Tintagel Castle

But my belief in all this matter, so ye care to learn.

Sir, for ye know that in King Uther's time the prince and warrior Gorlois, he that held Tintagel Castle by the Cornish sea, was wedded with a winsome wife, Ygern.

And daughters had she borne him.

One whereof, Lot's wife, the queen of Orkney, Bellicent, hath ever like a loyal sister cleaved to Arthur.

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Perched dramatically on the cliffs of North Cornwall, surrounded by crashing waves and steep drops, Tintagel Castle is a place where history and legends seem almost impossible to separate.

For centuries, people have visited searching for the story of King Arthur, the legendary king who, according to medieval tales, was illicitly conceived within its walls.

But behind the Arthurian legend lies a story that's every bit as extraordinary.

He is best known for his orchestral works, particularly this piece that we'll listen to, a symphonic poem called Tintagel.

The work is inspired by Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, which the composer visited in nineteen seventeen.

Instead of telling a specific story, the piece gives an impression of the castle and the area surrounding it.

Here’s a recording by the Ulster Orchestra under the direction of Bryden Thomson

We're speaking to Professor Ken Dark.

Now, he is the director of the Tintagel Hinterland Project, and he's just written a book all about Tintagel Castle in Cornwall.

And its links to King Arthur and how understanding it a little bit more deeply can give us an amazing insight into that period that I'm really interested in at the moment, which is that period between Roman and post-Roman Britain.

Tintagel is one of the few places that both feature in the legends and have good archaeological evidence for life at the relevant time.

Thank you, Martin.

That's it then for this week.

Next time we are dedicating the episode to the enigmatic Tintagel Castle with its links to the legend of King Arthur.

It is a brilliant episode and I know you won't want to miss it.

But I'm so tired." The little fellow did his best to keep awake, but he was too worn out from his run from St.

Minver's Sand Hills to Tintagel Castle to sit and watch for the coming of the red-legged bird.

And long before the sun wheeled up behind the tors and shone upon the sea, he was sound asleep under a great mallow growing by one of the gray old walls.

When he awoke, a day and a night had come and gone, and the birth of a new day was at hand.

But I'm so tired." The little fellow did his best to keep awake, but he was too worn out from his run from St.

Minver's Sand Hills to Tintagel Castle to sit and watch for the coming of the red-legged bird.

And long before the sun wheeled up behind the tors and shone upon the sea, he was sound asleep under a great mallow growing by one of the gray old walls.

When he awoke, a day and a night had come and gone, and the birth of a new day was at hand.

But the powers who walk the world made lightnings and great thunders over him, and dazed all eyes, till Arthur by main might, and mightier of his hands with every blow, and leading all his knighthood through the kings, Carados, Urien, Cradlemont of Wales, Claudius and Clariance of Northumberland, the king Brandagoras of Latengore, and Anguisant of Arran, Morganore, and Lot of Orkney.

