Epic Heroes, Arthurian, Germanic

& Scandinavian (Norse) Legends

(Myths) Exam Study Guide
 The Ecclesiastical History of the English People
The Venerable Bede was a monk who lived in England during the Anglo-
Saxon period. He was a skilled linguist whose translation of the Greek and
Latin works of early Church fathers helped pave the way for Christianity in
England. He was also a prolific author and earned the title “The Father of
English History” with his masterpiece, The Ecclesiastical History of the
English People, which documents the influence of the church on the
development of English civilization.
In Norse mythology, trolls are unfriendly
creatures who lurk in caves and
mountains. In today’s world, “trolls” lurk
on message boards and other online
forums.
 Epic Heroes
Legends are more than
just stories—legends
stretch facts to express
our biggest dreams,
deepest beliefs, and
highest aspirations.
Legends are traditional stories handed down from the past—
many began as oral stories told aloud before the majority of
people could read and write. Legends often celebrate a hero,
leader, or god, and may serve to entertain, explain natural
phenomena, or teach a moral lesson. Although they
sometimes develop from history, the true story gets
exaggerated over time, picking up elements of fantasy and
wonder. As story becomes legend, it becomes part of the
cultural landscape.
 Beowulf

The author, date of composition, and inspiration of "Beowulf"

are unknown, but its place as an archetypal Anglo-Saxon text
and oldest surviving epic poem in English is indisputable. For
12 years the people of Denmark under the leadership of King
Hrothgar are terrorized by a brutal monster named Grendel.
When Beowulf, hero of the Geats, learns of this, he decides to
repay a favor to Hrothgar by slaying the beast. Little does he
know that he will also have to contend with the monster's
mother.
The hero of an epic poem, such as Beowulf, normally
embodies the ideals of conduct that are most valued by the
culture in which the epic was composed. Beowulf embodies
the ideals of conduct in the Anglo-Saxon culture because
he is brave, concerned about others, intelligent, loyal, fights
fairly, and feels it's his responsibility to help the Danes.
 The pagan Germans, Greeks, and other ancient peoples
believed that fame and glory are the only things that will
survive a human being's death.

One of Beowulf's main goals is to win glory by killing Grendel.

His deeds have given him a reputation for heroism and support
from his people to help the Danes. When he goes into the lake to
fight Grendel's mother, the bystanders fear he has lost his life—
and fame: here, death equals defeat equals loss of glory. Even
when old, Beowulf wants to seek fame by fighting the dragon.
He doesn't wish to die at the end, but when he sees that it is
inevitable, he asks his warriors to build a tower that will keep his
name alive in memory.
 All epic heroes overcome powerful forces that arise from their
particular ways of life. Modern heroes may conquer the
unknowns of outer space or bring food or medicine to hungry
people. The Anglo-Saxon hero slew monsters. Of course,
monsters exist only in fantasy. But a monster may be an
archetypal symbol for some broader problem or challenge a
society faces.

The Anglo-Saxon age was a time of frequent warfare, involving

ruthless marauding and ferocious attacks on peaceful settlements.
The monsters' attacks on human settlements may symbolically
represent attacks by enemy nations. No doubt each side viewed
the other side's warfare as monstrously bloodthirsty—each side
demonized the other.
Among Beowulf's virtues are …

a. courage. b. loyalty and sense of duty.

c. strength of character. d. determination and stoic resolve.
e. tenacity.

These virtues are valued in a warrior society because…

a. warriors engage in battle and battle requires courage.

b. warriors are surrounded by conflict and need to be able
to depend upon their comrades for support.
 Literary History: The Epic and the Epic Hero
In times past, the deeds of the hero were told in the form of
an epic—a long narrative poem that recounts, in formal language,
the exploits of a heroic figure from legend, religion, or history.
Ancient epic poets and their audiences viewed their epics as
records of their peoples’ early histories. The earliest epics date
back to a time when most people were illiterate. Recited by poets,
probably with musical accompaniment, these epics were the
movies of their day. Historians and anthropologists look at epics
as cultural records of the societies that produced them.
The epic is found in cultures around the world, thus indicating
the timeless and universal human need to transmit legends
from one generation to another. The earliest surviving epic is
Gilgamesh, composed by the Sumerians in one of the ancient
languages of Mesopotamia (what is now Iraq). Centuries later,
the ancient Greeks had their epics: the Iliad and the Odyssey
and the Anglo-Saxons, Beowulf.
 Asgard – Heaven

Midgard – Earth

Yggdrasil – World Tree

Viking Maps
Celtic Briton

Saxon Welsh
Norse mythology was developed thousands of years
ago and comes from the northern most part of
Europe (Germany), Scandinavia: Sweden, Norway,
Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Greenland.

