Reading Diary A: King Arthur

This unit is every bit as fun as I thought it would be!  So, first off, if you haven't seen BBC's Merlin, I very highly recommend it!  It's on Netflix.  This is the cast:

Gaius (Richard Wilson), Arthur (Bradley James), Merlin (Colin Morgan), Uther (Anthony Head),
Morgana (Katie McGrath), and "Gwen" Guinevere (Angel Coulby)

You may recognize McGrath from Jurassic World, and Wilson, Morgan, and Head from Doctor Who.

These are the Knights of the Round Table:

Leon (Rupert Young), Percival (Tom Hopper), Merlin, Arthur, Lacelot (Santiago Cabrera), Elyan (Tomiwa Edun), and Gwaine (Eoin Macken)

You may recognize Hopper from Doctor Who and Black Sails and Macken from The Night Shift (I haven't watch it, but I've heard good things).

The show deviates from the myths, like, a lot.  I'll just compare the two different takes (Ford's adaption and the BBC's) on two different stories.

The Drawing of the Sword

According to Ford, Arthur was delivered to a foster family by Merlin after the death of Uther, Arthur's father.  

Arthur is raised as Kay's squire and accompanies him to a tournament - Kay forgets his sword at home and sends Arthur to retrieve it.  However, the door's locked (because of course it is) and, not wanting his brother to be without a sword - Arthur goes to the church.  

At the church, an enchanted sword is stuck in a rock - really, it's stuck; no one can pull it out - and Arthur just sidles up and pulls it out, no big deal.

Except that it is a big deal and Arthur is then named the next King of England.  Like you do.

Now, in Merlin - the sword in the stone take is much different.  Earlier on in the series, Merlin takes Excalibur from the local blacksmith, has a dragon breathe some fire on it, and - in order to prevent the sword from falling into the wrong hands - sticks it in a rock until Arthur needs it (other stuff happens, BUT).

This clip is super cheesy and great, but here's what happens.

The Questing Beast

So the Ford tale, talks about Arthur and his knights chasing after a deer, except Arthur's horse is the only one fast enough to keep up with it - until it dies from exhaustion (which, really?).  

Anyway, then Arthur meets the beast - who simply passes him by.  He then encounters a boy and an old man, both of whom tell him something he didn't know about his past and both of whom are Merlin in disguise.

In Merlin, Arthur and his knights (and Merlin) are out hunting when they chance upon the questing beast.  Merlin actually trips and falls - and Arthur comes to his rescue, during which he's poisoned by the Questing Beast.  Merlin then goes on to do stuff and things and saves Arthur's life (because if he didn't, there'd be no series).

BBC's take on the Questing Beast