K

Kay   'In medieval Welsh law the revenue officers were termed Cais. The word is formed from ceisio, to ask, seek, search for, and is the linguistic equivalent of the Latin erogator, 'a person who asks' for revenue on behalf of the state. Like the erogator, the cais visited each district in turn to collect it's stated tribute...The term cais was commonly Englished as Keys or was translated by serjeant; and the serjeant made similar circuits, collecting cornage, cowgeld and maintenance.' ... read more

Alfred, Lord Tennyson - The Idylls of the King  The Victorian poet, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, based his twelve poem 'Idylls of the King' (1859-85) on the Morte D'Arthur ....read the full text here .....download in pdf eBook format

Arthur, the rightful king   "The earliest full stories concerning King Arthur and his exploits appear to be the little known Welsh tales of "Culhwch and Olwen" and the "Dream of Rhonabwy". Though dating from before the 11th century, these two stories became a late attachment to a collection of Welsh mythological tales taken from the 14th century White Book of Rhydderch and Red Book of Hergest. Together, they are known as the "Mabinogion": an introduction for aspiring poets. Though the stories have a mythological slant, a certain amount of bardic poetic license is to be expected. Their background, however, is clearly an unfamiliar Dark Age society that gives us some idea of what the real Arthur was probably like" .....read more

The Grail Kings    'The immediate prototype of Chrétien's Fisher King has been recognised .. as Bran the Blessed, son of Llyr, the principle figure in the mabinogi of Branwen.' ....read more

Geoffrey of Monmouth - The History of the kings of Britain "The much-maligned Geoffrey of Monmouth, Archdeacon of Monmouth and later Bishop of St.Asaph's, first popularized King Arthur's story, around 1139, in his "History of the Kings of Britain"....read more here .....download in pdf eBook format

Kistvaen    On Lundy in 1851 a barrow, the kistvaen, was discovered by workmen and opened up. Soon after, it was visited by a Mr Gosse who gave the following description; - " A block of granite was found a little below the surface.......read more

Sir Gawain and the Green knight - Jesse Weston  Brave, chivalrous, loyally faithful to his plighted word, scrupulously heedful of his own and others' honour, Gawain stands before us in this poem. We take up Malory or Tennyson, and in spite of their charm of style, in spite of the halo of religious mysticism in which they have striven to enwrap their characters, we lay them down with a feeling of dissatisfaction. How did the Gawain of their imagination, this empty-headed, empty-hearted worldling, cruel murderer, and treacherous friend, ever come to be the typical English hero? ....read the full text here .....download in pdf eBook format

The Knights Templar  Sometime between 1110 and 1120, in the aftermath of the First Crusade, a small group of knights  vowed to devote their lives to the protection of pilgrims in the Holy Land. They were called the 'Order of the Poor Knights of Christ.' The King of Jerusalem, Baldwin II, granted them the use of a captured mosque built on Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the site of the ancient Temple of Solomon. From this they became known as the Knights Templar. Under the patronage of St. Bernard of Clairvaux the Order received papal sanction and legitimacy. The Knights Templar were granted permission by the pope to wear a distinctive white robe with a red cross. ... read more

Knight Templar Rock  Knight Templar Rock is almost midway up the eastern side of Lundy, facing the rising Sun....read more

The Grail Knights   Galahad, Gawain, Lancelot, Perceval, Bors are all Grail Knights. All undertake the quest for the Holy Grail, to search for and return the Grail to Camelot. Each knight's quest follows a similar pattern of encounters, but the outcome of each situation differs according to each individual's character....read more

Chronus, Kronos  Cronos/Saturn was a Titan, one of the elder gods, whose dominion was afterwards transferred to others. He was the father of Zeus (Jupiter/Jove) who eventually overthrew and then banished him.....read more