In Search of the Legendary King Arthur: More Than a Myth?
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
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Saw the video length and had to double check King Arthur hadn't done something to put him on the casual criminalist
😂😂😂😂😂 same
😂😂
The King is named Chuck
I’d watch that😂
Repressing peasants named Dennis
The real historic King Arthur clunked around England with his coconuts in search of the Holy Grail and met his end when the police arrested him.
I see you are a fellow learnéd scholar of the historic arts
I came here to post a quote and saw the comments were filled with them. Good stuff
How many officer he took whit him tho?
And faught against the most fowl and terrible beast
@@skrawny-clown-snatcherofth8651 and learned a lot about swallows!
“You can’t expect to wield supreme power just cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!”
😂🤌
SHUT UP! I ORDER YOU TO BE QUIET!
Yeah I don’t understand Simon’s disdain for MP.. I always chalked him off as someone with a sense of humour similar to mine but he’s say off with his synopsis of that
Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!
@@lemonlily4022really wish that was as mythical a statement as the MP line. 😂
The ages of Simon’s kids have accidentally turned into a strange gauge of how long I’ve been regularly listening to his content. Because surely she was 2 just last week?! 😂
Makba poko.
Same but I feel like I remember him mentioning not having children ages ago 😮
Must have been last week, because wasn't it just last month when he was always ragging on UA-camrs who constantly talk about their kids? 🤣
King Arthur is real! When I worked on cast at a medieval fair when I was 14 I got to work with him and Queen gwenevere and Sir Lancelot! They're all real
I can Also testify to this, i even saw lancelot and arthur snort magical white powder off of gweneveres stomach. They even gave me 500 euroes each in return of me never mentioning it, to their boss, making them caring royalty, what whit donating some of their kingly wealth to poor me, just sad that apperantly their kingdom, might have some corporate guy controlling eavrything, meaning unregulated capatitalism was enemy even in their time.
Crows and ravens not only use tools they have been seen to take nuts and drop them in a cross walk. Wait for cars to drive over them to crack them. When the light turns red they will go down to eat the nuts and then do it again.
Add to that, there are also crows and ravens that will consistently give coins (and other shiny, metal objects) to a person that feeds them in exchange for food. This requires some training, but it is definitely possible.
Hey Simon, you are right, crows or corvids to be specific, can have the intelligence up to a child of 7 years of age. It depends on the corvid and probably genes of course, but most corvids are able to use tools and work out puzzles. They also are known to not just remember a persons face, but will pass it on to their children. So... not to scare your daughter, but you might want to teach her that crows are friends not enemies.
1 trained me to give him my cashew granola bar. 1-2 days a week he'd see me park at work, fly to sit on the powerline above my car and caw 3x. I always had granola so I'd leave him a piece. And he'd eat as I walked away. Spring came and he brought his mate and would guard her as he let his lady eat 1st standing sentinel directly between her and I. Months passed without them and then one morning they were back to introduce thier little one to the lady who has granola in times of hunger. Such smart loving birds.
@@dianagarlock3094 That's very sweet. Sometimes I'm tempted to try to make friends with my local corvids, but my location isn't really ideal for that.
@@MsMorriI’m on a similar thing right now 😂😂
Settle down, Poindexter
I just watched that short or it was a video like 2 days ago wow awesome world
The cool thing about King Arthur, whether or not he was a historical figure, or a composite of multiple historical figures, or simply made up, is that he has continued to play a part in the world and in the minds of people across time and across cultures. The fact that we continue to talk about him, regardless of whether he existed, shows how important he was and is to people both past and present.
King Arthur represents our yearning for a True King to whom we can swear our fealty.
@@Tina06019or yearning for a just, fair and peaceful society.
Sounds like Jesus too lol
Truly, never thought of it that way...FlyEaglesFly!!!!!😮😊😂🎉😇🤗
The fact that you would rather be in the real world than a fantasy one means there is a high chance you have had a relatively stable and happy life. Sadly, not a lot of people hit that kind of jackpot. So if someone does prefer a fantasy world, there is a good chance they are suffering far more in the real one 😢.
