The Court Librarian: A List Of Arthurian Reference Materials and Resources for Writers
In the process of writing a Merlin (BBC) fanfic, I compiled a list of resources that I thought might be useful to other writers in the fandom. I've tried to organize this list in a way that makes some kind of sense. By no means should this be considered an exhaustive list of reference material about Arthurian legends/The Middle Ages. I've only included resources that I think a fanfiction writer like myself would find interesting and useful, rather than dry scholarly works and the like. If anyone has a link or resource that they think would be a valuable addition to this list, please let me know in the comments. I'll add it to the post along with a credit to you. I'll be updating this post as I stumble across more useful resources, so please bookmark or save it in your memories for future reference.
One further note. These resources should not necessarily be seen as a way to make your fics "historically accurate". Very little is known about the Dark Ages/Early Medieval period in which the legend of King Arthur originates, and perhaps more importantly, the BBC production is not particularly concerned with accuracy, historical or otherwise. These links are simply meant to provide useful, fun, and possibly inspirational material and information for writers.
The Court Librarian: A List Of Arthurian Reference Materials and Resources for Writers
1. King Arthur And Friends - All about the legends of the "real" King Arthur and related people.
King Arthur on Wikipedia
Merlin on Wikipedia
List of Arthurian Characters on Wikipedia
Timeless Myths: Arthurian Legends - Website with very general information about the Arthurian Legends.
Encyclopedia Mythica: Arthurian legend - Encyclopedia of Articles on King Arthur and associated characters and legends.
The Camelot Project - Website from The University of Rochester with scholarly and student essays and Art depicting Arthurian characters and events.
Arthurian Legend - Very nice looking, well done website with lots of interesting information about the Arthurian legends.
Arthuriana Chronology - A timeline of persons, events, and works associated with the Arthurian legends.
The Quest - Good site with a lot of information about King Arthur and Arthurian England. (Note: Click the Headings on the page [eg. Arthurian Art Gallery, Arthurian England, The Celts, etc.], not the links in the dropdown menus, as they're mostly broken)
King Arthur: History & Legend - Well written and accessible information on King Arthur and related topics from the Britannica.com website.
2. The Land Of Albion - Britain in Arthurian legend.
Arthurian Archaeology and Geography - A lot of broken links on this page, but still some interesting information and pictures of places mentioned in the Arthurian legends.
Sacred Sites: Places of Peace and Power - Sacred and Ancient places in Europe. (Scroll down for sites in England)
Arthurian Sites in England - Descriptions and some pictures of places central to the Arthurian legends.
A Gazetteer Of Arthurian Sites - List with very brief information about places mentioned in Arthurian legend.
3. Everyday Life - General history and information about life in Britain from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance.
Armour on Wikipedia
Components of Medieval Armour on Wikipedia
Swords on Wikipedia
Spatha on Wikipedia - A type of sword of Roman origin, the legendary Arthur probably would have used a sword similar to this.
Arming Sword - Sometimes called the Knightly sword. The type of sword shown in the BBC's Merlin.
ArmorVenue.com - This is a commercial website, but they have hundreds of reproductions of Roman and Medieval Armor and Weapons. Extremely interesting.
myArmoury.com - Interesting information about historical swords and weapons.
Real Armor of God - This website is run by Christians who are trying to proselytize a bit, but it does have very good information on medieval swords, armor, and weaponry. In particular see the History of Medieval Swords section.
The Arador Armour Library - Great source of information on period Armour.
Celtic Iron Age Sword Deposits and Arthur's Lady of the Lake - Interesting article about Celtic Iron Age swords found in British lakes. Where the legend may have originated.
Clothing of the Middle Ages - All about clothing in the Middle Ages from the Fashion Encyclopedia
The Costumer's Manifesto: Barbarian Europe Costume Links - Links and Information about costume and fashion in Early Medieval Europe.
Anglo-Saxon and Norman Britain Foods - Food and cooking in Anglo-Saxon Britain via The Food Timeline
Food and Diet in Roman Britain - Food in Britain while it was under Roman rule, just prior to the time of Arthur.
