Although the story of King Arthur may have originated from a
real person, the story over the years has taken a life of its own. We all know
the story. Boy meets up with crazy old man, pulls magic sword out of rock and
becomes King of all England. Goes off to find Holy Grail while his wife cheats
on him with his best knight. Gets mortally wounded by his illegitimate son. Is
taken off to a magical land where he will sleep until “England needs him again.”
The Sword in the
Stone by TH White
This original story tells how Arthur, or Wart as he was
known at this time, meets up with the wizard Merlin. It tells of his early
education and the pulling of the sword from the stone that proves that Wart is
in truth King Arthur. This is actually my favorite part of the legend and I
enjoyed reading the inspiration for one of my favorite Disney Movies.
The Sword in the Stone
(1963)
This Disney film was the first adaptation of the Arthurian
legend I ever saw. It tells the story told by TH White about the boy Wart and
the wizard Merlin. One thing I liked in the book over the movie is that in the
movie Kai is a bit of a jerk where he’s nicer in the book.
The Squire’s Tale by
Gerald Morris
The first of the Squire’s Tales, a different take on the
Arthur stories. This one tells the story of Terrance, squire to Sir Gawain.
Terrance is an orphan, told by his master to accompany Sir Gawain as his
squire. Since Terrance was not expecting to go anywhere, he doesn’t know what
he’s doing, but proves invaluable on the quest to find the loathly lady that interrupted
Arthur’s wedding feast, especially when a plot is discovered against the king.
Merlin (1998)
This story concentrates mostly on the wizard Merlin. It
shows how he was born of magic when Queen Mab cast a spell on his mother. Mab
wants him to help her reestablish magic in the world, but when Mab kills Merlin’s
mother, this causes Merlin to rebel and actively encourage people that will
oppose her. Arthur comes in the latter part of the story and is essential to
the plot, but not the only one.
The Lost Years of
Merlin by TA Barron
Another idea of the origins of Merlin, this is the first of
TA Barron’s books. These stories take place years before the wizard ever meets
Arthur explaining how Merlin was born in Faerie. The source of his magic is his
Faerie blood. When Merlin travels back to this place of his birth he learns a
lot about his heritage and who he really is.
Merlin (2008-2013)
In this version, Merlin is actually the same age as Arthur.
He is a boy of extraordinary magical talents, but hides them due to Uther Pendragon
outlawing all magic. He has been told that his destiny is to help Arthur to
establish Albion and the episodes consist him trying to aid Arthur in his endeavors
without revealing his magic. Over time Arthur comes to appreciate him and rely
on him in times of emergency.
The Third Magic by Welwyn
Wilton Katz
A creative version of the Arthurian legend, it tells the
story of Morgan, the descendent of Morgan LeFay. She is pulled out of Earth to
the mysterious world of Nym where the First and Second Magics have been
fighting for centuries. She meets Ardu another like her, called by the Third
Magic. What will become of these strange warriors?
Avalon High (2010)
In this strange version of the Arthurian legend, Allie
Pennington starts attending Avalon High only to discover that her classmates,
and perhaps she herself, are reincarnations of King Arthur and his Knights of
the Round Table. Will she allow the legend to play out as before, or will she
change the destinies of all involved to provide everyone with a better future?
Avalon High by Meg
Cabot
The book on which the Disney Channel Original Movie is
based. Disney stayed pretty close to its source material with the small change
on who Allie is in the legend. I will tell you no more, just in case you want
to read it! In both versions the great reveal is what makes the story worth
reading/watching.
