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Wasteland (mythology)
The Wasteland is a Celtic motif that ties the barrenness of a land with a curse that must be lifted by a hero. It occurs in Irish mythology and French Grail romances, and hints of it may be found in the Welsh ''Mabinogion''. An example from Irish literature occurs in the ''Echtrae Airt meic Cuinn'' (Echtra, or adventure in the Otherworld The concept of an otherworld in historical Indo-European religion is reconstructed in comparative mythology. Its name is a calque of ''orbis alius'' (Latin for "other Earth/world"), a term used by Lucan in his description of the Celtic Otherworld ..., of Art mac Cuinn). Recorded in the 14th century but likely taken from an older oral tradition, ''Echtrae Airt meic Cuinn'' is nominally about Art, though the adventures of his father Conn of the Hundred Battles take up the first part of the narrative. Conn is High King of Ireland, but his land turns to waste when he marries the wicked Bé Chuille, Bé Chuma, an unacceptable action for the king. H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Celtic Mythology
Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed a polytheistic religion, having many gods and goddesses. The mythologies of continental Celtic peoples, such as the Gauls and Celtiberians, did not survive their conquest by the Roman Empire, the loss of their Celtic languages and their subsequent conversion to Christianity. Only remnants are found in Greco-Roman sources and archaeology. Most surviving Celtic mythology belongs to the Insular Celtic peoples (the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland; the Celtic Britons of western Britain and Brittany). They preserved some of their myths in oral lore, which were eventually written down by Christian scribes in the Middle Ages. Irish mythology has the largest written body of myths, followed by Welsh mythology. The supernatural race called the Tuatha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Percival
Percival (, also spelled Perceval, Parzival), alternatively called Peredur (), was one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. First mentioned by the French author Chrétien de Troyes in the tale ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'', he is best known for being the original hero in the quest for the Grail, before being replaced in later English and French literature by Galahad. Etymology and origin The earliest reference to Perceval is in Chrétien de Troyes's first Arthurian romance ''Erec et Enide'', where, as "Percevaus Welsh person, li Galois" (Percevaus of Wales), he appears in a list of Arthur's knights; in another of Chrétien's romances, ''Cligés'', he is a "renowned vassal" who is defeated by the knight Cligés in a tournament. He then becomes the protagonist in Chrétien's final romance, ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail''. In the Welsh romance ''Peredur son of Efrawg'', the figure goes by the name Peredur. The name "Peredur" may derive from Wels ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nicholas Clay
Nicholas Anthony Phillip Clay (18 September 1946 – 25 May 2000) was an English actor. Early life Clay was born in Streatham, London on 18 September 1946, the son of a professional soldier in the British Army's Royal Engineers. The family settled in Kent, where Clay became interested in acting, performing at the Little Medway Theatre Club. Career He had roles on TV in episodes of ''Ask Mr. Pastry'' (1961), ''ITV Television Playhouse'', ''The Pocket Lancer'' (1961), and ''Tales of Mystery''. He made his film debut with '' These Are the Damned'' (1962) and could be seen in ''Dixon of Dock Green'', ''William'', ''Sergeant Cork'', and ''Drama 61-67''. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Clay appeared in several West End theatre productions. He returned to films with ''The Night Digger'' (1971), a horror film with Patricia Neal and was in episodes of ''Take Three Girls'', ''Armchair Theatre'', and '' Love Story''. Clay had the starring role of Charles D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cherie Lunghi
Cherie Mary Lunghi (born 4 April 1952) is an English film, television, and theatre actress, known for her roles in many British TV dramas. Her international fame stems from her role as Guinevere in the 1981 film ''Excalibur''. Her long list of screen, stage, and TV credits include football manager Gabriella Benson in the 1990s television series ''The Manageress'' and a series of advertisements for Kenco coffee. She also competed in the 2008 series of ''Strictly Come Dancing''. She is the mother of the actress Nathalie Lunghi. Early life Lunghi was born in Nottingham. Her father, Alessandro Lunghi, was Italian. She was raised by her mother, aunt and grandmother, seeing her father only occasionally. Lunghi has described herself as feeling "different" as she did not have a mother and father like other children. Lunghi attended Richmond Grammar School in North Yorkshire but has said that she was not academic and far more interested in make believe. Career Educated at London's Ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nigel Terry
Peter Nigel Terry (15 August 1945 – 30 April 2015) was an English stage, film, and television actor, typically in historical and period roles. He played John, King of England, Prince John in Anthony Harvey's film ''The Lion in Winter (1968 film), The Lion in Winter'' (1968) and King Arthur in John Boorman's ''Excalibur (film), Excalibur'' (1981). Early life Terry was born on 15 August 1945England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 [d0atabase online] in Bristol, the son of Frank Albert Terry OBE, Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom), DFC,Supplement to The London Gazette, 31 December 1976 a pilot in the Royal Air Force, and his wife, Doreen. He was the first baby born in Bristol after the end of the Second World War.Director of Publicity. Avco Embassy Pictures Corp. Press release for "Lion in Winter" The family soon moved to Truro, Cornwall where his father worked as a probation officer. Terry attended Truro School in Truro, where he developed an interest in acting and b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Excalibur (film)
''Excalibur'' is a 1981 epic medieval fantasy film directed, co-written and produced by John Boorman, that retells the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, based loosely on the 15th-century Arthurian romance '' Le Morte d'Arthur'' by Thomas Malory. It stars Nigel Terry as Arthur, Nicol Williamson as Merlin, Nicholas Clay as Lancelot, Cherie Lunghi as Guenevere, Helen Mirren as Morgana, Liam Neeson as Gawain, Gabriel Byrne as Uther and Patrick Stewart as Leondegrance. The film is named after the legendary sword of King Arthur that features prominently in Arthurian literature. The film's soundtrack features the music of Richard Wagner and Carl Orff, along with an original score by Trevor Jones. Boorman’s ''Excalibur'' began development as an unproduced adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings''. The film was shot entirely on location in Ireland and at Ardmore Studios, employing Irish actors and crew. It has been acknowledged for its importance to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Boorman
Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as ''Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), ''Zardoz'' (1974), '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977), ''Excalibur'' (1981), ''The Emerald Forest'' (1985), '' Hope and Glory'' (1987), '' The General'' (1998), ''The Tailor of Panama'' (2001) and '' Queen and Country'' (2014). Boorman has directed 22 films and received five Academy Award nominations, twice for Best Director (for ''Deliverance'', and ''Hope and Glory''). He is also credited with creating the first Academy Award screeners to promote ''The Emerald Forest''. In 2004, Boorman received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. In January 2022, Boorman received a knighthood. Early life Boorman was born in Shepperton, Middlesex, England, the son of pub landlord George Boorman and his wife Ivy (née Chapman). George Boorman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Waste Land
''The Waste Land'' is a poem by T. S. Eliot, widely regarded as one of the most important poems of the 20th century and a central work of modernist poetry. Published in 1922, the 434-line poem first appeared in the United Kingdom in the October issue of Eliot's ''The Criterion'' and in the United States in the November issue of ''The Dial''. It was published in book form in December 1922. Among its famous phrases are "April is the cruellest month", "I will show you fear in a handful of dust", and the Sanskrit mantra " Shantih shantih shantih". Eliot's poem combines the legend of the Holy Grail and the Fisher King with vignettes of contemporary British society. Eliot employs many literary and cultural allusions from the Western canon such as Ovid's Metamorphoses and Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', as well as Shakespeare, Buddhism, and the Hindu Upanishads. The poem shifts between voices of satire and prophecy featuring abrupt and unannounced changes of speaker, location, and time a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jessie Weston (scholar)
Jessie Laidlay Weston (28 December 1850 – 29 September 1928) was an English independent scholar, medievalist and folklorist, working mainly on mediaeval Arthurian texts. Early life Weston was the daughter of William Weston, a tea merchant and member of the Salters' Company, and his second wife, Sarah Burton, and named after his first wife Jessica Laidlay. Sarah, after giving birth to two more daughters died when Jessie was about seven. William remarried Clara King who gave birth to five more children.Jane Chance (ed.), ''Women Medievalists and the Academy'' University of Wisconsin, 2005 The elder siblings were born in Surrey, but youngest son Clarence was born in Kent. Jessie, her sister Frances and brother Clarence later moved to Bournemouth, where Jessie began her writing career, remaining there until around 1903. Her home at 65 Lansdowne Road still stands, as of 2010. Jessie studied in Hildesheim then Paris, France under Gaston Paris. She also studied at the Crystal Palac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
From Ritual To Romance
''From Ritual to Romance'' is a 1920 book written by Jessie Weston. Weston's book is an examination of the roots of the King Arthur legends. It seeks to make connections between the early pagan elements and the later Christian influences. The book's main focus is on the Holy Grail tradition and its influence, particularly the Wasteland motif. The origins of Weston's book are in James George Frazer's seminal work on folklore, magic and religion, '' The Golden Bough'' (1890), and in the works of Jane Ellen Harrison. The work is mentioned by T. S. Eliot in the notes to his poem ''The Waste Land''."Not only the title, but the plan and a good deal of the incidental symbolism of the poem were suggested by Miss Jessie L. Weston's book." Trivia The book appears in the film ''Apocalypse Now'' (1979), among those kept by the character, Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando, along with '' The Golden Bough''. The book appears in the limited series ''Batman: Tenses'', in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sir Balin
Sir Balin le Savage , also known as the Knight with the Two Swords, is a character in the Arthurian legend. Like Sir Galahad, Sir Balin is a late addition to the medieval Arthurian world. His story, as told by Thomas Malory in '' Le Morte d'Arthur'', is based upon that told in the continuation of the second book of the Post-Vulgate cycle of legend, the ''Suite du Merlin''. A knight before the Round Table was formed, Sir Balin lives only for a few weeks following his release from King Arthur's prison and his subsequent slaying of a Lady of the Lake. Just prior to his departure, his destiny is sealed by the arrival of a mysterious damsel bearing a sword that only the "most virtuous" knight in Arthur's court will be able to draw; Balin draws this sword easily. His adventures end when Balin and his brother Balan destroy each other in single combat, fulfilling an earlier prophecy about the destiny of the bearer of the damsel's sword. Prior to his tragic end, this ill-fated knight co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pellam
The Fisher King is a figure in Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend, the last in a long line of British kings tasked with guarding the Holy Grail. The Fisher King is both the protector and physical embodiment of his lands, but a wound renders him incapable and his kingdom barren. Unable to walk or ride a horse, he is sometimes depicted as spending his time fishing while he awaits a "chosen one" who can heal him. Versions of the story vary widely, but the Fisher King is typically depicted as being wounded in the groin, legs or thigh, rendering him infertile. The healing of these wounds always depends upon the completion of a hero-knight's task. Most versions of the story contain the Holy Grail and the Holy Lance, Lance of Longinus as plot elements. In some versions, a third character is introduced. This individual, unlike the hero-knight archetype, is ignorant of the King's power, but has the ability to save the king and land, or to doom it. Variations of this third party give us ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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