I have a mild hypothesis that the legend of the sword in the stone is an allegory about metallugry, smelting in particular with triple credit for steel - as the process could be loosely described as kings pulling swords from stone if your culture is used to having to find native copper and tin to cast into bronze
Oooh, very cool. My favorite about this is that the Arthurian myth cycle overall deals with the Fall of Rome (475) and then the great famine started in 536, a mere 50 years later, by volcanic eruptions. By the end of the myth, Arthur's kindgom has become a wasteland. So the heart of the story is the spread of Christianity after the fall of Rome while looking back at a golden age of prosperity.
Settle down, Poindexter
That hypothesis has been explored in some documentaries I have watched.
That's Pinocchio that you were thinking of. However, Dumbo is also terrifying. As a little kid it scared me so badly I didn't rewatch it until I was 14. His drunken nightmare of pink elephants on parade was nightmare fuel to me.
Yeah, I was thinking of that scene when Simon was talking about it, until he started talking about boys turning into donkeys, then I yelled "You mean Pinocchio, Simon!"
He literally corrected himself. People like you piss me off
Fantasia is a weird cheese dream
Don’t worry an American tourist killed Dumbo on safari. Took its head home to Tennessee and hung it on the wall next to her MAGA hat 😂
Sounds to me like Simon's mad the sword he got from a watery tart didn't grant him any real authority on what's funny.
That character in the Holy Grail movie was absolutely right, though. That is no basis for a system of government.
The day Simon dies, aliens will show humans where Atlantis is with Bigfoot sitting on the beach with a margarita.
And a ghost as the bartender 😂
Listen, we all know bigfoot’s on the same island as biggie and tupac.
Love that Danny gave a shout out to David Mitchell’s Unruly. I just finished listening to audiobook a month ago.
Edit: and Simon’s shout out to crows!
If you want a great modern fast food/ancient wonder mash up, there's a Pizza Hut in Egypt with a great view of the pyramids.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet, but the reference to Sonic the Hedgehog in the intro is made even funnier due to the fact that there is a Sonic game based around the legend of King Arthur 😂
Michael Crawford! The original London and Broadway Phantom of the Opera. (The O.G. O.G....IFKYK). Probably why Simon can't recognize his face! (Maybe if he covered half of it) I am dying!!😂
He was also the lead in Disney's first attempt at a superhero movie, Condorman.
Oh man, 😂. I love me some King Arthur, was not expecting a Michael Crawford tangent.
Huge Phantom fan, btw. This really tickled me.
Simon doesn't like musicals. Sad, huh?
"Some mothers do have 'em" was a 1970s sitcom. Very popular in its day. Simon's possibly not old enough to know it.
6:58 Yeah, your daughter better not piss off the crows,they also remember humans that they dislike and take revenge… They’re crafty little buggers.
But they're also apparently smart enough to know that baby humans are particularly dumb, because they don't usually hold a grudge against them.
Has comedy really evolved? The Monty Python joke is a smart joke about how ridiculous historical systems of government were created vs the will of the people to self govern. Poop funny - haha seems like a step back honestly...
I appreciate the Talking Heads nods, Danny
Arthur II, King of Glamorgan & Gwent (Wales) is the Round Table King. He is listed by name in the Harleian 3859 which is kept in the British Museum and they still won't recognize him, his lineage (also well documented) or the Ancient Welsh Kingdoms. Anyone interested in the real history of King Arthur, the work by Alan Wilson & Baram Blackett is the way to go and "The Holy Kingdom" by Adrian Gilbert is a great starting book.
"If I said I was King because some watery tart lobbed a scimitar at me they locked me up for a loon
This time of night, I can guarantee that after work tomorrow, i will be trying to find the point where I fell asleep. Thanks Simon 🙄😄
Same
yep
"Madam, I am not disappeared. I am very tiny. I am a germ. I am called 'malagaliteropterosis,' _and you caught me, Mim!"_
The version of the legend I heard is that Excalibur was given to him by the Lady of the Lake to replace the sword in the stone after it was destroyed in battle.
Simons take on Monty Python and the Holy Grail is his hottest take yet.
