on of the grandest courts in all of England. Arthurian history is vague to say the least, and written records are not always entirely factual. The brief Annals of Wales tells two things of Arthur: he fought at Badon, and he was killed at Camlann in the same battle. These Annals were composed centuries after the time of Arthur, and were compiled from other, earlier sources. A battle between Arthur and Medraut (Modred) is recorded for the year 539 AD. This entry was made after Arthur had already become a legend, and the spelling of the name with an "h" would suggest this, as the evidence from the earliest reliable sources spells the name without an "h". So it is reasonable to believe that this is a very late and unreliable entry indeed.Since very few individuals could write, stories of Arthur were mainly told by word of mouth. Oral stories did not get written down until later; Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote down the stories as one of the first written manuscript of Arthurian legend in 1139. Word of mouth was the way in which Arthurs story is passed down through the years, and it is safe to assume that during that time, the story transformed and evolved. Stories are embellished and added to, depending on the audience, in order to make it more exciting. As discussed before in this paper, local tradition had placed Camelot in an area that was proven not to be Camelot. Exaggerations were undoubtedly made about King Arthurs supposed feats of war, for what man could possibly single-handedly kill 470 men with his sword Caliburn as he does in Monmouths account? Legendary accounts written centuries after the man's death will go into great detail regarding his battles and conquests, and elaborate even to the point where they can almost tell the color of his hair. Except where one can find the few references to real contemporary historical figures in the legends, as evidence they are worthless. In addition to these two legendary sources, there are cou...
