Druids learning from Arthur's legend

[KellyP]

I have truly enjoyed reading the many takes on King Arthur, the Holy Grail and other wonderful topics of the Arthurian romances. While one might be hard pressed to find anything explicitly pagan in the tales, I still find myself wondering if there are valuable lessons from the stories of King Arthur that might inform my practice of druidry.

So it occurred to me to in turn ask you, "What lessons may a modern druid draw from the tales of King Arthur and related material?"

[Gwyddyon]

You might be best off looking at older "standalone" Arthurian stories - Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight and Culhwch and Olwen, for example. As for specific lessons, I can't think of anything specifically druidic, although quite a few lessons can be drawn for life in general.

By the way, one bit in SGatGK that always struck me as interesting is the shield: pentagram on the front, Virgin Mary on the back, complete with a description of the pentagram's meaning within medieval Christian iconography.

[_Banbha_]

I second Gwyddyon's suggestion about individual tales, most especially about Gawain's adventures.

You might find this of interest: From Manannán to Bercilak: The Green Knight and the Gaelic Otherworld-god-in-disguise (http://dbweb.liv.ac.uk/manxstudies/sm/articles/mqct.htm) by Charles MacQuarrie.

[Myrddyn Emrys]

I would also suggest "The Spoils of Annwn" from The Book of Taliessin, also referred to as "The Thirteen Hallows (Treasures) of Britain".

[Brigid Rowan]

A book that might complement your search for old, stand alone tales and records..

The Quest For Merlin by N. Tolstoy

It doesnt dwell of Arthur, but looks at early British/Welsh books and stories in relation to Merlin. Its not a fast read, but Im finding it interesting. Im only 1/4 of the way into it, but so far so good.