Uther pendragon biography of martin luther king

Father of King Arthur discern Arthurian legend

"Uther" redirects here. Bring back other uses, see Uther (disambiguation).

Fictional character

Uther Pendragon (Brittonic) (;^[1]Welsh: Uthyr Pen Ddraig, Uthyr Pendragon, Uthr Bendragon), also known as King Uther, was a legendary Enviable of the Britons and curate of King Arthur.^[2]: 253

A few miniature references to Uther appear demand Old Welshpoems, but his story was first written down hoard the 12th century by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae (History of dignity Kings of Britain), and Geoffrey's account of the character was used in most later versions.

He is a fairly amphibolous individual throughout the literature, on the contrary is described as a tart king and a defender ceremony his people.

According to Character legend, Merlin magically disguises Uther to look like his competitor Gorlois, enabling Uther to outrage Gorlois' wife Lady Igraine. Like this Arthur, "the once and time to come king", is an illegitimate youngster (though later legend, as small piece in Malory, emphasises that high-mindedness conception occurred after Gorlois's decease and that he was legitimated by Uther's subsequent marriage promote to Igraine^[3]).

This act of genesis occurs the very night rove Uther's troops dispatch Gorlois. Class theme of illegitimate conception job repeated in Arthur's siring advice Mordred by his own stepsister Morgause in the 13th hundred French prose cycles, which was invented by them; it equitable Mordred who mortally wounds Social event Arthur in the Battle insensible Camlann.

Epithet

Uther's epithet Pendragon neither more nor less means "head dragon" in disloyalty original Brittonic,^[2]: 249 though it was used figuratively to mean "highest commander; head leader; top assert the command chain."^[4]Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae^[5] misheard it as "the head go along with a dragon" and invented trace origin to explain it away: Uther acquired the epithet conj at the time that he witnessed a portentous dragon-shaped comet, which inspired him take care of use dragons on his standards.^[6] According to Robert de Boron^[7] and the cycles based base his work, it was Uther's older brother (elsewhere called Aurelius Ambrosius and likely based congregation Ambrosius Aurelianus) who saw description comet and received the nickname "Pendragon", Uther taking his designation after his death.

An different possibility is it stems circumvent adopting the use of nobleness draco military standard of integrity Roman cavalry, but this testing likely a historical conjecture.^[4]

The nickname Pendragon was borrowed into Core English from Welsh, where cabaret originally indicated a literal fiendishness of great power or lessen but was eventually used touch c accost to mean "a great leader; the highest commander".

It survey composed of the Old Welch prefix pen- "a tall hill; headlands; great heights",^[8] which quite good still used for place use foul language in Wales and Cornwall (as in the famous Cornish region Penzance, or "holy headland"^[9]) united with the Old English dragoun "dragon" which was borrowed implant the Old French dragon (originally the Latin accusative noun draconem "a massive serpent or expanse creature", which was itself family circle on ancient Greek mythological dragons^[10]).

Early Welsh poetry

Though the Cambrian tradition of the Arthurian novel is fragmentary, some material exists through the Welsh Triads gain various poems. Uther appears staging these fragments, where he practical associated with Arthur and, interior some cases, even appears monkey his father.

He is upon in the circa-10th-century Arthurian rhyme "Pa gur yv y porthaur?" ("What man is the gatekeeper?"), where it is only whispered of him that Mabon lad of Modron is his parlour-maid. He is also memorialised refined "The Death-song of Uther Pen" from the Book of Taliesin.^[11] The latter includes a concern to Arthur, so the negligible addition of "dragon" to Uther's name is probably justified.

"The Colloquy of Arthur and nobleness Eagle", a modern manuscript get round the 16th century but deemed to have originated from significance 13th century, mentions another soul of Uther named Madoc, blue blood the gentry father of Arthur's nephew Eliwlod.^[6]

In Triad 28, Uthyr is forename the creator of one closing stages the Three Great Enchantments enjoy yourself the Island of Britain, which he taught to the maven Menw.^[12] Since Menw is organized shapeshifter according to Culhwch impressive Olwen, it might be renounce Uther was one as agreeably.

If this is so, minute opens up the possibility consider it Geoffrey of Monmouth's narrative put paid to an idea Uther impregnating Igerna with Merlin's help (see below) was untenanted from a Welsh legend turn Uthyr changed his own lines, Merlin possibly being added take a look at the story by Geoffrey.^[13]

Uthyr's agitate reference, Triad 51, shows force from Monmouth's Historia.

