The Arthurian knights, who sat
with King Arthur around a circular table, became a fellowship between
knights. Some of them are famous as heroes and champions of just cause; however,
jealousy, envy and hatred existed within the fellowship. There were enemies
within the Round Table as well as those who were not member of the
fellowship.
The knights were
usually of noble birth: they were usually kings and princes, dukes, counts or
earls and barons. They formed the strong point of the army.
When the knights
attend a festival or council at the king's main hall, those who sat at the
head of table, usually had precedence over others. These knights would feel
envy or jealousy to those of higher ranking.
To resolve these
problems, Arthur resorted to having his table constructed in a rounded shape.
The ingenuity of this design, make all the knights equal, regardless if he
was a king or a lower cast baron. No one would have precedence over others.
The knights in
Arthur's company became known as the Knights of the Round Table. These
knights were heroes, renowned for their strength and courage, and for their
skill in combat and warfare.
So the Round Table
actually began as a more of a tradition. With the quest for the holy Grail
romance becoming more firmly rooted in the Arthurian legend, the Round Table
became directly linked with the Grail. The table did not become just
furniture to seat Arthur's knights, nor was it to solve a problem of
precedence between knights.
When king Uther
died, the Round Table was passed on to King Leodegan of Camelide, one of his
allies and the father of Guinevere. When Arthur married Guinevere,
Leodegan gave the Round Table to Arthur as a wedding gift, along with one
hundred knights of Leodegan.
The Round Table
could seat 150 knights, it was Merlin who help Arthur to chose the last fifty
knights. Each seat had the name of knight magically written on the back of
the seat, in letters of gold. One seat, however, remained unoccupied until
the Grail knight and the best knight
would be seated there; this seat was known
as the Siege Perilou s. Arthurian legend (in the 13th-14th century),
there was only one seat left vacate, that was the seat that no other knights
could sit upon: the "Siege Perilous". Only one of the seats was
left vacat. The Siege Perilous was reserved for the true Grail
knight, and would remain unoccupied until the Grail hero appeared. Anyone who
sat on it would be killed.
The Round Table was very much the symbol of
Arthur's power as was his sword Excalibur and his castle abode Camelot.
The true Grail hero must be knight with the purest heart, who was not only
chaste, but also a virgin without sins. That knight was Galahad, the son
of Lancelot, the only knight allowed understanding of the mystery of
the Holy Grail.
The Fellowship of
the Round Table was very much like the knightly orders of the medieval world.
The military orders had begun during the First Crusade. They were intended to
care for the sick pilgrims and the wounded knights whom fought the Muslims.
The first two orders were established on the Holy Land. Other orders were established, sometimes by
rulers. In Germany, the best known order was Teutonic Order (1189-1525).
Arthur had never established rules and heraldic designs upon his knights.
Each wore knight wore what armor or shield they choose. Some knights wore
design upon their shields where they
could be recognized. Often a knight would wear one of the colors, the most
common being white, black, red, green and blue.
Perceval was
usually seen as the Red Knight, because the untrained youth had killed a Red
Knight that had spilled wine on Queen Guinevere.
The great
hero Lancelot wore any armor and shield he was given, due to the fact
that he like to travel incognito, so no one would recognize him. Especially
when he was on an adventure or participating in the tournament. Lancelot
started out being knighted as a White Knight, where the Lady of the Lake
provided his armor and weapon, but he changed his armor many times, so he was
also the Red Knight, Green Knight and then Black Knight.
Shields sometimes
had portraylas of animals, sometimes of the crown or sword. Other times, the
shield had only one colour or sometimes they had a stripe or two. Arthur
carried a shield with image of the Virgin Mary into battle.
The table was more
than a dowry of Guinevere. In a way, Guinevere symbolized the kingdom of
Logres (Britain). Arthur, who was Logres king, was not only wedded to
Guinevere; he became wedded to the land. This link between
the rulers who were wedded the land was common themes.
The results of the
Quest, when the Grail vanished from the world, it also meant the withdrawal
of God's grace from Logres. Though the enchantment on Logres was broken and
the Maimed King healed, the salvation did not come to the Brotherhood of the
Round Table. Instead they were punished for their failings and their sins.
One of the most
notable deteriorating part of the Round Table was that Lancelot the
greatest knight in the world, was in love with Queen Guinevere. Lancelot and
Guinevere had committed adultry, tainting the honour of the Round Table.
Arthur's war against Lancelot had split the Round Table into two factions,
and left him weakened when Mordred betrayed him.
Another failing
was Mordred, who also belonged to the Round Table, and was born as the
result of incest, between Arthur and his half-sister Morgawse. Mordred
would allow his own lust for power and his father's wife Guinevere, to seize
the kingdom during Arthur's absen
Their sins would
bring about the downfall of the Round Table and end the imperfect dreams of
Arthur and Merlin.
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