Changes: Royal Round Table

Latest revision as of 00:22, 10 December 2023

This article is about the Round Table owned by King Arthur Pendragon. For the Round Table owned by the Ancient Kings of Camelot, see: Ancient Round Table.

“Noble Knights of Camelot, countrymen, friends. I welcome you all to this meeting of the Round Table.”
— Arthur Pendragon^[src]

The Royal Round Table is a large, circular wooden table owned by King Arthur Pendragon. It is modeled after the round table once used by the ancient kings of Camelot, which was designed to reflect their view of equality in all things.

History

Arthur had his round table constructed in the aftermath of the Second Fall of Camelot. He frequently used it as a place to hold counsel with his knights, advisors, and other important figures (Arthur's Bane, The Death Song of Uther Pendragon, The Hollow Queen, The Diamond of the Day).

The table was damaged and had to be repaired after Uther's spirit caused a chandelier to fall on it (The Death Song of Uther Pendragon).

Arthur and Sarrum of Amata met at the Round Table to sign a treaty that would establish an alliance between their kingdoms. Sarrum was assassinated, however, before the signing could take place (The Hollow Queen).

Appearances

Series 5: Arthur's Bane: Part One; The Death Song of Uther Pendragon; The Hollow Queen; With All My Heart (Mentioned only); The Diamond of the Day: Part One

Trivia

After the Round Table was constructed between series 4 and 5, the Knights of Camelot were sometimes referred to as the "Knights of the Round Table" (Arthur's Bane, With All My Heart).

In the Legend

200px-King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table — King Arthur's Round Table in Arthurian Legend.

The Round Table was a famed circular table in Arthurian Legend around which King Arthur and his Knights congregated. The table had no head, which implied that everyone who sat at it had equal status.

The first written record of the Round Table appears in Wace's 1155 poem Roman de Brut, in which Arthur was said to have created the table to prevent quarrels among his barons, none of whom would accept a lower place than the others.

