the legend of king Arthur and Merlin

 

Mpho Julius Mdlalose

NDG2023003

History of arts

The legend of King  Arthur and Merlin

The Eurocentric Monarchy of King Arthur and the Afrocentric kingship of Shakazulu

I will be comparing the kingdom of king Arthur and Shaka zulu, the victories they went through in concurring other kingdoms and the betrayals they suffered.

Short summery

Arthur was appointed King by his father Uther Pendragon, but his right to the throne was established when Arthur pulled the sword Excalibur from a stone. Advised by the magician Merlin, Arthur strengthened his kingdom by fighting off would-be rivals. The best fighters became his knights of the round table. Arthur experienced many betrayals during his reign, the worst coming from his wife who had an affair with one of the knights, Sir Lancelot, and the other betrayal came from his son, who usurped the throne. In the battle for supremacy, Mordred wounded Arthur, who died by the hands of his own son.

It is said to have taken place during the medieval period, specifically in Britain. The exact time period is uncertain, as the legend of King Arthur has been passed down through oral traditions and has evolved over centuries. According to the legend, King Arthur and Merlin lived during a time of conflict and chaos. Arthur, a legendary British king was said to have led the Britons against the invading Saxon armies. He was known for his Bravery, nobility and commitment to justice, and was believed to have wielded the enchanted sword Excalibur. Merlin, on the other hand, was a powerful sorcerer and advisor to King Arthur. He was more than an ordinary sorcerer, Merlin has wisdom beyond his years and possessed magical abilities that helped guide and protect Arthur throughout his journey. He was known for his shape shifting abilities, his foresight and his abilities to manipulate magical forces The story of King Arthur and Merlin is often associated with the mythical city of Camelot, where Arthur established his court and where the knights of the round table would convene. Camelot is depicted as a Utopian Kingdom, symbolizing hope and pursuit of a perfect society.

 

King Arthur fought many rivals to his thrones, of the most valiant fighters of Arthurs battles, Arthur chose those who fought well, even choosing from those who had been his enemies. The knights came from noble families.

 It is generally accepted that Shaka was a highly skilled warrior who established himself as head of the Zulu about 1816. Under his autocratic rule, the Zulu kingdom experienced significant expansion, quickly becoming the dominant power in southern Africa. Shaka was murdered by his half-brother

 

 

King Arthur [1]and Shakazulu [2]both share a similar story, they are illegitimate kids of the royal house, both their mothers are not from royalty. To be selected as a king both the parents need to be from the royal families. King Arthur paved his way to the throne when he pulled the sword Excalibur[3] from the stone, of which only the chosen one could pull enchanted sword out. Shakazulu forged his was through royalty via the reputation he had built as a strategic and skillful warrior and the fear he brought to his enemies

King Arthur was a skill full warrior who possessed the enchanted sword Excalibur to concur his foes and he was also accompanied by his skillful knights of the round table, of whom he would recruit them from noble families and even skill full worries from the enemy’s side. He was admired by the locals as his totem had a cross as it portrayed his as a Christian warrior and a chosen warrior with regards to the sword Excalibur which made it brought fear to his enemies, On the other hand Shakazulu spearheaded the Zulu warriors, he was always in the forefront of the wars, the changed the fighting strategy from using longer spears to using short spears for a close contact war battles. His skills and brutality inspired other warriors to follow him, his reputation escalated to a point that even kings feared him

Both king Arthur and Shakazulu had Advisors whom were perceived to posses supernatural abilities. King Arthur Had Merlin[4], he was a powerful sorcerer and advisor to King Arthur. He was more than an ordinary sorcerer, Merlin had wisdom beyond his years and possessed magical abilities that helped guide and protect Arthur throughout his journey. He was known for his shapeshifting abilities, his foresight and his abilities to manipulate magical forces. Shakazulu Had Sitayi[5], a powerful witch doctor, who also could manipulate the weather and had shape shifting abilities, she could also predict the future. Both of them served as advisors, guides and protectors to the kings.

Because both these kings had built a reputation for themselves, they were feared by their enemies, no outside forces could touch them, which left them vulnerable to the people in their cycle, with king Arthur being betrayed by his with who had an affair with his closest knight Sir Lancelot, to him being wounded and killed by his son. Shakazulu also suffered the same fate of him being killed by his half-brother. Both kings were killed with their own weapons.