The Norse people lived from about A.D. 200 to 500 in

northern Europe and Scandinavia. After A.D. 700,
some of the Norse began migration in search of new
lands, settling in parts of the British Isles, Iceland,
Greenland and East into Russia. From this period on,
the Norse are known as Vikings.
The mythology of this region is grim, shadowed by
long, sunless winters. But the darkness is laced with
gleams of grandeur and sparks of humor. The myths
depict a universe in which gods and giants battle
among themselves in a cosmic conflict fated to end in
the destruction of the world. (Ragnarok)
In the Old Norse worldview,
the gods were actors on the
stage of life, not all-powerful
directors. Possibly the strongest
evidence for the Norse gods
not controlling life is the fact
that they themselves could die.
Norse Myths differ from other
mythology, in that their characters
and world, even in Asgard (Heaven),
are grave and solemn. This may all
be due to the fact, even though the
gods are immortal, they will be
destroyed in the final battle
between good and evil.
 Norse Myth VS. Greek Myth

One of the major differences between Greek

Mythology and Norse Mythology is that in Greek
Mythology there is no apocalypse (Ragnarok)
- no end of the world. The gods will always be on
Mount Olympus, ruling over the earth. Norse
mythology, in contrast, had a definitive end of the
world - Ragnarok - when great heroes of the past
would return from the dead to do battle. During
Ragnarok, it was said that the gods were fated to die
- many of the "top" gods would die in battle with the
greatest enemies and creatures of Norse Mythology.
 Valhalla Helheim Ran's Hall

