Here Lies Arthur

Arthur is the greatest hero of all time, and Myrddin is his bard - a traveller and spinner of magical tales. But it's a strange and dangerous kind of enchantment that can turn a slave-girl into a goddess, and a raggle-taggle warmonger into a warrior legend... Exploring the power of storytelling and political machination, a master writer retells the Arthur legend - with a shocking spin. Winner of the Carnegie Medal 2008. "A masterpiece" Daily Telegraph

When her village is attacked and burned, Gwyna seeks protection from the bard Myrddin, who uses Gwyna in his plan to transform young Arthur into the heroic King Arthur.

This book reveals the true identity of Arthur, and locates his courts and long-forgotten battle sites such as Badon and Camlan. It also uncovers the secret of the mysterious Isle of Avalon and Arthur's resting place in a Breton church. The authors present a convincing and conclusive answer to the puzzle of King Arthur. Glossary of terms in Welsh and English. Bibliography. Index. 78 illustrations.

A definitive, factual, A–Z reference guide offering a global perspective on the role of prophecy in world history, religion, folklore, and literature. * More than 100 entries on prophets and prophecies from the Antichrist to Yevgeny Zamyatin, the Russian author whose writings influenced Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and George Orwell's 1984 * Extensive illustrations with drawings and diagrams including engravings from William Blake's so-called prophetic books and depictions of the ten incarnations of Vishnu * Numerous photographs of writers such as D. H. Lawrence, H. G. Wells, and E. M. Forster; spiritual leaders such as Madame Blavatsky, founder of Theosophy; and Theodor Herzl, founder of Zionism * A bibliography as a guide for extended research

This book offers a critical account of historical books about Britain written for children, including realist novels, non-fiction, fantasy and alternative histories. It also investigates the literary, ideological and philosophical challenges involved in writing about the past, especially for an audience whose knowledge of history is often limited.

Arthur's Seat is climbed (or walked up and around) by thousands of people each year. The views from the top of the 350-million year old landmark are breathtaking. In this book, Stuart McHardy and Donald Smith interweave the tales of folklore and customs that surround this iconic hill. Review Draws on folklore tales and real life stories to create a unique walkers' guide to the famous ridges, crags and valleys that make up the hill. EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS Back Cover: Standing in the Hunter's Bog with the Salisbury Crags to the west, Dasses to the east and the great summit crag rising above, you could be deep in the Highlands. There is no sight and very little sound of the modern cityscape all around. STUART McHARDY Arthur's Seat, rising high above the Edinburgh skyline, is the city's most awe-inspiring landmark Although thousands climb to the summit every year, its history remains a mystery, shrouded in myth and legend. Quickly and suddenly we lose the sense of ciy. Through the park is now surrounded by Edinburgh, it still retains a sense of wildness. DONALD SMITH The first book of its kind, Arthur's Seat: Journeys and Evocations is a salute to the ancient tradition of storytelling, guiding the reader around Edinburgh's famous 'Resting Giant' with an exploration of the local folklore and customs associated with the mountain-within-a-city. Inspired by NVA's Speed of Light, a major event in Edinburgh's International Festival and the country-wide Cultural Olympiad, Journeys and Evocations brings together past and future in a perspective of the Edinburgh landscape like no other. A place where time does not pass but simply adds up. ROBERT GARIOCH

This is the first comprehensive authoritative survey of Arthurian literature and traditions in the Celtic languages of Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Irish and Scottish Gaelic. With contributions by leading and emerging specialists in the field, the volume traces the development of the legends that grew up around Arthur and have been constantly reworked and adapted from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. It shows how the figure of Arthur evolved from the leader of a warband in early medieval north Britain to a king whose court becomes the starting-point for knightly adventures, and how characters and tales are reimagined, reshaped and reinterpreted according to local circumstances, traditions and preoccupations at different periods. From the celebrated early Welsh poetry and prose tales to less familiar modern Breton and Cornish fiction, from medieval Irish adaptations of the legend to the Gaelic ballads of Scotland, Arthur in the Celtic Languages provides an indispensable, up-to-date guide of a vast and complex body of Arthurian material, and to recent research and criticism.

