Land of myth and legend: heroes and monsters

Alas for the mailed warrior!

Alas for the splendour of the prince!

How that time has passed away, Dark under the cover of night, As if it had never been.

‘The Wanderer’, Anglo Saxon, from the 10th-century Exeter Book

THE deeds of champions once shook the landscapes of Britain and Ireland—and who doesn’t feel nostalgia for a lost age of monsters and heroes? Let us ramble from Cornwall to Coventry, from Winchester to the Scottish Highlands, singing as we go of chivalry, conquest and at least one diabolical giant.

Of all Britain’s ancient monarchs, Arthur must be the most renowned. In Geoffrey, Arthur is conceived somewhat inauspiciously at Tintagel Castle, Cornwall. During a feast, Uther Pendragon has been flirting with Igraine, the wife of the Duke of Cornwall, Count Gorlois. Insulted, he leaves the court, refusing to return despite the king’s orders. In revenge, Uther sends his army to ravage Cornwall, causing Gorlois to retreat to another castle and leave his wife at Tintagel. With the help of Merlin, Uther transforms into the likeness of Gorlois and visits Igraine. Believing Uther to be her husband, returned home just to protect her, she ‘[refuses] him nothing that he asked’.