Where Was Camelot?

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St. Michael's Tower on Glastonbury Tor overlooks flatlands. Some believe it was once the Arthurian Isle of Avalon.
Courtesy of Donnylad [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ah, Camelot! The legendary home of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table inspires our imaginations today. Whether (and where) it existed remains a hotly contested topic. 

The first mention of Camelot occurred in Chrétien de Troyes' poem "Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart," written around 1177, with a passing reference to Arthur coming from Caerleon in Wales, his usual seat, to hold court there. The name, Camelot usurped Caerleon in 13th-century French romances such as the Lancelot-Grail and the Post-Vulgate Cycle, although many details remained the same. It wasn’t until Sir Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d'Arthur,” based on the earlier French romances, appeared in the late 15th-century that Camelot came into its own.

Mallory placed Camelot in Winchester, a Northampton town, and indeed a Round Table hangs in Winchester Castle. Although an interesting artifact, it is not the original. King Henry VIII commissioned this table in 1522 in honor of a state visit of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The table features the names of Arthur’s knights and King Henry, himself, in Arthur’s seat below a Tudor rose.

Winchester Castle Great Hall and Winchester Round Table,
Courtesy of Graham Horn [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Arthurian scholar Ernst Brugger thought that ‘Camelot’ might be a corruption of ‘Camlann,’ the site of Arthur’s final battle against Mordred and a Pictish army. The location of this battle is not known, however theories exist. 

Another Arthurian scholar, Roger Sherman Loomis, thought ‘Camelot’ to be a corruption of ‘Avalon.’ The Isle of Avalon is first mentioned in “Historia Regum Britanniae” (‘The History of the Kings of Britain”) by Geoffrey of Monmouth (circa 1136). Glastonbury became associated with Avalon in 1191 when monks at the abbey claimed to have located the graves of King Arthur and Queen. These remains were moved and lost during the Reformation, and scholars suspect they were not genuine.

Could this be the grave of King Arthur?
Courtesy of Harvey Robinson [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

One of the best claims comes from Cadbury Castle, an iron-age hill fort that was reoccupied and rebuilt by someone who was probably a king of great wealth during the Arthurian era. Read why this location has my vote in Cadbury Castle: Location of Camelot? 

I’ve barely scraped the surface of possible locations for Camelot. The list goes on. In reality, we may never know for certain whether Camelot, or King Arthur himself, actually existed. For most of us, that’s not important. Arthur, Guinevere, the Knights of the Roundd Table, and Camelot live in our imaginations and belong to us all. As Arthurian scholar Norris J. Lacy so aptly put it, "Camelot, located no where in particular, can be anywhere."

About the Author

Escape into creative worlds of fiction with Janalyn Voigt, an author whose unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and fantasy creates breathtaking fictional worlds for readers.

Beginning with DawnSinger, Janalyn's epic fantasy series, Tales of Faeraven, carries readers into a land only imagined in dreams.

Janalyn is represented by Sarah Joy Freese of Wordserve Literary. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA. When she's not writing, she loves to discover worlds of adventure in the great outdoors with her family.

Symbolism of Crosses in Medieval Heraldry

This post is brought to you by Janalyn Voigt.

Medieval heraldry arose in Europe during the 12th-century Crusades as knights adopted coats of arms that both displayed their rank and served as a form of identification required for entering tournaments. These ornamental badges were highly regimented and contained symbolic shapes, colors, and figures.

One of the emblems most often used in coats of arms was the cross. Numerous versions, some believe as many as 400, existed. Besides representing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the crosses were embued with additional meaning. The four arms represented:

• the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
• the four corners of the earth where the gospel must be spread.

The Greek Cross, with four arms of the same length, is one of the oldest crosses.

The Latin Cross has the lower arm extended and is the one that we often see today. While both were used in medieval heraldry, more popular crosses included.

The Cross Botonny has three rounded lobes at the end of each arm, forming a trefoil which speaks of the Trinity, the faith, hope, and love of 1 Corinthians 13; and Aaron's staff, which budded (Numbers 17). The name comes from a French term meaning “covered with buds.”

The ends of the Cross Fleury are splayed in a flowery shape, usually a Fleur-de-lis, or stylized lily or iris. This cross reminds us of the Trinity and the resurrection.

With the Cross Moline, the arms split at the ends and curve backwards to remind us of the twofold nature of Christ. He was fully man and fully God.

Each arm of the Cross Potent ends in a crossbar, forming a T shape. This is a symbol of Christ's outstretched arms as He died to save us from our sins.

The Cross Patee had arms that went from narrow to wide.The points of this cross symbolize the eight beatitudes found in Matthew 5:12; the eight points of courage (loyalty, piety, generosity, bravery, honor, contempt of death, helpfulness to the needy, and respect for the church); and also the resurrection of Christ, who rose from the grave eight days after He entered Jerusalem.

The Cross Maltese derived from the Cross Patee and is often confused with it. The Maltese has straight arms and indents at the ends. It holds the same meanings.

The arms of the Cross Crosslet are each crossed to tell of the fourfold mystery of the cross: that Christ's death was at once sacrificial, forgiving, loving, and victorious.

I've only touched the surface on this topic. You can learn more about the crosses of medieval heraldry and view images of each type at the end of this post.

So, tell me, which of the crosses I've featured is your favorite?

About Janalyn Voigt

Escape into creative worlds of fiction with Janalyn Voigt. Her unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and fantasy creates worlds of beauty and danger for readers. Tales of Faeraven, her epic fantasy series beginning with DawnSinger, carries the reader into a land only imagined in dreams.

Janalyn is represented by Sarah Joy Freese of Wordserve Literary. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA.

When she's not writing, Janalyn loves to discover worlds of adventure in the great outdoors.

Visit the author site for Janalyn Voigt

http://celebrateyourfaithblog.com/2010/07/early-and-medieval-church-cross-forms-and-their-meanings/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_(heraldry)
http://www.scottish-wedding-dreams.com/heraldic-crosses.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_cross
http://www.holylandtreasuresonline.com/Store/Content/ResourceArticle/-3/1/21.html
http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/lo_ProcServ/dbpage=page&mode=display&gid=20052995655655607101111555&pg=20053040942236960101111555