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King Arthur's Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition
Did you know King Arthur had many other children besides Mordred? Depending on which version of the legend you read, he had both sons and daughters, some of whom even survived him. From the ancient tale of Gwydre, the son who was gored to death by a boar, to Scottish traditions of Mordred as a beloved king, Tyler R. Tichelaar has studied all the references to King Arthur's children to show how they shed light upon a legend that has intrigued us for fifteen centuries. King Arthur's A Study in Fiction and Tradition is the first full-length analysis of every known treatment of King Arthur's children, from Welsh legends and French romances, to Scottish genealogies and modern novels by such authors as Parke Godwin, Stephen Lawhead, Debra Kemp, and Elizabeth Wein. King Arthur's Children explores an often overlooked theme in Arthurian literature and reveals King Arthur's bloodline may still exist today. Arthurian Authors Praise "King Arthur's Children"
"Author Tyler R. Tichelaar has performed impeccable research into the Arthurian legend, fi nding neglected details in early sources and reigniting their significance. Great brainstorming fun! I am proud to add this to my personal collection of Arthurian non-fiction."
--Debra Kemp, author of The House of Pendragon series "Tyler R. Tichelaar's in-depth analysis of the plausibility of King Arthur's children reaffirms the importance the King Arthur legacy continues to have for society and the need of people all over the world to be able to connect to and believe in King Arthur and Camelot."
--Cheryl Carpinello, author of On the Eve of Legend About the Author
Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D., is the author of several historical novels, most notably The Marquette Trilogy and the award-winning Narrow Lives . King Arthur's Children reveals his findings into the Arthurian legend as a precursor to his upcoming novel King Arthur's Legacy .
Learn more at www.ChildrenOfArthur.com from the Reflections of Camelot Series at Modern History Press www.ModernHistoryPress.com
"Author Tyler R. Tichelaar has performed impeccable research into the Arthurian legend, fi nding neglected details in early sources and reigniting their significance. Great brainstorming fun! I am proud to add this to my personal collection of Arthurian non-fiction."
--Debra Kemp, author of The House of Pendragon series "Tyler R. Tichelaar's in-depth analysis of the plausibility of King Arthur's children reaffirms the importance the King Arthur legacy continues to have for society and the need of people all over the world to be able to connect to and believe in King Arthur and Camelot."
--Cheryl Carpinello, author of On the Eve of Legend About the Author
Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D., is the author of several historical novels, most notably The Marquette Trilogy and the award-winning Narrow Lives . King Arthur's Children reveals his findings into the Arthurian legend as a precursor to his upcoming novel King Arthur's Legacy .
Learn more at www.ChildrenOfArthur.com from the Reflections of Camelot Series at Modern History Press www.ModernHistoryPress.com
- GenresArthurianNonfiction
208 pages, Paperback
First published December 29, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 6, 2011
Tyler R. Tichelaar, who has a Ph.D. in literature, has been fascinated with King Arthur since a child. I understand that, as in 6th grade my class read a King Arthur story and then wrote a play about him that we later performed. I have great memories of all that went into the writing, the sets, the learning of lines and then performing the play not just two times for the elementary school but later at night presenting it to our parents and other people from the community. That started my own fascination with Arthurian legend. Did he really exist or on the other hand, is he just a legend? As an adult, I continued to read about Arthur in Stephen Lawhead’s five book series The Pendragon and then Avalon: The Return of King Arthur. Therefore, I was excited to read Tichelaar’s King Arthur’s Children and I was not disappointed.
King Arthur’s Children looks at the literature since the fifth century tracing every mention of the children of Arthur starting with the Welsh legends. Tichelaar also looks at the French romances and other references to the children during the Middle Ages. He then brings it up to modern times where authors continue to write about the king and his children, often making up new children. Lawhead’s series is just one of many modern novels he discusses.
This though is not a dry historical account but Tichelaar is a storyteller and in the midst of all the details of the children, storylines are shared that made me want to read more about Arthur. Why is it that even in the 21st century we are still interested in King Arthur, his adventures and his family? Maybe it is the fact that we do not know if he really did exist, or is it the classic issues his story brings up – family struggles, forbidden love, best friends in love with the same woman, or maybe our fascination is with all the adventures of King Arthur. I do not know but Tichelaar’s work has added something valuable to those who study the man or to those of us who still want to read more of the infamous king. I highly recommend King Arthur’s Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition.
