Popular perception of King Arthur is often filtered through a lens of current culture. This is not a modern issue, and dates back as far as the earliest romances involving Arthuriana. As a primer, it is still often parroted that King Arthur never existed, but current philological arguments on the Arthurian content within the Annales Cambriae (Welsh Annals) make a strong case that they are genuine, and date to the 6th century, within living memory of Arthur.

Interesting approach to looking at Grendel, and other similar human-like entities from European contexts. taken from the book
"MANLIKE MONSTERS ON TRIAL:
EARLY RECORDS AND MODERN EVIDENCE"

The description from the 12th century German Genesis.

In 1136 Geoffrey of Monmouth published 'De gestis Britonum' later called 'Historia Regum Britanniae' and created what would then be used as the core canonical story of King Arthur. This was the springboard for many 'histories' as well as fiction. Geoffrey claims to have been translating a "very ancient book in the British tongue" when writing his Historia, and much has been made to try and source said book, though Geoffrey seems to have worked from Gildas, Bede, Nennius, and numerous others in reality.

Mordred is always a fascinating figure, and the possibility that he's a composite is present much like the composite Arthur himself. Medraut doesn't start as a negative figure, and is initially well regarded. Very little of this early tradition survives, his death in 537 as recorded in the Annales Cambriae probably the earliest mention.
"The Strife of Camlann in which Arthur and Medraut perished"

There is a common mistake of assuming deep antiquity to many parts of later Arthuriana. Excalibur vs The Sword in the Stone is one of those. Excalibur is probably the older of the two, appearing in the Folktale-esque Culhwch and Olwen, which probably dates to the 11th century. The Sword in the Stone itself dates to the early 13th century, appearing first in Robert de Boron's Merlin. Robert seems to have been heavily influenced by the story of Saint Galgano's sword in the stone, which was extremely popular at the time.

In the incomplete Arthurian poem 'Pa Gur' one, possibly two of the battles in Nennius' list of King Arthur's battles are corroborated. Nennius' battle list is the earliest 'Historical' document to mention Arthur, and it is interesting to see two of it's battles in Pa Gur. "In the Mount of Eidin
he fought with dog-heads.
Every group of a hundred would fall.
There fell every group of a hundred.
Before four-sinewed Bedwyr
on the shores of Tryfrwyd
in the struggle with Garwlwyd,
he was fierce in affliction
with sword and shield."

I think there's a very interesting case to be made for three separate high-kingships in the north, The Coeling Prime™, a northern faction led from Alt-Clut, and the Pictish High-Kingship.

https://twitter.com/ActualAurochs/status/1768276446894575891

The case for the Coeling high-kingship is laid out of course in the article above, but I think that a very similar arrangement was made between the descendants of Dyfnwal Hen of Alt Clut.

Two tales of Water-Monsters from the Dark-Ages of Britain, one possibly with a grain of truth, and one transported far beyond what likely happened. Adomnán tells of a strange incident in his Vita Columbae while Columba was ministering to the Picts. Adomnán tells us that Columba encountered a group of folks burying a companion of theirs, who while swimming in the River Ness was attacked by this 'water beast' and killed.

Quote from Isidore of Seville, in the 620s
"...the Picts, whose name is taken from their bodies, because an artisan, with the tiny point of a pin and the juice squeezed from a native plant, tricks them out with scars to serve as identifying marks, nobles marked by painted limbs."

https://twitter.com/ActualAurochs/status/1751798222593610019

A Papal Legate in 787 to the Northumbrians
"When an individual undergoes the ordeal of tattooing for the sake of God, he is greatly praised. One who submits himself to the injury of staining for superstitious reasons in the manner of the heathens will derive no benefit"

WHO IS THE GATE-KEEPER?
'Glewlwyd Mighty-grasp.
Who is asking?'
'Arthur and Fair Kei.'
'Who goes with you?'
'The best heroes in the world.'

The opening to the fragmentary poem Pa Gur, notoriously difficult to translate. It may contain some early pre-Galfridian tradition though. There is major disagreement on the date of origin for the poem, with most scholars favoring no later than the beginning of the 12th century, while more speculative estimates place it even as early as the 8th century. Somewhere in between the two extremes is probably more correct

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The theory of an early Battle of Catraeth and a nephew of Arthur's, Guallauc ap Llennewc. While I have written a fair amount on the idea of the Battle of Catraeth taking place roughly twenty years earlier than general consensus holds I thought it would be worth touching on a new potential connection.