Simon doing everything in his power to avoid saying “Historical Fiction”
I lived in England as a kid in the 70's. Michael Crawford was really popular. He had a sitcom called "Some Mothers Do 'ave 'em," which used to make my dad laugh his ass off. He was a slapstick comic actor who did moron type characters. I also went to Pantomimes a couple of times in London. They were awesome (for Americans: it's not mime, it's plays with comedy sketches and songs and stuff). I went on school field trips (I lived in East Anglia). I also went and saw King Arthur's round table hanging on a wall in some old castle. They straight up tell you it's fake, but it's an OLD fake, like 10th Century.
Its a shame that you entirely missed the original mythtory
Arthur Pendragon (welsh,. High dragon= great leader etc) is indubitably Welsh, as is Merlin, son of the welsh shaman Taliesin, and he marries Gwynyfyr (Guinevere) a totally Welsh name. The isle of 'Avalon' is probably Anglesea (Ynys Mon) and the name Isle of Avalon is in fact Ynys Afallon = isle of apple trees. Camelot is possibly from the Welsh Caer=castle plus another word whose meaning has been lost
The original mention is in the Mabigonion,
Later rubbish is a medieval invention especially see Chretien de Troyes. and Geoffrey of Monmouth.
What we see is a dark age welsh bardic tale, possibly based on a real individual but embellished with a bit of magical spice, then taken up sanitized and christianized in the post Norman period of anglo-french romance, And finally turned into Hollywood kitsch
Archeology on the border of history and mythology:
Someone found Troy.
The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, that's the qoute simon
I love all the Arthurian legend stuff since I was a kid and I now have the phrase "Guinevere's Tarts" and "Merlin's Cave" living in my head as some sort of themed strip club. Someone make this happen. 😂
I appreciate the Talking Heads chapter titles 😊
Simon, just so you know, for some of us fantasy is the only bright spot in a bleak existence. For me in particular, it was an escape in my teen years from abuse and neglect. Not everyone that enjoys it had such a traumatic reason, but keep that in mind when you bash on fantasy.
Tell me you're British without saying you're British. "A 20 mile trip is a full days trip"
Laughs in Texan
We need a time travel movie where Arthur's just some dude with an AK
I can see the scene now, preparing for the final battle with Mordred, Arthur is preparing for his fight when Merlin walks in,
Merlin: "Praise my King, for today is the day that secures your ascension. For, in the far off future, is the day you are immortalized as a cute anime girl!"
Arthur: ".....What?"
"Tight" comes from the old saying to "tie one on", to get drunk.
Heyo, currently finishing up a joint honors degree in history and archeology at the University of Aberdeen. The preponderance of evidence weighs in favor of there having been a historical itinerant preacher in Galilee named Jesus (as it has been transliterated from Greek) who was crucified by the Roman authorities. Everything else, not so much.
Yeah, someone who was raised Catholic (but has since left the faith) this is my understanding of who Jesus was. A preacher that was possibly trying to make a difference for his people, and got on the wrong side of the Romans. The rest... well, everyone loves a good story.
As your assistant shift manager of this location of Starbucks, I just want to welcome you, and the entire class, of the most recent joint honor degree graduates in the fields of history and archeology from the University of Aberdeen, as our newest class of employees in our assistant milk frothing department… within the next five years of your career here at Starbucks, may you all advance to the esteemed position of assistant coffee ground scoopers in aid of facilitating in the brewing process!!! 👏 👏 👏
that in turn speaks to the existence of Arthur, the name likely sprang from somewhere, but again, the rest ... not so much.
Its not been proven tho, that jesus ever walked the earth especially considering the whole story could be fabricated at this point he could have been put on cross that was recently found in scotland now that doesn't fit the bible does it
@@MsMorriwell considering being cathlic the religion was changed by the romans so you dont actually follow the original cathlicism, not to mention being proud of being part of the most disgusting institution in the world is nothing you should mention
Michael Crawford is very big fish. He was the original Phantom of the Opera in London and they won a Tony for it. I highly recommend the recording. The character Christine Daae is played by Sarah Brightman. That cast was ridiculous.
Simon coming after Monty Python AND Tolkien in the same video…. the nerds are gonna be at your throat after this one 😂 😭
Danny writes the best scripts...can't wait!
"Getting tight" for getting drunk may have born in the 1920s, but it was still fairly common in the late 1980s early 1990s. Don't think I've heard it sine then. Words can surprise us!
