Arthurian Myth in Popular Culture: Analysing “V for Vendetta”, the 2005 Movie

Student: Martín M. Gómez   

2008                                                                          

“We are told to remember the idea, not the man, because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 years later, an idea can still change the world”. 

Thus verse the first words of 2005 movie V for Vendetta, an adaptation of a graphic novel by Alan Moore carrying the same title. Can such an abstract entity as an idea truly prevail for 400 years? 

“(…) you cannot kiss an idea, cannot touch it, or hold it... ideas do not bleed, they do not feel pain, they do not love...”, continues to express a cathartic Natalie Portman in the skin of Evey Hammond, the main character’s abettor in the film. Yet ideas do remain. And albeit apparently true, the opening quotation may fail to convey the incommensurable extent to which an idea can persist, for the mythical legend of King Arthur has undergone at least fifteen centuries of history. And it is precisely what Arthur and his knights symbolize what has prevailed: a dream-like picture of dauntless knights in shiny armor fighting with uncomparable braveness for a common cause. The mere figure of King Arthur is still capable of evoking feelings of honour and pride.

Moreover, the legend of Sir Lancelot and his king has set the basis for most ‘heroes-centred’ stories to come in a mysteriously subtle way. Therefore, it is possible to trace what in this paper will be referred to as ‘Arthurian elements’ in numerous modern and also post-modern works, although the latter is not of relevance here. The aforementioned V for Vendetta is not an exception. And while some discrepancies are likely to be found between the components and characteristics of the classic myth and those of the film in question there are similarities which are worth pondering upon.

King Arthur’s legacy

The myth of King Arthur tells of an extraordinarily courageous Romano-British leader who defeated the Anglo-Saxon invaders that were raiding Britain around the end of the 5th century. However, more than a single victory is presumably needed to make a legend out of a name. Nennius, a historian of Welsh origin, acknowledges Arthur’s engagement in at least 12 battles in his Historia Brittonum: “(…) the magnanimous Arthur … fought against the Saxons. And though there were many more noble than himself, yet he was twelve times chosen their commander, and was as often conqueror…” However, Nennius’ work is not considered true by most modern historians. Neither is the mere existence of the king himself. Actually, most of what is known about the legend – if not all of it - has come from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s 12th century narrative account, Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), and Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur (1485), both pieces generally disregarded as factual information. With respect to this, Alan MacColl (1999), a lecturer from the University of Aberdeen, expresses in History Today magazine, “(…) Arthur and the hotly-contested topic of his historical reality are no longer the subject of serious academic study…”. And he proceeds:

“It has been suggested that the proliferation of such narratives in the eleventh and twelfth centuries is related to the emergence of the nation state (…). Originality was not a medieval virtue, and invention was often made respectable by the invocation of a fictitious authority…” 

Nonetheless, neither the existence of the head of Camelot nor further details of the popular myth in lieu of bare information are to be developed here. Instead, the focus is redirected towards the legacy of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table: a powerful romantic ‘picture’ onto which multiple ideological purposes can be formulated, for it is the idea (or the ‘picture’) what has survived, and not the men. As Allan McColl writes, “(…) the ideological uses to which the legendary hero has been put are important…”. In 1300, for instance, Pope Boniface VIII tried to induce Edward I to abandon the war in Scotland, but the King’s reply reiterated the claim over Scottish land pointing out, among other arguments, that Geoffrey had written about an Arthurian conquest of Scotland; James IV of Scotland and I of England and Ireland, for his part, believed himself to be a second King Arthur in charge of reuniting Britannia; and even the Scottish Conservatives invoked Arthur’s figure during 1997 General Election… 

But what exactly does the previously referred surviving image display? Although sources differ in their retelling of King Arthur’s life (and particularly his death), some elements can be identified as common denominators:

•The presence of a powerful leader – or rather the powerful presence of a leading figure.

•A widely unified and prosper British Empire.

•An ever-growing wish for defending and fighting for a common cause.

