10 - Story of King Arthur, in Twelve Tales by Winona Caroline Martin

A retelling of the classic Arthurian legends, this collection of twelve tales captures the grandeur, mystery, and moral depth of King Arthur’s court and the quest for the Holy Grail. Designed for young readers and educators, it brings timeless ideals to life.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
By Winona Caroline Martin Taill number nine, The Coming of Galahad.
My good blade carves the casks of men. My tough
lance thrusteth shore. My strength is as the strength of ten,
because my heart is pure Tennyson's Sir Galahad. Again. The

(00:23):
Pentecostal time was drawing near, and Arthur had decided to
keep the feast on this occasion at Camelot instead of
at Carleon, according to his usual custom. For many days beforehand,
from north and south, and east and west, such of
the Knights as had been able to achieve their quests
had come riding into the city, anxious to take part
in that most famous gathering of all the year, which

(00:44):
commemorated the day of their sovereign's birth as well as
its coronation day. So that on the eve of the
great feast a discovery was made of something which had
never been known to occur before since the founding of
the Round Table. Every one of the one hundred and
forty nine Knights of the Order was in his place,
and the siege Perilous alone still stood empty, while that

(01:04):
goodly company, the flower of Britain's manhood, sat thus circled
about their King and Queen rejoicing. In the unusual event,
a maiden was ushered into the Great Hall and led
courteously by one of the knights to the foot of
the throne. There After, having made obeisance to her sovereigns,
she asked the question that had come from the lips
of so many damsels in distress. Your majesty, can you

(01:26):
tell me if the great Sir Launcelot is here? That is,
Sir Launcelot, replied the king, with an inclination of his
head toward him, who sat in the third seat from
the mystic siege. Perilous Sir Launcelot, said the maiden, stepping
up to the court favorite who had risen to meet her.
I am sent to you by King Pelles, he who
years ago received the dolorous stroke. He requests that, without
asking any questions, you ride with me to an abbey

(01:49):
in a forest not very far from here. I will
go most willingly, maiden replied Launcelot, if the King permits.
Arthur was about to give his consent when the Queen
interrupted him, saying, my lord, tomorrow is our great feast day,
and for once, perhaps for the last time, who knows
we are all together, may not, Sir Launcelot, delay this
quest for twenty four hours. At this it was the

(02:11):
maiden's turn to interrupt your majesty, she said, addressing Guinevere.
Let him come with me now, and I promise you
that he should be back before noon tomorrow. Sir Launcelot
armed himself for the mysterious quest, and followed the damsel
along devious paths until they reached the heart of a
deep forest, where there stood an old abbey. As the
gates swung open at their approach, there issued from one

(02:31):
of the side doors twelve holy nuns clad in spotless
white raiment, one of whom was leading a young man,
scarcely more than a boy in years, yet marvelously tall
and stalwart looking, Sir, said the gentle sister to Launcelot.
This young squire is the grandson of King Pelis, who, however,
has not seen him since his childhood, for he was
early left to our care. He is strong and brave

(02:53):
and noble, and has been taught all that a prince
should know. It is time, therefore, that he be made
a knight. So, at his own request, sent for the
greatest member of Arthur's round table to confer that honor
upon him. Then Launcelot turned his gaze upon the youth
and thought that he had never seen so wonderful a face,
for besides its manly beauty, it showed courage and hope,

(03:13):
and the rich flush and glow of a great inspiration,
which caused the mighty Knight's heart to contract with sudden
pain as the memory of his own lost youth rose
up before him. Then a strange feeling took possession of him,
and he seemed to hear a voice whispering in his ear.
He has come, he has come. But all he could
trust himself to say aloud was then let him watch
his arms in your chapel to night, and in the

(03:35):
morning he shall receive the order of knighthood. So it
was done, and while the others slept, the young man
kept his holy vigil, praying that he might ever remain
true to his vows. With the first flush of dawn
came the good sisters, filing in one by one, bearing
lighted tapers, and ranged themselves about the altar. And last
of all came Launcelot, who fastened the lad's golden spurs,

(03:57):
after which he gave him three strokes with the flesh
out of his sword, saying, reverently, may God make you
as brave and true as you are good to look upon. Then,
when the ceremony was at an end, Launcelot turned to
the new Knight and inquired, will you now ride with
me to Camelot to pay homage to the king. But
the youth answered, not yet, sir Knight, for the time
has not come for me to go to court. Nevertheless,

