Egg Horse and the Holy Grail
Housed in the British Library is a quite astonishing illuminated manuscript detailing an account of the story of Merlin. Yes, that Merlin. This illuminated manuscript was written ~1316 in France and is called L'Estorie de Merlin: The Story of Merlin. There are 233 illustrations contained therein. The above illustration shows a person with dwarfism, Enadain, unhorsing the knight, Tradelinant. The artwork above is famous due to the artist's depiction of a horse.
What's up with the illuminated manuscript? Here are some specifics. This manuscript is just over 15"x11" and is dated 1316 due to an inscription on fol 33. This book started in the collection of Charles VI of France and is notated as being one of the books outlined in the 1411 Inventory of his library. This can be seen in Delisle, Librairie de Charles V, II: Inventaire Charles V, Charles VI et Jean, Duc de Berry (1907).
Below is my scroll tribute to the original illumination.
The original document collection is labeled MS 10292 in the British Library collection, also known as Lancelot-Graile (The Prose Vulgate Cycle).
King Arthur and the knights of the round table seem a story as old as time. But is it? As old as time? An amazingly well-researched book can be found that traces the origins of these tales, noting where in history they were found, the original oral story origins and how they morphed from the original stories starting between roughly 1215 and 1230 into the stories and characters we now know. The author considers who was writing the manuscripts and what their purpose was and how it changed over time. This resource is called The Vulgate Version of the Arthurian Romances, Vol. 1 by H. Oskar Sommer (Author) and was in print from 1908 - 1916. This work was reprinted in 2024. I highly recommend taking a look at it. (What even is Vulgate?) The Vulgate is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible, created primarily by Saint Jerome, and adopted as the official text of the Roman Catholic Church.
This work organizes information in the following way:
Lestoire del Saint Graal (Vol. 1): Traces the early spiritual history and background of the Holy Grail.
Lestoire de Merlin (Vol. 2): Details the rise of the wizard Merlin and his foundational role in building Arthur's kingdom.
Le Livre de Lancelot del Lac (Vols. 3–5): Chronicles the complex chivalric exploits and tragic romance of Sir Lancelot.
Les Aventures ou La Queste del Saint Graal / La Mort le Roi Artus (Vol. 6): Follows the ultimate spiritual quest for the Grail and the eventual tragic downfall of Camelot.
Le Livre d'Artus Supplement & Index (Vols. 7–8): Includes a reconstructed, long-lost branch of the romances along with a massive geographic and name directory to map the sprawling, interconnected tapestry of the Arthurian landscape.
Early Arthurian lore was heavily rooted in Celtic paganism. It featured magical cauldrons of rebirth, wizards, and fairy entities like the Lady of the Lake. Mocking the idea of the rule by Divine Right, the peasantry in Monty Python's Holy Grail cheekily argue that "strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government" and that "You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!"
The collection of Arthurian stories have transformed societal norms, were used as propaganda, mis-shaped the Habsburgs, gave rise to new literary genres, and helped shape modern storytelling. Saying that it has been influential would be highly understating its role in history.
In 1200, French poet Robert de Boron warped these pagan themes into a strict Christian framework by introducing Joseph of Arimathea. De Boron wrote that the pagan cauldron was actually the chalice used by Jesus at the Last Supper, effectively "baptizing" secular folklore into orthodox Christian relic culture and set off loads of pilgrimages throughout Europe. Below are some historical figures who abused the Arthurian legends:
King Stephen of England (1095 - 1154) King Stephen was a prominent royal patron to Robert de Boron (mentioned above), and used the stories to legitimize Anglo-Norman rule. Propagandized.
King Edward (1239-1307) told the pope that since King Arthur had conquered the Scots, then they have the right of forever ruling over them. This argument was used to justify the conquest of both Wales and Scotland. Propagandized.
King Henry VII utilized the story, claiming actual lineage through Cadwaladr (Officially recognized as being in the lineage of King Arthur). Propagandized.
Even the Holy Roman Empire got in on this action when Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519) claiming ancestry and going so far as to commission a statue of King Arthur to guard his tomb. Emperor Maximilian was a Habsburg and helped to establish their dynasty. In doing so, he was cementing the Habsburg family line's eventual unfortunate genetic fates. Propagandized.
The Nazis of Germany were influenced by the tales and used them to propagandize the myth of their superiority over others. Propagandized.
Fortunately, not all inspirations drawn from the stories are steeped in bloody conquest. If you want to have some brain-bleach about the last item, I recommend a book called The Knight Watch by Thomas D. Lee. In this story, the Knights of the Round Table get brought back to fight the Nazis for Britain. Anachronistic!
Speaking of anachronism and the Knights of the Round Table, did you know that Mark Twain was also inspired by Arthurian stories? In 1889, he wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
Eric Rostad of the Books of Titans, compiled a King Arthur reading list online that is worth looking at. https://www.booksoftitans.com/p/a-king-arthur-reading-list
From Tennison to Tolkein, Arthurian stories have made a lasting impact upon our literary world and is likely continue to inspire imaginations until the end of time.
It is pretty wild how a simple picture of a medieval horse managed to carry us all the way through the history, mythos, and cultural impact of King Arthur. Next time you see it referenced in the wild, you will have an interesting couple of didjaknows to interject into a conversation to fascinate or to chase people away with.
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