Another major difference between Norse mythology

and Greek mythology are both cultures views of the
after life and what happens there. In Greek mythology
there is one allotted place for people to go after death
and once they are there they stay there for all
eternity. In Norse mythology there are four different
places for the dead: Folkvang, Valhalla, Helheim, and
Ran's hall or the halls of Ran.
Ragnarok (Armageddon) The
twilight of the gods and end of
the earth began when Loki
used trickery to kill Balder,
whose death was a sign that
the orderly universe was
falling apart. The gods chained
Loki to a rock, but eventually
he will break loose and lead
the giants in a last bitter battle
against the gods and the
greatest heroes from
Valhalla.
The bridge Bifrost will shatter,
cutting Midgard off from
Asgard, and all monsters will
run free. Fenrir will kill Odin,
while Thor will perish in the
process of slaying the serpent
Jormungard. In the end, all
worlds will be consumed by
fire and flood. One man and
one woman will survive,
sheltering in the World Tree
Yggdrasill, to become the
parents of a new human race.
Norse Sagas contain Norse and
Germanic stories of Creation and
Ragnarök, as well as the Völsunga
Saga (The Norse story of Sigurd and
Brynhild and the destruction of the
Burgundians) and the The Song of
the Nibelungs (Similar to
the Völsunga Saga but the Germanic
Version of Siegfried/ Sigurd the
Dragon Slayer) The word "saga",
probably mean "What is told". Norse
sagas are similar to epics, but usually
refer to works compiled during
medieval Iceland. Saga is usually a
narrative, either in poems or prose,
dealing with historical, legendary
and mythical subjects, written in Old
Norse, during the 13th-14th century.
Heroic Sagas concentrated mainly on the Cycle of
the Ring or the Nibelung Cycle, with such heroes as
Sigurd/Siegfried. As for the modern usage of the word
"saga", the term is much more confusing, and no
longer confine to Iceland or Scandinavian countries.
These days, sagas can mean any long novel in modern
literature, usually written in the narrative form.
The most important Norse myth is
the Volsunga Saga, written around
1300 and set in Hylestad & Setesdal,
Norway. The Norse version of the
German epic the Nibelungenlied,
tells the folk legend of Sigurd
(Siegfried), a hero who uses a magic
sword called Balmung (Gram) to
slay the dragon Fafnir. The Vikings
prized their swords above all other
things, handing them down from
generation to generation and giving
them names. The value of the blade
was not only determined by its
quality but also by how many battles
that it was used in.
Sigurd (Siegfried) also acquires the Magical Ring of
Andvari, awakens a sleeping beauty (the Valkyrie*
Brunhilde), and in the end, bravely meets his Destiny.
Fafnir’s treasure and the magic ring become a few
of the factors that lead to Sigurd's downfall. Both of
these stories (the Norse Volsunga Saga and German
epic the Nibelungenlied) depict the tales of might
achievements of men and women from some of
Iceland's and Germany's great families as they wrestle
for political power, engage in blood feuds, and carry out
raids and battles.
In both of these texts we see that
women are portrayed on one level as
warriors. Brunhilde is a perfect example
of this, as she has miraculous strength
and tremendous abilities. We also see
the clash between the Pagan and the
Christian in both version of the legend.
These sagas also share a variety of
common elements: victory and
vengeance, honor and glory, blood
and guts, feuds and battles, swords
and sorcery, and warriors and poets.
Like the story of Beowulf, another
Germanic hero, Sigurd triumphs over
the forces of evil and chaos by slaying
the monster Fafnir.
When studying English literature, we find
that works of Old English such as Beowulf are
the foundation for Germanic, Scandinavian and
British myths. Beowulf details both historical and
legendary events in Denmark and other northern
locales. It preserves alternate versions of
famous legends, including that of the great
dragon-slayer Sigurd/Siegfried.
Many scenes from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit come
straight from Norse mythology. Writer, J.R.R. Tolkien
was an expert on Old English and Old Norse literature,
and his essay on Beowulf influenced the way we study it
to this day. Tolkien’s books of fantasy fiction (especially
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) are full of
references to and retellings of Norse myth. How many
people watching the Peter Jackson films understand
these allusions? Many ideas from Norse mythology
(magical runic inscriptions, mystical swords, wandering
wizards) have simply become part of the fantasy genre,
and their connection to Norse myth goes unnoticed by
many people.
 TERMS TO KNOW

1. Myth: a traditional story that is rooted in a particular culture,

is basically religious, and usually explains a belief, a ritual, or a
mysterious natural phenomenon.

2. Epic: a long story usually told in poetic verse, which relates

the great deeds of a larger than life hero who embodies the
values of a particular society.

3. Epic Hero: The larger than life hero of the epic who embodies
the values of a particular society. Most epic heroes undertake
some sort of quest to achieve something of tremendous value
to themselves or their people. Contemporary epic heroes can
include heroes from video games such as Link from The Legend
of Zelda or Ant-hero Kratos: God of War.
 TERMS TO KNOW (Cont’)

4. Alter Ego: a reflection of a hero’s best and worst qualities.

In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus’s enemy, Poseidon God of the
Sea shares a lot of Odysseus’s short comings such
as arrogance.

5. Internal Conflict: when a character struggles with a

problem within them such as a character flaw or guilt.
A person who is addicted to gambling would have an internal
conflict.

6. External Conflict: when a character struggles with a

problem caused by some outside force. This could be an
enemy, a monster, nature, or society.
 Asgard
Asgard contains information of Norse
and Teutonic deities, including the
Aesir and Vanir, giants and
monsters. Asgard was one of the Nine
Worlds created by Odin and his
brothers, and it was the name of the
home of Aesir gods and goddesses.
Dozen or more palaces or halls were
built within Asgard belonging to the
gods, with Odin residing in great hall
called Valaskjalf. Valhalla was another
great hall belonging to Odin. There
was a great wall around Asgard with
only one entrance, known as Bifrost or
"Rainbow Bridge", which was guarded
by the god Heimdall.
 Valhalla

Valhalla contains information of Norse and

German characters, particular heroes and
heroines, rulers and dwarfs. Valhalla was a
great hall belonging to Odin, in Asgard, where
heroes who had fallen in battle or some great
adventure, wait for coming of the Ragnarök.
Only those who had shown great courage and
skill in battles or adventures were ever chosen.
Valkyries and Valhalla
 Valkyries are female spirit
warriors that ride the battlefields
and find worthy slain warriors
and takes them to Valhalla where
they will train until Ragnarok.

