From Scythia to Camelot: A Radical Reassessment of the Legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and the Holy Grail

by Littleton,C. Scott

• ISBN13: 9780815335665
• ISBN10: 0815335660
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2000-04-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

From Scythia to Camelot argues that the Arthurian legend originated in a region known as "Scythia, " or "sea grass, " located in the steppe region of Northeast Iran and slowly spread to the British Isles. Numerous hypotheses point to different origins of the Arthurian legend: an Alan society in the Southern Gaul region; a contingent of Marcus Aeruleus' troops sent by the Roman leader to the British Isles; a group of displaced Sarmatians who found themselves in Britain; and so on. Littleton and Malcor explor all of these theories and conclude that probably more than one of these nomadic groups had an impact on the medieval legends that are historically considered wholly derivative of Western Europe.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Acknowledgments	xxi
Preface	xxiii
Introduction	xxv
Part I: The Cultural and Historical Background
The Northeast Iranians	3	(58)
Part II: Figures
Arthur and the Sarmatian Connection	61	(18)
Lancelot and the ``Alan of Lot''	79	(46)
The Knights and the Narts	125	(28)
Women, Water, and Warriors	153	(28)
Part III: Themes and Images
The Sword in the Stone	181	(14)
The Serpent Image	195	(14)
Part IV: The Holy Grail
The Holy Grail, the Cauldron of Annwfn, and the Nartamongae	209	(24)
The Alans and the Grail	233	(22)
The Grail Keepers	255	(26)
Conclusions	281	(4)
Appendix 1. A Note on Sources	285	(8)
Appendix 2. Genealogies	293	(34)
Appendix 3. A Reinterpretation of Nennius's Battle List	327	(6)
References Cited	333	(36)
Index	369