This post is dedicated to Arthur, my Arthur, the Arthur who became truly real in my mind at the top of Cadbury Hill last summer.
When I wrote about the experience of finally finding my Arthur – “All in the Mind” – it never crossed my mind that my words would be able to produce the same image in someone else’s head.
This picture, created for me by the wonderful artist Will Worthington, is proof that they could:
I cannot find the words to express how completely Will has understood my vision of Arthur nor how much this picture means to me. What I can do is direct you all to his website, where you can see more of his fantastic work: http://willworthingtonart.co.uk/
The man above is Arthur the Warrior. A man firmly rooted in the 6th Century and worlds away from the images of knights in shining armor, horses with curtains, and the ideals of chivalry that Mallory’s tales invoke so strongly.
If I’m honest this is the Arthur I want to have really existed, for I am one of those Arthurian enthusiasts who “want to believe” the scant archaeological evidence that he did once walk this earth. I know it will never be proved one way or the other (unless there is some divine intervention or a miraculous discovery that isn’t a fake) but to me it is inconceivable that these legends simply sprang out of nothing. I can’t help but believe that at the heart of the stories we seem compelled to re-tell with each generation is real person; someone who was so charismatic and whose deeds were so inspiring that their presence on this earth is still producing echoes today.
This is the Arthur who haunts my dreams and compels my fingers to walk the keyboard as he talks softly into my ear about his life. I hope one day that I will have turned what he tells me into a tale that I can share with you all. For now, however, all I can share is his image and ask that you tell me what feelings it evokes in you
Kizzia Mildmay 