The northern lights are light

shining off of their shields

 Valhalla is the Hall of the Slain.

It exists in Asgard, home of the
gods
 Odin

 Odin is the Father of all Gods and men. He

can travel to any realm within the 9 Nordic
worlds. He is a God of magic, wisdom, wit,
and learning. In later times, he was
associated with war and bloodshed from the
Viking perspective, although in earlier
times, no such association was present. All
of his actions are related to knowledge,
wisdom, and the dissemination of ideas and
concepts to help Mankind.
 Thor
 Thor, is known as the
Thunderer and was
considered to be a son of
Odin by some, but among
many tribes Thor actually
supplanted Odin as the
favorite god. He is considered
to be the protector of all
Midgard (The Human World),
and he wields the mighty
hammer Mjollnir. Thor is
strength personified. His
hammer Mjollnir causes the
lightning that flashes across
the sky. Of all the deities,
Thor is the most "barbarian"
of the lot; rugged, powerful,
and lives by his own rules.
 Baldur

 Primarily known for his death and resurrection

 Baldur, Odin's son, is the god of Love and
Light. He is killed by his blind brother Hodur
whose hand was guided by the crafty Loki.
Baldur's death is a sign that Ragnarök will
begin.
 Loki, the Trickster,
Loki
challenges the
structure and order
of the Gods, but is
necessary in
bringing about
needed change. He
is also known as
the god of Fire.
He is of the race of
Ettins (Elementals)
and thus possesses
some daemonic
qualities.
 Freya is considered to be the
Freyja
goddess of Love and Beauty, but
is also a warrior goddess and one
of great wisdom and magick. She
and her twin brother Freyr are of
a different "race" of gods known
as the Vanir. She is known as
Queen of the Valkyries, choosers
of those slain in battle to bear
them to Valhalla (the Norse
heaven). There seems to be some
confusion between herself and
Frigga, Odin's wife, as they share
similar functions; but Fricka
seems to be strictly of the Aesir,
while Freya is of the Vanic race.
 Freyr is Freya's
twin brother. He is Freyr
the horned God of
fertility and
success. He is also
known the Elf King.
The Boar is his
sacred symbol,
which is both
associated with
war and with
fertility. His golden
boar, is supposed
to represent the
daybreak.
 Frigga, Odin's wife, Frigga
was considered to be
the Mother of all
creation; and
protectoress of
children. She spins
gas and dust clouds
from her sacred
bejeweled distaff of
life in the Norse
constellations (Orion
Nebula) and is said to
know the future,
although she will not
speak of it.
 Tyr
 Tyr is the ancient
god of War and
the Lawgiver of
the gods. Tyr is
excellent in all
manners of
Justice, fair play,
and Right Action.
 Heimdall

 Heimdall is the handsome gold-toothed

guardian of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge leading
to Asgard, the home of the Gods. The rainbow
bridge seems to be a common symbol in many
religious traditions. It is often seen as a bridge
between the Gods and Mankind. It is Heimdall
who is to sound the signal horn to the Aesir
that Ragnarok, the great destruction (or
transformation?) is beginning.
 Hel
 Daughter of Loki
 Giantess
 Goddess of death and the
devil who rules over
Helheim, the underworld.
 Half black/ half white
 Her face and body are
human but the legs are of a
corpse
 Spread the plague with a
rake or a broom
 More Children of Loki
 Midgard Serpent and Fenrir the Wolf
Yggdrasill –
This item is is
the World Tree.
It stands over the
nine worlds and
its three roots
reach into three
of the lands.
 The cosmology of Norse mythology has
"nine homeworlds", unified by the world
tree Yggdrasill.
 Arthurian
Legend

