logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2015
31m 16s

6A-King Arthur Prologue: The Once and Re...

Jason Weiser, Carissa Weiser, Nextpod
About this episode
The King Arthur legends don't actually start with Arthur, but with several years of war, intrigue, and betrayal among the Britons, and a slippery earl by the name of Vortigern not-so-subtly engineering the deaths of two kings to become king himself. We'll start at the very beginning, with Arthur's grandfather being murdered and his father fleeing across the channel to protect himself from assassins working for a usurper king. We'll also meet Merlin as a child, as he's being hunted by the king's men in the Welsh highlands.
On the creature of the week, if you're thinking about a career change into the medical field, forget all that annoying education and just become a Fairy Doctor. This somehow completely real profession from the middle ages doesn't involve any of that pesky schooling that a boring old MD requires, but allows you to heal people from this week's creature, an extremely dangerous and extremely adorable fairy from Gaelic folklore.
Talk to me on Twitter
Transcript (and pictures) for this episode
Find this on iTunes

Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Jul 2
412: Indian folklore: Dicey
🎲Losing your kingdom in a game of dice🎲 The story of Nala and Damayanti is a tale of love, loss, and losing everything but your underwear because of your terrible decisions and then also your underwear. 😈 The Creature: Drekavac The creature is the Drekavac, and it's many thing ... Show More
58m 47s
Jun 18
411: Celtic folklore: The Wake
⛵️Get lost at sea with Maelduin⛵️ All Maelduin wants to do is avenge his father's murder...with more murder. He should have listened to that wizard. Because he didn't, his trip just got a whole lot longer. And stranger. 😈 The Creature: The Donestre The lion headed stranger who w ... Show More
1h 2m
Jun 4
410: Japanese folklore: Provincial
⛩️Stories from the Japanese countryside⛩️ Five interconnected stories of purpose, meaning, justice, talking animals, the boss falling off a cliff, mushrooms, and travel hampers. 😈 **The Creature: The Dinny Mara The Dinny Mara is a friendly merman who wants to rehabilitate the re ... Show More
1h 5m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2018
King Arthur
Around 6th-century AD, legendary tales began circling of a great warrior king that defended Britain against invaders. The man in question? King Arthur. The stories don’t stop there. A thousand years later, King Arthur’s conquests involving the Holy Grail, Excalibur, and the Knigh ... Show More
45m 32s
Feb 2024
The Real King Arthur
If King Arthur never existed, why does he loom so large in England's history? Dan traces the real-life figures who could have been the legendary King Arthur- the medieval king who pulled the sword from the stone and led the English against the Anglo-Saxons who arrived in England ... Show More
1h 18m
May 2021
The Truth About King Arthur
The legend of King Arthur has been reworked many times, but is there any historical truth behind the tales? Dr Miles Russell believes there is and in this podcast he highlights how elements of King Arthur’s story derive from five key ancient figures. From British warlords that op ... Show More
53m 8s
Mar 2020
SYSK Distraction Playlist: Was there a real King Arthur?
The legend of King Arthur is very old and very established. By the time the king who saved Britain and united it was first written about, his story was already hundreds of years old. And while many of the details of his life and adventures, from the Lady of the Lake to Merlin the ... Show More
42m 31s
Jan 2014
Was there a real King Arthur?
The legend of King Arthur is very old and very established. By the time the king who saved Britain and united it was first written about, his story was already hundreds of years old. And while many of the details of his life and adventures, from the Lady of the Lake to Merlin the ... Show More
42m 31s
Jan 2024
Myths of King Arthur: Origins, Creepy Sex & Magic Swords
King Arthur. Merlin. The Knights of the Round Table and the Sword in the Stone. We think we know these stories but they've changed a lot since they were first told... In this episode, Maddy and Anthony are joined by History Hit's very own Dr. Eleanor Janega, host of the Gone Medi ... Show More
31m 49s
Mar 2022
Sleep Stories: The Legends of King Arthur
The Legends of King Arthur are several connected tales about King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table. These versions of the stories were arranged, modified, and reworked by Sir Thomas Malory in order to give a more complete image of Arthur fro ... Show More
9h 38m
Dec 2023
King Arthur's Sex Life
The words "the man, the myth, the legend" can easily apply to King Arthur. Today we're looking past the round table, the sword in the stone, and his magician mate Merlin to explore what his love life can tell us about this man. Did his love Guinevere really do the dirty on him wi ... Show More
47m 58s
Aug 2008
How King Arthur Worked
Thanks to his enduring presence in western culture, the name King Arthur conjures up a very specific image. Take a look at our HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about the fact and fiction surround King Arthur. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork ... Show More
8m 11s
Apr 2023
Becoming an Anglo-Saxon King
Throughout April, Gone Medieval is your perfect companion for the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III. In this episode, Dr. Cat Jarman asks what did kingship really mean in the first half of the medieval period? How and when did we start to have kings in what later was to ... Show More
34m 23s