King Arthur presides at the Round Table.

In the legend of King Arthur, the Round Table was a mythical table in Camelot around which King Arthur and his knights sat to discuss matters crucial to the security of the realm. In some versions, the wizard Merlin also has a seat. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ... This article is about the mythical castle. ... For the film, see Knights of the Round Table (film). ... Merlin dictating his poems, as illustrated in a French book from the 13th century For other uses, see Merlin (disambiguation). ...

Legends

The Round Table first appears in Wace's Roman de Brut, though the idea of Arthur surrounding himself with the world's finest warriors dates back to Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae and the medieval Welsh material such as Culhwch and Olwen and the Triads. The most popular origin story of the table first appears in Robert de Boron's Merlin, and was taken up by the later prose romances. In it, the table was created by Merlin in imitation of Joseph of Arimathea's Grail table; itself an imitation of the table of the Last Supper. In works like the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, the Post-Vulgate Cycle, and Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, the Round Table was created for Arthur's father Uther Pendragon, and was kept by Uther's vassal Leodegrance after his death. When Arthur becomes king, he receives the table as a gift when he marries Leodegrance's daughter Guinevere. Wace (c. ... Roman de Brut Roman de Brut or Brut is a verse literary history of England of 14,866 lines written in Anglo-Norman by Wace. ... Geoffrey of Monmouth (in Welsh: Gruffudd ap Arthur or Sieffre o Fynwy) (c. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: History of the Kings of Britain Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniae (English: The History of the Kings of Britain) is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written around 1136. ... This article is about the country. ... Culhwch and Olwen (Welsh: Culhwch ac Olwen) is a Welsh tale about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors that survives in only two manuscripts: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, ca. ... The Welsh Triads (Welsh, Trioedd Ynys Prydein) is used to describe any of the related Medieval collection of groupings of three that preserve a major portion of Welsh folklore and Welsh literature. ... Robert de Boron (also spelled in the manuscripts Bouron, Beron) was a French poet of the late 12th and early 13th centuries, originally from the village of Boron, in the arrondissement of Montbéliard. ... Joseph of Arimathea by Pietro Perugino. ... For other uses, see Holy Grail (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see The Last Supper (disambiguation). ... The Lancelot-Grail, also known as the prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend. ... The Post-Vulgate Cycle is one of the major Old French prose cycles of Arthurian literature. ... Sir Thomas Malory (c. ... The Last Sleep of Arthur by Edward Burne-Jones Le Morte dArthur (spelled Le Morte Darthur in the first printing and also in some modern editions, Middle French for la mort dArthur, the death of Arthur) is Sir Thomas Malorys compilation of some French and English Arthurian... Uther Pendragon (French: Uter Pendragon; Welsh: Wthyr Bendragon, Uthr Bendragon, Uthyr Pendraeg) is a legendary king of sub-Roman Britain and the father of King Arthur. ... King Leondegrance (sometimes Leodegrance, or some other minor variation) was, in Arthurian legend, the father of Queen Guinevere. ... For other uses, see Guinevere (disambiguation). ...

Sir Galahad takes the "dangerous seat".

There is no "head of the table" at a round table, and so no one is at a privileged position. Thus the knights were all peers and there was no "leader" as there were at so many other medieval tables. There are indications of other circular seating arrangements to avoid conflicts among early Celtic groups. However, one could infer importance on the basis of the number of seats each knight was removed from the king. The siège périlleux ("dangerous chair") was reserved for knights of pure heart. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Sir Galahad was one of the knights of King Arthurs Round Table in Arthurian legend. ... For the UK band, see Furniture (band). ... In Arthurian legend, the Siege Perilous was a specially reserved seat at the Round Table which was kept vacant by Merlin for the knight who was destined to quest for and return with the Holy Grail. ...