The Druids and the Arthurian legends are all most of us know about early Britain, from the Neolithic to the Iron Age (4500 BC–AD 43). Drawing on archaeological discoveries and medieval Welsh texts like the Mabinogion, this book explores the religious beliefs of the ancient Britons before the coming of Christianity, beginning with the megaliths—structures like Stonehenge—and the role they played in prehistoric astronomy. Topics include the mysterious Beaker people of the Early Bronze Age, Iron Age evidence of the Druids, the Roman period and the Dark Ages. The author discusses the myths of King Arthur and what they tell us about paganism, as well as what early churches and monasteries reveal about the enigmatic Druids.

The last thirty years have witnessed one of the most fertile periods in the history of children's books. A fascinating reference guide to the world of children's literature, this volume covers every genre from fairy tales to chapbooks; school stories to science fiction; comics to children's hymns

Countess Marie of Champagne is primarily known today as the daughter of Louis VII of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine and as a literary patron of Chrétien de Troyes. In this engaging biography, Theodore Evergates offers a more rounded view of Marie as a successful ruler of one of the wealthiest and most vibrant principalities in medieval France. From the age of thirty-four until her death, Marie ruled almost continuously, initially for her husband, Henry the Liberal, during his journey to Jerusalem, then for her underage son, Henry II, and after his majority, during his absence on the Third Crusade and extended residence in the Levant. Presiding at the High Court of Champagne and attending to the many practical duties of governance, Marie acted with the advice of her court officers but without limitation by either the king or a regency council. If Henry the Liberal created the county of Champagne as a dynamic and prosperous state, it was Marie who expertly preserved and sustained it. Evergates mines Marie's letters patent and the literary and religious texts associated with her to glean a fuller picture of her life and work. He situates Marie within the regional institutions and external events that influenced her life as well as within her extended families of royal half-siblings—including King Philip II of France and her Plantagenet brothers—and her many in-laws, including the queen mother Adele and Archbishop William of Reims. Those who knew Marie best describe her as determined, gracious, and pious, as well as an effective ruler in the face of several external threats.

John of Glastonbury's chronicle represents an attempt to summarise the lore and learning about Glastonbury Abbey and its past available in the fourteenth century, a body of knowledge which changed very little before the Reformation. The author drew on a large number of sources and edited these skilfully to form his narrative, while preserving the earlier text almost intact. The result is the fullest medieval account of the abbey and its legends, and this edition will be very welcome, drawing as it does on the latest research. A translation is included, which makes the important text available in English for the first time, and the whole volume is designed as a companion to John Scott's edition and translation of William of Malmesbury's twelfth century account of the abbey's history.

A comprehensive survey of one of the most important texts of the Middle Ages.

In this guide, 100 recommended books and booktalks offer the perfect way to start value discussions with teens and teen/adult book groups. • Ready-to-use booktalks and curriculum connections for 100 recently published YA books • Information that includes fiction/nonfiction/verse/graphic designation, age level suggestion, gender suggestion, lists of themes and topics, summary/description, a value statement, a booktalk, at least three curriculum connections, and five related works • Organization by values to facilitate relating a book within one genre to a book that addresses a similar value, but is classified in another genre • A related works section for each featured title

In the forecourt of a petrol station outside of Buenos Aires, a father says goodbye to his son: 'Kamchatka,' he whispers softly into his ear. And then they part, forever. A ten-year-old boy lives in world of Superman comics and games of Risk - a world in which men have superpowers and boys can conquer the globe on a board game. But in the outside world, a military junta have taken power; and amid a political climate of fear and intimidation, people are beginning to disappear without trace... Kamchatka is a heartbreaking novel; set in Argentina during the bloody coup d'etat of 1976, it tells the enchanting story of a young boy trying to make sense of a world during a time of extraordinary upheaval.

This book examines and extrapolates from famous historical case studies to illustrate principles of cognitive deception and how to avoid being deceived.