The Druids and King Arthur: A New View of Early Britain

Robin Melrose

Jan 2014 · McFarland

About this ebook

An exploration into the beliefs and origins of the Druids, this book examines the role the Druids may have played in the story of King Arthur and the founding of Britain. It explains how the Druids originated in eastern Europe around 850 B.C., bringing to early Britain a cult of an underworld deity, a belief in reincarnation, and a keen interest in astronomy. The work concludes that Arthur was originally a Druid cult figure and that the descendants of the Druids may have founded the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. The research draws upon a number of sources, including medieval Welsh tales, the archaeology of Stonehenge's Salisbury Plain, the legends surrounding the founding of Britain, the cult of the Thracian Horseman, the oracle of Dodona, popular Arthurian mythology, and the basic principles of prehistoric astronomy.

Ratings and reviews

Robin Melrose book offers a solid explanation of the orin of the Druids and an interesting look at the tale of King Arthur in relation to them. A thorough history of the Druids as well as astronomy, especially as it relates to Arthurian legend is provided. This book has provided me with historical fact to go along with the many tales on Arthurian legend I have read and has made reading stories such as the Sword in the Stone more relevant in terms of historical context. This book has also been valuable in terms of writing a research paper this semester on medieaval history.

Modern archaeology has shown the druids were far older, and part of the Megalithic peoples...

About the author

Robin Melrose is a retired senior lecturer in English and linguistics at England’s University of Portsmouth. He lives on the Isle of Wight in southern England.