Arthurian Legend - Sources
Alliterative Morte Arthure | c. 1400?
A poem, composed in Middle English, consisting of 4346 lines and dealing with Arthur's Roman war, Mordred's rebellion and Arthur's final battle.
Annales Cambriae | Tenth century
A set of Welsh annals which mention the battles of Badon and Camlann, and also that Arthur and Mordred fell in the battle of Camlann.
Arthur and Gorlagon | Thirteenth century
A Latin work which features a werewolf.
Arthour and Merlin | Fourteenth century
English poem.
Birth of Arthur | Fourteenth century
A Welsh work which gives unusual details about Arthur's family.
Black Book of Carmarthen | Twelfth century
Manuscript containing Arthurian poems.
Bonedd yr arwr and Mostyn MS 117
Manuscripts containing geneaological material also reproduced in Bartrum.
Childe Rowland
A medieval Scottish ballad telling of the rescue of Arthur's daughter, Ellen, from an Otherworld prison by her brother Rowland. The ballad is quoted (or perhaps misquoted) by Shakespeare.
Claris et Laris | Thirteenth century
French verse romance.
Culhwch and Olwen | Pre-eleventh century
A complex and possibly incomplete Welsh romance, part of the Mabinogion, telling of Culhwch's attempts to carry out various tasks in order to win the hand of Olwen.
De Ortu Waluuanii
A Latin romance of uncertain date, concerning the adventures of Gawain as a young man.
Didot Perceval | c. 1200
A French prose romance telling of Percival's quest for the Grail.
Dream of Rhonabwy
A Welsh romance in the Mabinogion.
Due Tristani | 1551
An Italian romance which gives details of the son and daughter of Tristan and Iseult.
Durmart le Gallois | Thirteenth century
French romance in which the hero, Durmart, loves the Queen of Ireland.
Eachtra an Mhadra Mhaoil
An Irish prose romance about an unfortunate Indian prince transformed into a dog.
Elucidation
A prologue in French to Chrétien's Le conte de graal, 484 lines long.
Enfances Gauvain | Thirteenth century
A French poem.
Estoire del Sainte Graal | Thirteenth century
A French romance, part of the Vulgate Version.
Floriant et Florete | Thirteenth century
A French poetic romance whose hero, Floriant, is the fosterling of Morgan Le Fay. It tells of his love for Florete, daughter of the Byzantine emperor.
Garel von dem blühenden Tal | Thirteenth century
A German poetic romance written by an obscure author, known as Der Pleier, who was perhaps of Austrian provenance.
Gereint and Enid | Twelfth century(?)
A Welsh romance in the Mabinogion. It is based on Chrétien's Erec et Enide, substituting a native hero for Erec.
Gest of Sir Gawain | Thirteenth century
An English verse romance which survives in a fragmentary condition.
Historia Meriadoci
A Latin romance, of uncertain date, which tells of the adventures of Prince Meriadoc of Wales, foster son of Kay.
Hunbaut | Thirteenth century
A French verse romance dealing with the adventures of Hunbaut and, more particularly, Gawain.
Huon de Bordeaux | Thirteenth century
A French poem.
Huth-Merlin
An alternative name for the Suite du Merlin.
King Arthur and King Cornwall | Sixteenth century
An English ballad featuring Arthur and the Sorcerer, King Cornwall.
Lancelot of the Laik | Fifteenth century
Anonymous Scottish romance in verse. Layamon (fl. 1200). A priest who lived in Worcestershire, and author of the Anglo-Saxon Brut, which contains much Arthurian material.
Livre d'Artus
A French continuation of Robert de Boron Merlin.
Lybius Desconus | Fourteenth century
An English poem.
Mabinogion
A Welsh work. Properly speaking, the Mabinogion comprises four romances - Pwyll, Branwen, Manawyden and Math - which are not Arthurian; but, by extension, editions of the Mabinogion include the Arthurian works entitled Gereint and Enid, Culhwch and Olwen, Owain, Peredur and the Dream of Rhonabwy. Lady Guest's edition also included the story of Taliesin.
Meriadeuc | Thirteenth century
A French verse romance.
Merveilles de Rigomer | Thirteenth century
A French verse romance, by an obscure poet named Jehan, which tells of the adventures of Lancelot and Gawain.
Moriaen | Thirteenth century
A Dutch romance dealing with Aglovale's son Moriaen and with the adventures of Lancelot and Gawain.
Mort Artu
Part of the French Vulgate Version of Arthurian romance.
Morte Arthure | c. 1400
A poem in Middle English by Thomas Heywood.
Mule sans Frein | Twelfth century
A French poem featuring Gawain. The author's name is given as Paien de Maisieres, but this may be a pseudonym.
Orlando Furioso
An Italian Carolingian romance featuring some Arthurian romance, written by Ludovico Ariosto.
Owain | Thirteenth century(?)
A Welsh prose romance in the Mabinogion, about Owain the son of Urien.
Perceforest | Fourteenth century
A French romance describing the early history of Britain, including a fictious invasion by Alexander the Great.
Perlesvaus | Thirteenth century
A French prose romance of the Grail.
Petit Brut
A French chronicle by Rauf de Boun.
Preiddeu Annwfn | c. AD 900
An early Welsh poem, supposedly written by Taliesin, describing an expedition by Arthur to the Otherworld.
Prophécies de Merlin | Thirteenth century
A French work, supposedly written by Richard of Ireland.
Prose Lancelot | Thirteenth century
A French work, part of the Vulgate Version of Arthurian romance.
Prose Merlin
A name given to two medieval romances about the wizard, one English and one French.
Queste del Sainte Graal | Thirteenth century
A French romance, perhaps written by a Cistercian, dealing with the Grail Quest and introducing Galahad as the main Grail hero.
The Red Book of Hergest | Fourteenth century
Manuscripts containing the Mabinogion cycle.
Rigomer
See Merveilles de Rigomer.
Sir Gawain and the Carl of Carlisle | c. 1400
An English romance. A later version was called the Carl of Carlisle (sixteenth century). Both are incomplete.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | c. 1400
A celebrated English poem dealing with the theme of the beheading contest, perhaps connected originally with a fertility ritual. A later, much inferior, version was The Green Knight (c. 1500).
Sir Perceval of Galles | Fourteenth century
An English romance which tells the story of Perceval without featuring the Grail.
Stanzaic Morte Arthur | Fourteenth century(?)
An English poem, of 3969 lines, dealing with the latter part of Arthur's career.
Suite du Merlin | Thirteenth century
A French prose romance, one of the manuscripts of which is sometimes called the Huth-Merlin.
Tavola ritonda | Fourteenth century
An Italian romance dealing with a considerable number of Arthurian stories.
Triads
A collection of Welsh verse, listing things in groups of three, and containing much Arthurian material. Two sets of Triads are accepted as genuine, but a third set has been the subject of some controversy.
Tristano Panciatochiano | Fourteenth century
An Italian Tristan romance.
Tristano Riccardiano | Thirteenth century
An Italian Tristan romance.
Tristram's Saga | 1266
A Norwegian romance.
Turk and Gawain | c. 1500
An English poem about Gromer, who has been changed into a Turk by magic, but who is disenchanted by Gawain.
Walewein | Thirteenth century(?)
A Middle Dutch Gawain romance by Penninc and Pieter Vostaert.
The White Book of Rhydderch | Fourteenth century
Manuscripts containing the Mabinogion cycle.