The Strange Truces of King Arthur

The Strange Truces of King Arthur

by Michael R. Burch

Artur took Cabal, his hound,

and Carwennan, his knife,

and his sword forged by Wayland

and Merlyn, his falcon,

and, saying goodbye to his sons and his wife,

he strode to the Table Rounde.

“Here is my spear, Rhongomyniad,

and here is Wygar that I wear.

Now ready for war,

an oath I foreswore

to fight for all that is righteous and fair

from Wales to the towers of Gilead!”

But none could be found to contest him,

for Lancelot had slewn them, forsooth,

so he hastened back home, for to rest him,

till his wife bade him, “Thatch up the roof!”

Originally published by Neovictorian/Cochlea, then by Celtic Twilight

We must sometimes wonder if all the fighting related to King Arthur and his knights was really necessary. In particular, it seems that Lancelot fought and either captured or killed a fairly large percentage of the population of England. Could it be that Arthur preferred to fight than stay at home and do domestic chores? And, honestly now, if he and his knights were such incredible warriors, who would have been silly enough to do battle with them? Wygar was the name of Arthur’s hauberk, or armored tunic, which was supposedly fashioned by one Witege or Widia, quite possibly the son of Wayland Smith. The legends suggest that Excalibur was forged upon the anvil of the smith-god Wayland, who was also known as Volund, which sounds suspiciously like Vulcan. Keywords/Tags: King Arthur, Arthurian, Round Table, Knights, Merlin, Guinevere, Lancelot, England, Camelot, Excalibur, Grail Quest, Chivalry, Arms, Armor, Battle, War, Peace, Castle