 The Man, the Myth, the Archetype

 Legend

a traditional historical tale or collection of related

Tales popularly regarded as true, but usually contain a
mixture of fact and fiction not to be confused with a
myth. A traditional, typically ancient story dealing
with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that
serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a
people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world
or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of
society)
In the 15th century, Sir Thomas Malory translated and
organized the diverse body of existing Arthurian romance tales
that had developed in England and France since Anglo-Saxon
times. Malory’s retelling of the heroic adventures of King Arthur
and the knights of the Round Table, Le Morte d’Arthur, became
the first prose masterpiece of the English language
 Literary Focus: Archetypes

 An archetype is a
pattern that appears
in literature across
cultures and is
repeated through the
ages.
 An archetype can
be a character, a
plot, an image, or a
setting. Circle of Character Archetypes
 Why is Arthur Important?

1. Provided a hero to a
conquered people.

2. Second most
referenced character
in Western Literature.

King Arthur, c. 1385

 Did He Exist?

Historical Arthur Fictional Arthur

 Celtic/Anglo-Saxon Arthur  Anglo-Norman Arthur

 Welsh chieftain  could just be a
 warrior in the histories of combination of great
500-1100 leaders
 may have really existed –  Normans add chivalry,
not a king romance, quest, love, etc.
 Norman romances focus
more on knights.
 True History
 Most scholars believe that a King
named Arthur did defeat the
Saxons in the 5th or 6th century.
This is outlined in one of the
oldest accounts of English History
Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful
and imaginative 12th-century
Historia Regum Britanniae
 There are ruins of a castle in
Cornwall that many believe to
belong to Arthur
 Not much else is known; accounts
of Arthur seem to be mysteriously
missing from all Anglo-Saxon
chronicles and other such history
books.
 Arthurian Literary Tradition
 Sir Thomas Malory
– 15th century
– English
– compiled the various tales into
one work: Le Mort d’Arthur
 The Death of Arthur
– expands the characters of
Lancelot and Guinevere and
makes the affair chaste and
pure
Le Morte d'Arthur is a compilation by Sir – still read today and highly
Thomas Malory of traditional tales about the
legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot,
influential
and the Knights of the Round Table
 Arthurian Literary Tradition

 T. H. White
– 20th century
– English
– wrote The Sword in the
Stone (1938) and The Once
and Future King (1958)
– based heavily on Malory’s
work
– The Once and Future King
deals with darker themes as
Arthur grows older
Cover, The Once and Future King
 Key Themes/Archetypes

 Love Triangle Love Triangle

– Arthur / Guinevere /
Lancelot
 Traitor/Judas Figure
Mordred
Lancelot

 Fall of the central

community / end of
order
 Messianic Return
– Once and Future King
 Key Themes/Archetypes
 Grail
– Cup that Jesus drank out
of at the Last Supper
– Joseph of Arimithea
brought grail to England
– “quest” which requires
much of the individual
– Grail represents
unanswered
philosophical/
cosmological questions
– only artifact not
recovered which explains
its continued popularity
 Key Objects

 Excalibur – Arthur’s magical

sword; given to him by the
Lady of the Lake
 The Holy Grail – the cup used
by Christ at the Last Supper;
used by Joseph of Arimathea
to catch Christ’s blood Excalibur
 The Round Table – the table
given as part of Guinevere’s
dowry; the idea that everyone
is equal
Arthur and the Round Table
• The Lady of the Lake – aka Vivienne; Mended
Excalibur and gave it to Arthur; enchanted &
imprisoned Merlin.

• Joseph of Arimathea – soldier of Pontius

Pilate who was given the cup (Holy Grail)
from the Last Supper; settled in Glastonbury.
 Key Characters
 Uther Pendragon –
Arthur’s biological
father
 Igraine – Arthur’s
biological mother
 Sir Ector – Arthur’s
adoptive father
 Merlin – Arthur’s
counselor, prophet &
wizard
 Key Characters

 Morgan le Fay –
Arthur’s half-sister;
magical; adversary
 Sir Kay – son of Sir
Ector; Arthur’s step-
brother
 Mordred – Arthur’s
nephew; kidnaps
Guinevere and rebels;
killed by Lancelot
 Humble Beginnings
• Arthur is the son of King Uther
Pendragon, but is orphaned at a
young age, unaware of his royal
heritage