In other legends, such as Robert de Boron's 1190 poem Merlin, the wizard Merlin created the Round Table in imitation of the table of the Last Supper and of Joseph of Arimathea's Holy Grail table. This table (made for Arthur's father Uther Pendragon rather than Arthur himself), had twelve seats and one empty place to mark the betrayal of Judas. This seat was to remain empty until the coming of the knight would achieve the Grail.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+:''This article is about the Round Table owned by [[King]] [[Arthur Pendragon]]. For the Round Table owned by the [[Ancient Kings]] of [[Camelot]], see: [[Ancient Round Table]].''
 {{Object Infobox
-|image = [[File:3x13_still_nickbriggs.jpg|250 px]]
+|image = [[File:Sarrum at the round table.jpg|250px]]
-|Object name = The Royal Round Table
+|Object name = Royal Round Table
 |origin = [[Camelot]]
 |type = Table
+|appearances = [[Royal Round Table#Appearances|4 episodes]]}}
-|appearances = [[The Coming of Arthur|The Coming of Arthur: Part 2]]<br>[[Arthur's Bane|Arthur's Bane: Part 1]]<br>[[The Death Song of Uther Pendragon]]<br>[[The Hollow Queen]]<br>[[The Diamond of the Day]]
-|aka = The Round Table
-|mentions = }}
-{{Quote|A round table afforded no one man more importance than any other. They believed in equality in all things.|[[Arthur]] about the Ancient Kings|The Coming of Arthur}}
-The '''Royal Round Table''' was a table owned by the Ancient Kings of [[Camelot]]. [[Arthur Pendragon]] also used a Round Table during his reign.
-==History==
-===Ancient Round Table===
-{{Quote|This table belonged to the Ancient Kings of Camelot.|[[Arthur Pendragon]]|The Coming of Arthur}}
-[[File:M3x13TheRoundTable.jpg|thumb|left|220px|[[Arthur]] convenes the first meeting of the Round Table.]]
-The Royal Round Table once belonged to the Ancient Kings of [[Camelot]]. They held counsel at the Round Table because its shape afforded no one man more importance than any other, which aligned with their belief in equality in all things.
-The tradition was revived by [[Arthur Pendragon]] shortly before he retook Camelot from [[Morgause]] and [[Morgana|Morgana's]] [[immortal army]]. After discovering the Table abandoned in the [[Castle of the Ancient Kings]], Arthur invited his allies to join him at it and outlined his plan to rescue [[Uther|his father]] from Camelot's dungeons.
-Those who joined Arthur at the Round Table and know of its existence include the [[sorcerer]] [[Merlin]]; future Queen [[Guinevere]]; [[Gaius]], the Court Physician; and [[Gwaine]], [[Elyan]], [[Percival]], [[Leon]], and [[Lancelot]], who became known as the [[Knights of the Round Table]] (''[[The Coming of Arthur]]'').
-Each of the nine seats are marked by an inscription in Old English, which are the following (counterclockwise order): bargu (Arthur), drylic (Merlin), aeoeling (Sir Leon), scamu (Gwaine), mægen (Elyan), ræsbora (Lancelot), ellenweorc (Percival), , sósfæstnes (Gaius) and éadlufu (Guinevere).
-Although not supported by any dialogue from canon, the meaning of the inscriptions suggests that magic was held in great esteem at the time of the Ancient Kings, for Merlin's seat, placed at the right side of King Arthur's, literally means "magic".
-===King Arthur's Round Table===
 {{Quote|Noble Knights of Camelot, countrymen, friends. I welcome you all to this meeting of the Round Table.|[[Arthur Pendragon]]|Arthur's Bane}}
-[[File:Sarrum_at_the_round_table.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Arthur]] and [[Sarrum]] sign a treaty at the Round Table.]]
-After retaking [[Camelot]] from [[Morgana]] for a [[The Sword in the Stone|second time]], [[Arthur|King Arthur]] designed a larger replica of the original Round Table and began to hold counsel at it in the throne room.
+The '''Royal Round Table''' is a large, circular wooden table owned by [[King]] [[Arthur Pendragon]]. It is modeled after the [[Ancient Round Table|round table]] once used by the [[Ancient Kings|ancient kings]] of [[Camelot]], which was designed to reflect their view of equality in all things.
-The known members of this new Round Table include King Arthur; [[Gwen|Queen Guinevere]]; the [[Knights of Camelot]] (including the [[Knights of the Round Table]]); and [[Gaius]], the Court Physician (''[[Arthur's Bane]]'')
+== History ==
