SON OF THE BEAR: Arthur was the illegitimate son of the union between his father Uther Pendragon and Queen Igerna. With the help of Merlin, Uther disguised himself as his greatest enemy Gorlois, the Duke of Cornwall. Uther was in love with the Dukes wife and tricked her into sleeping with him. Arthur was conceived in Tintagel Castle but never discovered his true lineage until pulling the magical sword Excalibur from the Stone. This act granted him the divine right to rule Britain as the High King, exactly as Merlin had prophesied. 

To complicate matters, after Uther married Queen Igerna, they had a daughter together, Morgause, younger sister of Arthur. Morgause has been conflated with Morgaine le Fey, a completely different character. Under a spell of some kind, Arthur in turn had an incestuous affair with his sister, which produced Mordred. After Mordred discovered his true ancestry, he turned against Arthur and was responsible for exposing the affair between Lancelot and Guinevere. This in turn led to civil war and Mordred usurping the throne from Arthur. It was during the ensuing battle to reclaim his kingdom that both men were mortally wounded. 

Some legends say Arthur never died but was taken to Avalon to heal. The return of Arthur to save Britain was a common belief found amongst the people during the Middle Ages and beyond. The legends of the Knights of the Round Table were even more popular than the stories in the Bible. 

One can only wonder if the many tales of forbidden love can be traced to King David’s illegitimate affair with Bathsheba, mother of King Solomon. David was not allowed to build the Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant because of his sins. Lancelot did not achieve the Grail because of his character flaws, it was his son Galahad that completed the quest.

King Arthur Charles Ernest Butler 1903