(04:18):
I shall join you there before very long. So Launcelot,
pondering these things in his heart, returned alone and arrived
as the maiden had promised, an ample time for the feast,
which was set for high noon. Then began that day
of days, the most marvelous of all the Great White
King's reign. As Launcelot rode in, he found the knights
assembled in the throne room according to their time honored custom,

(04:41):
awaiting the report of that unusual occurrence which would permit
the feast to begin. Scarcely had he taken his place
among them, when a squire appeared before the king, saying, Sire,
down by the river, I have seen a wonderful sight. Indeed,
a block of red marble in which is sticking a
sword with a hilt of curious workmanship, floating on the
water like a piece of common world. That is truly

(05:01):
a marvel, exclaimed Arthur, and one well worth our going
to see. Accordingly, the King and Queen, with all the
knights and ladies of the court, filed down to the
river's brink, where they beheld, just as the squire had said,
an immense block of red marble, with the sword sticking
in it, floating on the waves. They stood there watching
it for a while, until presently it was cast ashore

(05:21):
at Arthur's feet. Then the King espied an inscription written
in weird letters which twined in and out among the
jewels of the hilt, and proceeded to read it aloud.
Never shall man take me hence, but only he by
whom I ought to hang, and he shall be the
best knight of the world. For a moment there was silence.
Then Arthur turned to Launcelot, saying, this sword ought to

(05:42):
be yours, my friend, for where in all the world
is there a better knight than you. But Launcelot, remembering
his adventure of the morning, and looking down into the
depths of his own tempest, tossed soul, shook his head
and answered humbly, sire, I know full well that this
weapon is not for such as I. Therefore I will
not set my hand to it. Moreover, I advise no
other night here present to attempt to draw it, lest

(06:04):
he receive a deadly wound. So the whole company turned
back toward the hall, questioning among themselves what these strange
things might mean. And there awaited them the second wonder.
For as each man prepared to take his rightful place
about the mystic table, he noticed a new luster proceeding
from that empty seat, which was known as the siege Perilous.
Presently each became aware of the fact that the old

(06:25):
inscription was gone from the back of the siege, and
that a new one had taken its place, bearing these
words four hundred winters and fifty four accomplished after the
passion of our Lord Jesus Christ ought this siege to
be fulfilled. Then Launcelot, thinking of the lad whom he
had knighted that morning in the forest, turned pale and

(06:46):
exclaimed in an odd voice, Sire, according to that count,
the siege should be filled this very day, for this
is the feast of Pentecost. After the four hundred and
fifty fourth year, And if it please you, I should
like to cover these letters, that none may behold them
till the coming of him who shall achieve the adventure. Then,
having received the King's permission, he took a cloth of
purest white silk, and reverently laid it upon the chair,

(07:08):
thus veiling it from curious eyes. After that, with a
strange tense feeling of something impending, the knights were about
to turn their attention to the banquet, so long delayed
by excessive marvels, when the third wonder of the day
presented itself. Suddenly all the doors and windows of the
palace shut of their own accord, Yet the hall was
not greatly darkened. Then there appeared in their midst the

(07:31):
figure of what seemed to be an old man, although
he was cloaked and hooded in rayment of dazzling whiteness,
so that no one could see his face. And with
him was a young knight in flame colored armor, by
whose side hung an empty scabbard, for he bore neither
sword nor shield. In an instant Launcelot recognized the youth
whom he had knighted that morning, and he was therefore
not surprised to see their mysterious guests, lead him to

(07:52):
the foot of the throne and raise his hand in blessing,
saying peace be with you, knights of the round table. Then,
addressing the king, sighed, I bring you here a young
knight that is of royal lineage and of the family
of Joseph of Arimathea. By him shall the marvels of
this court be fully accomplished, for the world has been
awaiting his coming these many years. Then the aged man,

(08:14):
who is none other than Joseph of Arimathea himself, caused
the youth to lay aside his armor, and threw upon
his shoulders a scarlet mantle trimmed with richest ermine, after which,
saying follow me, he led him to the siege perilous.
And as the young man stood there with a strange,
rapt look upon his face, as if he had a
vision of things to which the rest were blinded, Launcelot's

