PBS - In Search of Myths and Heroes Collection (2005) Part 2 Arthur The Once and Future King

Historian and author Michael Wood brings his unique mix of history, travel and adventure back to PBS in his series, “In Search of Myths & Heroes.” In this series, Wood embarks on a set of “on the ground” adventures in search of the world's most famous myths The Biblical story of Queen of Sheba, Celtic tale of King Arthur and Indian Shangri-La myth. “In Search of Myths & Heroes” sets Wood off in pursuit of these enduring myths and their roots in historical fact. Wood retraces the steps of these stories and their mythic heroes, crossing the deserts of Yemen and trekking the Himalayas. As with Wood's past PBS series – including “Conquistadors” and “In The Footsteps of Alexander the Great” – the voyage of exploration and the battle to get to the story's source is half the fun and half the excitement. Beyond the travel, history and adventure, these journeys have a deeper purpose to uncover the truth about some of history's greatest stories; stories with enduring appeal, romantic legends that are told and re-told around the world. In Wood's unique style, this is also a series about how myths take on a life and meaning of their own, inspiring, influencing (and sometimes even changing) people and cultures centuries later and geographically distant from their origins. These gripping adventures take the viewer to some of the most extraordinary places on earth, exploring stories that have captivated the world for thousands of years. Each journey opens up universal themes as Michael goes in search not only of the historical past and literal truth, but also of the mythic past and archetypal stories that reflect and have sustained human existence since the beginning of time.

Part 2 Arthur The Once and Future King

In this episode of the series, Wood explores the greatest British myth the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. King Arthur, a 5th-century Celtic monarch who battled invading Anglo-Saxons, first appears in a history of Britain written in 830. The story was expanded in the 12th-century by Geoffrey of Monmouth, who most modern historians regard as primarily a writer of fiction. The Tudors popularized Arthur further, as did the Victorians. Traveling round the Celtic world from Cornwall to Wales, Brittany, Ireland and Scotland, Wood uncovers the extraordinary story of how a shadowy Welsh freedom fighter — a Dark Age Che Guevara — became a medieval superman, and finally the model of a Christian hero. On the way we discover the real stories behind the Round Table, Excalibur, and the Holy Grail itself, the unattainable, mystical cup of Christ which has inspired poets novelists and film makers from the Middle Ages right down to Indiana Jones, Monty Python and The Da Vinci Code. Finally, in an intriguing piece of historical detective work Michael offers us a tantalizing glimpse of a historical Arthur — but in the unlikeliest of places.

Full Version Available Upon Request