The Centre for Arthurian Studies by virtuallyhistorical
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
We actually did this logo for the Centre for Arthurian Studies a couple of years back but never posted it.
CAS, which is now called The Arthur Project, was founded by our now colleague and friend Steve Blake, author of two best selling books on the historical Arthur.
The brief was to capture both the period (6th C AD) and the symbols of the historical Arthur Steve's research believes him to be: not a king, as the Welsh writings never call him one, but a Gwynedd (North Wales) battle leader.
His sword was called Caladfwlch, a Welsh word derived from Calad-Bolg meaning "Hard Lightning". Later it developed to become the Caliburn of Geoffrey and Monmouth and finally the Frenchified Excalibur that we know today.
The Gwynedd war bands used a spear, the tips of which were tipped into adder venom, hence the snake.
We placed the Christian Chi-Rho symbol on his shield, although he is said to have had a picture of the Virgin Mary on it (and no, he hasn't been Chritianized, the Britons of this time were fervent follows of Christ with the symbol first brought to these islands on the shields of the Christianized Roman legions in the 3rd C).
The dragon banner is the type thought to have been brought over by the Sarmatians in the Roman army, many of whom stayed in Britain after the legions left. They made a hell of a noise as the wind passed through the mouth... the banner that is, not the Sarmatians.
Anyway, its old, but hope you enjoy,
Mak & Pete
Comments (22)
pops
Awesome image
MINTY1974
Cool models. The image reminds me of the cover to Bernard Cornwell's 'The Winter King'. Top stuff mate and Happy 2007!
gattone_blu
Splendid work my friend (still one and is done :-))) Ciao
Moebius87
Wonderful image!
thefixer
Nice job Mak!
thecytron
Very interesting composition!
DIANE603
Superb!! Happy New Year!!
lizzibell
Interesting...
Valerie-Ducom
Wowwww, impressiv work and excellent composition, colour and lighting !!!! Fantastic :)
chrispoole
Cool history lesson, not very Monty Python though :) Looks great did they actually use it.
virtuallyhistorical
Thanks all, yes they used it Chris but we then formed Pastscapes with Steve and it became the Arthur Project with a different logo.
Becco_UK
Eye catching image and the write-up places all the elements into perspective - I still prefer the romantasised version of Arthur though!
Syrup
Castles,Kings,Knights,Battles have always been of interest to me.I have an old copy of Osprey books on your very subject and appreciate your attention to detail and love the "Coles" Version of Artherian history.Is it safe to say those other folks were good Sarmatians? :I :) :P :B eaver !
virtuallyhistorical
Becco_UK: Yes, the Romantic versions of the Arthur legend are great and there's nothing I love more than The Holy Grail and Spamalot. Unfortunately, as an historian knowing how and why these version of Arthur came about, you begin to dislike them somewhat. The Normans used them to lay claim to England and Wales and Edward III used them to try and grab Scotland. Remember, they were believed to be an accurate history and not a story! Syrup: I think it's safe to say the were NOT good Sarmatian... but bloody go bowmen!
efron_241
That is truly amazing !!!
Incarnadine
Excellent piece of work and the explanation is appreciated.
Tanczos
lovely...I love a pic with purpose!! ;o)Tanc
Burpee
Fabulous compo and perfect mats. The sky lends a majestic feel to this.
huenersh
awesome, very professional work!
Santel
A fitting tribute!
Cada
Does what it say's on the box - less is best! - Nice composition and works well!
ElleTridente
I'm not sure what I like best; the image or the narrative! Extremely informative and conveys a slightly different perspective on the Arthurian story. The Chi-Rho, never herd it described as that before (Pax, derived from the Papal Seal) I had one on my 'Boy Scout' uniform. Great stuff, an excellent example as Cada noted, of less is often more!