How the Round Table came to be
The Round Table first appears in Wace's Roman de Burt, an adaptation of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written in the Norman language and which was completed in 1155.
Wace was himself a Norman, born on Jersey, and his adaptation was written specifically for the new conquerors of England to read about the "history" of their newly acquired territories. It follows Monmouth's earlier work almost identically but not only introduces the Round Table but is also the first to give the name Excalibur specifically to Arthur's sword. The Round Table of Wace's story is a little strange. In his tale the knights sit within the table, at the inner circle, therefore facing away from each other. Why this is the case is never made clear. Wace establishes that Arthur created the Round Table after a period in which many knights were killed fighting over who had prominence. Perhaps the reason they all sat facing away from each other refers to that, although it can only be speculation. According to Layamon, writing in the 13th century, in his reinterpretation of the Roman de Burt, the Round Table came about after the fight broke out at a Christmas feast. Arthur travelled to Cornwall and met a carpenter from foreign lands who claimed he could make a table at which 1600 knights could sit with none having precedence over the other. The table was duly commissioned and arrived at Camelot where the knights all sat at the outer edge as would be normal. |
The number of knights who sat at the Round Table is also in some doubt. Robert de Boron has it seating 50, the Vulgate Version has it being able to host 250 and Layamon's figure of 1600 remains the largest by a considerable margin. Its shape has also been open to interpretation. The traditional version has a solid table, as in the one in Winchester believed to be constructed in the 13th century and painted to its present form at the orders of King Henry VIII (restored in the 1700s). However, Wace has it as a circle with a single opening into the centre, Layamon's table is a solid circle, others have as a doughnut, a doughnut with an opening or a semi circle.
The inscription around the Winchester Round Table reads: This is the rownde table of kyng Arthur w(ith) xxiii of his namyde knyattes. S(ir) galahallt (Galahad), S(ir) galahallt (Sir Galahad), S(ir) launcelot deulake (Sir Lancelot), S(ir) gauen (Sir Gawaine), S(ir) p(er)cyvale (Sir Percival), S(ir) Iyonell (Sir Lionel), S(ir) trystram delyens (Sir Tristan), S(ir) garethe (Sir Gareth), S(ir) bedwere (Sir Bedivere),S(ir) blubrys (Sir Blioberis), S(ir) lacotemale tayle (Sir La cotemal tail), S(ir) lucane (Sir Lucan), S(ir) plomyd (Sir Palamedes), S(ir) lamorak (Sir Lamorak), S(ir) born de ganys (Sir Bors),S(ir) safer (Sir Saphar), S(ir) pelleus (Sir Pellinore), S(ir) kay (Sir Kay), S(ir) Ectorde marys (Sir Ector), S(ir) dagonet (Sir Dagonet), S(ir) degore (Sir Degore), S(ir) brumear (Sir Brunar), S(ir) lybyus dyscovy(us) (Sir Guinglain), S(ir) Alynore (Sir Alymore), S(ir) mordrede (Sir Modred).
The inscription around the Winchester Round Table reads: This is the rownde table of kyng Arthur w(ith) xxiii of his namyde knyattes. S(ir) galahallt (Galahad), S(ir) galahallt (Sir Galahad), S(ir) launcelot deulake (Sir Lancelot), S(ir) gauen (Sir Gawaine), S(ir) p(er)cyvale (Sir Percival), S(ir) Iyonell (Sir Lionel), S(ir) trystram delyens (Sir Tristan), S(ir) garethe (Sir Gareth), S(ir) bedwere (Sir Bedivere),S(ir) blubrys (Sir Blioberis), S(ir) lacotemale tayle (Sir La cotemal tail), S(ir) lucane (Sir Lucan), S(ir) plomyd (Sir Palamedes), S(ir) lamorak (Sir Lamorak), S(ir) born de ganys (Sir Bors),S(ir) safer (Sir Saphar), S(ir) pelleus (Sir Pellinore), S(ir) kay (Sir Kay), S(ir) Ectorde marys (Sir Ector), S(ir) dagonet (Sir Dagonet), S(ir) degore (Sir Degore), S(ir) brumear (Sir Brunar), S(ir) lybyus dyscovy(us) (Sir Guinglain), S(ir) Alynore (Sir Alymore), S(ir) mordrede (Sir Modred).