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- "Arthur was a good soldier for Avalon until he obtained new advisors."
- ―The Lady speaking about Arthur, 878 CE[src]
King Arthur Pendragon (fl. 5th century – c. 537) was a Romano-British leader who led the defense of his people against the Anglo-Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. He was also a leader of the Order of the Ancients.
Biography[]
Arthur Pendragon was born to Uther Pendragon[1] and his wife Igraine.[2] According to legend, Arthur possessed a sacred sword called Excalibur which he pulled from a stone as a young man that proved he was the Britons' true high king.[3] After performing the feat, Excalibur was formally given to Arthur by the Women of the Mist.[4] Arthur also owned a mantle that allegedly had the ability to turn the user invisible.[1]
Arthur used Excalibur to rally his people as their newly-crowned king to fight in defense of their lands against the invading Anglo-Saxons,[5] during the Battle of Badon in 516.[6] At some point following this, he formed the Knights of the Round Table,[1] and unknowingly fathered a son, Mordred, with the Lady of Avalon.[7] Arthur served Avalon as a soldier for some years before gaining new advisors in the form of the Order of the Ancients. However due to their meddling,[4] Arthur died during the Battle of Camlann, after being betrayed by his wife, his best friend, and his son.[5]
Legacy[]
One of Arthur's trusted allies, believing that Excalibur's power should not belong to anyone, placed the sword within an ancient structure beneath Stonehenge with an accompanying note before dying, hoping that Excalibur would serve whomever found it next.[7]
After Arthur's death, he became an important part of folklore all over England, such that countless places and peoples were said to have interacted with him, regardless the veracity of the claims. Indeed, as the Assassin Shaun Hastings observed in 2020, "In England, 'local lore' always gets back to Arthur somehow".[8] In one notable example from the Viking expansion into England in the 9th century, the shieldmaiden Eivor Varinsdottir of the Raven Clan found a note during her travels claiming that Arthur once fought a woman by the name of Winniwulf Seaxdottir to a draw for the title of "Ruler of the Britons".[9] Later, Eivor retrieved Arthur's sword and note after gathering eleven tablet inscribed with depictions of the Treasures of Britain.[1]
By the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, a brewery had brewed a beer named after Arthur, which it called "Merlin & Arthur Imperial Stout". In 2015, Shaun Hastings used the Animus to sample this beer and then wrote a tasting note voicing his displeasure at it.[10]
In 2012, Clay Kaczmarek included Walter Crane's illustration of Arthur pulling out the sword in the stone in a set of puzzles he had hidden within the Animus for his successor, Desmond Miles to find. Desmond did so in September of that year,[11] uncovering Clay's message suggesting that the sword of Arthur was in fact a Sword of Eden.[3]
In October 2016, during Inner Sanctum Master Templar Simon Hathaway's search for Jeanne d'Arc's Sword of Eden he reflected on how history had forgotten his ancestor Gabriel Laxart and scoffed at the idea of the concept of reincarnation, thinking that people who believed they were new incarnations of people always believed they were important figures like King Arthur or Queen Elizabeth.[12] Days later, after he had retrieved the Sword and delivered it to Alan Rikkin, he gave a rousing speech. Reflecting on this, Rikkin was of the opinion that Arthur's view of the Templars' role was idealistic and misguided, seeing his failure as proof that the Order was meant to follow a different path in the 21st century.[5]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed II (painting only)
- Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Assassin's Creed: Heresy (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first identified as "Arthur Pendragon")
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Sword of the White Horse (mentioned only)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
- ↑
King Arthur on Wikipedia
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Assassin's Creed II – Glyph #5: "Instruments of Power"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Sword of the White Horse – Chapter 7
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Assassin's Creed: Heresy – Epilogue
- ↑ Historicity of King Arthur on Wikipedia
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Sword of the White Horse – Chapter 12
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Database: Stiperstanas
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Viking Expansion notes: Scroll Reeking of Lost Heroism [citation needed]
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Database: Merlin & Arthur Imperial Stout
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Heresy – Chapter 9
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