-The Round Table was damaged and had to be repaired after [[Uther|Uther's]] [[spirit]] caused a chandelier to fall on it (''[[The Death Song of Uther Pendragon]]'').
+[[Arthur Pendragon|Arthur]] had his round table constructed in the aftermath of the [[Second Fall of Camelot]]. He frequently used it as a place to hold counsel with his [[Knights of Camelot|knights]], advisors, and other important figures (''[[Arthur's Bane]]'', ''[[The Death Song of Uther Pendragon]]'', ''[[The Hollow Queen]]'', ''[[The Diamond of the Day]]'').
+The table was damaged and had to be repaired after [[Uther Pendragon|Uther]]'s [[spirit]] caused a chandelier to fall on it (''[[The Death Song of Uther Pendragon]]'').
-Arthur and [[Sarrum]] of [[Amata]] met at the Round Table to sign a treaty that would establish an alliance between their kingdoms (''[[The Hollow Queen]]'').
+Arthur and [[Sarrum]] of [[Amata]] met at the Round Table to sign a treaty that would establish an [[Camelot-Amata Alliance|alliance]] between their kingdoms. Sarrum was [[assassin]]ated, however, before the signing could take place (''[[The Hollow Queen]]'').
-It is assumed that Arthur's successor, Guinevere, continued the tradition of the Round Table after his death (''[[The Diamond of the Day]]'').
-==Behind the Scenes==
+== Appearances ==
+;Series 5
-[[File:Props-3x13-03-2_(Maudie_Andrews).JPG|thumb|200px|Plan of the Roundtable © Maudie Andrews - shared by Paul Cripps]]
+:''[[Arthur's Bane|Arthur's Bane: Part One]]''
-* Although Art Designer for the Round Table of the Ancient Kings [http://www.filmtvproductiondesign.com/ Paul Cripps] provided seats specific to the characters with inscriptions which meaning related to either their role in relation to Arthur or their characteristics (as seen from a Round Table text picture posted at his now defunct Posterous site), for unknown reason the places are messed up in the scene, with only Arthur, Gwen, Merlin and Leon sitting at their planned spots.
+:''[[The Death Song of Uther Pendragon]]''
-** This error becomes quite evident when translating the meaning of the inscriptions (see below), and we could therefore consider this a production error, either from the director or the actors, although not a blatant one.
+:''[[The Hollow Queen]]''
+:''[[With All My Heart]]'' {{Mention}}
+:''[[The Diamond of the Day|The Diamond of the Day: Part One]]''
+== Trivia ==
+* After the Round Table was constructed between [[Series 4|series 4]] and [[Series 5|5]], the [[Knights of Camelot]] were sometimes referred to as the "Knights of the Round Table" (''[[Arthur's Bane]]'', ''[[With All My Heart]]'').
+== In the Legend ==
-* Meaning and seats at the Round Table of the Ancient Kings as originally planned by Paul Cripps, plus a [https://camelot-love.livejournal.com/852221.html?thread=19238397#t19238397 translation provided by a fan]  between brackets, counterclockwise order:
+[[File:200px-King_Arthur_and_the_Knights_of_the_Round_Table.jpg|thumb|220px|left|[[Wikipedia:King Arthur|King Arthur]]'s [[Wikipedia:Round Table|Round Table]] in [[Wikipedia:Matter of Britain|Arthurian Legend]].]]
-**'''King Arthur''' - bargu, ''main'' [possibly a mispelling of "brego" which means a royal leader, typically; chief; prince; leader]
+The '''[[Wikipedia:Round Table|Round Table]]''' was a famed circular table in [[Wikipedia:Matter of Britain|Arthurian Legend]] around which [[Wikipedia:King Arthur|King Arthur]] and his [[Wikipedia:Knights of the Round Table|Knights]] congregated. The table had no head, which implied that everyone who sat at it had equal status.
-**'''Merlin''' - drylic (drýlic), ''magic''
-**'''Leon''' - aeoling (æðeling), ''chief prince''
-**'''Lancelot''' - scamu, ''modesty'' [shame, or dishonour; literally meaning in the sense of Godly shame, or as the Old English Translator puts it, "disgrace in a good sense; modest, but in an over-the-top way]; ''such a spot made it so that Lancelot sat opposite Guinevere and in her direct eyeline''
-*** the seat is seen taken by Gwaine in the final cut of the episode
-**'''Percival''' - mægen, ''bodily strength''
-***the seat is seen taken by Elyan in the final cut of the episode
-**'''Gaius''' - ræsbora, ''leader in thought'' [possibly connected to the word "rædbora"(?) which means advisor, or counselor]
-***the seat is seen taken by Lancelot in the final cut of the episode