Food And Drink in Anglo-Saxon England - The diet of people living in Anglo-Saxon England.
Feasting and Fasting in Anglo-Saxon England - All about Feasts in Anglo-Saxon England.
The Labyrinth - General information about all aspects of Medieval life.
The Code of Chivalry and Courtly Love - Information about Chivalry and Courtly Love in the Middle Ages.
Knighthood, Chivalry, & Tournaments Resource Library
Dark Ages on Wikipedia
Early Middle Ages on Wikipedia
History Links To The "Dark" And Middle Ages
Britons on Wikipedia - The Britons were the indigenous Celtic peoples of the isle of Great Britain. If Arthur did exist, he was likely a Celtic Briton.
Celts on Wikipedia
Insular Celtic Languages - The languages that might have been spoken in Arthurian times.
Brythonic Languages - Branch of the Celtic languages.
Roman Britain on Wikipedia - The period just before the Arthurian legends.
Sub-Roman Britain on Wikipedia - After the Romans left Britain.
Romano-British Culture on Wikipedia - the Romanised Britons under the Roman Empire and of those exposed to Roman culture in the years after the Roman departure.
4. A Circle of Stones - Religion, Folklore, and Myth in Ancient, Roman, Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Britain.
English folklore category on Wikipedia
Wild Hunt on Wikipedia
Yule on Wikipedia
Saturnalia on Wikipedia
History of Christmas on Wikipedia
Celtic Midwinter (Winter Solstice) on Wikipedia
Celtic Christianity on Wikipedia
5. What's In A Name? - Names in Anglo-Saxon and Arthurian Britain.
Anglo-Saxon Names - Boy And Girl Names
Baby Name Guide - Arthurian Legend Baby Names
Chistopher Bruce's Arthurian Name Dictionary
6. Tales of The Bards - Arthur in literature and fiction.
Geoffrey of Monmouth's Histories of the Kings of Britain
Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 1 by Sir Thomas Malory
Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 2 by Sir Thomas Malory
Idylls Of The King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson - Project Gutenberg
The Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
List of books about King Arthur on Wikipedia
UPDATE LOG:
Updated January 11, 2009 - Added several links to Everyday Life about Medieval swords.
Updated January 31, 2009 - Added new section about Religion and Folklore, Added many links to Everyday Life about Celtic and Roman Britain as well as a couple of links about armour and knighthood.
One further note. These resources should not necessarily be seen as a way to make your fics "historically accurate". Very little is known about the Dark Ages/Early Medieval period in which the legend of King Arthur originates, and perhaps more importantly, the BBC production is not particularly concerned with accuracy, historical or otherwise. These links are simply meant to provide useful, fun, and possibly inspirational material and information for writers.
The Court Librarian: A List Of Arthurian Reference Materials and Resources for Writers
1. King Arthur And Friends - All about the legends of the "real" King Arthur and related people.
King Arthur on Wikipedia
Merlin on Wikipedia
List of Arthurian Characters on Wikipedia
Timeless Myths: Arthurian Legends - Website with very general information about the Arthurian Legends.
Encyclopedia Mythica: Arthurian legend - Encyclopedia of Articles on King Arthur and associated characters and legends.
The Camelot Project - Website from The University of Rochester with scholarly and student essays and Art depicting Arthurian characters and events.
Arthurian Legend - Very nice looking, well done website with lots of interesting information about the Arthurian legends.
Arthuriana Chronology - A timeline of persons, events, and works associated with the Arthurian legends.
The Quest - Good site with a lot of information about King Arthur and Arthurian England. (Note: Click the Headings on the page [eg. Arthurian Art Gallery, Arthurian England, The Celts, etc.], not the links in the dropdown menus, as they're mostly broken)
King Arthur: History & Legend - Well written and accessible information on King Arthur and related topics from the Britannica.com website.
2. The Land Of Albion - Britain in Arthurian legend.
Arthurian Archaeology and Geography - A lot of broken links on this page, but still some interesting information and pictures of places mentioned in the Arthurian legends.
