Sir Bedivere and the sword Excalibur
Sir Bedivere returning Excalibur, Arthur's sword, to the lake from which it came, illustration by Aubrey Beardsley for an edition of Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur.
Arthurian legend
Also known as: Arthurian romance, matière de Bretagne, matter of Britain(Show More)
Arthurian legend, the body of stories and medieval romances, known as the matter of Britain, centring on the legendary king Arthur. Medieval writers, especially the French, variously treated stories of Arthur’s birth, the adventures of his knights, and the adulterous love between his knight Sir Lancelot and his queen, Guinevere. This last situation and the quest for the Holy Grail (the vessel used by Christ at the Last Supper and given to Joseph of Arimathea)...