Arthurian Facts, Fiction and Fun
Ten things we bet you did not know about Arthur:
- King Arthur had children other than Mordred.
- Arthur traditionally had three children in Welsh tradition, including Amr, whose story resembles Mordred’s, while Mordred (Medraut) is not Arthur’s child in Welsh legend. (See question one below.)
- The Scots believe Mordred was the good guy at the Battle of Camlann.
- King Arthur’s descendants may include the Scottish Clan Campbell.
- Mordred had two sons of his own who tried to take over the kingdom after his death.
- Both Arthur and Mordred may have had daughters. Ever hear of Tortolina?
- Constantine, inheritor of Arthur’s throne, may have been the true villain, not Mordred.
- The British Royal Family claims to be descended from King Arthur in numerous and suspicious ways.
- Modern novelists have invented many new fictional children for King Arthur.
- If King Arthur really lived, DNA and mathematical calculations reveal that YOU are his likely descendant.
Separate the Fact from the Fiction and Far More in King Arthur's Children - A Study in Fiction and Tradition.
How Well Do You Know King Arthur’s Children?
Take This Quiz and Find Out.
(Click on your answer. Browser may show a cursor instead of an arrow.)
1. Which of the following is not one of Arthur’s sons in the early Welsh legends?
Sorry, the correct answer is c. Culhwch.
Culhwch is Arthur’s nephew in Welsh tradition. All the others are Arthur’s sons in early Welsh traditions.
Sorry, the correct answer is c. Culhwch.
Culhwch is Arthur’s nephew in Welsh tradition. All the others are Arthur’s sons in early Welsh traditions.
Correct!
Culhwch is Arthur’s nephew in Welsh tradition. All the others are Arthur’s sons in early Welsh traditions.
Sorry, the correct answer is c. Culhwch.
Culhwch is Arthur’s nephew in Welsh tradition. All the others are Arthur’s sons in early Welsh traditions.
2. Which of Arthur’s sons may have been slain by Sir Kay?
Sorry, the correct answer is d.
In The Black Book of Carmarthen is a statement that Kay and Llacheu died together in battle. Some French romancers took this statment to mean that Kay slew Llacheu and depicted such a death in their works.
Sorry, the correct answer is d.
In The Black Book of Carmarthen is a statement that Kay and Llacheu died together in battle. Some French romancers took this statment to mean that Kay slew Llacheu and depicted such a death in their works.
Sorry, the correct answer is d.
In The Black Book of Carmarthen is a statement that Kay and Llacheu died together in battle. Some French romancers took this statment to mean that Kay slew Llacheu and depicted such a death in their works.
Correct!
In The Black Book of Carmarthen is a statement that Kay and Llacheu died together in battle. Some French romancers took this statment to mean that Kay slew Llacheu and depicted such a death in their works.
3. Sir Walter Scott created a daughter for King Arthur in his poem The Bridal of Triermain. What was the daughter’s name?
Sorry, the correct answer is d. Gyneth.
She is a sort of female Mordred, a bastard child whose mother sends her to Camelot to get revenge on Arthur.
Sorry, the correct answer is d. Gyneth.
She is a sort of female Mordred, a bastard child whose mother sends her to Camelot to get revenge on Arthur.
Sorry, the correct answer is d. Gyneth.
She is a sort of female Mordred, a bastard child whose mother sends her to Camelot to get revenge on Arthur.
Correct!
Gyneth is a sort of female Mordred, a bastard child whose mother sends her to Camelot to get revenge on Arthur.
4. In his satirical play, Tom Thumb, Henry Fielding created a daughter for King Arthur named:
Sorry, the correct answer is c. Huncamunca.
In Fielding’s play, a spoof on revenge tragedies, all the characters die. Huncamunca is slain by a courtier named Doodle who bears a longstanding grudge against her.
Sorry, the correct answer is c. Huncamunca.
In Fielding’s play, a spoof on revenge tragedies, all the characters die. Huncamunca is slain by a courtier named Doodle who bears a longstanding grudge against her.
Correct!
In Fielding’s play, a spoof on revenge tragedies, all the characters die. Huncamunca is slain by a courtier named Doodle who bears a longstanding grudge against her.
Sorry, the correct answer is c. Huncamunca.
In Fielding’s play, a spoof on revenge tragedies, all the characters die. Huncamunca is slain by a courtier named Doodle who bears a longstanding grudge against her.
5. Arthur’s son Gwydre met his death when:
a. Lancelot accidentally slew him while rescuing Guinevere from burning at the stake.
Sorry, the correct answer is c.
Gwydre is killed by a boar in the Welsh tale of Culhwch and Olwen.
b. Mordred burned down the monastery where Gwydre was abbot.
Sorry, the correct answer is c.
Gwydre is killed by a boar in the Welsh tale of Culhwch and Olwen.
c.He was attacked by a boar during a hunting party.
Correct!
Gwydre is killed by a boar in the Welsh tale of Culhwch and Olwen.
d. Kay beheaded him in hand-to-hand combat.
Sorry, the correct answer is c.
Gwydre is killed by a boar in the Welsh tale of Culhwch and Olwen.
