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"Is this all real? Or has this been happening inside my head?"
The topic of this article is of a real-life subject that has been mentioned "in-universe" in a canon source. The Harry Potter Wiki is written from the perspective that all information presented in canon is true (e.g., Hogwarts really existed), and, as such, details contained in this article may differ from real world facts. |
King Arthur was a medieval ruler of what is today Britain.[2] Accounts of his life are legend in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds.[3]
Biography[]
Arthur ruled what is today Britain during the Middle Ages.[2] The Dark witch Morgan le Fay was his half-sister,[4] but his parentage is unknown,[5] as is whether he was a Muggle or not.
The great wizard Merlin was a key member of the Court of King Arthur.[2] The Knights of the Round Table were also an important part of the Court, and included Sir Lancelot, Sir Bedivere and Sir Percivale. Wizards and witches commonly hold that this order included a wizard, Sir Cadogan, who got the position by being a friend of Merlin. Tellings of the story of King Arthur differed between the Muggle and wizarding worlds, in that Sir Cadogan was included in wizarding versions, but absent in Muggle ones.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
- Richard Harris, who played Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, played Arthur in the 1967 film Camelot. Following his death in 2002 a statue of him in this role was erected in Bedford Row in the centre of his home town of Limerick.
- Jamie Campbell Bower, who played the teenage Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, played Arthur in the TV series Camelot. Merlin was played by Joseph Fiennes, brother of Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort), and Morgan le Fay was played by former Bond girl Eva Green.
- J. K. Rowling said King Arthur from T.H. White's The Sword in The Stone is Harry Potter's spiritual ancestor.
- Arthur's time of existence in the Harry Potter universe (like Merlin, Morgan le Fay etc) is paradoxical, as the King Arthur of the Arthurian legends is said to have lived and reigned in the 5th or 6th century. As Merlin attended Hogwarts and was a part of King Arthur's Court and an advisor to him, then he, like the legendary version of Merlin predates Hogwarts by around 400/500 years.
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (First mentioned) (Mentioned on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Mentioned on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Mentioned on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Pottermore (Mentioned on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Harry Potter (website) (Mentioned on a Famous Wizard Card)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Given that he lived during the same time as Merlin, who attended Hogwarts, which was founded in about 993 A.D.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Famous Wizard Card (Merlin)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Sir Cadogan" at Harry Potter (website)
- ↑ Famous Wizard Card (Morgan le Fay)
- ↑ In traditional Arthurian legend, Arthur was fathered by Uther Pendragon, who had Merlin use magic to disguise him as his enemy, Gorlois, in order to allow him to spend a night with Gorlois's wife, Lady Igraine. However, Arthur's parentage has not been specified in any work in the Harry Potter franchise, and might differ from that found in Arthurian legend.
