The Round Table is one of the most famous symbols of medieval chivalry and has been featured in countless works of art, from paintings to movies and television series. But how did the idea for the Round Table come about and what did it mean to the gentleman sitting there? It has to go back to 12th century England with its wars and conflicts. During this period, the figure of the knight acquired great importance in society, since he was a warrior who protected the lord and protected the people.
It was in this context that King Arthur, one of the most iconic figures in English history, emerged as a symbol of resistance to the Saxon invasion. Whether the historical King Arthur really existed or was a mythical figure has been debated for centuries, but the truth is that the legend of him has been around forever. One of the most distinctive features of the royal court was the round table.
There the knights of his court sat on an equal footing, and no one had a special seat. This idea of equality and brotherhood between gentlemen was very innovative for its time and served as a model for future generations. Furthermore, the story of King Arthur and the Round Table has been told and reimagined countless times, from ancient legends to modern literary and cinematic works.
This article examines the origins of roundtables, their importance in history and popular culture, and their impact on current understanding of justice and equality.
It is in Wace’s story that the Round Table is mentioned for the first time. The origin, as is well known, is Arthur’s desire to avoid any dispute of precedence.
But Layamon at the beginning of the 13th century tells of a fight at a large party that had led to a violent confrontation: a Cornish carpenter had then created an enormous Round Table capable of receiving 1,600 men.
The origin of this story seems to be an old Celtic custom of warriors sitting in a circle around their king.
How the idea for the Round Table came about
The idea for the Round Table arose to promote equality among the knights of King Arthur’s court in medieval England. It is said that King Arthur himself ordered the construction of the Round Table so that no knight would have a privileged position in making important decisions at court.
According to legend, the Round Table was created by the wizard Merlin, who used his magic to create a headless round table. Therefore, the gentlemen sat on it equally, and no one was proud of the others.
The Round Table became the centerpiece of King Arthur’s court, and the knights who sat around it were known as the Knights of the Round Table. Considered the bravest and most loyal of the royal court, these knights dedicated themselves to maintaining justice and peace throughout the kingdom.
Although the existence of King Arthur and the Round Table has been the subject of debate for centuries, the truth is that his legacy has endured through the ages. The idea of equality and justice defended by the Round Table has inspired many throughout history and has served as a model for social and political movements that fight for equality and human rights.
The Round Table was a pioneering idea in its time and remains an important symbol of justice and equality in popular culture and the collective imagination.
Tradition
A later tradition, reported in 13th century prose histories, assigns the origin of the Tablet to Merlin. Percival, in a passage from «The Quest for the Holy Grail», learns from the recluse, who is in fact his own aunt, that there have been three Tablets since the arrival of Jesus Christ.
The first was the one in which Christ had taken his place with his apostles, a table instituted by the spotless Lamb sacrificed for the redemption of men.
Another table was made in memory of the first, the table of the Holy Grail, by José de Arimathea at the time of the evangelization of Great Britain.
At that time, José’s companions, who were very numerous, came to the island in search of food. They find an old woman carrying twelve loaves.
But sharing is not done without a fight. Joseph «divided the loaves, spread the pieces on the table and placed the Holy Grail in the place of honor, whose presence caused the twelve loaves to multiply so much that the entire town – the four thousand inhabitants – were miraculously nourished and satisfied.
One of the seats at the table was reserved for Joseph’s son, Josephe, who will be lord of all who sit at the Grail table.
Brothers
Out of jealousy, two brothers, Joseph’s parents, opposed this decision. One of the two brothers takes his place: his transgression is severely punished, the earth opens up and swallows him.
Therefore, the siege will be called the Dreaded or Dangerous Siege. «After this table, there was the Round Table, instituted on the advice of Merlin, and not without great importance.
Indeed, it is called the Round Table because it means the roundness of the world and the course of the planets and the elements of the Firmament in which the stars and other bodies can be seen.
Therefore, it can be rightly said that the Round Table represents the world. Besides, as you know, wherever there is chivalry, whether in pagan or Christian lands, its members flock to the Round Table, and if God grants them the grace to take their place there, they consider themselves more satisfied than if they had the whole world. in their power, and they forget about parents, wives and children.
«Thus, Merlin presides over the institution of the third Table, that of our narrations, the one that has a role, often less spiritual, constant as a meeting point and as a spatial point, both real and symbolic.
Merlin thus links the searches of the knights and the secrets of the Holy Grail: he announces that one day Our Lord will send among them a knight for whom a seat «of very large dimensions» is made waiting for the True Knight.
Gentlemen
When Percival asks to occupy the site, an earthquake occurs and the «charms of Britain» are unleashed, which will not end until one of the Knights of the Round Table outdoes all others in chivalry and makes the wealthy Fisher King the long-awaited ask.
At the beginning of the search for the Holy Grail, Gilead will finally occupy the dangerous headquarters. Appointed by God, while born of the devil to be the Antichrist, Merlin by this setting of the Table and the advice he gives to Arthur proves that he is the master of time in Arthurian legend.
He has all the knowledge about the past, the present and the future: «You know that you must discern the good from the bad and honor each one according to what it is», Merlin told Arthur.
And this is my advice: as soon as a knight goes on a search for weapons, you should ask him to swear, before he leaves, to tell the truth on his return, about what he has found during his search, either to his honor or to his shame. .
In this way you will know the actions of everyone, because I know that no perjury will be committed. – In the name of God, said the king, here is a precious teaching, and I promise you that this custom will be observed in my house as long as I live! «
Adventure
Thus, due to its origins, its objectives, due to the itineraries that the Knights of Arthur will follow and discuss, the Round Table is part of a journey of realization; a true ethic will be attached to it for a long time, to which the Table provides a spatial and symbolic anchor.
It is, as Jean Frappier said excellently, the expression of the chivalrous ideal, the geometric and poetic center of all adventures.
The Knight of the Round Table is expected to restore the land to its prosperity or put an end to the enchantments. «It is absolutely necessary that the knight-errant from a far country come» say Les Merveilles de Rigomer.
Wounds can remain open until the redeeming hero arrives. But coming from a far country means leaving, and that departure is the search for adventure.
«Wander»: To go your own way, not to stay, to set out on a quest… The «knight-errant», whose romantic outlines were actually invented by Chrétien de Troyes, is an available gentleman, moreover, of a literary type.
Fiction and fact – the feudal Middle Ages knew the knight without fortune and without a fief who went from tournament to tournament, whose availability was a way of survival.
This reality, which is certainly not explained by the Arthurian legend, is behind the ideal image of the Knight of the Table, always «wandering».
So much so that Erec, who has abandoned himself to the delights of love, is accused of «recreating». He has forgotten the adventure.
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