The round table is a symbol of chivalry in the legends of King Arthur. According to medieval chronicles, a huge table occupied the central place in the banquet hall of Camelot, and brave and noble knights sat at it as equals. The round table was not only a piece of furniture, but also a knightly order that united the best people in Britain.
Guinevere's dowry
According to legend, the Round Table was made by the sorcerer Merlin for Uther Pendragon, the father of King Arthur. Uther handed the table over to King Leodegrance, so the Round Table returned to the Pendragons as a dowry to the beautiful Guinevere, daughter of Leodegrance.
There were 150 people at the table. One hundred knights of King Leodegrance were also a dowry of his daughter, and Arthur had to find fifty more knights to take all the seats at the table. Before the wedding, on behalf of the king, Merlin traveled all over the country to find brave men worthy of a place at the royal table, but one place remained empty.
The most worthy of the worthy
This was the so-called Perilous seat, intended for the chosen hero who is able to reach the Grail, the cup into which the blood of Jesus Christ was collected. Anyone else, occupying this seat, risked immediately falling dead.
The seat at the Round Table was empty until young Galahad, son of Lancelot, came to Camelot. When he took the Doom seat, the image of the divine cup appeared to everyone present. At the same moment, many knights made a vow to find her.
This moment is traditionally associated with the decline of the Knights of the Round Table - so many heroes went on a long and fruitless search for the sacred vessel that the kingdom became vulnerable, and its glory faded. The Grail, as it was intended, went to Galahad, after which it disappeared, and the young man ascended to heaven.
The birth of legends and tales
But in the best years of King Arthur's reign, Camelot was a place of crowded celebrations and tournaments, feasts and dances. All the knights gathered at a magnificently laid table and talked about their adventures.
The knight's code of honor consisted in not doing evil, avoiding betrayal, lies and dishonor, bestowing mercy on the lower and protecting ladies. Sitting at a feast, the knights took vows and oaths, and the next morning they left for the country to perform feats in accordance with these vows. They defeated dragons and enchanted villains, rescued girls in trouble, removed curses from enchanted castles. All this was done by the warriors without any remuneration, in the name of knightly honor.
Anyone could come to the palaces of Camelot, tell their story and ask for help. If, by the decision of the king, such assistance should have been provided, a knight was called from among those sitting at the table and went with the suffering one to where his help was required.
The most famous knights of the Round Table are considered to be Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris and Gareth, nephews of King Arthur, Kay, his named brother, Percival, and of course Lancelot, the right hand and closest friend of the king.
