Camelot
From Free net encyclopedia
Camelot is the name of the stronghold of the legendary King Arthur, from which he fought many of the battles that made up his life. Its specific location is currently unknown and may be a fictionalized Romano-British province of post-Roman Britain. The city is first named in Chrétien de Troyes' poem Lancelot, where it does not seem as important as it would become in Arthurian legend. Since the location of Camelot is still a mystery, the truth about it—if there is one—is still unknown.
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Geographical references
Possible locations of Camelot include:
- Saltwell Park, in Gateshead
- Cadbury Castle
- Tintagel Castle
- Viroconium
- Caerleon-on-Usk, in South Wales
- Dinerth Castle near the River Arth, West Wales
Though the name "Camelot" may be derived from Camulodunum (modern Colchester), the Iron Age capital of the Trinovantes, and later the provincial capital of Roman Britannia, its Essex location close to the east coast - and so very close to the earliest Anglo-Saxon settlement - places it in the wrong Anglo-Saxon kingdom.
In popular culture
- The phrase 'Camelot' is often used to refer to the period in US history of 1960-1963. More specifically, it refers to the presidency of John F. Kennedy, as his term was said to have a lot of potential and promise for the future and the period was idyllic for many in the world, encouraged by Kennedy. The period was ended by Kennedy's tragic November 22, 1963, assassination, which is often compared to the fall of King Arthur. The line "Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment, that was known as Camelot," from the musical Camelot, has been used in pop culture to refer to this period.
- The Camulod Chronicles by Jack Whyte is a historical fiction series based on Roman Britain and Medieval Britain wrapped around the Arthurian legends.
- In the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Camelot is called a "silly place" by King Arthur, and the Knights of the Round Table decide not to go there.
- In the television show, Third Watch, the precinct is nicknamed by the officers "Camelot" due to its location on the corner of King and Arthur.
- In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, when Forrest (Tom Hanks) meets President Kennedy after making the All American Team and makes his "I gotta pee" statement, the opening instrumental for the Camelot movie can be heard while Forrest is using the bathroom.
- The musical Camelot, by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, is loosely based on the legend.
See also