Sacred Sites: Places of Peace and Power - Sacred and Ancient places in Europe. (Scroll down for sites in England)
Arthurian Sites in England - Descriptions and some pictures of places central to the Arthurian legends.
A Gazetteer Of Arthurian Sites - List with very brief information about places mentioned in Arthurian legend.
3. Everyday Life - General history and information about life in Britain from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance.
Armour on Wikipedia
Components of Medieval Armour on Wikipedia
Swords on Wikipedia
Spatha on Wikipedia - A type of sword of Roman origin, the legendary Arthur probably would have used a sword similar to this.
Arming Sword - Sometimes called the Knightly sword. The type of sword shown in the BBC's Merlin.
ArmorVenue.com - This is a commercial website, but they have hundreds of reproductions of Roman and Medieval Armor and Weapons. Extremely interesting.
myArmoury.com - Interesting information about historical swords and weapons.
Real Armor of God - This website is run by Christians who are trying to proselytize a bit, but it does have very good information on medieval swords, armor, and weaponry. In particular see the History of Medieval Swords section.
The Arador Armour Library - Great source of information on period Armour.
Celtic Iron Age Sword Deposits and Arthur's Lady of the Lake - Interesting article about Celtic Iron Age swords found in British lakes. Where the legend may have originated.
Clothing of the Middle Ages - All about clothing in the Middle Ages from the Fashion Encyclopedia
The Costumer's Manifesto: Barbarian Europe Costume Links - Links and Information about costume and fashion in Early Medieval Europe.
Anglo-Saxon and Norman Britain Foods - Food and cooking in Anglo-Saxon Britain via The Food Timeline
Food and Diet in Roman Britain - Food in Britain while it was under Roman rule, just prior to the time of Arthur.
Food And Drink in Anglo-Saxon England - The diet of people living in Anglo-Saxon England.
Feasting and Fasting in Anglo-Saxon England - All about Feasts in Anglo-Saxon England.
The Labyrinth - General information about all aspects of Medieval life.
The Code of Chivalry and Courtly Love - Information about Chivalry and Courtly Love in the Middle Ages.
Knighthood, Chivalry, & Tournaments Resource Library
Dark Ages on Wikipedia
Early Middle Ages on Wikipedia
History Links To The "Dark" And Middle Ages
Britons on Wikipedia - The Britons were the indigenous Celtic peoples of the isle of Great Britain. If Arthur did exist, he was likely a Celtic Briton.
Celts on Wikipedia
Insular Celtic Languages - The languages that might have been spoken in Arthurian times.
Brythonic Languages - Branch of the Celtic languages.
Roman Britain on Wikipedia - The period just before the Arthurian legends.
Sub-Roman Britain on Wikipedia - After the Romans left Britain.
Romano-British Culture on Wikipedia - the Romanised Britons under the Roman Empire and of those exposed to Roman culture in the years after the Roman departure.
4. A Circle of Stones - Religion, Folklore, and Myth in Ancient, Roman, Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Britain.
English folklore category on Wikipedia
Wild Hunt on Wikipedia
Yule on Wikipedia
Saturnalia on Wikipedia
History of Christmas on Wikipedia
Celtic Midwinter (Winter Solstice) on Wikipedia
Celtic Christianity on Wikipedia
5. What's In A Name? - Names in Anglo-Saxon and Arthurian Britain.
Anglo-Saxon Names - Boy And Girl Names
Baby Name Guide - Arthurian Legend Baby Names
Chistopher Bruce's Arthurian Name Dictionary
6. Tales of The Bards - Arthur in literature and fiction.
Geoffrey of Monmouth's Histories of the Kings of Britain
Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 1 by Sir Thomas Malory
Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 2 by Sir Thomas Malory
Idylls Of The King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson - Project Gutenberg
The Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
List of books about King Arthur on Wikipedia
UPDATE LOG:
Updated January 11, 2009 - Added several links to Everyday Life about Medieval swords.
Updated January 31, 2009 - Added new section about Religion and Folklore, Added many links to Everyday Life about Celtic and Roman Britain as well as a couple of links about armour and knighthood.