(08:36):
covering of white silk was raised by an invisible hand,
so that all present might read the inscription, which was
now changed for the second time that day. This is
the seat of Galahad, the best knight in all the world.
An awed hush fell upon the company, while the youth
stood before his rightful place with lowered eyes. Suddenly all

(08:57):
became aware of the fact that the saintly Joseph had
vanished as mysteriously as he had appeared. Then Arthur recovered
himself sufficiently to speak. Sir Galahad said, he, you are
indeed welcome to a place that has stood vacant awaiting
your coming for so many many years. Yet before you
take your seat, we should like to see you achieve
another adventure. Will you come with me to the river's brink.
So the king led the way, with the whole court following,

(09:19):
and when they stood at the water's edge, he said, gravely, try,
Sir Galahad, if you can draw that sword from the marble,
for then we shall know beyond all question that you
are that best knight in all the world. See, your majesty,
replied the youth, still with becoming modesty. I have no
sword with me, only this empty scabbard, for I knew
that I should find my weapon here, as I shall

(09:39):
later find my shield. Then he laid his hand on
the bejeweled hilt and lightly drew the hole from its
stony sheath, after which he placed it in his own scabbard,
saying that sword has done great mischief, for it was
the cause of the dolorous stroke, and furthermore, it was
the fateful weapon with which a good man slew his brother.
I pray therefore that I may be able to do
enough good with it to wipe out the curse. Yes, truly,

(10:03):
there was no doubt of it. Now the best knight
of all the world was indeed among them at last.
Yet the king's face was sad as he led the
way back, for he had a strange premonition that the
days of his round table were drawing to a close.
And there is always sadness in finality, even though it
be the finality of fulfillment. When they regained the hall,
Galahad knelt to take upon himself that great vow of

(10:23):
the order, as is a shame a man should not
be bound by, yet the which no man yet had
been fully able to keep. To reverence the king as
if he were their conscience, and their conscience as their king,
to break the heathen and uphold the Christ, to ride
abroad redressing human wrongs, to speak no slander, no, nor
listen to it, to honor his own word, as if

(10:46):
his gods to lead sweet lives and purest chastity to
love one maiden only cleave to her and worship her
by years of noble deeds until they won her. And
as the words fell from his lips, there was a
light upon its face which brought back to Arthur's mind
the day when Launcelot, in the first flush of his
young manhood, had sworn that same oath, while all had

(11:07):
believed that he would prove to be the one perfect
night without fear and without reproach. Presently Galahad arose from
his knees. Then, while all present held their breath, he
turned and quietly and reverently took his seat in the
wondrous siege perilous. Thus, at last, for the first time
since Merlin had made it for Arthur's royal father, Uther Pendragon,

(11:28):
every one of the one hundred and fifty seats of
the mystic round table was occupied. And then suddenly the
great Hall grew dark, and there came a sound of
cracking and writhing and rending of the roof, with a
mighty blast of thunder overhead. Then into the blackness, through
an upper window there stole one broad gleam of dazzling
sunlight seven times more clear than the ordinary light of day.

(11:48):
Presently down the beam, there slowly glided a soft red glow,
moving toward the siege which Galahad filled. None present save one,
only could see distinctly what it was, for although its
general shape was that of a goblet, yet it was
covered with soft white silk, and seemed furthermore to be
enshrouded in a sort of luminous cloud, through which its
resplendence shone, filling the room with its glory. It moved

(12:12):
on as if some unseen hand were guiding it, until
at last it rested in a blaze of splendor above
the siege perilous. And in that light each man beheld
his brother, not as he really was, but as he
had prayed and longed and striven all his life to become.
Not more than a moment did it remain than it passed,
leaving but the red glow behind, which, in its turn
presently faded in the light of common day. One, two,

(12:37):
three minutes went by, and still the awed silence remained unbroken.
For all realized that the holy thing which had passed
was none other than the mystic Grail. Presently, Gawayne, he
who had once been faithless in the King's quest, arose and,
holding his sword aloft with a crossed shape hilt upward
instead of the point, cried aloud, Sire, I know not