-**'''Gwaine''' - ellenweorc, ''heroic deed'' [literally means "strength/courage/zeal (ellen) work/action/task/achievement (weorc), a nod to how Gwaine is referred to by Grettir (''[[The Eye of the Phoenix]]'')]
-***the seat is seen taken by Percival in the final cut of the episode
-**'''Elyan''' - sfóæstnes (sóþfæstnes), ''fidelity''
-***the seat is seen taken by Gaius in the final cut of the episode; ''this would've have made Elyan sit at her sister's side''
-**'''Guinevere''' - éadlufu, ''love'' [literally means "happy (éad) love (lufu)"]
+The first written record of the Round Table appears in [[Wikipedia:Wace|Wace]]'s 1155 poem ''[[Wikipedia:Roman de Brut|Roman de Brut]]'', in which Arthur was said to have created the table to prevent quarrels among his barons, none of whom would accept a lower place than the others.
-==Trivia==
-* Unlike the table seen in ''[[The Coming of Arthur]]'', the new Round Table is located in the throne room and is much bigger in size than its original counterpart.
-**This is likely due to the fact that there are more members of the second Round Table than the original.
+In other legends, such as [[Wikipedia:Robert de Boron|Robert de Boron]]'s 1190 poem ''[[Wikipedia:Merlin (poem)|Merlin]]'', the wizard [[Wikipedia:Merlin|Merlin]] created the Round Table in imitation of the table of the [[Wikipedia:Last Supper|Last Supper]] and of [[Wikipedia:Joseph of Arimathea|Joseph of Arimathea]]'s [[Wikipedia:Holy Grail|Holy Grail]] table. This table (made for Arthur's father [[Wikipedia:Uther Pendragon|Uther Pendragon]] rather than Arthur himself), had twelve seats and one empty place to mark the betrayal of [[Wikipedia:Judas Iscariot|Judas]]. This seat was to remain empty until the coming of the knight would achieve the Grail.
+== Gallery ==
-* Curiously enough, besides Gaius and Guinevere, it appears that only knights had a seat at the Round Table of Camelot. Although this is likely a nod to the Round Table from the legends, this choice leaves out any councilor that might have been part of the Council of Camelot up to that point.
+=== Episode ===
+<gallery captionalign="left" position="center">
-==Gallery==
+Ab101.jpg
-{{Hidden|Click "show" to see the gallery.|
+Ab102.jpg
+Mordred_and_others_in_The_Death_Song_of_Uther_Pendragon_(3)-0.jpg
-===Ancient Round Table===
+Up4.jpg
-<gallery position="center" navigation="true">
+Sarrum_at_the_round_table.jpg
-x13_still_nickbriggs.jpg|[[The Coming of Arthur]] - Still
+Sarrum_at_the_round_table2.jpg
-File:The-Round-Table-merlin-on-bbc-17250074-500-272.jpg|[[The Coming of Arthur]] - Screencap
-File:M3x13TheRoundTable.jpg|[[The Coming of Arthur]] - Screencap
-File:313_1.jpg|[[The Coming of Arthur]] - Behind the scenes
-Props-3x13-03-4 (Armordillo).jpg|The prop, made by Rod Vass (armordillo.co.uk)
-Props-3x13-03-2 (Maudie Andrews).JPG|Roundtable plan by Maudie Andrews
-Merlin Crew Behind The Scenes Series 3.jpg|[[The Coming of Arthur]] - Behind the scenes
 </gallery>
-===King Arthur's Round Table===
+=== Behind the Scenes ===
-<gallery position="center" >
+<gallery captionalign="left" position="center">
-File:Ab101.jpg | [[Arthur's Bane]] - HQ still
-File:Ab102.jpg | [[Arthur's Bane]] - HQ still
-File:Mordred_and_others_in_The_Death_Song_of_Uther_Pendragon_(3)-0.jpg | [[The Death Song of Uther Pendragon]] - Behind the Scenes
-File:Up4.jpg | [[The Death Song of Uther Pendragon]] - Screencap
-File:Sarrum_at_the_round_table.jpg | [[The Hollow Queen]] - HQ still
-File:Sarrum_at_the_round_table2.jpg | [[The Hollow Queen]] - HQ still
 Gepardikinonkissa_2012-09-11-1.png|Round table and throne room set (Pierrefonds, Settember 2012). Taken by Gepardikinonkissa (now Trainingtobeaprat @ Tumblr) - ''posted with permission''
 Gepardikinonkissa_2012-09-11-2.png|Round table and throne room set (Pierrefonds, Settember 2012). Taken by Gepardikinonkissa (now Trainingtobeaprat @ Tumblr) - ''posted with permission''
 Gepardikinonkissa_2012-09-11-3.png|Close up of the Pendragon dragon on the Round table (Pierrefonds, Settember 2012). Taken by Gepardikinonkissa (now Trainingtobeaprat @ Tumblr) - ''posted with permission''
 </gallery>
-}}
+== See Also ==
-[[Category:Objects]]
+* [[Knights of Camelot]]
-[[Category:Series 3 Objects]]
+* [[Ancient Round Table]]
-[[Category:Royalty]]
+* [[Knights of the Round Table]]
+[[fr:Table Ronde Royale]]
 [[Category:Series 5 Objects]]
 [[Category:Recurring Objects]]
+[[Category:Arthur's possessions]]