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Camelot
Its name echoes down through history and touches the hearts of people still.
What is it about an obscure British warrior and a perhaps mythical castle that strikes such interest? There are more books written about Camelot than about any other subject except perhaps Christianity. Movies, television, a musical, all have dealt with the story of Arthur and his knights. Monty Python even did a damn fine job of fondly skewering it.
So, again, why?
It is because of the dream.
Camelot, more than anything else, helped to shape the course of knighthood in Medieval Europe. A group of Welsh tales were adapted by performers from Brittany and then were brought back to England. When Queen Eleanor of England took up residence in her native Acquitaine, the age of the troubadour was born and Arthur's tale was a rich source of material. The tale spread. It took root in every land the songs were sung. Wolfram Von Essenbach, Gottfried of Straussbourg, Chretien de Troyes and others whose names are lost added to it and embellished it. And in time, the knights of Arthur's court became the ideals that all of Europe strove to emulate.
But knighthood largely vanished when gunpowder came along. Mallory's Morte d'Arthur appeared as chivalry was in its final days. So while the knights faded away, the tales lived on, right down to the present day.
Why?
A line from our website says it all. "This is the place to be if you still believe, as we do, in chivalry, loyalty, justice and honor."
That is what keeps Camelot alive in the hearts of men and women: The belief that deep inside us all there is a spark that we hope can burst into flame, a spark of decency and loyalty, a striving towards justice and honor. That's the dream that brought most of us together.
Camelot.
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