• Upon King Uther’s death, Merlin

places the sword Excalibur (a
magical sword given to Merlin
by the Lady of the Lake) in a
stone containing a spell that
only the rightful king could
remove it from the stone

• In need of a sword for his

adoptive brother, Arthur pulls
Excalibur from the stone,
proving himself the rightful king
of England
 What do we know about Arthur?
- King Arthur brought
peace to Britain.
- King Arthur made his
capital in Camelot.
- King Arthur married
Lady Guinevere
- King Arthur’s knights were called
The Knights of the Round Table
• When Arthur assumes power, England is torn apart by war, is fractioned
into city-states, and is on the brink of invasion by the Saxons
• To unite the country and defeat the Saxons, Arthur creates the Knights
of the Round table. This is a revolutionary idea for the time in which
each city state is represented by a knight. No one knight, including
King Arthur himself, has more power than another. Arthur creates a
democratic society.
• Because of this alliance, Arthur and his knights defeat the powerful
Saxons in a series of 12 battles. It is said that the key to Arthur’s
success is the sword Excalibur which he always takes into battle.
Excalibur is said to make its bearer invincible.
 The Knights
1. King Arthur
2. Sir Lancelot
3. Sir Gawain
4. Sir Geraint
5. Sir Gareth
6. Sir Gaheris
7. Sir Bedivere
8. Sir Kay
9. Sir Galahad
10. Sir Bors de Ganis
11. Sir Lamorak
12. Sir Tristan
13. Sir Percivale
 Morgan de Fey
and Mordred

Arthur unknowingly
had a half sister,
Morgan de Fey. She
believed that she was
rightful ruler. In an
attempts to usurp the
throne, she slept with
him and conceived a
son. Morgan was said
to be a witch and a
powerful woman. Her
son, Mordred,
threatened Arthur’s
marriage and his
throne.
A Country Religiously Divided

• Arthur was a member of the Old

Celtic religion (as evident by
keeping a Royal wizard, Merlin)
• However, a new religion,
Christianity, was beginning.
Guinevere, Arthur’s wife, was a
member of this religion.
• Arthur and Guinevere were
having trouble conceiving.
Guinevere believed this was
because God was punishing
Arthur for believing in pagan
gods and encouraging his people
to do so as well.
• To try to remedy the problem of
an heir and heal the country,
which had once again grown
restless, Arthur established the
Crusades.
 Crusades & the Holy Grail
• Because the Celtic religion is
based upon tangible items and
nature, Arthur would need
artifacts to convince his country
to convert to Christianity.
• With the help of Merlin, Arthur
decided to send his knights on a
quest for religious artifacts, more
commonly know as the
Crusades.
– The body of Joseph of Arimathea
– The Spear of Destiny
– The Holy Grail
– King Solomon’s Temple
– Byzantine Crown of Thorns
– Holy Rood
 The Holy Grail
and The Templars
• The Holy Grail is the only
artifact not recovered
which explains its
continued popularity
• Once the Holy Land was
discovered, Arthur
encouraged the English
to visit it and created the
Knights Templar who
were warriors sent to
protect the road to the
Holy Land. These
warriors begin much of
the problems that still
exist in the Middle East
today.
 Trouble At Home
• During the search for the Holy
Grail Arthur’s life begins to fall
apart. Some versions of the
story have Arthur gone 10-20
years on his quest.
• During this time, Merlin is
seduced by a young woman
who steals his powers and
imprisons him. Arthur is left
without an advisor.
• In Arthur’s absence Mordred
has been raised to hate Arthur
and upon his return, Arthur
unknowingly knights his own
son and invites him to the
round table.
• Guinevere has begun to realize
her true love for Lancelot, not
Arthur, during both their
absences.
 More Key Characters

