The Sword in the Stone
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Just when you think the present age is going down the tubes, you discover a great rash of interest in King Arthur and things chivalric. Called the central myth of Western civilization by philosopher Joseph Campbell, the Arthurian legends surrounding the almost-mythical king of the Britons have been told in one form or another for close to 1,500 years. They gained impetus in written form when Sir Thomas Malory collected the stories in Le Morte Darthur around 1470. However, only within the last century have they appeared as adventure novels for young readers.
Now author and illustrator Hudson Talbott has created a series of picture books for even younger readers in the Tales of King Arthur. He has succeeded wonderfully. Talbott began as an illustrator of children's books, so it's not too surprising to see full-page color illustrations in each of the three books that give exactly the right feel for both large-scale, action-packed battles and the quiet moments of emotion.
But he also reveals himself as a masterful storyteller writing text that is well paced and appropriate in content for elementary children.
"I had always told stories with pictures. I began to paint with words," says Talbott.
Painting this story for little ones takes considerable sifting, given the layers of material and the need to decide what and how much to tell. The first book of the Talbott series, The Sword in the Stone(ISBN 0688094031), recounts Arthur's story from birth to coronation. In an unselfish effort to give his brother a sword for the tournament, Arthur pulls the great Pendragon sword from the stone when all others have failed and at age 16 he becomes high king of all Britain.
Alas, he learns that being king invites rebellion from jealous foes in book two, King Arthur and the Round Table(ISBN 0688113400). Arthur's counselor, the wizard Merlin, goes to France and arranges for allies. With this help, Arthur is able to defeat the hostile lords in the great battle of Bedegraine. As he surveys the bloody battlefield, he meets Lady Guinevere for the first time as she tends the wounded. Arthur is smitten, but they do not meet again until Arthur leads troops to defend his ally King Leodegrance in Cameliard. After the victory, Arthur discovers Guinevere is the King's daughter, they are married, and Arthur establishes the Knights of the Round Table who pledge themselves in a bond of brotherhood. "May the deeds of each bring honor to us all," concludes the book.
Excalibur (ISBN 0688133800) is Talbott's most recent book in the series. Not written on so large a scale and covering a shorter period of time than the two previous titles, it portrays the myth surrounding Merlin's helping Arthur acquire the much-fabled sword Excalibur. Ostensibly about Arthur's gaining a new weapon, the story portrays Merlin's role as teacher and a young man's struggle to find wisdom. "Greatness lives in one who knows how to learn from victory or defeat and goes on to carry out his duty," he tells a dejected Arthur.
Talbott's King Arthur stories read well aloud, but listeners will want to see the illustrations as they hear the story. Fortunately, the books are in a large format so more than one viewer can look and listen at the same time. Talbott does raise a few questions with his artistic interpretation, especially his presentation of the Round Table in the form of a giant wheel of the zodiac. This seems unlikely since one of the goals of the knights of the Round Table was to find the Holy Grail, and the empty chair at the table was reserved for the knight who could find the cup Jesus was said to have used at the Last Supper. According to legend, it was Lancelot's son, Sir Galahad, who at last found the Grail and won the seat. Talbott at least hints at this version when he refers to the empty chair as "reserved for the purest knight who would one day come to Camelot," which may also be a hint of more picture books to come from Talbott on this great myth.
For older readers, fantasy writer T.A. Barron has begun a trilogy recreating the youth of the wizard Merlin in The Lost Years of Merlin (ISBN 0399230181, ages 8 and up). Barron first wrote about the Welsh bard and magician in The Merlin Effect, one of the titles in his recent Heartlight trilogy. A modern time-travel novel for middle-grade readers, it combines Arthurian myth, genetics, and oceanography. Perhaps Barron really began his research when he was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford from 1974 to 1977. He insists that he is not "writing down" to kids, but he has built-in young reader barometers since his own children range from ten years to ten months in age.
"I felt the tapestry of Merlin had a hole in it," Barron said in a recent conversation. "I wanted to develop his young life based on what we read about him as Arthur's advisor and on my own imagination. A quest motif has to have an adventure but it needs more -- the connection between the past and the present. A good story has to feel true."
The Lost Years of Merlin begins when a strange boy washes ashore on the coast of Wales with no memory, no home, and no name. He quickly determines to find his real home and true name. During his early years he is cared for by the mysterious woman Branwen who claims to be his mother. She teaches him lore of the Celts, Druids, and healing arts of people even more ancient, but she refuses to tell him anything about his past.
To discover his identity and the secret of his powers, he runs away to the isle of Fincayra, an enchanted land between earth and sky that is being destroyed by blight. A hawk, which Merlin soon names Trouble, attaches itself to his shoulder, and plays a major role in this adventure-shrouded quest. Merlin meets the forest girl Rhia, the brave little Shim, and the wicked Rhita Gawr as he tries to solve the riddle of the Dance of the Giants and find the truth of his personal quest.
Barron believes that the 1,500-year-old legendary character of Merlin stands for the fact that all beings have a destiny they never aspired to, and it's important to give that notion of aspiration to today's kids. "Even when you're setting out to do something, there's something else happening," says Barron. "Nature has marvelous power to renew an individual." So too do the legends and myths of old, especially those surrounding King Arthur.
Etta Wilson is Children's Book Editor of this publication.
©1996, ProMotion, inc.