The Middle Ages: The Rise of Merlin and Arthur
From BluWiki
This is the age of epic fantasy where chivaly and morals take center stage. Our hero who still has to accomplish great quests and overcome huge obstacles has to do this through the lens of his own moral compass.
The quest becomes one of internal journey along with external accomplishment. Our hero is not guided strictly by the desire for a kingdom but is also guided by the rule of what is right.
The foremost epic is that of King Arthur which takes place around the 5th - 6th century and the story has evolved over the centuries to include the Knights of the round table, excalibur and Lancelot. King Arthur and his knights journeyed on fantastic quests including the quest for the holy grail.
One the earliest works about King Arthur was Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur which was written in the 15th century. It contains the story lines of Guinevere, Lancelot, and the quest for the holy grail. This story was rewritten and retold and updated by T.H White in his 1958 modern classic The Once and Future King.
The epic of King Arthur has been brought to the silver screen many times and in many ways but one of the absolutely finest renditions of the story is in the movie Excalibur. It is a masterpiece.
One of the most noted changes to epic fantasy of this period is the use of magic. It changed from a power of the gods to one that could be mastered by wise humans. This is epitomized in Merlin.