Tichelaar himself is going to add to the King Arthur books with his upcoming novel King Arthur’s Legacy. After reading this book, I am looking forward to reading his novel also.
King Arthur’s Children looks at the literature since the fifth century tracing every mention of the children of Arthur starting with the Welsh legends. Tichelaar also looks at the French romances and other references to the children during the Middle Ages. He then brings it up to modern times where authors continue to write about the king and his children, often making up new children. Lawhead’s series is just one of many modern novels he discusses.
This though is not a dry historical account but Tichelaar is a storyteller and in the midst of all the details of the children, storylines are shared that made me want to read more about Arthur. Why is it that even in the 21st century we are still interested in King Arthur, his adventures and his family? Maybe it is the fact that we do not know if he really did exist, or is it the classic issues his story brings up – family struggles, forbidden love, best friends in love with the same woman, or maybe our fascination is with all the adventures of King Arthur. I do not know but Tichelaar’s work has added something valuable to those who study the man or to those of us who still want to read more of the infamous king. I highly recommend King Arthur’s Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition.
Tichelaar himself is going to add to the King Arthur books with his upcoming novel King Arthur’s Legacy. After reading this book, I am looking forward to reading his novel also.
November 13, 2018
The Complete Resource on All of King Arthur’s Children
If you’ve read Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, surely you’ve gotten to the part that says ‘and then Arthur had a son, named Borre, who was thereafter a knight of the Table Round,’ and found yourself saying: “Borre?!? I’ve never heard of him!” …then was shocked when this son of the king is never mentioned in the story again.
Historian and Arthurian scholar Tyler R. Tichelaar has the answer for who Borre is, and what happened to him, as well as all of the other offspring that Arthur was said to have fathered, in his superb study, King Arthur’s Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition. Calling on the old legends from the Matter of Britain as well as scholarly interpretations of it and historical information about the real figures where they existed, Tichelaar explains who each of these mythical children were, what place they had in the story, if they appeared in different versions or as different characters, and what ultimately happened to them, if known. In this way the book is an excellent resource for anyone fascinated by the Arthurian epic in general, and certainly those authors and scholars who wish to create their own works of Arthurian lore.
I read Tichelaar’s excellent fiction book, Arthur’s Legacy: Children of Arthur, Book One, which develops and makes reference to some of the characters mentioned here, and was likely inspired by his work on this book, which added a new layer of insight to my experience of that book.
Arthur’s most famous child is Mordred, the only one developed in the most well-known versions of the legend, and of course, Mordred makes up the largest portion of this book’s study. Tichelaar examines Mordred’s birth, depictions of his character, his marriage to Guinevere, and even his own sons. It’s unlikely anyone will have any questions about Mordred after perusing this superbly detailed study.
The book is very easily readable and enjoyable, and I enjoyed Tichelaar’s learned but easygoing style. I also appreciated that he includes depictions of the children from more modern Arthurian authors, approaching the material like a saga in progress, not a dead piece of history that was entombed in the past. If you’re interested in the topic of King Arthur’s children, whether Mordred or any of his legendary others—this is the book for you.
If you’ve read Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, surely you’ve gotten to the part that says ‘and then Arthur had a son, named Borre, who was thereafter a knight of the Table Round,’ and found yourself saying: “Borre?!? I’ve never heard of him!” …then was shocked when this son of the king is never mentioned in the story again.
Historian and Arthurian scholar Tyler R. Tichelaar has the answer for who Borre is, and what happened to him, as well as all of the other offspring that Arthur was said to have fathered, in his superb study, King Arthur’s Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition. Calling on the old legends from the Matter of Britain as well as scholarly interpretations of it and historical information about the real figures where they existed, Tichelaar explains who each of these mythical children were, what place they had in the story, if they appeared in different versions or as different characters, and what ultimately happened to them, if known. In this way the book is an excellent resource for anyone fascinated by the Arthurian epic in general, and certainly those authors and scholars who wish to create their own works of Arthurian lore.
I read Tichelaar’s excellent fiction book, Arthur’s Legacy: Children of Arthur, Book One, which develops and makes reference to some of the characters mentioned here, and was likely inspired by his work on this book, which added a new layer of insight to my experience of that book.