King Arthur is invariably depicted as a mighty leader with an innate capacity for motivating people, invigorating souls all over his Arthurian Empire. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, besides repelling the Saxons, Arthur’s achievements are outstanding: he defeated the confederation of tribes called Picts and the Scots; he conquered Ireland, the Orkney Islands and Iceland; eventually, he overcame Norway, Denmark, and he even defeated the Roman Emperor Lucius Tiberius in Gaul. In any case, Arthur had apparently had people’s support since he was able to withdraw the magic sword Excalibur from a rock, just as wizard Merlin had prophesied:  

“And at the feast of Pentecost all manner of men assayed to pull at the sword that would assay; but none might prevail but Arthur, and pulled it out afore all the lords and commons that were there, wherefore all the commons cried at once, We will have Arthur unto our king, we will put him no more in delay…” (Le Morte d’Arthur; Sir Thomas Malory - 1485)

Once crowned, Arthur gathered a court of nobles consisting of valiant knights willing to accept their King’s commands and twice as eager to fight in his name and for his cause. Knights did not dare questioning Arthur’s decisions for he was seen as a trustworthy leader, and after several years, the ‘once and future king’ proved those noblemen to be right: thanks to his many conquests and the aid of the laborious hands of the Knights of the Round Table, Arthur made an empire out of Britain. This deed covered his name with honour and mysticism. And this flourishing British Empire, product of a gigantic effort, all Britons had to defend.

Arthurian presence in V for Vendetta film

V for Vendetta is set in England in the year 2048. In this fictional reality democracy has fallen, to the distaste of the leading character of the film, V. A totalitarian party called Norsefire rules over the country. Thus, the democratic system is threatened to such an extent as to arise V’s anger. Sick of the authoritarianism exercised by PM Alan Sutler and his militia, V plans to blow up the English Parliament on November 5th. There is a reason why he has chosen this particular date: on November 5th, back in 1605, a man called Guy Fawkes tried to achieve the same goal in order to show his discontent and rejection towards religious oppression. He failed. He was caught, imprisoned, and eventually killed. But just as King Arthur’s legacy, Guy Fawkes ideas prevailed over time, and V planned to use them. 

For such purpose, V has a carefully designed plan that allocates no space for mistakes and which involves an active participation of the citizens of London. By raiding the government’s emergence broadcasting channel, V reminds people that they are ruled by an absolute dictator, and tries to convince them that the fact that they are under such condition is not good for anyone since freedom cannot exist within the given current parameters. “(…) truth be told,” V continues, “if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror”; his message is imparted in a cautiously yet harsh manner. He then acknowledges that fear lead people to become silent and obedient in excess, and invites them to revert the situation by facing the parliament the 5th of November the following year. Attending to the claims of the charismatic V, who, by then, has become a leader, people pour into the streets to confront the oppressive militia while their inspiring figure takes personal revenge on Adam Sutler and ends up blowing the Parliament under the attentive look of his followers.

But what moves V to perpetuate such a deed? Apart from his personal reasons, V is moved by a strong regard for the buried democratic ideals. This deeply rooted esteem for democracy seems to attain the same effect King Arthur had on people and, in particular, () knights: V’s ideals (which in the movie match those of democracy) motivate him to act the way he does as much as Arthur inspired his knights’ actions. With respect to this, it is possible to state that V for Vendetta features a ‘domino’ effect: whilst V is incited to fight by the ideals of that system which he believes in, he himself revolutionizes people in an unprecedented way – at least during Sutler’s government. Thus, abstract ideas can be found mobilizing concrete subjects, and this is another coincidence with the Arthurian myth: as exemplified before, the name of King Arthur has been evoked along history with different purposes, of which mobilizing people is certainly one of the most common. 

Seemingly, all the elements which inform the Arthurian myth integrate the plot of V for Vendetta: the role of King Arthur as the charismatic leader is played, in the first place, by the ideals of democracy which propel V’s actions, and, secondly, by V himself, who induces people to confront Adam Sutler’s authoritarian party. This, of course, presupposes the presence of people whom can be influenced: in the case of Arthur, this space was occupied by the brave knights who wished to fight at their King’s side and perhaps depicted in the Knights of the Round Table, the King’s closest comrades. In the case of V, it is ordinary people who, motivated by V, gather willingly to fight in the name of democracy and against a common ‘evil’. This, in time, leads to a third element: the evil within the existing system. The British Empire had to defend itself from raiders, while the democratic system is endangered by the totalitarian government in V for Vendetta. This analysis may be summarized as in the figures below. The first graphic displays King Arthur’s epitome, whereas the second is intended to reflect the situation proposed in V for Vendetta:

   

Conclusion

It appears that King Arthur’s paradigm is still imitated in artifacts of popular culture, either consciously or without awareness. The fact that the Arthurian myth persists as an inspiring legend, shaping the work of hundreds of artists event in recent times, speaks for the peculiar capability of propelling people with which it was formerly informed. Likening the plot of V for Vendetta to the Arthurian elements antecedently mentioned leads to a striking matching of ideas between Arthur’s and V’s stories: the existence of a system being threatened somehow by an evil, the wish for defending the system, the presence of a charismatic leader who induces people to fight for the system, and many other similarities which may have passed unnoticed

Personally, I believe that the apparently ever-lasting quality of the Arthurian Myth resides, at least partly, in humans’ constant need for identification with a higher being. Curiously, after the departure of the leading figure in V for Vendetta, Mr. Finch (an investigator who tries to capture V) asks Evey who the man who has just died is, to which she replies:

“He was Edmond Dantés... and he was my father. And my mother... my brother... my friend. He was you... and me. He was all of us.”   

Could it be a mere coincidence? 

From the Arthurian Legend to “Saint Seiya: Hades – Ova 31”.

Alumna: Cecilia Acosta                                                                                                                 

August 2009      

Introduction

In the 15th century, Sir Thomas Malory writes “Le Morte Darthur,” a book which was divided into twenty- one volumes, chaptered and imprinted by Vida Scudder in the year 1485. The book depicts the adventures of King Arthur, the legendary hero of the Britons, and of his noble knights of the Round Table. Arthur’s deeds are told in this book as well as in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain (1138) and as in many other sources of British History. The king’s stories play a key part in the development of the English history and in people’s identification with his country by creating a sense of national unity (MacColl, A. 1999).

However, as stated by Sally K. Slocum in the book “Popular Arthurian Traditions” (1992), “Arthurian themes and symbolism continue to be widely disseminated throughout popular culture,” that is to say, that some of the motifs and artifacts from the Arthurian legend can still be detected in nowadays’ films, novels, comic strips or cartoons. One ex-ample of this is “Knights of the Zodiac,” a contemporary Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada, and later adapted to anime. As this manga series suggests a number of allusions to the Arthurian mythos, this paper will attempt to show how the elements from the traditional legend remain present in the 20th century series “Knights of the Zodiac.”

Overview of Malory’s adaptation of the Arthurian Myth and the series “Saint Seiya: Hades- Ova  31”

The Arthurian legend tells the story of King Arthur, son of Uther, who was raised in the countryside by Sir Ector and grew up together with his brother Kay. When his father dies, Arthur takes the crown and becomes the king of Britain by pulling an enchanted sword out of a stone. He rules over the country with the help of Merlin, the wizard, and his noble knights and lords of the Round Table. Arthur defends his country by the use of Excalibur, the enchanted sword, against the invaders who try to conquer his country.

Generally speaking, this legend can be analyzed within a system, whose outer boundaries might be represented by Britain, the country in which the legend takes place. This system is composed by three main elements. As a first element, it is possible to dis-tinguish the head of the system, King Arthur, the leading figure for whom the knights fight for against the evils. The second element is the figure of the knights, who fight to-gether for their king. Finally, the third element is the evil that frightens the country. Ac-cording to Malory’s adaptation, this element is presented as “The Romans” (Le Morte Dar-thur, Book V- Chap II), among other invaders, who break the order by trying to enter by force to corrupt and attack the system.

The following graphic may be applied to represent the Arthurian System:

On the other hand, the manga series “Saint Seiya: Hades,” tells the story of Phoenix Ikki, Cygnus Hyoga, Andromeda Shun, Dragon Shiryu and Pegasus Seiya, five knights who fight against Hades, Zeus’ brother. Hades, the Underworld god, fights together with his allies, the 108 spectres, the god Hypnos, who is the personification of sleep, and his twin brother Thanatos, god of death. Every 243 years, this evil god incarnates into a hu-man being and tries to cover the world with darkness. Throughout the saga, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and daughter of Zeus, tries to bring back peace and hope to the Earth. Apart from being protected by the five main knights, she is also secured by other knights. These are the Gold Saints (Aries Shion, Aries Mu, Taurus Aldebaran, Gemini Saga, Gemini Kanon, Cancer Deathmask, Leo Aiolia, Virgo Shaka, Libra Dohko, Scorpion Milo, Sagittarius Aiolos, Capricorn Shura, Aquarius Camus and Pisces Aphrodite), the Sil-ver Saints, the Bronze Saints and the Steel Saints. Athena and her knights fight against Hades and his allies in the Elysian Fields. 

According to the Britannica Enciclopedia, in the Greek tradition, the Elysium was:

“The paradise to which heroes on whom the gods conferred immortality were sent. It probably was retained from Minoan religion. In Homer’s writings the Elysian Plain was a land of perfect happiness at the end of the earth, on the banks of the Oceanus River. (…) In the earlier authors, only those specially favoured by the gods entered Elysium and were made immortal. (…) Later writers made it a particular part of Hades, as in Virgil, Aeneid, Book VI.”

As in the Arthurian legend, “Saint Seiya: Hades” can be analyzed within a system, which is “Good,” because the threat is Hades expanding evilness throughout the world and over people. This system is also composed by three main elements. As a first ele-ment, in the saga there are five main knights, named Ikki, Hyoga, Shun, Shiryu and Seiya, who fight against other knights to protect the Earth from the mischievous Hades. As the second element, it is possible to find some evil forces, presented as the 108 spec-tres, Thanatos and Hypnos, and the god Hades, who want to kill the goddess Athena, her noble knights, and spread their evilness throughout the entire planet. Finally, the third element is the head of the system, goddess Athena, who is a young woman, untrained for battle. However, her “cosmo ” is huge and exceeds human cosmos infinitely. Her inten-tion is to protect Earth and its living creatures.

The following graphic may be used to represent the System of “Saint Seiya: Hades”:

Comparison between the Arthurian System and that of “Saint Seiya: Hades” 

When referring to both systems, the differences can be more easily perceived than the similarities. In the Arthurian legend, the system is Briain, a nation, while in the manga series, it is a virtue. This is important because having as a structured system a nation, which includes particular customs, religion, language and history is not the same as having as a system a virtue. Virtues are proper of human beings; however, in this se-ries, positive and negative virtues become also part of the spiritual word. 

In the series, the equivalent to Arthur as a head of the system is Athena. The main difference between Arthur and Athena is that the first is human and a man, while Athena is the goddess of heroic endeavour, courage, love and compassion, and is portrayed as a woman. However, one similitude is that although Athena is a goddess, she is presented as a sensitive young girl, characterized by innocence and kindness. She also has human reactions and feelings, because, for example, it is possible to see in the series when she laughs and cries. Arthur’s emotions and feeling are also shown in Malory’s adaptation when the author describes how honest he was when confessing that he took the sword out of the stone, how considerate he was when he decided to look for his brother lost sword or how courageous he was when he undoubtedly accepted his enemies’ challenges. Also, he can be compared with a goddess because although Arthur is human, he might be considered as having a divine nature. This divine nature is shown in Malory’s text when, in chapter VII, it is told that King Arthur “is not dead, but had by the will of our Lord Jesu into another place”

Another similitude that can be found between the legend and the series is the pres-ence of a group of knights who fight together to reach a particular objective.  In this case, both groups of knights are human beings who have the same denomination, that is to say, “knights”, and who are courageous, brave and spirited. In the Arthurian legend, a group of noble knights advise the king and act as councillors in particular meetings. These are known as “The Knights of the Round Table.” Apart from this, the knights fight in battles to protect their king and nation. In the manga series, apart from the five main bronze knights, the gold, silver and steel knights fight to protect their goddess Athena, the Earth and to honour the values of love, goodness and friendship. However, it is pos-sible to find the difference that not all the knights in the manga series are human beings. The gold knights are Saints of the Zodiac, saints from particular constellations, with hu-man feature. 

The evil figures in both systems are completely different. In the Arthurian myth pre-sented by Malory, the evil figures are the invaders that want to conquer Britain or defeat King Arthur. These are humans, and most of the times, leaders of an army also com-posed by loyal knights. In the manga series, the evil is represented by the Underworld king, Hades, and his followers, a group of 108 black spectres; the god of the death, Thanatos, and the god of sleep, Hypnos. They want to kill Athena and her knights to take the control of the Earth and all the living creatures on it by spreading their evilness. The enemies, in this case, are dark gods and the souls of traitorous knights who prowl on Earth.

More elements in common

Apart from the previously mentioned elements in common, it is probable to find more similarities and differences. Firstly, it is important to mention the presence of armour, swords and shields when the knights attack other troops in the case of the Arthurian leg-end, for example Arthur’s sword “Excalibur." In the saga, and specially when they attack evil spirits, the knights in “Saint Seiya” use swords, and shiny armours to defend them-selves. 

Secondly, magic elements are present in both, the myth and the series. The Arthurian myth incorporates Merlin, the wizard, who enchants a sword. Also, Gawaine’s ghost and the ladies who follow him appear in the legend. Another magic element may be seen when a hand comes out of the water and grabs Excalibur and vanishes. The latter ap-pears in Malory’s work when Arthur asks Sir Bedivere to throw his sword into the water to see if something strange happens. In the manga series, each knight casts a different spell. For example, one of Hyoga’s powers is “Diamond Dust,” a rain of diamonds; Seiya’s technique is “Pegasus Meteor Fist,” Shiryu’s is “Rozan One Hundred Dragons Force,” Shun’s is “Nebula Chain” and Ikki’s technique is “Phoenix Illusion Demonic Fist.” 

Conclusion

All in all, in can be said that many characteristics of the system and elements from the Arthurian legend remain present in nowadays’ sagas like “Saint Seiya: Hades.” Popu-lar culture still accepts knights fighting for justice and protecting the world from evil forces. As analyzed in this paper, “Saint Seiya: Hades” is a clear example of a modern piece which includes features of the traditional legend. Through this manga series, and many other works, the adventures of King Arthur will remain alive and the positive values of friendship, cooperation, honesty, wisdom and goodness will be spread out through the new generations.

Bibliography

•Britannica Enciclopedia (2001) Nicholas Carr (ed.) [online] 

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/185418/Elysium

•Maccoll, Alan (March 1999) “King Arthur and the Making of an English Britain.” History Today. Vol 49, Issue 3. History Today Ltd.

•Malory, Sir Thomas (1485) Le Morte Darthur: Sir Thomas Malory’s Book of King Arthur and of his Noble Knights of the Round Table, Volume 1 and 2. [online] Kel-ler, Charles (ed.) University of Virginia (1994) 

     http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/Mal1Mor.html

     http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/Mal2Mor.html

•Scudder, Vida (1917) Le Morte Darthur of Sir Thomas Malory & Its Sources. New York: E.P. Dutton

•Slocum, Sally (ed.) (1992) Popular Arthurian Traditions. Bowling Green, OH: Bowl-ing Green State University Popular Press.

Similarities between the film 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' and the myth of King Arthur

Student: Yanina Helvig

Year: 2009

Introduction  

Le Morte Darthur (1485) is a well-known book written by Thomas Malory, where the author tells the adventures of the legendary King Arthur, focusing on the spirit of the English Renascence rather than describing the elements of romance that were very well-known in the epoch (Scudder, Vida 1917). Modern authors resort to elements of the Arthurian legend with frequency as a source for their literary works, films, TV programmes, comic books and others (Slocum, Sally, 1992). The film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (2001), based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling (1997), may present elements from the myth of King Arthur. The movie tells the story of Harry Potter, a young wizard who arrives at a world parallel to the Earth, in order to enter Hogwarts, the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the school, Harry and his friends try to prevent Voldemort, an evil magician, from stealing the Philosopher’s stone, an elixir of life. 

This paper will attempt to show similarities between the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and the myth of King Arthur. For this objective, different elements appearing in both pieces of work will be compared.   

An Overview of Malory’s adaptation of the Arthurian Myth and the Film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”

According to Malory’s version, Arthur is a legendary British king who obtains the throne after pulling an enchanted sword from a stone. When he takes the crown, he rules and takes decisions under the guidance and support of the Knights of the Round Table, who swear loyalty to him. Arthur fights numerous battles with great courage and bravery using Excalibur, the enchanted sword, to defeat invaders who want to alter the order of the British Empire. 

Arthur’s valor and prowess can be perceived in the following example where the king is in a battle with the Romans.

“But in especial, King Arthur rode in the battle exhorting his knights to do well (…) he drew out Excalibur his sword, and awaited ever whereas the Romans were thickest and most grieved his people (…) and hew and slew down right, and rescued his people (…)” (Malory, Sir Thomas 1485)

This short passage may show Arthur’s heroism and bravery since he decides to fight where there are more enemies in number to save the life of his knights.

Besides, the presence of supernatural forces may be found in the Arthurian legend, such as the enchanted sword that chooses Arthur as the British King. Other magical elements may include ghosts, like the spirit of Sir Gawain, one of his knights, who warns him from death, and giants and monsters killed by the king and his knights. Arthur’s death may be also connected with a powerful magical element. The king is caught and placed in a boat by a group of queens at the sea water, and from that moment nobody sees King Arthur again. 

The legend of King Arthur may be analyzed within a system represented by the British Empire. This system is composed by a powerful leader, King Arthur, a group of knights who fight in the name of the leading figure and the evil that frightens the system and attempts to alter it.      

The film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” tells the story of Harry Potter, who learns he is destined to become a powerful wizard in Hogwarts and that he is considered a legend because he could survive from Voldemort. This malevolent wizard aimed at killing Harry when he was a baby but he failed, leaving a scar on Harry’s forehead. In The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry and his friends have a great adventure. They fight against terrible monsters when they try to prevent Voldemort from recovering his body since it was destroyed the moment he tried to kill Harry. 

The film can also be analyzed within a system represented by Hogwarts. Some elements may be identified in this system as in the Arthurian myth. Such elements are: the head of the system, Dumbledore, the headmaster of the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a group of students who act in the name of Dumbledore, and the evil, Voldemort, who aims at stealing the philosopher’s stone to recover his body and thus, to take control of Hogwarts.   

A Comparison between the Arthurian system and the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone”

By comparing the legend of King Arthur and the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone”, some similarities can be perceived since the magical world in the film may be influenced by the Arthurian system.

One common denominator may be the presence of a powerful leader. In the Arthurian myth, King Arthur is the head of the British Empire. That is to say, he is a symbol for the nation he represents. The equivalent of Arthur in the film may be Dumbledore. He is an iconic figure who acts as the head of the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.   

Another similarity that can be identified may be the existence of a group of knights who fight to defend a common cause in the name of the leader. In the Arthurian myth, the Knights of the Round Table offer support to the king and fight to defeat invaders who want to alter the British system. In the film, Harry and his friends attempt to prevent the robbery of the philosopher’s stone. They fight in the name of Dumbledore to protect Hogwarts from the malignant and powerful Voldemort. 

However, it is possible to identify a difference between the Knights of the Round Table and Harry and his friends. In the myth, the knights are loyal, which means that they obey their king. In the film, the concept of faithfulness seems to be transformed because Harry and his friends question and judge the rules every time they find it necessary to defend Hogwarts. Although they break the rules, this may not imply that they are disloyal to Dumbledore because what they do is to analyze the regulations and act upon their own view. 

Arthurian Elements in the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone”

There may be other Arthurian elements that persist in the film.  The presence of supernatural forces is one element that the legend of King Arthur and the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” have in common. 

Such fantastic elements may be monsters, ghosts, spirits, wizards and magical weapons. For example, in the myth, Excalibur, the magical sword that chooses Arthur to become the British King, may be the equivalent of the magical wand that chooses Harry Potter in the film.

Moreover, it may be possible to find a connection between Arthur and Harry since both of them are predestined to become a legend. On the one hand, Arthur is considered a myth because he was the one predestined by an enchanted sword to rule the British nation. On the other hand, Harry is a well-known child in Hogwarts due to the fact that he was the only one who could survive from the evil Voldemort and destroyed him.

Arthur’s and Harry´s early age may also present similarities. Both characters were not raised by their parents in their early days. King Arthur, son of Uther, was brought up by Sir Ector. Merlin takes the decision of hiding the baby from the king’s enemies when he notices that the king is about to die.  Harry was raised by his relatives, the Dursleys, after his parents´ death. Hagrid, the gamekeeper, is the one who carries Harry to his relatives´ house.    

Conclusion

Malory’s adaptation of the adventures of King Arthur may be found in different works by many modern authors. The film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” is an example of a popular culture artifact where Arthurian elements may remain present.  By comparing both the legend of King Arthur and the film “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, it may be perceived that this popular culture artifact may be influenced by certain Arthurian elements and its system. 

Bibliography

Chris Columbus (2001) Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 

Malory, Sir Thomas (1994) Le Morte Dathur: Sir Thomas Malory´s Book of King Arthur and of his Noble Knights of the Round Table, Volume 1 and 2. Keller, Charles (ed.) University of Virginia (1994)

Scudder, Vida (1917) Le Morte Darthur of Sir Thomas Malory & Its Sources. New York: E.P. Dutton. 

Slocum, Sally (ed.) (1992) Popular Arthurian Traditions. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press