I do think he was a real person and I think a couple of Danny’s points reinforce this. But it obviously was nothing like the stories lol
When he says, 'Obviously' . . . I hear it in the same voice as, "Allegedly."
Star Trek is literally just fantasy with a coat of space paint.
"What did the Roman ever do for us"🤣🤣🤣🤣
4:18 There is a round table at Winchester Castle but I believe it was created later on in honour to the legend. It was cool to see though, well worth a visit!
My boss made the mistake of giving me youtube access, so now I rotate Decoding the Unknown in my store all day! Hope it gives y'all some subs. Keep it up!
DECODE MY BRAIN, FACTBOI
Arimathea - (A-rah-mah-thee-ya) hear you say it is a trigger!! 😂😂😂
it would be helpful if he checked the pronunciations occasionally 😊
@@doctornova3015how should you say ' holy hand grenade of Antioch' ?
Michael Crawford while known for Some Mothers Do Have Em, is actually an incredible singer, and his run as Barnum was amazing
Phantom of the Opera? Or his magnum opus ... Condorman!?
I like that they put Arthur and Merlin stuff in stargate season 9 and 10
Fun fact for you Simon. For a few decades now the CIA does indeed burn most of their shredded stuff and actually uses the heat from those furnaces as part of their heating loop.
I definitely need more of these light stories to just listen to. You and Your whole team are brilliant Simon.
@39:29 doing some quick napkin math... if you give each person 4 feet of table room, that does indeed make the diameter of that table roughly 2k feet. Or about half a mile. Spot on.
When whistle said Merlin's cave I immediately giggled too
Oh God...I'm the same age as Simon...we ARE rapidly approaching middle age. THANK FOR THE REMINDER, SIMON.
if you think about it, "middle age" is just a social construct. some people reach their "middle age" at 15. we all can die at any moment :)
18:42 umm pun intended? Starting all the way back at the big bang and all. Lol
Perfect timing! I’m so excited about this. Let’s gooooooo
Jesus and the last summer, think I missed that bible verse
A lot of people don't know that Monty Python is actually short for Monterey Python Programming Language
Pantomime horse is a reference to Monty Python.
I’m guessing Danny is a Talking Heads fan?
Simon, you and me, both!
I was sooo afraid of Dumbos transfusion! My parents still bring it up, that and Pinocchio...
This is coming from a country that voted to name an advanced research vessel ‘boaty McBoatface. I’m surprised Arthur ranked as low as he did, and I’m even more surprised he wasn’t beaten by other famous brits like Dumbledore or Alfred Pennyworth
The name Boaty McBoatface is naught but comedy of the highest quality how dare you sir
You can't go around, calling yourself King just because some Watery Tart threw a Sword at you!
Another great script from Danny.
I hope Danny tries to expense his house.
I feel dumb, but I had no clue who Roger Federer was/is.
The T H White novel is called The Once and Future King. The Disney movie alone had the other name.
'The Sword in the Stone' by T.H. White was originally published as a stand-alone novel in 1938 before being included in the collection of work that made up 'The Once and Future King' in 1958.
Was sat here wandering how Danny was going to stretch this out for two hours, look at the time and there was only fifteen minutes left 👌
NEW DTU YEAH
BY DANNY YEAH
SUPER LONG YEAH!!!!
Yeah, that's Pinocchio, and it scared me as a kid, too! The specific scene you mentioned is that exact scene that scared me as well.
I have been to Tintagel. I quite enjoyed it, the ruins are pretty cool. The caves are more like a tunnel that goes from the bay and leads to the ocean on the other side depending on the tide. It was a bit of a pain to get there by public transit but worth it.
Note in case you visit: some people were swimming near the caves underneath the ruins. I didn't because it was cold. Later I was speaking to someone locals who told me that the tide comes in rather fast and can catch tourists by surprise, causing accidents.
Hasnt it recently been proven that Tintagel is a lot older, theres been several different stages of occupation found
If you've never heard of Michael Crawford, but you've seen WALL:E, you've seen something Michael Crawford was in. He's the guy in the old musical film (Hello Dolly!) which you hear at various moments in the film, even from the start "Out there, there's a world outside of Yonkers, Barnaby" and he's the guy dancing in the old movie (again it's Hello Dolly!) singing "Put on your Sunday clothes".