*Thread*
King Arthur in Film Part 1:

King Arthur (2004) An ambitious, and often misunderstood vision of Arthur as a Roman commander of Sarmatian Cavalry stationed in Britain. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, and taking the approach of an Arthur more grounded in history than myth, draws much of it's ideas from the Sarmatian hypothesis.

*Thread*
The Battle of Catraeth: Uncertain combatants, uncertain dating. The famed Battle of Catraeth, the subject of the earliest work of poetry in Old Welsh, Y Gododdin, was a disastrous battle for the titular heroes of the northern kingdom of Gododdin centered on Din Eidyn, modern Edinburgh. There is much division of the dating of the poem however.

*Thread*

It's Father's Day today, why don't we talk about the sons of Arthwys ap Mar, one of the first contributors to the 'King Arthur' legend. The Legendary Arthur is not known for being a fantastic father, with one of the earliest stories attributed to him being the location of the grave of his son Amr, or Amhar, who Arthur supposedly killed. This later gets transferred to Mordred as a Nephew/Son.

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Arthur of Gwent, and why he probably isn't the first historical Arthur. Much has been made of Athrwys ap Meurig, the grandson of the famous Tewdrig, who the victor of The Battle of Pont y Saeson. Tewdrig had abdicted in favor of his son Meurig, but came out of his monastic retirement to lead his warriors one last time.

*Thread*
Arthurian Tropes: Camelot

Camelot brings to mind a shining medieval castle, a fortress fit for the greatest of rulers, but the real Arthur's citadel would have been much different than this depiction. Is there any potential historicity to Camelot at all? The earliest mention of Camelot comes from Chrétien de Troyes' poem 'Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart'. Camelot barely makes a footprint here, only being mentioned once, and is instead in another manuscript replaced with the phrase 'con lui plot' or 'as he pleased'

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In 1190 or 1191, the monks of Glastonbury Abbey exhumed two bodies found under a stone slab, 7 feet underground, with the lead cross seen in the image below. This cross claimed "Here lies buried the famous King Arthur in the isle of Avalon with his second wife Guinevere" Mind you, Glastonbury Abbey nearly burnt completely to the ground in 1184, and the main draw for pilgrams to the Abbey was the 'Old Church' which was destroyed, and the monks may have had potential good reason for a fabrication of such grandiosity.

*Thread*
William Wordsworth wrote a poem in 1815 called "Artegal and Elidure" A tale of kings and brothers, drawn from Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Bruts (which are most likely drawn from Geoffrey's work). "A KING more worthy of respect and love
Than wise Gorbonian ruled not in his day;
And grateful Britain prospered far above
All neighbouring countries through his righteous sway;
He poured rewards and honours on the good;"
Gorbonian, the historical Garbanian ap Coel rules well.

*Short Thread*
It is always interesting to come across something that you've probably seen before but didn't necessarily take note of, and a prime instance is a Triad that I have since overlooked. This time involving Old King Coel, and particularly his Wife. "Stratweul daughter of Cadfan ap Cynan ab Eudaf ap Caradog ap Bran ap Llyr Llediaith; and this Stratweul was wife of Coel Godebog. She was the mother of Cenau ap Coel and the mother of Difyr. Others say that she was called Seradwen daughter of Cynan ab Eudaf ap Caradog."

*Thread*
One of the pieces of the Arthurian puzzle that many stumble on, and will often skew and stretch their candidate to fit, is Arthur's European campaign. While I do not feel compelled to stretch my candidate Arthwys to fit it, I do think there is an explanation. I have discussed the idea of a 'composite' Arthur before, and I do believe that Geoffrey's Arthur is just that, a composite, I have explained before, this doesn't preclude my candidate Arthwys ap Mar from being the start of it, but many figures contribute to the Galfridian Arthur

*Thread*
Geraint of Dumnonia, and the Battle of Llongborth. Geraint, a relatively unattested king of the kingdom of Dumnonia in southern Britain is the subject of the poem Geraint vab Erbin, or 'Geraint son of Erbin', a 10th century poem speaking of Geraint's deeds and death at Llongborth.