 Guinevere –
– Arthur’s Queen
– has affair with Lancelot
– childless
– abducted by Mordred
 Lancelot –
– Arthur’s chief knight
– usually French
– the “perfect” knight but
has affair with
Guinevere
The Most Famous Affair
in Literary History
• Mordred sees the possibility to
overthrow his father in Lancelot.
• Mordred discovers Guinevere and
Lancelot’s affair (the two people that
Arthur loves most) and convinces the
rest of the Round Table to capture
Lancelot in the act.
• Lancelot escapes but Guinevere is
captured and is to be burned at the
stake for her treachery against the king.
She is rescued at the last minute by
Lancelot and the two escape and are
never heard from again.
• Arthur does not follow them due to the
problems of his kingdom. They are once
again on the brink of war and Mordred
has turned much of the Round Table
against him.
Key Places

Camelot – King
Arthur’s kingdom

 Isle of Avalon – island

to which Arthur is
sent to recover from
the last battle
 The Fall of Camelot
• Metaphorically, the country already
had fallen with the betrayal of
Arthur’s only love and his best
friend

• There are many versions of the

story. All of which end with
Arthur’s death in battle. Some of
the versions include the following
battles:

– Saxons
– Romans
– Goths
– French
– Irish
– Lancelot
– Morgan de fey
– Mordred

• All of the stories end with Arthur’s

glorious death in battle, all that
any legendary king or hero can ask
for
 Romance Motifs
Motif - an idea, object,
place, or statement that
appears frequently throughout  Faithful Follower
a piece of writing, which helps
contribute to the work’s  Wise old man
overall theme  Dreams
 Number three
 Magic
 Testing of Follower
 Betrayal
 All of the Knights of the Round Table are
required
"Code of to It is
maintain:a collection of
codes and rules for
Chivalry“ the knights

1. Faith
2. Honor
3. Courtesy
4. Loyalty
5. Bravery
6. Modesty
 "Code of
Chivalry"
Invincible
strength
 Live to serve King and Country
Valor
 Live for freedom, justice
Justice and all that is good
Modesty  Protect the week and innocent
Loyalty to superiors
 Fight for the ideals of king,
Courtesy to equals country, and chivalry

Compassion to weakness Be loyal to country,

King, honor, freedom,
Devotedness to the church and the Code of Chivalry
 The Canterbury Tales

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th-century poem, the narrator joins 29 travelers

on a pilgrimage from London to Canterbury Cathedral to pay homage to
St. Thomas Becket. Telling stories along their journey, with the best tale
winning a prize of a free dinner, the pilgrims compete with colorful
characters and magical plots. The Wife of Bath, a prosperous widow
married five times, tells the tale of a young knight who commits a heinous
crime and is sentenced to death. If, by the end of a year and a day, the
knight can name the one thing that women truly want, the queen will
commute his sentence. On his quest, the knight meets an old woman who
holds the answer to the riddle. Accepting her conditions to ensure his
freedom, he is beholden to grant her one special request.
J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic trilogy tells a classic tale of good versus evil played
out in the world of Middle-earth, a setting strongly influenced by Tolkien’s
familiarity with Anglo-Saxon mythology. In this excerpt from the first book,
“The Fellowship of the Ring,” the wizard Gandalf is explaining the history of
a ring that has come into the possession of the young hobbit Frodo Baggins.
Crafted by the evil wizard, Sauron, as the most powerful of nine series of
rings, it has had several owners, including the murderous Gollum and
Frodo’s adoptive elder cousin, Bilbo Baggins. Now the forces of evil are
determined to get it back, which would have devastating consequences
for hobbits, elves, dwarves, and humans alike.
 Read this section of The Lord of the Rings for information
about the setting, and answer the follow-up questions:

“I am sorry,” said Frodo. “But I am frightened; and I do not feel any pity for Gollum.”
“You have not seen him,” Gandalf broke in.
“No, and I don't want to,” said Frodo. “I can't understand you. Do you mean to say
that you, and the Elves, have let him live on after all those horrible deeds? Now at any
rate he is as bad as an Orc, and just an enemy. He deserves death.”
“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die
deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in
judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that
Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up
with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good
or ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of
many, yours not least. In any case we did not kill him: he is very old and very
wretched. The Wood-elves have him in prison, but they treat him with such kindness
as they can find in their wise hearts.”
Part A
Which statement accurately describes details
of the setting described by Frodo and Gandalf?