Arthur’s most famous child is Mordred, the only one developed in the most well-known versions of the legend, and of course, Mordred makes up the largest portion of this book’s study. Tichelaar examines Mordred’s birth, depictions of his character, his marriage to Guinevere, and even his own sons. It’s unlikely anyone will have any questions about Mordred after perusing this superbly detailed study.
The book is very easily readable and enjoyable, and I enjoyed Tichelaar’s learned but easygoing style. I also appreciated that he includes depictions of the children from more modern Arthurian authors, approaching the material like a saga in progress, not a dead piece of history that was entombed in the past. If you’re interested in the topic of King Arthur’s children, whether Mordred or any of his legendary others—this is the book for you.
May 18, 2018
Tyler Tichelaar's book is an easy read compared to some literary criticism books, and as a lit review of books and stories that mention or feature King Arthur's children, it is a well-researched book, and a great introduction to anyone curious about the traditions and theories surrounding King Arthur's potential parenthood (real or mythical). However, the Tichelaar's tendency to move back and forth between historical and literary views of the legend made it difficult to know if he was attempting to prove that King Arthur did, as a quasi-historical figure, had literal decedents who may, in reality, still be around today, or if he was simply examining the evolution of the literary use of Arthur's clearly fictional children. His introduction, which discusses his interest in genealogy, further compounds this confusion.
Moreover, Tichelaar's linking of Arthur's earliest Welsh children, Gwydre, Amr, and Llacheu to other, more developed myths is tenuous and requires a number of incredible leaps to believe that they are, in fact, related. In these arguments, he includes theories by notable Arthurian scholars, discredits these theories, and then references back to them as evidence of his own theory being correct, which makes it difficult to keep track of what his actual conclusions are.
Tichelaar is also prone to be sidetracked in his narrative and includes several long and irrelevant discussions (such as whether Kay was Guinevere's original lover and/or abductor).
Finally, Tiechelaar's conclusion that "everyone who loves Arthurian literature is a child of king Arthur" (175), however appealing such a thought might be to those who would like to think of themselves as having Arthur as an ancestor, is somewhat ostentatious and whimsical for the academic nature of the text.
In conclusion, Tiechelarr's book is an interesting review of the relevant literature, but his theories about Arthur's children do not stand up to scholarly critique.
Moreover, Tichelaar's linking of Arthur's earliest Welsh children, Gwydre, Amr, and Llacheu to other, more developed myths is tenuous and requires a number of incredible leaps to believe that they are, in fact, related. In these arguments, he includes theories by notable Arthurian scholars, discredits these theories, and then references back to them as evidence of his own theory being correct, which makes it difficult to keep track of what his actual conclusions are.
Tichelaar is also prone to be sidetracked in his narrative and includes several long and irrelevant discussions (such as whether Kay was Guinevere's original lover and/or abductor).
Finally, Tiechelaar's conclusion that "everyone who loves Arthurian literature is a child of king Arthur" (175), however appealing such a thought might be to those who would like to think of themselves as having Arthur as an ancestor, is somewhat ostentatious and whimsical for the academic nature of the text.
In conclusion, Tiechelarr's book is an interesting review of the relevant literature, but his theories about Arthur's children do not stand up to scholarly critique.
August 19, 2014
A nonfiction text covering the fascinating, but obscure, existence of King Arthur’s children. You might be surprised to discover that King Arthur’s Children does not immediately begin with a discourse on Mordred, perhaps the most famous prodigal son in literary history. Instead, Tichelaar goes back further into historical records and sifts out fragmentary mention of three earlier sons: Gwydre, Amr, and, Llacheu.
All of these sons are mention in old Welsh tales of Arthur. The first two, however, are barely a footnote in Arthur’s life. The amount of hunting and digging that was involved to gain as much information about these two sons must have been exhausting. Tichelaar shows no signs of strain in his writing, though, and provides the reader with the fruits of his labors through clear and engaging writing. Indeed, Tichelaar does not shy from making connections and hypotheses about the development of these early tales into what is most accepted as Arthurian legend today.
For those who might be wondering, the book does get to Mordred in part two and spends the next eight chapters delineating Mordred’s origins--both the well known versions as well as the more murky—his attack on Arthur’s throne, the subsequent battles and their connections to Queen Guinevere, Mordred’s place in Scottish history as a rightful king, and Mordre’s sons.
