Visiting King Arthur's Round Table:
Uncovering Guinevere's True Gift

This image is also from Circle of the Year, the blog that inspired the last post. I was struck there by this picture of King Arthur's actual round table, which now hangs on the wall at the Great Hall in Winchester. The thing is, it was originally a simpler table the story goes, beautiful but simple, and held healing there I feel. Then enter Henry the VIII who thought it must be covered with fancy schmancy scrolling and symbols, and in essence he painted over the healing there I feel.

Maybe I'm a bit biased by the trauma he caused his wives (I've always had a deep draw to the lives of Tudor women, and an empathy there). But still, I long to picture this table instead as I imagine it was in Arthur's care...simple and solid and kind and heroic.

The symbol that round table holds is far too sacred to be profaned. According to this site, the round table was in a sense a gift from Guinevere by being part of her dowry. I wonder how she would feel to see it painted over by a man who wrecked havoc on a kingdom, tried to destroy the Catholic church, upturned peaceful monastaries, and terrorized or even murdered his wives by focusing on his own erratic whims. Those things are in direct and blatent opposotion to all that round table stood for.

The round table is like a healing circle of trees, a circle of protective and honorable knights, and the same site mentioned earlier even compares its origins as having a connection with Stonehedge somehow, stonehedge being "originally a ring of stones, the 'Giants Ring'", a ring of heroism and healing. Like many, I so long for the return of the true round table, in more ways than I can express...

(Image by Rowan of Circle of the Year)