Arthurian Legends Contest 2008

"You walk deep into myth, into mystery.
You see a locked chest and a key.
You open the lid and find the ultimate treasure.....
IMAGINATION"


The question that everyone asks - was Arthurian Legend Fact or Fiction?
Did the legendary stories and people of Arthurian Legend actually exist or were the stories surrounding the legend a figment of a writer's imagination?

Whether the Arthurian Legend is real or not, it is one of the most powerful and enduring legends in the western world. Although there are innumerable variations of the Arthurian legend, the basic story has remained the same.
Arthur was the illegitimate son of Uther Pendragon, king of Britain, and Igraine, the wife of Gorlois of Cornwall.

After the death of Uther, Arthur, who had been reared in secrecy, won acknowledgment as king of Britain by successfully withdrawing a sword from a stone. This sword is sometimes mistakenly identified with Excalibur.

According to the legend,the court magician, Merlin, then revealed the new king's parentage. Arthur, reigning in his court at Camelot, proved to be a noble king and a mighty warrior. He was the possessor of the miraculous sword Excalibur, given to him by the mysterious Lady of the Lake. At Arthur's death Sir Bedivere threw Excalibur into the lake;
a hand rose from the water, caught the sword, and disappeared.


Notes:

Merlin, magician, seer, and teacher at the court of King Vortigern and later at the court of King Arthur. He was a bard and culture hero in early Celtic folklore. In Arthurian legend he is famous as a magician and as the counselor of King Arthur. In Tennyson's Idylls of the King, Merlin is imprisoned eternally in an old oak tree by the treacherous Vivien (or Nimue), when he reveals the secrets of his knowledge to her.

Lady of the Lake, a misty, supernatural figure endowed with magic powers, who gave the sword Excalibur to King Arthur.She inhabited a castle in an underwater kingdom. According to one legend she kidnapped the infant Launcelot and broughthim to her castle where he lived until manhood. She has been identified variously with Morgan le Fay and Vivien.

Avalon, in Celtic mythology, the blissful otherworld of the dead. In medieval romance it was the island to which the mortally wounded King Arthur was taken, and from which it was expected he would someday return. Avalon is often identified with Glastonbury in Somerset, England.

Guinevere, wife of King Arthur. Her illicit and tragic love for Sir Launcelot, which foreshadowed the downfall of Arthur's kingdom, ends with her retirement to a convent. She also figures in several early romances and Celtic legends,her name appearing in various forms (e.g., Guanhamara, Gvenour, and Gwenhwyfars). In different versions of the Arthurian story her name appears as Guenevere and Guinever.

Sir Launcelot, bravest and most celebrated knight at the court of King Arthur. He was kidnapped as an infant by the mysterious Lady of the Lake, from whom he received his education and took his title, Launcelot of the Lake. As a young man he went to the court of King Arthur, where he was knighted and became one of the most feared warriors in all Christendom. Launcelot was the lover of Guinevere, his sovereign's queen. He was also loved by Elaine (the daughter of King Pelles), by whom he was the father of Sir Galahad, and by Elaine, the Lily Maid of Astolat,who died for love of him. Launcelot's name sometimes appears as Lancelot.

Round Table, the table at which King Arthur and his 12 knights held court. It was allegedly fashioned at the behest of Arthur to prevent quarrels among the knights over precedence. According to one version it was given to Arthur as a wedding gift by his father-in-law. A round table of undetermined antiquity hangs now in the castle at Winchester. Traditionally King Arthur's, it may be a relic of one of the medieval jousts also called round tables.

Further reading:

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Contest Details:

The Theme: Arthurian Legend
Style: Any
The Requirements:
We want you to create your own version of the Arthurian Legend, be it a place, person(s) or an event.
As this is a fantasy/mythological contest, we don't want to see horror/macabre entries or anything too violent.
Any entries that fall into this category will not be entered.
If you use any stock, brush, texture etc resources from DA. Please remember to follow the providers rules.
The same applies to resources used from external sites.
You MUST provide the original artists details in your deviation description

Use the information above for reference if you wish.

Only one deviation per deviant - although you can still enter a non-competitive piece if you so wish

Even though this is for a contest, you still must credit and note the stock providers.

This contest is open to ALL media types.

The contest will be open for entries from NOVEMBER 1ST.

Please take note of this, as entries received before this date will not be counted.

The contest will end January 31st, 2009 6pm BST ~jannipan's birthday

To submit your entry, please send a note titled “Contest Entry”, provide a link to your deviation and also state whether
it's a non-competitive piece or not. It will then be added to the journal.


Please note that your entry must be a new deviation created for this contest only, no old deviations sorry.


For questions and other inquiries please send a note to Prolific-Imp


Judges: [If you want to participate in judging, please send a note to Prolific-Imp]



Each deviation will be judged within it's media type category.
e.g all traditional art will be judged seperatley from all photomanipulations. The winners determined from each category will then be judged together, so that we can decide on an overall winner for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.



First Place Prizes:

12 month subscription - =Prolific-Imp
Journal Feature - =mousels
Journal Feature - =Prolific-Imp




Second Place Prizes:

6 month subscription - =Prolific-Imp
Journal Feature - =mousels
Journal Feature - =Prolific-Imp




3rd Place Prizes:

3 month subscription - =Prolific-Imp
Journal Feature - =mousels
Journal Feature - =Prolific-Imp


There will also be journal features for selected Honourable Mentions.



We need donations for the contest! We will accept anything from a journal entry to an exclusive stock pack.
Send a note please!

Many thanks to the judges and donators for supporting this contest.


For updates please visit =Prolific-Imp's journal