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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 1985)
a Page 4b/The BattalionAThursday, September 5,1985 Two recent books imply King Arthur actually existed Associated Press LONDON — Two recent books suggest that the legendary King Ar thur and his wizard Merlin actually existed, though much earlier and in far different form than in medieval romances about Camelot and the Round Table. „ “The Discovery of King Arthur, by Geoffrey Ashe, contends Arthur was in reality a king called Ri°t ha - mus, who is known to have ruled the British and campaigned on the Eu ropean continent in the middle ot the fifth century A.D., some 50 years after the Romans left the British IsleS ' ,, t. VT l “The Quest for Merlin, by Niko lai Tolstoy, argues that Merlin was a pagan bard and shaman of the lattei sixth century who mixed prophecy with his poetry and eventually went mad. It’s doubtful he ever knew Ri- othamus. The evidence of Arthur’s exis tence was so compelling to Debrett’s Peerage, the handbook of British nobility, that it has accorded him formal recognition as a sovereign of Britain. It also has published Ashe’s work in Britain. his nephew Modred, ruling in Brit ain, had turned traitor and slept with his queen, Guinevere. Arthur returned, killed Modred and routed his legions but was mortalh wounded himself. Wh has ofc Getz her Over the centuries, writers from 1 Sir Thomas Malory (“Le MortdAr I thur”) to Alfred Lord Tennysoni (“Idylls of the King") have embel-l lished the story, transforming it into 1 an epic romance, shining withchiv l airy and crusades. Most historians have regarded Geoffrey of Monmouth as merelt the first of the fiction writers, sinct much of what he wrote is fantasy ot provably false. “Practically evert' thing about King Arthur is legend,' acknowledges Ashe, a Cambridge- educated writer, lecturer and Arthu- riana buff". “All I’m suggesting is that I have succeeded in laying my finger on a real man at the origin of the story." Again it is Geoffrey of Monmouth who provides the “official” histon In his “Kings,” Merlin foretells Ar thur’s birth. Mad Chemist Photo by DA VID MORROW Dave McCaskill, a graduate student from Calgary, Canada, examines readouts to determine the makeup of various chemical compounds. McCaskell is searching for an enzyme synthesis which is used in pro duction of anti-lukemia drugs. Texas A&M University is one of only five institutions worldwide which are involved in this type of re search. Lo Familia Club reaches out to lonely, needy Associated Press McALLEN — While most people are sleeping late on Sunday or still eating breakfast and reacting the newspaper, a litle known group called “La Familia Club” is bringing joy to lonely residents of the Rio Grande Valley. The musical group, composed mostly of young people and friends of, as well as members of the Floy Aguilar family, has been playing for nursing homes, hospitals, Amigos del Valle and other organizations for the past two and a half years. “When we first get to the nursing homes, the residents are for the most part sad,” Aguilar said. “But af ter we start playing, they get a glitter :1a ’ hands and stomping their feet to the beat. That really makes it all worth while. None of the musical group has had any formal training. older people here, and in all Valley nursing homes, who never get a visit, not from relatives and not f rom any body.” Neither book claims to have un covered any new documentation — rather, they offer a new reading of what’s already available that sup ports the idea of real men behind the myths. Both myths have their roots in the work of a giant of 12th-century En glish letters, a teacher and cleric named Geoffrey of Monmouth. In Geoffrey’s “History of the Kings of Britain," Arthur was a youthful Celtic ruler leading the post-Roman Britons against Saxon barbarians who invaded from Eu rope. He rolled the Saxons back and restored Britain to peace, stable gov ernment and Christian worship. La in their eye; they start clapping their When asked what prompted them to help the elderly, to cheer them up, Aguilar responded, “There are Familia Club also helps any person in need. They’ve painted houses, done home repairs and even provided things like fans and stoves for those who need them. Later, according to Geoffrey, Ar thur conquered what are now Ice land, Norway and Denmark and went on to fight in Gaul — now France — defeating the remnants of the Roman Empire there. He was at the Alps preparing to march toward Rome when he heard In “Vila Merlini" (Life of Merlin an epic poem, Geoffrey elaboraio on the story, describing Merlin an prophet active in southwest Wale about a century after Arthur. Hi helps one Celtic king against anothe in battle, retires to the woods iagrie when three of his brothers are kuki but goes on prophesying, teeterii^ always on the brink of insanity. How could Merlin consort will kings more than a century apan “All Geoffrey could do was explait away the inconsistency ... by attrib uting supernatural longevity to tin prophet, ’ Tolstoy says. Tolstoy’s approach was to dismis the references m “Kings” as fictioM but treat “Vita Merlini" seriously. He reports finding historical evi dence of the Merlin story in aseric of Welsh poems dating back toik sixth century — the texts refer io him as Myrddin. V But the arguments that both Ar thur and Merlin really lived^hatf been greeted with a healthy BAF c lal museu whiske band Osc; Brand museu later n tillery ments Amerit Chica over 5 Afte distillei mainta moved Cathoh Seve ered fc Whisk four-st Proto-I local o attract i County miles s< Mrs writing and helped lion wc The shaped 1840 " Philade term be Also George of a tat Abraha dreds using r to look nf Bv exuertS in the I A coj in 1952 play, wi sion, as have bei Nation County “Whi in the though est busi of the many o history 1700s tc AVERAGE OR OUTSTANDING? School is school. Papers, textbooks and going to class. The average college student goes through the motions to get an education. You can do better. 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