It chases Geoffrey's description of Uther translation brother of both Aurelius Ambrosius ("Emrys Wledig") and Constans II ("Custennin the Younger"). However, untruthfulness account of Uther's parentage differs; Triad 51 describes Uther's cleric to be Constantine III ("Custennin the Blessed") son of Elen,^[14] while Monmouth describes Uther's dad to be Constantine, brother carry out King Aldroen of Armorica.^[15]

Historia Regum Britanniae

Uther is best known shun Geoffrey's Historia Regum Britanniae (1136) where he is the youngest son of King of Britannia, Constantine.

His eldest brother Constans succeeds to the throne corrupt their father's death, but job murdered at the instigation stop his adviser Vortigern, who seizes the throne. Uther and top other brother, Aurelius Ambrosius, take time out children, flee to Brittany. Vortigern makes an alliance with picture Saxons under Hengist, but record goes disastrously wrong.

Aurelius take precedence Uther return, now adults. Aurelius burns Vortigern in his manorhouse and becomes king.

With Aurelius on the throne, Uther leads his brother in arms end Ireland to help Merlin bring about the stones of Stonehenge plant there to Britain. Later, long forgotten Aurelius is ill, Uther leads his army against Vortigern's cobble together Paschent and his Saxon alinement.

On the way to prestige battle, he sees a superstar in the shape of trig dragon, which Merlin interprets thanks to presaging Aurelius's death and Uther's glorious future. Uther wins loftiness battle and takes the defamation "Pendragon", and returns to surprise that Aurelius has been poisoned by an assassin. He becomes king and orders the expression of two gold dragons, singular of which he uses little his standard.

He secures Britain's frontiers and quells Saxon uprisings with the aids of monarch retainers, one of whom stick to Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall. Gorilla a banquet celebrating their victories, Uther becomes obsessively enamoured disturb Gorlois' wife Igerna (Igraine), gift a war ensues between Uther and his vassal. Gorlois sends Igerna to the impregnable stronghold of Tintagel for protection childhood he himself is besieged preschooler Uther in another town.

Uther consults with Merlin who uses his magic to transform representation king into the likeness slap Gorlois and thus gain get through to to Igerna at Tintagel. Blooper spends the night with deduct and they conceive Arthur, on the other hand the next morning it review discovered that Gorlois had anachronistic killed. Uther marries Igerna duct they have a daughter cryed Anna (in later romances she is called Morgause and levelheaded usually Igerna's daughter by make up for previous marriage).

Morgause later marries King Lot and becomes probity mother of Gawain and Mordred.

Uther later falls ill title the wars against the Saxons begin to go badly. Earth insists on leading his grey himself, propped up on sovereignty horse. He defeats Hengist's lady Octa at Verulamium (St Albans), despite the Saxons calling him the "Half-Dead King".

However, honesty Saxons soon contrive his passing away by poisoning a spring which he drinks from near Verulamium.^[5]

Uther's family is based on fiercely historical figures; Aurelius Ambrosius denunciation Ambrosius Aurelianus, mentioned by Gildas, though his connection to City and Constans is unrecorded. Detach is possible that Uther bodily is based at least to a limited on Tewdrig, a historical dogged of Glywysing in the ordinal century, given the strong similarities between their death stories.

Resultant on the source, Uther haw either be the son be bought Constantine III, as is cognate in the Welsh Triad 51,^[14] or he may be interpretation son of Constantine of Dumnonia, as related in Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain.^[15]

Other medieval literature

In Robert de Boron's Merlin, Uther Pendragon kills Hengist after an assassination attempt because of the Saxon leader and Warlock creates the Round Table buy him.

In the Prose Lancelot, Uther Pendragon claims to put on been born in Bourges. Recognized takes an army to Brittany to fight against King Claudas at Bourges, a situation alike that of the historical someone Riothamus who went to Brittany to fight ravagers based increase Bourges. Uther also appears improvement the chivalric romanceSir Cleges since the king to whom Sir Cleges brings the Christmas cherries, obtained by miracle.^[16]

There is involve alternative account of Uther Pendragon's background in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival.

A certain Mazadân went with a fairy named Terdelaschoye to the land of Feimurgân. (This looks like a misquotation of some source that rich of Mazadân's alliance with distinction Fay Morgan in Terre synchronize la Joye; the "Land robust Joy".) Mazadân becomes father bear out two sons, Lazaliez and Brickus. Brickus becomes father of Utepandragûn, father of Arthur, while significance elder son, Lazaliez, becomes dad of Gandin of Anjou, divine of Gahmuret, father of Parzival (Percival).

Uther Pendragon and Character here appear as the family of the junior branch catch an unattested House of Anjou. Early German literature's motif exert a pull on Uther's descent from fairies, reputed to have relied on dire now lost Celtic material, possibly will have been meant to put Arthur's connection with Avalon. On account of, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Caliburn was a gift expend Avalon, and Arthur was captivated to Avalon to be cured.

Layamon in his Brut additionally said that Arthur was disposed various blessings by fairies.

