The Elements Of The Arthurian Tradition

by John Matthews

The Arthurian Tradition

● Who was King Arthur?
● What was the Holy Grail?
● Who were the Faery Women of Arthur's Court?
● What is the Fellowship of the Round Table?
● Who are the Dwellers in Avalon?

Genres: Nonfiction, Arthurian, Mythology, History, Reference, Historical, Spirituality

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

John Matthews is an historian, folklorist and author. He has been a full time writer since 1980 and has produced over ninety books on the Arthurian Legends and Grail Studies, as well as short stories and a volume of poetry. He has devoted much of the past thirty years to the study of Arthurian Traditions and myth in general. His best known and most widely read works are ‘Pirates’ (Carlton/Atheneum), No 1 children’s book on the New York Times Review best-seller list for 22 weeks in 2006, ‘The Grail, Quest for Eternal Life’ (Thames & Hudson, 1981) ‘The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom’ (Element, 1994) and ‘The Winter Solstice’ (Quest Books, 1999) which won the Benjamin Franklin Award for that year. His book ‘Celtic Warrior Chiefs’ was a New York Public Library recommended title for young people.

Reviews

[Arthurianmaiden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short arthurian non fiction book left me a bit perplexed. I- I am not sure what to think about it. I liked the small chapters which were quite interesting and well written down, I was quite curious about the "exercise" part. As an atheist scientist I couldn't see much the point of it but they were truly fun, at least some of them.

I can't give it full stars because it was really short and the quantity of informations is not very big or innovative. I think that the only chapters I truly found interesting and where I could read new informations were the one about the women and the one about the Holy Grail. Also I wasn't particularly fond of deductions introduced as "it must have certainly be" without actually a motivation. They were not explained so I only have the word of the author to trust for this "most certainly" origin of the character or tradition.
I'd maybe recommend this book to people that are more interested in a generic knowledge about arthuriana and these specific themes (Round Table, Arthur, Merlin, women as goddesses, Grail, Lancelot and Tristan, Avalon, Celtic underworld).

[Al Gritten · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very readable overview of the Arthur of history and of legend by a well-written and world renowned scholar of Arthurian legend. He begins with the historical Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere, and Lancelot and then adds the early pagan legends that developed around them, and then explores the means by which these early legends were later Christianized. He explores not just the people but also the legends around Camelot, the Grail, and Avalon. He looks at some of the potential spiritual significance of the legends for both the early pagan faith and for the Christian who embraces the romance of Arthur and the knights of the Round Table.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An incredibly strange, but ultimately enjoyable little book. There were a few times where matthews would say “as previously mentioned-“ and I would flip back frantically to try to find mention of this thing I could swear he he had never mentioned- but then I realized that Matthew means “previously” not as in “previously mentioned in this book,” but “previously” as in “previously mentioned in my literary career- in another book I wrote.” This book functions more as a companion to matthews (and Mrs. Matthews’) other works, which was confusing because one would think that a such a broad overview of Arthurian staples would assume total ignorance on the readers part. My only other problem is that I’m not quite sure of the scholarly value- not because I necessarily think matthews is wrong, but because sources are cited so irregularly that I sometimes wasn’t quite sure what was his own ideas and what are generally accepted tenets of arthurian study. I have the feeling that the source for some of the more metaphysical aspects would be recorded as “it was revealed to me in a dream” or “I discovered this while deep in meditation”- which is literally fine, a source is a source- but I as a reader would still very much like to know for sure.

Altogether though, this was a really interesting read. Even if you don’t subscribe to the more metaphysical aspects- which I’m not sure I do- I would say it’s a valuable thought exercise. I also have a lot of material for further reading- matthews clearly has a huge knowledge of not only Arthurian texts and history, but also Arthurian adaptations. And best of all- this book doesn’t drag on. To me, it’s an interesting and very informative little read- definitely worth the confusion it might cause at first.

[Florence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit is al een ouder boekje maar als het gaat over Arthur mythologie ben ik snel geneigd het op te nemen ongeacht hoe lang het al bestaat. Vooral alles wat met Avalon en haar godinnen te maken heeft, vind ik geweldig!

John Matthews neemt je in verschillende hoofdstukken mee naar de wereld van Arthur, De Ronde Tafel, Merlijn, Avalon... Er wordt wat historisch context meegegeven, de verschillende literatuur doorheen de eeuwen en passages waar bepaalde personages of locaties in voorkomen. Allemaal erg interessant maar soms een beetje op elkaar gegooid naar mijn gevoel zodat ik soms moeilijk kon doorgronden waar de auteur van dit boek naartoe wou.

Op het einde van ieder hoofdstuk was er een soort meditatieve oefening om de vibe van de Arthur mythologie te zien en doorvoelen. Dit was uitermate interessant. Zo ga je zelf op zoek naar de graal en bezoek je Avalon. Er zit namelijk heel veel oude, verborgen wijsheid in deze legendes en het was wel fijn dat de auteur de lezer uitnodigt tot exploratie op dat gebied. Kijken voorbij de theorie...

Het is een kennismakingsboekje en dat merk je aangezien de auteur heel veel wil vermelden in 128 pagina's. Daardoor ben je soms na 2 bladzijdes al verzadigd met informatie.

Desalniettemin, heb ik terug enkele interessante zaken bijgeleerd en vooral de meditatieve oefeningen zullen me bijblijven.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Arthurian Tradition (and its' author John Matthews) place great emphasis on the symbolism inherent in Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin, the Grail Quest, etc. This made for interesting reading but sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And as much as I might like it, I do not think Arthur is really waiting to spring back to life in our hour of maximum peril. Gorgeous illustrations, semi questionable text.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

[Maureen Hickey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping to learn more about the Arthurian legends I hold so dear, but there was nothing I didn't already know. Disappointing. And also the narrator sounded like he truly believed in the legends and encouraged all of us to go on "The Quest" for the Holy Grail. I honestly don't know if he was being serious or not.

[Jade17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introductory book on Arthurian legends. Includes wonderful pictures and stories as well.

[Karen (Living Unabridged) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was going along just fine until I got to the end and realized that this author is in some sort of Arthur related society (cult?). That's just weird, to say the least.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting survey of Arthurian traditions. What I really appreciated was the book list at the end from which I can continue my exploration of this topic.