Arthur's Miscellany : Aspects of King Arthur, From Shields of Power to the Questing Beast

In the tenth-century Annales Cambriae, which possibly goes back to contemporary sources, the entry about the Battle of Badon Hill mentions that Arthur €œcarried the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ on his shoulders for three days and three nights€. It is likely that this Latin quote is based upon a Welsh source, in which the words for €œshoulder€ (ysqwyd) and €œshield€ (ysqwyt) were close enough in spelling to get mixed up quite easily.'Arthur's Miscellany is full of such insights, based upon a lifetime study of heraldry and armour. These essays were written over a period of more than 30 years, some never published before now. Chapters include: 'The Arms of Lancelot du Lac'; 'Why Was the Green Knight Green?'; and 'Merlin, Magic, and Swords of Power'. Alongside his career as an historian and museum curator, Helmut Nickel was a famous illustrator. Few historians would be confident enough to interpret the symbology of the mid-15th century armorial, Les Noms, Armes, et Blazons des Chevalliers et Compaignons de la Table Ronde - all 175 of them! Many of the illustrations within are by the author. This is an important contribution to the Arthurian canon - and a tribute to a great scholar and artist from his friends and fellow researchers.