Then before a voice as dreadful as the shout of one who sees to one who sins, and deems himself alone and all the world asleep, they swerved and brake flying, and Arthur called to stay the brands that hacked among the flyers, 'Ho! they yield!' So like a painted battle the war stood silenced the living quiet as the dead and in the heart of Arthur joy was lord he laughed upon his warrior whom he loved and honoured most thou dost not doubt me king so well thine arm hath wrought for me to-day sir and my liege he cried the fire of god descends upon thee in the battlefield i know thee for my king whereat the two for each had warded either in the fight swear on the field of death a deathless love and Arthur said man's word is god in man let chance what will i trust thee to the death then quickly from the foughten field he sent Ulfius and Brastias and Bedivere his new-made knights to King Leodegran saying if i in aught have served thee well give me thy daughter Guinevere to wife whom when he heard Leodegran in heart debating how should i that am a king however much he helped me at my need give my one daughter saving to a king and a king's son lifted his voice and called a hoary man his chamberlain to whom he trusted all things and of him required his counsel knowest thou aught of Arthur's birth then spake the hoary chamberlain and said Sir King there be but two old men that know and each is twice as old as I and one is Merlin the wise man that ever served King Uther through his magic art and one is Merlin's master so they call him Bleius who taught him magic but the scholar ran before the master and so far that Bleius laid magic by and sat him down and wrote all things and whatsoever Merlin did in one great annal book where after years we'll learn the secret of our Arthur's birth to whom the King Leodegran replied O friend had I been holpen half as well by this King Arthur as by thee to-day then beast and man had had their share of me but summon here before us yet once more Ulfius and Brastias and Bedivere then when they came before him the King said I have seen the cuckoo chased by lesser fowl and reason in the chase but wherefore now do these your lords stir up the heat of war some calling Arthur born of Gorlois other of Anton tell me ye yourselves hold ye this Arthur for King Uther's son and Ulfius and Brastias answered Ay then Bedivere the first of all his knights knighted by Arthur at his crowning spake for bold in heart and act and word was he whenever slander breathed against the King Sir there be many rumours on this head for there be those who hate him in their hearts call him base-born and since his ways are sweet and theirs are bestial hold him less than man and there be those who deem him more than man and dream he dropped from heaven but my belief in all this matter so ye care to learn Sir for ye know that in King Uther's time the prince and warrior Gorlois he that held Tintagel Castle by the Cornish sea was wedded with a winsome wife Ygerne and daughters had she borne him one whereof Lot's wife the Queen of Orkney Bellicent hath ever like a loyal sister cleaved to Arthur but a son she had not borne and Uther cast upon her eyes of love but she a stainless wife to Gorlois so loathed the bright dishonour of his love that Gorlois and King Uther went to war and overthrown was Gorlois and stain then Uther in his wrath and heat besieged Ygerne within Tintagel where her men seeing the mighty swarm about their walls left her and fled and Uther entered in and there was none to call to but himself so compassed by the power of the King inforced was she to wed him in her tears and with a shameful swiftness afterward not many moons King Uther died himself moaning and wailing for an heir to rule after him lest the realm should go to wrack and that same night the night of the new year by reason of the bitterness and grief that vexed his mother all before his time was Arthur born and all as soon as born delivered to a secret postern gate to Merlin to be holden far apart until his hour should come because the lords of that fierce day were as the lords of this wild beasts and surely would have torn the child piecemeal among them had they known for each but sought to rule for his own self and hand and many hated Uther for the sake of Gorlois wherefore Merlin took the child and gave him to Sir Anton an old knight and ancient friend of Uther and his wife nursed the young prince and reared him with her own and no man knew and ever since the lords have foughten like wild beasts among themselves so that the realm has gone to wrack but now this year when Merlin for his hour had come brought Arthur forth and set him in the hall proclaiming here is Uther's heir your king a hundred voices cried away with him no king of ours a son of Gorlois he or else the child of Anton and no king or else base-born yet Merlin through his craft and while the people clamoured for a king had Arthur crowned but after the great lords band it and so break out in open war Then while the king debated with himself if Arthur were the child of shamefulness, or born the son of Gorlois after death or Uther's son and born before his time or whether there were truth in anything said by these three there came to Cameliard with Gawain and young Mordred, her two sons, Lot's wife, the Queen of Orkney, Bellicent.

Whom as he could, not as he would, the king made feast for, saying as they sat at meat, 'A doubtful throne is ice on summer seas.

Ye come from Arthur's court.

He is very kind and good, as all the world knows." "I am glad the good King Arthur is not dead," said the little piskie.

"I will try and keep awake till the dawn so I can ask him about my laugh, but I'm so tired." The little fellow did his best to keep awake, but he was too worn out from his run from St Minver Sandhills to Tintagel Castle to sit and watch for the coming of the red-legged bird, and long before the sun wheeled up behind the tors and shone upon the sea, he was sound asleep under a great mallow growing by one of the gray old walls.

When he awoke, a day and a night had come and gone, and the birth of a new day was at hand.

When he crawled out from under the mallow, the first thing on the island facing him was the dark form of a great black chough.

"We hate them, too." "Exactly," said Puck.

"Can you wonder that the people of the hills don't care to be confused with that painty-winged, wand-waving, sugar-and-shake-your-head set of imposters? Butterfly wings indeed! I've seen Sir Juan and a troop of his people setting off from Tintagel Castle for Hy-Brasil in the teeth of a sou'westerly gale, with the spray flying all over the castle and the horses of the hills wild with fright.

Out they'd go in a lull, screaming like gulls, and back they'd be driven five good miles inland before they could come head to wind again.

Butterfly wings! It was magic, magic as black as Merlin could make it, and the whole sea was green fire and white foam with singing mermaids in it.