The many books, poems, oral telling, and other formats in which King Arthur has appeared has, perhaps, conditioned the general populace as to the correct reckoning of events in regards to Arthur and his relatives. Tichelaar presents his research to challenge and, at least partly, overturn many of those long-held “truths.” He openly acknowledges, though, that the “truth” is far from certain—even in light of his research. Lost or destroyed records, historical biases, and simple lack of information make it nearly impossible to put full faith in any one version of the tale of Arthur and the people around him. That being said, Tichelaar does open up some very interesting possibilities as to what really happened in Britain all those centuries ago. Perhaps Mordred really was a tragic hero that did not play the part of traitor, but, instead, sought to regain his rightful place in the world. Perhaps Arthur was not the gallant hero, nor Guinevere the valiant, but tempted, damsel in distress.
The third and fourth parts of King Arthur’s Children are perhaps the most fascinating as they follow the lines of Arthur’s blood into future generations from the royal family of Britain and Clan Campbell in Scotland to the many fictionalized children that Renaissance and modern authors have created.
King Arthur is probably the most popular figure in English literature. He has been romanticized, transfigured from young to old, depicted as a David-like hero and even vilified as a usurper. Tichelaar has made a solid and scholarly effort to untangle the many threads in Arthur’s tapestry so that readers can come to their own conclusions and perhaps create further tales that enrich the Arthurian legend.
While I am not in any way a serious scholar, I enjoyed King Arthur’s Children with its earnest historian’s voice and fascinating subject matter.
All of these sons are mention in old Welsh tales of Arthur. The first two, however, are barely a footnote in Arthur’s life. The amount of hunting and digging that was involved to gain as much information about these two sons must have been exhausting. Tichelaar shows no signs of strain in his writing, though, and provides the reader with the fruits of his labors through clear and engaging writing. Indeed, Tichelaar does not shy from making connections and hypotheses about the development of these early tales into what is most accepted as Arthurian legend today.
For those who might be wondering, the book does get to Mordred in part two and spends the next eight chapters delineating Mordred’s origins--both the well known versions as well as the more murky—his attack on Arthur’s throne, the subsequent battles and their connections to Queen Guinevere, Mordred’s place in Scottish history as a rightful king, and Mordre’s sons.
The many books, poems, oral telling, and other formats in which King Arthur has appeared has, perhaps, conditioned the general populace as to the correct reckoning of events in regards to Arthur and his relatives. Tichelaar presents his research to challenge and, at least partly, overturn many of those long-held “truths.” He openly acknowledges, though, that the “truth” is far from certain—even in light of his research. Lost or destroyed records, historical biases, and simple lack of information make it nearly impossible to put full faith in any one version of the tale of Arthur and the people around him. That being said, Tichelaar does open up some very interesting possibilities as to what really happened in Britain all those centuries ago. Perhaps Mordred really was a tragic hero that did not play the part of traitor, but, instead, sought to regain his rightful place in the world. Perhaps Arthur was not the gallant hero, nor Guinevere the valiant, but tempted, damsel in distress.
The third and fourth parts of King Arthur’s Children are perhaps the most fascinating as they follow the lines of Arthur’s blood into future generations from the royal family of Britain and Clan Campbell in Scotland to the many fictionalized children that Renaissance and modern authors have created.
King Arthur is probably the most popular figure in English literature. He has been romanticized, transfigured from young to old, depicted as a David-like hero and even vilified as a usurper. Tichelaar has made a solid and scholarly effort to untangle the many threads in Arthur’s tapestry so that readers can come to their own conclusions and perhaps create further tales that enrich the Arthurian legend.
While I am not in any way a serious scholar, I enjoyed King Arthur’s Children with its earnest historian’s voice and fascinating subject matter.
September 25, 2015
After teaching the Legend of King Arthur for over 20 years, I felt that I had a pretty good handle on the legend. But, Tyler has astounded me with the details and research about the actual sons of King Arthur!
His methodical research of the ancient texts, including “The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,” Geoffrey's “The History of the Kings of Britain,” “The Mabinogion,” and Malory’s “Le Morte D’Arthur” coupled with more modern texts like “Celtic Myth and Arthurian Romance” (1967) and “The Book of Arthur: Lost Tales of the Round Table” (2002), present readers with a validity for Arthur’s children that has not been shown before.