In conclusion both kings were skillful warriors with a fearsome reputation, but they were both defeated by time. Time remained the only king in the throne of life. Both king were old, vulnerable, and slow, not as bold and daring as they used to be. They were both killed by people younger than them, which represents, an ending of an era, to the beginning of a new on. Eras, trends, memes, come and go, but the hands of time remains unchanged.

 

 

 

 

 

Research

 

Tools

During the medieval period, people heavily relied on various tools to carry out their daily tasks.

 

Plow: Farmers used the plow to fill the fields, preparing them for planting crops and improving agricultural practices.

 

 

Anvil and hammer; Blacksmiths utilized an anvil and hammer shape and forge metal items such as weapons, Armor and tools.

 

 

 

 

Chisel; Craftsmen and stonemasons used chisels to carve intricate designs and patterns into stones and wood

 

 

 

 

Milling tools; Millers used grinding stones, wind/water-powered mills and rotary querns to grind grains into flour

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saw; Carpenters and woodworkers utilized saws to cut and shape wood for construction purposes

 

 

 

 

rowel; Masons used trowels to apply and spread mortar during the construction of buildings.

 

 

 

 

Spindle and distaff; Women used these tools for spinning fibers into yarn or thread often used for weaving

 

 

 

Medieval art was diverse, encompassing various art forms, styles and techniques

Manuscripts illumination; Monks and scribes meticulously illuminated handwritten books with vibrant colors, detailed illustrations and intricate ornamentation

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Stained glass; Cathedrals and churches adorned their windows with stained glass, depicting religious scenes using vibrant colors and intricate designs.

 

 

 

 

Sculptures; Sculptors created detailed states and reliefs, often focusing on religious figures, saints and important events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tapestry; Intricately woven tapestries depicted historical events, biblical stories or scenes from everyday life.

 

 

 

 

 

Painting; While most paintings during this time were religious in nature, some secular works depicted nobility, landscapes and the daily lives of ordinary people

 

Medieval art often served religious, political and educational purposes, reflecting the values and beliefs of the time.

 

 

 

 

Daily life: 

for most medieval people revolved around agriculture and farming. Peasants worked the lands, and their lives were primarily focused on substance farming. Towns and cities, through much smaller than today, were centers of trade and craftsmanship.

 

Education was largely limited to the clergy and nobility. Monasteries and cathedral schools served as centers of learning, where subjects such as Latin, theology and philosophy were taught.

 

Believes and mythologies

 

The lion  in the Middle Ages lions symbolized resurrection, as lion cubs were believed to be born dead and brought back to life by their parents’ breath

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dove symbolized the Holy Spirit and often appeared in Annunciation scenes above the Virgin Mary, representing the conception of Christ – as in the Life of the Virgin Panels, embroidered on red velvet

 

 

 

the phoenix, representing rebirth, and the peacock whose flesh never putrefied and so represented immortality. Peacocks appear on several copes, including the Toledo cope, and peacock feather eyes were also used to decorate the wings of angels.

 

 

 

The dragon in medieval embroidery is usually connected with a specific figure. St Margaret of Antioch was a popular medieval saint, whose legend includes a story in which she is swallowed whole by a dragon, but miraculously escapes unharmed after making the sign of the cross. Her moment of escape is depicted vividly on the Steeple Aston Cope, where she emerges from the back of a striped dragon.

Unicorns and mermaids, griffins and grotesques

The unicorn is a rarer mythical beast in medieval embroidery, though it does make an appearance on the Madrid Cope – alongside a stag, an elephant, a lion and a squirrel – in a scene depicting God's creation of the animals of the earth.

 

A merman and mermaid, mythical creatures half human and half fish, appear on the incredible funeral pall (the cloth used to cover a coffin) made for the Worshipful Company Fishmongers.

 

Stonehenge is an ancient monument located in Wiltshire, England and it is one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world. It consists of a circular arrangement of large standing stones, some weighing up to 25 tons. Stonehenge is believed to have constructed in several phases between around 3000 BC and 2000 BC.

Religious purposes: it is believed that Stonehenge was a place of worship, and where religious ceremonies

It is also associate ted with the zodiac signs, and the months of the year.

With regards to king Arthur it is associated with the knights of the round table

 

 

Referen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur

www.pbs.org/mythsandheroes/myths_four_arthur.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka

https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/king-shaka-s-zulu/

https://artincontext.org/famous-medieval-paintings/of

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] King Arthur is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain

[2] was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828

[3] Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur that may be attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain.

[4] was a powerful sorcerer and advisor to King Arthur.

[5]a powerful witch doctor