To be fair, Dan Brown didn't originate his foundations for his novels, he took existing topics and expanded on them.
14:40 there’s a chipotle in one of the oldest buildings in Boston
Built in 1718
11:50 Have you possible considered your love of Star Trek is the same as a persons love of Tolkein stuff?
Exactly what I wanted to say. Star Trek engages us in fantasy which some of us love.
And Tolkien also can engage us totally in a well written fantasy.
I love both and no idea why Simon would disdain one over the other.
Came here to say this 😂
5:23 Pinocchio. You mean Pinocchio. But you always called it "Dumbo" (most likely because the wood-for-brains main character was a dumbo).
1:09:40 I heard of ravens and vultures; buzzards sometimes eat carcasses, but it's often from small-to-medium-sized animals (at least everywhere else).
Michael Crawford was the original Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. He was in the same cast as Sarah Brightman, who played Christine.
There are so many great British slang expressions in this episode, I wish they were compiled somehow.
56:57 I’m from Winchester, Va, their sister town. There’s always a representative that visits from the UK during our annual festival.
G'day Simon, I always assumed that Arthur was a Celtic warlord and not a king. He stopped the expansion of the Angels, the Saxons, and to a lesser extent, the Jukes.
I happy that Danny finally came to that conclusion, and I'm prepared to accept that Arthur may be an amalgamation of Celtic, or Romanised Britons, warlords.
Here's one for Danny to sink his teeth into, the history of Drake drum! 😁
For the Poem, it's a great assumption for it to be post 9th century. It's a simple Bayesian statistics problem. Since there is more work written post 9th of his life, your odds of plucking a random thing that mentions Arthur and it being post 9th century are infinitly greater.
The Budapest Train Station McDonalds is actually inside of the former Royal waiting room, and its indeed very fancy
The only king Arthur's round table I remember visiting is the one in the lake district near Penrith... it's confirmed to be part of a prehistoric henge structure, but they called it Arthur's round table because it's a big built up earthen circle that Arthur apparently used as a jousting arena 😂
Anyone else a bit suspicious as to why Simon was researching paper shredders?
I’m so glad the rumors of Danny’s demise were largely premature
wasn’t expecting both Gwynevere AND Artorias in this video
I am surprised that no one has mentioned that British Spitfire fighters in WWII used Merlin engines.
The T.H. White novels are really good. Well written, intelligent, fun, charming, and wise. I think most people would like them.
Before watching this, I have seen a great video by another UA-camr about this topic named Cambrian Chronicles. I think it’s very obvious that ‘King Arthur’ does exist as a character. Could there be a great warrior, even named Arthur, who was so amazing he was written about. Sure. But it’s likely a story developed from some historical figure and given a name and different story. Also, the Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell are a rly cool book series about a historical fiction involving King Arthur.
The ledgend of Arthur was tacked on to the kedgend of Merlin, also known as Myrddin Wyllt, Merlin Caledonensis, or Merlin Sylvestrus lived from about 540 to August 584. He is a figure from Welsh legend who served as a bard before ending his days as a madman, prophet and mystic in the forests of Tweeddale in the Scottish Borders... and is way older than the ledgend of Arthur
He who is tired of Monty Python is tired of life
34:59 my actual high school year book senior quote
Danny...
Please actually speak to him and get the whole 'Tintagel' name said correctly...!!!???
Been a while since I was there... It's amazing!!!
(Get Simon to give me a chance in the basement please...???!!!)
I was looking around on Google Maps one day and I found out that in British Columbia, Canada there's legit several mountains named after Tolkein or Lord of The Rings characters... Like Tolkein has his own mountain, Aragorn iirc has his own mountain, Gandalf has his own mountain, then there's some others... And like as I was finding this out I was just thinking "What kind of Lord of The Rings fan went out exploring and naming all these mountains?"
That whole Harry Potter thing he talks about in the beginning sounds like maybe people were practicing lucid dreaming to have dreams (that they could control) about being in the Harry Potter world. You can attempt to teach yourself to lucid dream, or it can just kinda happen (especially if you're falling back asleep in the early morning). Personally, if I find myself lucid dreaming, I prefer to guide things towards more *ahem* adult fantasy worlds, but to each their own I guess.