Tichelaar also explores current fiction in which Arthur’s children make their own path in the literary legend of Arthur. The reasons put forth by Tichelaar in “King Arthur’s Children” for this proliferation of heirs is logical and at the same time magical. Arthur’s legend continues to appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds, and it only makes sense that authors feel modifying the Legend will allow more people to discover the honor and hope so many are looking for in today’s world.
The information about Arthur’s early sons coupled with Tichelaar’s in-depth analysis of the known son Mordred leaves readers wondering how much more Tichelaar will uncover of this magnificent legend. Tyler even explores the claims of the British royal family both past and present that they are Arthur’s descendants!
Tichelaar’s in-depth analysis of the plausibility of King Arthur’s children reaffirms the importance that the King Arthur legacy continues to have for society and the need of people all over the world to be able to connect to and believe in King Arthur and Camelot.
His methodical research of the ancient texts, including “The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,” Geoffrey's “The History of the Kings of Britain,” “The Mabinogion,” and Malory’s “Le Morte D’Arthur” coupled with more modern texts like “Celtic Myth and Arthurian Romance” (1967) and “The Book of Arthur: Lost Tales of the Round Table” (2002), present readers with a validity for Arthur’s children that has not been shown before.
Tichelaar also explores current fiction in which Arthur’s children make their own path in the literary legend of Arthur. The reasons put forth by Tichelaar in “King Arthur’s Children” for this proliferation of heirs is logical and at the same time magical. Arthur’s legend continues to appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds, and it only makes sense that authors feel modifying the Legend will allow more people to discover the honor and hope so many are looking for in today’s world.
The information about Arthur’s early sons coupled with Tichelaar’s in-depth analysis of the known son Mordred leaves readers wondering how much more Tichelaar will uncover of this magnificent legend. Tyler even explores the claims of the British royal family both past and present that they are Arthur’s descendants!
Tichelaar’s in-depth analysis of the plausibility of King Arthur’s children reaffirms the importance that the King Arthur legacy continues to have for society and the need of people all over the world to be able to connect to and believe in King Arthur and Camelot.
April 12, 2013
I just finished reading King Arthur’s Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition It is a scholarly analysis of every known treatment of King Arthur’s children, from Welsh legends and French romances, to Scottish genealogies and modern novels. King Arthur’s Children explores an often overlooked theme in Arthurian literature and reveals King Arthur’s bloodline may still exist today.
Now for my personal opinion . . . I know nothing about King Arthur except for what I've seen in a couple of forgettable movies. He pulled a sword out of a stone. He was married to Guinevere. He was helped by Merlin the wizard. With this lack of knowledge you would think this is a very strange book for me to read and review. But in my world I don't want to read books about things I already know. I want to learn something new.
Thank goodness Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D. has a fabulous writing style which makes so much new-to-me information fairly easy to read and understand. I think my biggest problem was reading and remembering all the "weird" names of the different characters. If they'd all been Johns and Marys it would have been much simpler . . . LOL.
So if you are a fan of King Arthur than this is definitely the book to read. Well thought out, well written and allowing room for question and debate.
http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2013...
Now for my personal opinion . . . I know nothing about King Arthur except for what I've seen in a couple of forgettable movies. He pulled a sword out of a stone. He was married to Guinevere. He was helped by Merlin the wizard. With this lack of knowledge you would think this is a very strange book for me to read and review. But in my world I don't want to read books about things I already know. I want to learn something new.
Thank goodness Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D. has a fabulous writing style which makes so much new-to-me information fairly easy to read and understand. I think my biggest problem was reading and remembering all the "weird" names of the different characters. If they'd all been Johns and Marys it would have been much simpler . . . LOL.
So if you are a fan of King Arthur than this is definitely the book to read. Well thought out, well written and allowing room for question and debate.
http://inmyworld-pam.blogspot.ca/2013...
July 14, 2014
This is an informative and interesting study of the literary traditions surrounding King Arthur and his legitimate and illegitimate offspring, mostly overlooked except for the figure of Mordred. Given that many of the works studied tend to contradict one another, this can sometimes make for a convoluted and confusing read, but overall it fulfils its purpose. A few genealogical charts showing the different representations of Arthur's family trees as shown in different versions of the story might have been a welcome addition to the book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews