>The British cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth’s widely read twelfth-century History of the Kings of Britain records that Arthur was conceived at Tintagel Castle, the product of a duplicitous union between Uther Pendragon, King of Britain, and Ygerna, Duchess of Cornwall (see “Was There a Real King Arthur?”). Although little is known about Monmouth himself, his epic book propelled him into the role of de facto national historian of England. His Arthurian tales were particularly popular with the literate upper classes. In fact, most of the standing remains visible at Tintagel belong to a thirteenth-century medieval castle that was directly inspired by the legend. One of Europe’s wealthiest men, Richard, Earl of Cornwall and brother of King Henry III, reportedly read Monmouth’s account and was moved to build a romanticized fantasy castle on the supposed spot of King Arthur’s conception.
I'm not sure what you call this but the fact that people 8 centuries removed from us build a tourist trap about people 6 centuries removed from them is something.
and now 21st century tourists trooping to the site in many cases believe that the 13th-century fantasy castle is the castle associated with the legendary King Arthur. Or at least I did, as a kid. (Later I became friends with medievalist historians who taught me how different post-Roman Britain was from the late Middle Ages…)
I've been to Tintagel. It is a fine half-day trip but not worth trekking out there if you aren't already in the area. Lots of interesting things to see/do in Cornwall/Devon though, so I would highly recommend a trip to that general region!
>The British cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth’s widely read twelfth-century History of the Kings of Britain records that Arthur was conceived at Tintagel Castle, the product of a duplicitous union between Uther Pendragon, King of Britain, and Ygerna, Duchess of Cornwall (see “Was There a Real King Arthur?”). Although little is known about Monmouth himself, his epic book propelled him into the role of de facto national historian of England. His Arthurian tales were particularly popular with the literate upper classes. In fact, most of the standing remains visible at Tintagel belong to a thirteenth-century medieval castle that was directly inspired by the legend. One of Europe’s wealthiest men, Richard, Earl of Cornwall and brother of King Henry III, reportedly read Monmouth’s account and was moved to build a romanticized fantasy castle on the supposed spot of King Arthur’s conception.
I'm not sure what you call this but the fact that people 8 centuries removed from us build a tourist trap about people 6 centuries removed from them is something.
and now 21st century tourists trooping to the site in many cases believe that the 13th-century fantasy castle is the castle associated with the legendary King Arthur. Or at least I did, as a kid. (Later I became friends with medievalist historians who taught me how different post-Roman Britain was from the late Middle Ages…)
There's an impressive sculpture at Tintagel that's meant to represent King Arthur's ephemeral nature:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallos_(sculpture)
Close up, it's quite disturbing
I love this statue. There's a free STL version here: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-the-once-and-f... I printed one 40cm high in metallic copper filament and it looks amazing.
I watched an episode of some show about this place and immediately went to my refrigerator and wrote it down on my list of places I want to see.
I've been to Tintagel. It is a fine half-day trip but not worth trekking out there if you aren't already in the area. Lots of interesting things to see/do in Cornwall/Devon though, so I would highly recommend a trip to that general region!