See also

• Round table (tournament)

A Round Table, in addition to its other meanings, was also during the late Middle Ages a mediaeval tournament, usually accompanied by a feast which would be held at a literally round table, in conscious imitation of King Arthur and his court. ... The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of the British Isles, centering around King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ... The Arthurian legend featured many characters, whose names often differed from version to version, and language to language. ... For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ... Sir Ector (sometimes Hector, Antor, or Ectorius) is the father of Sir Kay and the foster father of King Arthur in the Arthurian legend. ... For other uses, see Guinevere (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Merlin dictating his poems, as illustrated in a French book from the 13th century For other uses, see Merlin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Mordred (disambiguation). ... Morgan le Fay, by Anthony Frederick Sandys (1829 - 1904), 1864 (Birmingham Art Gallery): A spell-brewing Morgaine distinctly of Tennysons generation Morgan le Fay, alternatively known as Morgaine, Morgain, Morgana and other variants, is a powerful sorceress and sometime antagonist of King Arthur and Guinevere in the Arthurian legend. ... In Arthurian legend, Morgause or Morgase (also known as Anna-Morgause or Ann-Morgause) is the half-sister of King Arthur who slept with him and produced Mordred, the incestuous heir that would lead to Camelots downfall. ... Uther Pendragon (French: Uter Pendragon; Welsh: Wthyr Bendragon, Uthr Bendragon, Uthyr Pendraeg) is a legendary king of sub-Roman Britain and the father of King Arthur. ... For the film, see Knights of the Round Table (film). ... Sir Agravain or Sir Agravaine was a knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. ... How Sir Bedivere Cast the Sword Excalibur into the Water. ... In Arthurian Legend, Sir Bors was a Knight of the Round Table. ... Sir Calogrenant, sometimes known in English as Colgrevance, is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. ... Gaheris is a figure of Arthurian legend, a knight of the Round Table, and a son of Morgause and King Lot of Orkney and Lothian. ... For other uses, see Galahad (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Gareth (disambiguation). ... Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Gawain (Gwalchmei, Gawan, Gauvain, Walewein etc. ... Geraint, with his wife Enid, from The Idylls of the King Geraint is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, a king of Dumnonia and a valiant warrior. ... Sir Kay, son of Sir Ector, was one of the Knights of the Round Table and King Arthurs foster brother. ... Sir Lamorak was the son of King Pellinore and the brother of Sir Tor, Sir Aglovale, Sir Dornar, Sir Percival, and Dindrane. ... For other uses, see Lancelot (disambiguation) and Sir Lancelot (disambiguation). ... Palamedes, (also called Palamede, Palomides or some other variant) was a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. ... Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthurs legendary Knights of the Round Table. ... Sir Sagramore is a Knight of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. ... This article is about the Knight of the Round Table. ... Ywain rescues the lion Sir Ywain (also called Owain, Yvain, Ewain or Uwain) is a Knight of the Round Table and the son of King Urien in Arthurian legend. ... For other uses, see Excalibur (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Holy Grail (disambiguation). ... The following is a list and assessment of sites and places associated with King Arthur and the Arthurian legend in general. ... For other uses, see Avalon (disambiguation). ... This article is about the mythical castle. ... Corbenic (also Carbonek and Corbin) is the name of the castle of the Holy Grail in the Lancelot-Grail cycle and Thomas Malorys Le Morte dArthur. ... Remains of Tintagel Castle Tintagel (pronounced with the stress on the second syllable; Cornish: Dintagell) is a village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, in England, UK. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle are associated with the legends surrounding King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. ... The Arthurian legend is one of the most popular literary subjects of all time, and has been adapted numerous times in every form of media. ... This is a list of books about King Arthur, or his related world, family, friends or enemies. ... Films based on the Arthurian legend are many and varied. ...

References

• Roger S. Loomis (1959). Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages, chapter 41 "Arthurian Influence on Sport and Spectacle". Oxford, 1959.
• Robert Rouse and Cory Rushton (2005). The Medieval Quest for Arthur. Tempus, Stroud. ISBN 0-7524-3343-1.

Roger Sherman Loomis (1887-1966) was an American scholar of Arthurian literature. ...

External links

• Timeless Myths - Knights of the Round Table
• The 14th Century Round Table in Winchester, Hampshire. UK