Dear Jean, Not in this age and society where Fame and money are concerned; the new Horde......! Regards, Mikey. Spectemur Agendo. ----- Original Message ----- From: Jean White <jphwhite@ns.sympatico.ca> To: <NORTHERN-ENGLAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, February 12, 2001 2:44 AM Subject: Re: [NTH-ENG] For anyone interested in King Arthur > Is nothing sacred? King Arthur a member of the Mongol hordes? > > Jean > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "List Admin" <listowner@btinternet.com> > To: <NORTHERN-ENGLAND-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2001 2:42 PM > Subject: [NTH-ENG] For anyone interested in King Arthur > > > > King Arthur may have ridden in from Mongolia by Nick Fielding > > http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/ > > > > THE legend of King Arthur, Britain's ancient king fabled for his > > chivalrous > > knights of the round table, may instead have sprung from the warrior > > hordes > > of central Asia. Claims in a new book challenge existing theories that > > Arthur > > could have been a propaganda tool to justify the Norman attack on > > Saxon > > England or a Celtic chieftain. "These tales are routinely assigned to > > the > > 'pagan' culture of the Celto-Britons, but not all of them can be found > > there," says Howard Reid, the anthropologist who has written Arthur, > > the > > Dragon King, to be published later this month. "The simple equation > > that the > > Arthurian world was a direct descendant of early Celtic Britain does > > not add > > up." Reid claims the legend arrived with a detachment of Sarmatian > > tribesmen > > from the steppes, brought to Hadrian's Wall by the Romans. The > > Sarmatians > > worshipped a god of war who was said to take the form of a magic sword > > similar to Arthur's Excalibur. Written accounts of the Arthurian > > legend first > > occur in Geoffrey of Monmouth's The History of the Kings of Britain, > > published in 1136, before reaching their most elaborate versions in > > the 19th > > century. By then Arthur had become the hero of the ancient Britons, > > fearlessly defending his people against Saxon invaders. His court of > > Camelot > > was thought to be at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, although almost > > every part > > of Britain has its own version of the Arthurian legend. The stories of > > Excalibur, the wizard Merlin, the round table and the heroic exploits > > of the > > knights such as Lancelot, Gawain and Galahad and their quest for the > > Holy > > Grail entered the national psyche. However, Arthur's name appears in > > no list > > of kings known to historians and archeological evidence of his > > existence has > > proved elusive. Instead, says Reid, we should be looking to the > > mounted > > warriors of central Asia, later to enter history in the form of the > > Mongol > > army of Genghis Khan. According to Reid, their most powerful deity was > > the > > god of war. By about AD175 one offshoot tribe, the Sarmatians, were > > encroaching on Roman territories. Fearful of their battle skills, the > > Romans > > took to hiring them as mercenaries and many were sent to the distant > > Roman > > province of Britannia. Up to 5,500 Sarmatians were taken to Hadrian's > > Wall by > > the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. With them they brought their myths > > and > > legends. Reid claims the word Excalibur is derived from the Kalybes, a > > sub-group of the Sarmatians who were famous blacksmiths. Some > > historians have > > attacked Reid's theories. Dr Oliver Padel, from Cambridge University's > > Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, said the Arthurian legend > > had > > sprung from Wales long after the departure of the Romans. "The > > original > > Arthur found in Welsh literature is very different to the popular > > conception. > > He did not exist in a world of knights on horseback and he was not a > > king," > > says Padel, author of Arthur in Medieval Welsh Literature. He claims > > the > > legend emerged over a period of 700 years from AD830, with elements > > such as > > the lady of the lake and Arthur's court of Camelot being added later. > > Padel > > said: "What Reid's book does is take little bits from the later stages > > of the > > legend and assumes them to be important for analysing the origins of > > the > > legend." > > http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/ > > > > Mike > > Admin Northern-England-L@rootsweb.com > > http://www.genealogy45.fsnet.co.uk/ > > check out Dave's bits & bobs here, > > http://212.19.69.91/north > > > > > > > > ==== NORTHERN-ENGLAND Mailing List ==== > > To unsubscribe from the list in mail mode send a message to > > NORTHERN-ENGLAND-L-request@rootsweb.com > > that contains the word unsubscribe and nothing else. > > If you are in digest mode, then send the command instead to > > NORTHERN-ENGLAND-D-request@rootsweb.com > > > > > > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.230 / Virus Database: 111 - Release Date: 1/25/01 > > > ==== NORTHERN-ENGLAND Mailing List ==== > There is a map showing the areas and Counties which this list covers highlighted in red here, > http://www.genealogy45.fsnet.co.uk/ >