The Celtic sources for the Arthurian legend

by Jon B. Coe

Some rubbing & edgewear; old price sticker on back corner; overall clean & tight. 201 pages

Genres: Arthurian

Paperback

First published January 1, 1425

Reviews

[Lewis Carnelian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the charm of this publication is it is clearly a work of love, an almost "fan fiction" kind of production level, that to me reminds me of early self-made RPG modules of the 1980s. But this collection is incredibly practical for even the armchair enthusiast of King Arthur: it contains the bits and snippets scattered throughout the proposed pre-Geoffrey of Monmouth narrative, including bits of Taliesin. If one could have a criticism, it is by virtue of these extracts being removed from sometimes longer works, context can be flattened, but the well done and crisp introductions to each nugget serve an admirable job of placing them within a larger context.

So what does this bring to the table as far as interest in King Arthur goes? For the fan interested, Arthur appears like a wisp of a larger, stranger Britain, a tiny thread of a vast, phantasmagoric narrative that winds the early Celtic saints alongside endless litanies of heroes, of which Arthur is just one, stumbling around the Magic Isles. Of course, there are sections where Arthur appears as a much more determined character, but the context here implies that he is definitely part of a tapestry of legend rather than its focal point. Of course, Geoffrey also places Arthur in a context, a litany of Kings and Queens (and one gets the sense that in the same way Malory tried to cement the vast Arthurian narratives before him, Geoffrey attempts to do the same with this pre-existing material, except taking far more artistic license) but obviously devotes a good deal of time to Arthur, thus preparing the way for many to come. I would say this is an essential collection for those interested in that pre-Geoffrey body of Arthuriana, and am happy it exists.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good little collection of most of the early welsh Arthurian material. Ranges from the Triads, early poetry, to saints lives.