1.The setting is a fire-mountain called Orodruin, where an evil wizard lives.

2.The setting is an imaginary world with Elves and Orcs.
3.The setting is the real world with some imaginary objects.
4.The setting is Gandalf’s castle, and there are a few humans.

Part B
Which sentence or phrase from the passage
supports the correct answer to Part A?

1.“Do you mean to say that you, and the Elves,

have let him live on after all those horrible deeds?”
2.“But I am frightened; and I do not feel any pity for Gollum.”
3.“For even the very wise cannot see all ends.”
4.“I have not much hope that Gollum can be
cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it.”
 The Golden Age of Comics
In the late 1930’s, DC Comics introduced Superman and
Batman, ushering in a new era of superheroes in American
popular culture. Competitors immediately followed suit with their
own comic book heroes—such as Wonder Man, Captain
Marvel, Captain America, The Human Torch, Sub-Mariner,
Plasticman, Blackhawk, and Blue Beetle—launching what
became known as the Golden Age of Comics.
Read this section from DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World’s
Favorite Comic Book Heroes to analyze the interaction of events.

The toughest competitor of all was Captain Marvel, who got his start in
Whiz Comics (February 1940). The product of a large, established firm
called Fawcett Publications, Captain Marvel in his heyday was the biggest
seller in the business, but in some ways he seemed suspiciously close to
Superman. DC decided to sue. “It took a long time,” says Jack Liebowitz.
The legal battle dragged on for years as the two corporations duked it out
like super heroes, and the dust didn’t settle until 1953. DC editor Jack Schiff
compiled a scrapbook documenting similarities, but the district court
dismissed DC’s complaint. DC appealed, and the case was heard by no less
a jurist than Judge Learned Hand, who reversed the dismissal and
remanded the case back to the lower court. At this point Fawcett finally
decided to settle, and agreed to stop publishing Captain Marvel.
For all of that, Captain Marvel is a great character. Created by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill
Parker, the scripts developed a humorous slant in scripts provided by Otto Binder. The often
obtuse hero was a “Big Red Cheese” to his brilliant enemy Dr. Sivana, and was nearly
defeated by an intellectually advanced earthworm called Mr. Mind. Beck’s simple artwork had
real appeal, and kids loved the idea that young Billy Batson could turn into the “World’s
Mightiest Mortal” simply by uttering the magic word “Shazam!” In 1973, events came full
circle when DC acquired the rights from Fawcett to revive the character with a comic book
called Shazam!, and a successful TV series followed in 1974.

Part A - Which of the following describes the

relationship between the publication of Whiz Comics and Shazam!?
1.Whiz Comics replaced Shazam! after DC Comics sued.
2.Shazam! revived Captain Marvel, who was introduced in Whiz Comics.
3.Whiz Comics was the TV series based on Shazam!
4.Whiz Comics was sued over similarities between Shazam! and Superman.

Part B - Which sentence or phrase from the passage supports your answer?
1.The legal battle dragged on for years as the two corporations duked
it out like super heroes, and the dust didn’t settle until 1953.
2.At this point Fawcett finally decided to settle,
and agreed to stop publishing Captain Marvel.
3.Beck’s simple artwork had real appeal, and kids loved the idea that young Billy Batson
could turn into the “World’s Mightiest Mortal” simply by uttering the magic word “Shazam!”
4.In 1973, events came full circle when DC acquired the rights from Fawcett to revive the
character with a comic book called Shazam!, and a successful TV series followed in 1974.
 Marvel started in 1939 as Timely Publications, and by the early 1950s, had generally
become known as Atlas Comics. The Marvel branding began 1961, the year that the
company launched The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee,
Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and many others.

Marvel counts among its characters such well-known superheroes as Spider-Man,

Wolverine, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Daredevil, Black Panther, and
Captain Marvel, including such teams as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Guardians of the
Galaxy, and the Fantastic Four, and antagonists such as Venom, Doctor Doom, the Red
Skull, the Green Goblin, Thanos, Ultron, Doctor Octopus, Magneto, and Loki. Most of
Marvel's fictional characters operate in a single reality known as the Marvel Universe,
with most locations mirroring real-life places; many major characters are based in
New York City