Sanctity, Legitimacy, and the Right to Rule: Selections from Roger Lancelyn Green’s King Arthur and His Knights

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Kathryn Ney

Texts: Selections from Roger Lancelyn Green’s King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table

Discussion Leaders: Daphne de Grandpre and Kathryn Ney

Discussion Questions:

  1. Avalone/ Avallónë: Dúnedain, Divine Right of Kings, and Proximity to the Divine

In our previous reading of Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, numerous places have been deliberately quarantined from the known world of men, and the evil threats therein: the Valar and Maiar have their stronghold in Valinor; Thingol and his Teleri subjects are sequestered in Doriath, protected by the enchanted Girdle of Melian; some of the Eldar had the island of Tol Eressë, and its city Avallónë; and in parallel, the Edain, the Three Houses of Men, become the Númenóreans (Dúnedain), hidden away on the island kingdom of Numenor.

King Arthur is also brought to an island sanctuary, which is neither within nor yet fully outside the realm of men; like the Dúnedain, he is raised in a land that is close to a Holy presence, and is there blessed. Consider the significance of place, and proximity to God, when it comes to kingship. Is Avalon merely a pagan remnant, here incorporated into a “divine right of kings” narrative, or is there a larger significance to Arthur’s pseudo-baptismal blessing by the “Dwellers in Avalon, the Land of Mystery” (Green 23)? Are there any other parallels that you can see between the Dúnedain and Arthur Pendragon?

  1. Does the Sword Make the Man?

In our discussion of “Of Túrun Turambar,” in The Silmarillion, we noted that the sword appeared to have acted on its own; as those of you who are familiar with the ekphrastic reading of Beowulf’s sword hilt, and the dubious history of the sword Hrunting (Unferth’s kin-slayer), Guarthang has many precedents in Anglo Saxon and Middle English literatures. Many of theses texts emphasize the ways in which weapons carry histories and chose the fates of their masters. How do swords determine (or measure) the fate and worth of Arthur and his knights? Does the sword make the man, or does the man make the sword?

  1. Chastity, Charity and the Chalice: Morality and Christian Iconography in King Arthur

Consider the role of holy (and magical) objects in Green’s retelling of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table; you may want to take a historical, theological, or literary approach to your reading. What makes an object “magical” versus “holy,” and are they the same thing?

What is the relationship between femininity, chastity, and the deliverance of these objects, such as Excalibur delivered by the Lady of the Lake, the “Dolorous Stroke” sword drawn by Balan from the unnamed lady, or Lady Bertilak’s green girdle-lace?What is the significance of the Holy Grail to the King Arthur narrative, and how have its many significations changed over time (in popular media, propaganda, or scholarship)?

  1. In “On Fairy Stories,” Tolkien wrote that of all things in a “fairy tale,” “There is one provisio: if there is any satire present in the tale, one thing must not be made fun of, the magic itself. That must in that story be taken seriously, neither laughed at nor explained away. Of this seriousness the medieval Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an admirable example.” How do magic and humour work together in the tale of Sir Gawain?

5. Names and Identity: Names are identifiers in many texts to determine lineage and a self-made identity, why then do we have so many characters without names? For example the multiple “maidens” that we encounter in Roger Lancelyn Green’s stories of King Arthur. This also becomes important when Balyn and Balan fight each other without knowing their opponent’s names or coat of arms. Should we trust Balyn’s belief that “it is an evil sign…surely you are no true man if you will not tell us your name” (38, Coming of Arthur).

6. Wizards: Merlin arrives at seemingly random moments to provide great wisdom or prophecy. When we discussed Gandalf and the roles of wizards, the common idea seemed to be that wizards were type-casted as older men that can give ‘grandfatherly’ advice. Are there other parallels between the wizards of middle-earth and Merlin? Is it possible Tolkien was influenced by this literature to create his own wizards? Do we continue this image in popular media?

 

 

 

About Kathryn Ney

I am a Teacher Candidate in the Bachelor of Education Program (Secondary) with two teachable subjects, Social Studies and English. I graduated from the Global Stewardship Program at Capilano University in 2014 and completed a double major at UBC in English Literature Honours and History in November 2018. During my studies at CapU, I volunteered as an English teacher with the Global Volunteer Network in Nepal and this experience first prompted me to consider a career in education. While studying at UBC, I led a Student Directed Seminar on the Inklings (Tolkien and C.S. Lewis), thus enabling me to gain experience designing syllabi and marking rubrics for peer evaluation. I am also an alumni of the UBC Arts Coop program, through which I predominantly worked as a docent and archivist in the culture and heritage industry. Some of my work during my Coop placements included developing educational programs for museums, and through this experience, I learned how to make history engaging and accessible for young people as well as for the general public. I spent the past year participating in the Odyssey Program as an English Language Assistant in small-town Quebec, during which time I gleaned extensive in-class and interpersonal experience working with both kids and young adults on their English skills. Since my return in May, I have been leading summer camps for youth focused on conservation issues and outdoor skills. This experience allowed me to share my love of nature and the environment with young people from across the province. Ideally, after completing the BEd. program and having gained some teaching experience, I would like to find a way to combine these disciplines and interests in the form of extracurricular involvement, or otherwise to work abroad doing professional or curriculum development for teachers in developing countries.
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