the greatest mystery on
its own.

Work Cited
Carroll, David F. "The Irrefutable Historical Evidence Of The Existence Of Arthur." Evidence of
the Existence of Arthur. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
"King Arthur & Avalon." Glastonbury Abbey. Glastonbury Abbey & Happy Hare Media, n.d.
Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
"The Real King Arthur." HISTORY. History, 24 June 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.