In answering this question, two prongs exist. First of all, there may have been a real King Arthur as the Tudor monarchs attempted to trace their lineage to a King Arthur whose mother was Igraine of Cornwall and father, Uther Pendragon. This Arthur is said to have fought in countless skirmishes. However, the main focus of this question would concern the legendary Arthur who has influenced literature, art, music and society from the Middle Ages to the present.
As a warrior, Arthur faced death in many battles, not only with the Saxons, but also the Barbarians, as he conquered vast territories and, subsequently, went on to wage war with the Romans. Thus, his bravery and heroism in battle is illustrated, and he was dubbed dux bellorum, leader of battles (Camelot and Arthurian Legend: Arthur online 4/27/98).
However, his courage may be best illustrated as the chivalrous Christian hero who embodies the characteristics of an epic hero that consists of having the skills of a great warrior, completing deeds of great strength and courage, traveling over a vast setting, having humility, and obtaining supernatural help. All of these characteristics take courage. First of all, his bravery is shown in his skills in countless battles driving off the invading Saxons and uniting Britain. Secondly, his deeds of great strength and courage include the search for the Holy Grail, the cup from which Jesus drank at the last supper, and countless skirmishes with giants, witches, and monsters. Next, he travels over a vast setting requiring bravery as his battles and quests take him all over a very dangerous Europe. Arthur's humility with his Knights of the Round Table also requires fearlessness as the notion of equality between a King and his people was unheard of at the time. Arthur then becomes a Defender of the Weak, illustrating his strength of character. Lastly, Arthur receives supernatural aid from Merlin the wizard. This allows him to pull the sword (Excalibur) out of the stone and cements his position as King, thus his reign in Camelot is identified with a Golden Age of peace and tranquility in an era of violence.
It can be said that the legend of King Arthur is an allegory; that is, a tale that depicts a moral lesson which consists of the battle between good and evil. That battle requires a courageous epic hero such as King Arthur.
http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/prjs3f/arthur2.htm
“Courageous” is defined as being brave, or to face danger or insurmountable odds without fear.
King Arthur was a mythological figure in British literature, who’s actual existence is still debated to this day. Real or not, he was widely heralded as a “warrior king” of great courage and military expertise. The historian Nennius, a welsh monk from the 9th century, credits King Arthur with at least twelve successful battles including the Battle of Celidon Coit, the Battle of Guinnion Fort, and the Battle of Badon Hill where in Nenious writes:
“and in it nine hundred and sixty men fell in one day, from a single charge of Arthur's, and no-one lay them low save he alone.”
Arthur’s assent to the thrown took considerable courage as well. He was born into a time of great conflict between the Britons and the invading Saxons. He was secreted away as an infant and raised ignorant to his true destiny, only discovering it by chance when he withdrew a magical sword from a stone for his adopted brother, Sir Key, to use in a tournament. When it was revealed Arthur had been the one to remove the sword, he was crowned as king. A boy of 15, raised to be little more than a squire (an assistant to a knight) was suddenly made the ruler of an entire country, with only a small council to help guide him. To make matters worse, no sooner had he been coronated, then six more kings all rose up and rallied together to destroy him. King Arthur refused to give in to their treasonous demands, and with the help of the magic sword and scabbard of Excalibur, he defeated the six armies pitted against him.
In King Arthur’s final battle at Camlan, he was struck a mortal blow. After the battle, he was sent adrift on a ferry to the Isle of Avalon, where his wounds were tended by three magical women. Legend says that the great king of England was put into an enchanted sleep with his most loyal knights beneath a great hill, waiting for the day when his country has need of his legendary courage once more.
Sources
http://www.britannia.com/history/arthur/kabattles.html
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