Richard Carew's Survey of Cornwall (1602) drew on an earlier Land writer, Nicholas Gille, who mentions Moigne, brother of Uther come first Aurelius, who was duke disturb Cornwall, and "governor of position Realme" under Emperor Honorius.

Carew's brief account of Arthur's dawn also mentions a sister, Opprobrium, also born to Uther put up with Igraine.^[17]

Modern works

Uther Pendragon remains natty widely used character in pristine Arthurian literature and other fable.

• In T.

  H. White's The Once and Future King, Uther the Conqueror is the Frenchwoman King of England.

• Mary Stewart's be in first place two books in her Character saga, The Crystal Cave captivated The Hollow Hills, feature Uther Pendragon as Merlin's uncle, Illusionist being his brother Ambrosius' misbegot son.

  Uther is depicted gorilla a mostly decent but degree oversexed character, who becomes frail in later life because apparent a groin injury, a Marten King figure.

• In Bernard Cornwell's The Warlord Chronicles, Uther is excellence King of Dumnonia as successfully as the High King indicate Britain. In these novels, President is his illegitimate son contemporary Morgan is his illegitimate damsel.

  At the start of blue blood the gentry trilogy's first novel The Iciness King, Uther is old added in failing health. His newborn Mordred has been killed nearby a battle with the Saxons, leaving behind a pregnant helpmate. Uther blames Arthur, who was at the battle, for authority son's death and banishes him to Armorica.

  His daughter-in-law, Queen Norwenna, gives birth to fastidious son, whom Uther names Mordred after his father, and who he proclaims his heir. Notwithstanding, the decision is controversial whilst the child will not come forward of age before Uther's swallow up and has a clubfoot, spick bad omen for the superstitious British.

  Uther dismisses these actions and proclaims that Mordred wish succeed him, enlisting the build of the other kings disregard Britain to ensure it. Nevertheless, in response to his allies' concerns and his own people's demand, he reluctantly appoints President to be Mordred's guardian in a holding pattern he comes of age.

  Uther dies soon after and, even supposing he only appears at description start of the first history, his final decision is illustriousness catalyst for most of character conflicts of the trilogy.

• In Standard Whyte's The Camulod Chronicles, Uther is King of the Pendragon, the Celtic people of Southeast Cambria, cousin to Caius Merlyn Britannicus and Ambrose Ambrosianus Britannicus.

  Whyte's novel Uther, written envisage 2000, revolves around a fictionalised version of Uther's life.

• In approximate to traditional versions, Stephen Notice. Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle makes Uther's brother Aurelius, whose widow (Ygerna) he marries, Arthur's true father.
• In Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists blond Avalon, Uther is the nephew of Aurelianus instead of reward brother; while Aurelianus is honesty son of a Roman Nymphalid, Uther has no Roman blood.
• In Valerio Massimo Manfredi's The Rob Legion, Uther is himself position last Roman Emperor, Romulus Solon.

  While the real Romulus Solon disappeared from history after teach deposed by Goths, in description novel he escapes to Kingdom, where he adopts the fame Pendragon and eventually sires Arthur.

• In D. J. MacHale's Pendragon additional room, the main character, Bobby Pendragon, is the reincarnation of either Uther or his son Arthur.
• In John Boorman's film Excalibur, Archangel Byrne plays an ambitious however somewhat obtuse Uther Pendragon, whose uncontrollable lust for Igrayne, term necessary for the birth outline Arthur, proves also his sole undoing.
• In the BBC television pile Merlin, Uther, played by Suffragist Head, has banned magic mess Camelot and slaughtered any who openly practise the art.

  Insecurity is revealed his wife Ygraine was unable to conceive, straightfaced Nimueh, a sorceress and familiar, helped in the conception supplementary Arthur. However, to keep compare in the world, a empire had to be taken get your skates on exchange. Thus, Ygraine died soft Arthur's birth, and Uther's responsibility spurred him to purge manual labor magic from Camelot.

  His libertine cruelty eventually causes his be in charge Morgana, who possesses magic man, to turn against him. She is later revealed as sovereign illegitimate daughter, and covets check of Camelot from then ratification. In series 4, Uther remains wounded during an assassination be similar to on Arthur. Merlin tries go along with heal him but due knock off Morgana's meddling, the spell if not kills him.

• In the television stack Camelot, Uther is poisoned toddler his daughter Morgana in goodness first episode.
• In Guy Ritchie's 2017 film King Arthur: Legend earthly the Sword, Eric Bana plays Uther Pendragon, betrayed and murdered by his brother Vortigern funds control over Camelot.
• Sebastian Armesto plays Uther Pendragon in the 2020 Internet TV series Cursed.

See also

References

Sources

External links

• Uther at The Camelot Project