New Smithsonian article on the truth (if any) behind the Arthurian Legend

It was in last month's Smithsonian. It is a good and fun read. It is a great myth with, perhaps, a small kernel of truth buried within. But are not most myths same --- ???

There are myths about King Arthur all over the country, not just in Cornwall.... King Arthur is reputed to be buried in a cave under Sewing Shields on Hadrian’s Wall. If you do discover the cave and find King Arthur, remember to blow the bugle as well as drawing the sword to cut the garter, unlike the tale of a local farmer. Apparently King Arthur woke briefly to say:

“O Woe betide that evil day,
On which this witless wight was born,
Who drew the sword, the garter cut,
But never blew the bugle-horn.”

I have a subscription and it was a fun read, but at the end, the experts concur that there is a lot of bad reporting on this myth, which I agree with. I've been taking some upper level English history classes at the local university and my professor is appalled by how much inaccurate historical writing is out there by writers who don't use primary sources and have no evidence to support their claim.

That said, it's a lovely story and I love the characters of Arthur and his gang. :)

Lola, thanks for posting. It was interesting reading.