Uther Pendragon

Hey there!  This post is going up a little early, since I'm going to be super busy tomorrow.  I figured early was better than late, right?
Did any of you see the eclipse?  I was quite lucky to have borrowed some binoculars from my grandfather for a different astronomy project.  My brother called to let me know about the eclipse, and I was able to use the binoculars to get a closer look.  It was quite lovely - I hope you got a chance to see it!

This week's post is about a character named Uther.  It's kind of sad that I'm more familiar with the Uther of World of Warcraft than I am with the Arthurian one.  While writing this post I kept referring to him as "Uther the Lightbringer" in my head.

Anyway!  On to the post!

Before I talk about Arthur it is important to discuss the circumstances behind his birth.  The story of Arthur's father, Uther Pendragon, showcases just how important Arthur was.  Uther's story shows that the great wizard Merlin had an interest in Arthur before he was even conceived.  The story also sets the stage for many events to follow, including the birth of Gawain, one of Arthur's knights, and Mordred...who would one day kill Arthur.

But I've jumped ahead in the story.  Let me start at the beginning.

Uther was not originally a king.  He was the youngest son in his family, and so it was his elder brother who inherited the throne when Uther's father died. Uther was a loyal brother and did not seek power for himself.  Instead, he fought his brother's battles for him.

During a campaign against a nearby kingdom Uther met the wizard Merlin, who aided him in his endeavors.

It was Merlin who bestowed the epithet of "Pendragon" upon Uther.  While out riding one day Uther spotted a comet shaped like a dragon shooting across the sky.

(One wonders if this was the inspiration for the comet in A Song of Ice and Fire...)

Uther pointed the comet out to Merlin, who took it as a portent of things to come.  The wizard claimed that the comet showed the coming death of Uther's brother, and Uther's subsequent rise to power.  Based on the shape of the comet he named him Uther Pendragon.  Basically, the title translates to "leader of warriors".

Shortly after this, Uther returned to his lands and found that his brother the king had been murdered.  Uther became king in his stead, and he adopted the dragon as his symbol because of the comet.

King Uther ruled well for a time.  Eventually his army won a great battle and Uther threw a celebration for his victory.  Many of Uther's allies attended the party - one was a man named Gorlois, who brought his beautiful wife Igraine with him.  As soon as he saw her Uther fell in love with Igraine - which was somewhat awkward, since she was married and all.

When he made his feelings known to Igraine, she and her husband fled from the king.  Gorlois hid his wife in a well-defended castle.  Thinking her safe from Uther, Gorlois walled himself away in another castle and prepared to fight all the king's horses and all the king's men.

Completely smitten with Igraine, Uther started a war to win her.  Gorlois' and Uther's men clashed on the fields, and there were many casualties on both sides.

Unfortunately for Gorlois, Uther had a wizard as an ally.

Uther called upon Merlin, who went to the king's aid.  In exchange for his help, Merlin extracted from Uther a promise that anything which resulted from his night with Igraine would belong to Merlin.  Uther readily agreed.

The wizard fashioned a spell which would disguise Uther, temporarily making him look like Gorlois.  Merlin instructed the king to go and spend the night with Igraine before returning to his forces.  He cautioned Uther to not say too much during the night; the more he spoke, the more likely Igraine was to realize that Uther wasn't her husband.

I'm torn about how to feel about this.  On the one hand, Merlin is pretty much the ultimate wingman here.  On the other hand, Uther is plotting to sleep with a woman who wants nothing to do with him, while trying to kill her husband.  There's some seriously disturbing undertones of rape and adultery here, for all that the story is told from a romantic point of view.

What interests me most about this part of the story are the parallels it has to a couple of other famous stories.  First off: the tale of King David from the book of 2 Samuel.  David falls in love with the wife of one of his soldiers.  He plots to kill her husband, and sleeps with her while the man is out in the field.  Eventually David manages to get the soldier killed and takes the woman as his own wife.  However, he never adopts the form of her husband.  No, that tactic is more along the lines of Greek mythology.  It was one of Zeus' favorite techniques to sleep with a married woman.

I found it quite interesting that the story of Uther and Igraine blended elements from Greek and Jewish stories.

Anyways, Uther successfully spends the night with Igraine.  In the morning he leaves to return to his war camp.  Upon arriving, King Uther is greeted with joyous news: Gorlois was slain in battle during the night.

Of course, Igraine isn't particularly joyful when she hears the same news.  It isn't just that she's mourning her husband's death; Igraine is a smart woman, and she realizes that the man who left her that morning could not possibly have been Gorlois.  Afraid, Igraine keeps silent on the matter.  To admit to sleeping with a man she wasn't married to would have been a great crime - she could have been tried and punished for adultery.

Uther still wants Igraine, so during the truce that follows Gorlois' death he asks for her hand in marriage.  Igraine has been left in charge of her husband's forces, but her advisors tell her that they cannot hope to beat Uther's armies.  Left with no choice, Igraine reluctantly agrees to wed King Uther and become his queen.

It takes a month or two for the wedding to be finalized and the vows exchanged.  Shortly after the wedding, it becomes obvious that Igraine is pregnant.  The poor woman is terrified when Uther asks her who the father is.  She confesses everything that happened the night of Gorlois' death.  Igraine swears that she doesn't know who impregnated her, since he looked like Gorlois.

At this point Uther finally spills the beans.  He admits that he disguised himself with magic to have sex with her.  Since they're now married, Igraine has nothing to fear - the child will be legitimate.  (Bastards were very looked down upon in those times - as was the mother who birthed one, particularly if she was noble.  Igraine had very good reason to be terrified.)

I really do feel bad for Igraine.  Uther not telling her the truth as soon as they were married - and particularly his confronting her about being pregnant with another man's child - is just cruel.  The books I've read try to romanticize his actions, but it's kind of hard to make such things sound pretty.

Still, something good came of the act.  Several months later the child of Igraine and Uther was born.  He's kind of famous - maybe you've heard of him: Arthur.  As soon as the child was born Merlin whisked him away, sending him to be the foster son of a knight named Sir Ector.

As far as the king is concerned - unfortunately, Uther's choice in women would eventually catch up to Arthur, and one day lead to his death.  Igraine had a few kids from her previous marriage, you see.  One was a daughter named Morgan le Fey.  The other, also a girl, was called Morgause.  In a very Luke/Leia plot twist, Arthur would grow up to sleep with Morgause (without knowing she was his half sister).  The child of this union, Mordred, would grow up to kill his father...but that's a story for another time!

What did you guys think?  Is Uther a colossal jerk or what?

If you're familiar with the TV show Merlin, the story is quite a bit different from the legends.  However, King Uther is portrayed brilliantly by Sir Anthony Stewart Head.

I confess to only having seen the first season of Merlin, quite a while ago - before I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer and realized how much I adore its character of Giles, also played by Head.  Have you guys seen Merlin?  Should I revisit the show?

Have a great week!