6. Today, Mordred is typically depicted as Arthur’s son, but he was only Arthur’s nephew in the earlier versions of the legend. Which work first mentioned Mordred as Arthur’s son?
a. Historia Regum Brittania
Sorry, the correct answer is b. Mort Artu
Mort Artu was written by an unknown author about 1205. It is the first work to depict Mordred as Arthur’s son via incest with his sister.
Correct!
Mort Artu was written by an unknown author about 1205. It is the first work to depict Mordred as Arthur’s son via incest with his sister.
c. Alliterative Mort Arthure
Sorry, the correct answer is b. Mort Artu
Mort Artu was written by an unknown author about 1205. It is the first work to depict Mordred as Arthur’s son via incest with his sister.
Sorry, the correct answer is b. Mort Artu
Mort Artu was written by an unknown author about 1205. It is the first work to depict Mordred as Arthur’s son via incest with his sister.
7. In which modern novel does King Arthur have a daughter who dies as a child?
a. The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Sorry, the correct answer is b. Sword at Sunset.
The daughter, named Hylin, dies when about a year old.
b. Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff
Correct!
The daughter, named Hylin, dies when about a year old.
c. Arthur Rex by Thomas Berger
Sorry, the correct answer is b. Sword at Sunset.
The daughter, named Hylin, dies when about a year old.
d. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Sorry, the correct answer is b. Sword at Sunset.
The daughter, named Hylin, dies when about a year old.
8. Which country or region has a tradition that Mordred was a good and beloved king and Arthur the true villain?
Correct!
The Scots may have decided to side with Mordred as a character in the late Middle Ages because Geoffrey of Monmouth recorded a prophecy that Scotland belonged to King Arthur which was used to support English claims to rule Scotland.
Sorry, the correct answer is a. Scotland.
The Scots may have decided to side with Mordred as a character in the late Middle Ages because Geoffrey of Monmouth recorded a prophecy that Scotland belonged to King Arthur which was used to support English claims to rule Scotland.
Sorry, the correct answer is a. Scotland.
The Scots may have decided to side with Mordred as a character in the late Middle Ages because Geoffrey of Monmouth recorded a prophecy that Scotland belonged to King Arthur which was used to support English claims to rule Scotland.
Sorry, the correct answer is a. Scotland.
The Scots may have decided to side with Mordred as a character in the late Middle Ages because Geoffrey of Monmouth recorded a prophecy that Scotland belonged to King Arthur which was used to support English claims to rule Scotland.
9. Arthur’s possible granddaughter, the child of Mordred, was:
Sorry, the correct answer is b. Tortolina.
Sir Thomas Urquhart presents in Pantochronachanon (1652) that Arthur had a daughter named Tortolina, but Sir Laurence Gardner in Bloodline of the Holy Grail states, without documentation, that Tortolina was actually Mordred’s daughter.
Correct!
Sir Thomas Urquhart presents in Pantochronachanon (1652) that Arthur had a daughter named Tortolina, but Sir Laurence Gardner in Bloodline of the Holy Grail states, without documentation, that Tortolina was actually Mordred’s daughter.
Sorry, the correct answer is b. Tortolina.
Sir Thomas Urquhart presents in Pantochronachanon (1652) that Arthur had a daughter named Tortolina, but Sir Laurence Gardner in Bloodline of the Holy Grail states, without documentation, that Tortolina was actually Mordred’s daughter.
Sorry, the correct answer is b. Tortolina.
Sir Thomas Urquhart presents in Pantochronachanon (1652) that Arthur had a daughter named Tortolina, but Sir Laurence Gardner in Bloodline of the Holy Grail states, without documentation, that Tortolina was actually Mordred’s daughter.
10. Which of the following claimed to be a descendant of King Arthur?
Sorry, the correct answer is c. Henry VIII.
Through his Tudor blood, his family claimed descent from King Arthur. To strengthen this claim, Henry VIII had his likeness painted on an image of King Arthur on the alleged Round Table, which today hangs in Winchester Hall.
Sorry, the correct answer is c. Henry VIII.
Through his Tudor blood, his family claimed descent from King Arthur. To strengthen this claim, Henry VIII had his likeness painted on an image of King Arthur on the alleged Round Table, which today hangs in Winchester Hall.
Correct!
Through his Tudor blood, his family claimed descent from King Arthur. To strengthen this claim, Henry VIII had his likeness painted on an image of King Arthur on the alleged Round Table, which today hangs in Winchester Hall.
Sorry, the correct answer is c. Henry VIII.
Through his Tudor blood, his family claimed descent from King Arthur. To strengthen this claim, Henry VIII had his likeness painted on an image of King Arthur on the alleged Round Table, which today hangs in Winchester Hall.
How did you do?
Score yourself below:
0-2 Merlin has requested that your brain be left to science since he is amazed at what a dolt you are.
3-4 Your brain is like wood. Get thee to the kitchen. Washing the king’s dishes is all for which you are good.
5-7 King Arthur believes you are intelligent enough to serve as a good decoy when fighting fire-breathing dragons.
8-9 You deserve to be made a Knight of the Round Table and entrusted to tell the true story of Camelot.
10 You are without doubt King Arthur’s rightful heir and will be present when he returns.
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