Tales of the Table Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arthur

Legends say that King Arthur led the Britons in their attempts to repel the invasions of the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. Perhaps you have heard the story about how Arthur became King of Britain by pulling a sword out of a stone?! Arthur was first mentioned in "Historia Brittonum" in the 9th century; one of the stories told that he fought in the Battle of Badon, where he killed 960 men all by himself!

Some modern historians believe that Camelot, King Arthur's castle and surrounding manor, could have been a real place. They believe Tintagel Castle, located in Cornwall, may have been his home.

Answer: It was round.

Although legends of the king of Camelot date back to earlier sources, the first mention of the king's use of a round table was made by Robert Wace in 1155. Wace noted that the use of the round table was to prevent quarrels among the barons. While the English poet Layamon (c. 12th/13th centuries) claimed that the table would seat twelve people, later stories said that as many as 150 knights could be seated there.

Answer: False

When a rectangular table is used, there is typically a place set at the head of the table where the leader sits. When fighting broke out at Camelot, it was obvious to the king that he would need to do something that sat everyone at the same level, so he decided to use a table that was round.

This way, everyone who came to sit at the table had the same equal status - even the king! The table came to represent life in Camelot, as well as the type of behavior code that people who served the king there were expected to follow.

Answer: Merlin

Merlin first appeared as a Welsh seer and poet named Myrddin Wyllt; Geoffrey of Monmouth first wrote about Merlin's deeds in his "Prophetić Merlini" sometime around 1130, however, a few years later Merlin's stories were also included in Monmouth's "Historia Regum Britanniae".

Although there is no evidence that the character was anything but legendary, the stories were very popular and others wrote about him too. "Merlin", written by Robert de Boron c. 1200, states that Merlin, who is described as a magician, built the table for the king's father, Uther Pendragon, and based its design on the table used by Jesus at the Last Supper.

Answer: Chivalry

The code of chivalry was supposed to govern the behavior of medieval knights, however, it must be stated that over time it has been highly idealized, and people normally fall short of the high expectations. The code was based on Christian virtues and covered the knight's behavior on and off the battlefield. Rules included the knight's behavior toward women, as well as bravery and loyalty. If a knight failed to uphold the rules of chivalry, he was disgraced publicly, and could even be placed in a coffin and taken to a funeral service because he was dead to honor.

According to legends, the knights of the king of Camelot were held to a particularly high standard and had to promise in an oath to uphold the ideals of chivalry. These knights kept the peace at Camelot and, from time to time, went on special quests.

Answer: It was left open for the purest knight.

According to Robert de Boron, the king's wizard built the table on the model that was used by Jesus at the Last Supper. The wizard specified that a chair had to be left open in order to symbolize the betrayal of Judas. Only the knight with the purest heart would be allowed to sit there. Consequently, this chair became known as the "Siege Perilous" or "Dangerous Chair", because anyone who sat it in and did not have a pure heart would die instantly. Some stories say that the king's wizard kept the seat open for the knight who went on a quest and found the Holy Grail, the cup that Jesus used during the Last Supper.

By the way, the king's wizard was given a seat at the table, as he was considered to be one of his most trusted advisors. A chair, therefore, did not have to be left open for him.

Answer: Tournament

Because medieval people tried to copy the lives of those who lived at Camelot, they held tournaments that were called Round Tables, named after the famous table of the king. Round Tables included many different activities, such as eating, dancing, and jousting - with blunt weapons, of course! The first such tournament was held in 1223 to celebrate the knighting of a Crusader's son; it is well known that King Edward I held two tournaments to celebrate his wedding and a great military victory. He even is credited with having a table made, an artifact that is called the Winchester Round Table today.

Answer: Galahad

Actually there are two knights considered to be perfect - Galahad or Perceval - depending on the story. The perfect knight had a pure heart and never committed a crime or even thought about violating the code or doing anything that was wrong. When arriving at Camelot as an adult, Galahad was taken to the empty chair at the king's table and survived its test.

He subsequently became the leader of the knights in their search for the Holy Grail.

Answer: False

In one version of the story, the king of Camelot married Guinevere, the daughter of King Leodegrance of Cameliard, who had been entrusted by Uther Pendragon to hold the special table and keep it safe for his son. The king of Camelot, then, received the table as a gift at his wedding.

Although legends note that he did ask Guinevere for advice from time to time, she was never allowed to sit at the table.

Answer: Charlemagne

There are two biographies of Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, that mention the use of a special table - "Vita Caroli" (c. 817-830) by his biographer, Einhard, and "De Carolo Magno" (884-887) by Notker the Stammerer. Both descriptions of the table say that it was embellished with a map of Rome. Did Robert Wace know about these works and perhaps read them before he wrote "Roman de Brut"? It is possible, as his work was based on "Historia Regum Britanniae", written by Geoffrey of Monmouth and shows that he did do a bit of reading!