(12:59):
how it may have been with the others, but as
for me, I did not see the sacred cup plainly.
Therefore I make this vow to leave this goodly fellowship
and to seek the Grail for a year and a day.
At the end of that time, if I have not
found it, I will return, believing that the achievement of
this quest is not for me. Then, in a moment,
every sword in the room was raised, not in the

(13:21):
old way, but as Gawayne had held his crossed shape
hilt upward, while instead of the usual simultaneous cry, each
man began to make the vow separately to seek the
sacred chalice until he should see it in open vision.
After a while all had sworn, save only the new
Knight in the flame colored robe. So Arthur turned to him, saying, wonderingly,

(13:42):
Sir Knight, did you see plainly the holy Grail, to
which the youth replied, Sire, I saw it, and a
heavenly host as well, which filled the hall. Furthermore, I
heard a voice crying, Galahad, Galahad, follow me. Therefore, I
now swear to pursue this quest not only for a
year and a day, but for my whole life, if
need be, until I achieve once again the perfect vision.

(14:04):
Then the king bowed his head, exclaiming, ah, Galahad, Galahad,
this quest is indeed for such as you, whose strength
is as the strength of ten, because your heart is pure. Then,
turning to his other knights, he added sadly, but you, oh,
my friends, have you thought that you may thus be
forsaking your plain duty to follow not a great light
such as Galahad's, but a wandering fire, which will lead

(14:26):
you at last into the quagmire. I, your king, may
not go upon this quest, for God has given me
my kingdom to rule. Therefore my place is here. Yet,
how crippled shall my work be henceforth, For when the
cries of this great land passed through this hall, your
places will be vacant, and there will be none to
send out to right the wrongs of the week and
the oppressed. Nevertheless, now that they are made, your vows

(14:49):
are sacred and perchance you may become better men by
seeking even that which you are destined never to find.
Go therefore, but before you depart, let us have one
more tournament on the in the old tilting ground, that
once again I may see the yet unbroken strength of
all my knights. So, when the next morning came, the
famous old feel of combat was thronged with spectators, more

(15:10):
eager than ever before to hear the sounding of the trumpets,
for a rumor had already spread abroad concerning the wonders
of the preceding day. The King and the Queen sat
together beneath the royal canopy and looked down upon their
knights with faces where pride and pain strove for mastery.
For never before had Camelot seen so many brave deeds done,
so many lances broken in attorney. No man was there

(15:34):
in the field that day who failed to do himself credit.
Yet wherever Arthur and Gwenevere looked, they seemed to see
only the glow of Galahad's flame covered mail and the
flash of his burnished arms. Never once did his horse falter,
never once did his spear fail, And though he bore
no shield, every lance that touched, his armor was instantly shattered.
They noticed, however, that while every knight against whom he

(15:55):
charged went down, he never came near Launcelot, or Boars
or Perceval, so that they too did nobly in the tournament.
When all was over, the King called the young hero
to his side, and, looking long into his eyes, said,
in a voice which trembled slightly, Galahad, I have seen
this day the best that a knight can do. But
the end came at last early the following morning. With

(16:18):
prancing chargers, flying banners, waving plumes, and glittering arms, that
glorious company, the Flower of Men, rode to Camelot's great cathedral,
where they knelt to receive the blessing of the Archbishop
on the quest, after which the King ordered the roll
to be called, and it was found that not one
was missing, one hundred and fifty men in all every
night of the round table. So they remounted their horses

(16:40):
and rode on through the dim rich city between long
lines of people who were weeping silently, for they seemed
to realize, as did Arthur and Gwenevere, that many of
them were riding to their doom. Presently, they passed through
the gate where the White King's wars were rendered mystically,
and out to the broad highway. For a while, the
King and Queen, gazing upon the disappearing host from the

(17:01):
battlements of the castle, could distinguish here a shield, and
there a banner, and would whisper to each other, See
that is Lancelot's, and that is Bores, and that is Percival's.
While every now and then a flash of scarlet caused
them to exclaim, ah, that was Galahad. But before long
they could see only a bright spot in the road
where the morning sunlight glanced upon the burnished arms, And

(17:23):
presently even that grew smaller and smaller, until at last
a mist that had arisen before their own eyes, blotted
it forever from their sight. Such was the passing of
the round table to the lingering gaze of its founder,
like the setting of a star end of tail. Nine