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The Once and Future King
I've been re-watching 'Merlin' recently and it holds up better than I expected.
Arthur is far less of a prat than memory had him, and Gwenevere is better looking.
All the cast are well-acted, especially Gaius (though Morgana is probably the weakest)
It's set me thinking.
What if the legends are true and Arthur could return to help Britain in its hour of greatest need?
What would we regard as our greatest danger?
What form would he appear in?
What help could he give?
Given that there are many versions of the Authurian legend, it is clear to me that his existence is a form of morphic resonance. The more we believe in him over the centuries, the easier it becomes to believe in him - and his actual form is therefore, almost certainly, that of an fully armoured knight on horseback. (armour of a later historical period than the oldest reference to him). Morphic resonance also ensures that he will have no problems speaking modern English, and has a reasonable chance of also speaking French (possibly Breton), Latin, and Welsh.
His nature, because this is how we perceive him, would be highly moral, chivalrous, with a love of adventure and a desire to help those in need. He would seek justice and fairness and would see those in government rule primarily by consensus (the Round Table is central to our views of him).
He is clearly not an aid in a military situation. A knight against a tank with modern weaponry would last about two seconds.
His role has to be either as diplomat or inspiration.
So, should we do a mass visit to all the places where he is supposed to sleep? (has to be a mass effort, as there are a lot of places to cover)
Merlin is a separate quest. He is either still alive and among us, or a prisoner bound long ago by Nimue in a cave/tree/etc.
I want inspiring explanations as to why we need him, where we will seek for him first, and how he's going to help us!
Arthur is far less of a prat than memory had him, and Gwenevere is better looking.
All the cast are well-acted, especially Gaius (though Morgana is probably the weakest)
It's set me thinking.
What if the legends are true and Arthur could return to help Britain in its hour of greatest need?
What would we regard as our greatest danger?
What form would he appear in?
What help could he give?
Given that there are many versions of the Authurian legend, it is clear to me that his existence is a form of morphic resonance. The more we believe in him over the centuries, the easier it becomes to believe in him - and his actual form is therefore, almost certainly, that of an fully armoured knight on horseback. (armour of a later historical period than the oldest reference to him). Morphic resonance also ensures that he will have no problems speaking modern English, and has a reasonable chance of also speaking French (possibly Breton), Latin, and Welsh.
His nature, because this is how we perceive him, would be highly moral, chivalrous, with a love of adventure and a desire to help those in need. He would seek justice and fairness and would see those in government rule primarily by consensus (the Round Table is central to our views of him).
He is clearly not an aid in a military situation. A knight against a tank with modern weaponry would last about two seconds.
His role has to be either as diplomat or inspiration.
So, should we do a mass visit to all the places where he is supposed to sleep? (has to be a mass effort, as there are a lot of places to cover)
Merlin is a separate quest. He is either still alive and among us, or a prisoner bound long ago by Nimue in a cave/tree/etc.
I want inspiring explanations as to why we need him, where we will seek for him first, and how he's going to help us!
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Morphic resonance suggests that he might have a form/power which would be of use in a military situation, if that were the threat he was required to face (I can imagine an Arthur who might be able to hold up his sword and stop a flight of incoming missiles, for instance). Though I'm not sure I would visualise him as a fully-armoured knight on horseback; Arthur is the King, armed perhaps but not swallowed up inside a suit of armour. My mental image is more influenced by Pauline Baynes :-)
I think the power of Arthur is to unite those who are divided and to inspire those who are unsure; he inherits a warring kingdom and redirects its energies in a common cause, setting the powerful to protect the weak rather than to strive against one another, and he gathers men to himself from wherever his name is known, all hoping for acceptance. People want to be better than they are in order to gain his approval. He gives them something higher to aspire to.
He is a banner to follow, and an example to lead. He is not afraid of overpowering odds, or of powers beyond any human comprehension. But he is not a figure of conquest, or one who seeks to overthrow others to take their place. Where he loves, he trusts, even if others see it as weakness.
Any help that Arthur could give would ultimately be in the form of getting us to help ourselves; to think less of ourselves and our differences and more of others and what we can achieve.
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I haven't seen a Pauline Baynes picture of Arthur, and yet I can instantly imagine how it would look, and it feels very right.
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https://www.e-reading.club/illustrations/71/71299-_36.jpg
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