Warband leader, feudal high king, chivalric centrefold, servant of god, boy king, sorcerer’s charm, Disney prince, dormant saviour, giant slayer.
Dux Bellorum, dragon’s son, the boar of Cornwall, bear man, jilted lover, bastard child, widow maker, sovereign.
King Arthur has been, and will ever be, a figure of the times. Unless viewed through the prismatic, kaleidoscopic scramble suit of era and culture, it’s impossible to see anything like a complete image of him. There are as many ‘man or myth?’ books about King Arthur as there are knights in his court. They ask ‘where’ and ‘who’ and ‘when’—tantamount to asking a dream for its postal address —and say very little to the way we might choose to feel about the lunacy, loyalty and lust of it all.
Bless them for giving us the opportunity.
Throughout this sprawling, shapeshifting story, 'Campfire Sam' Crosby (storyteller from Recalling Fire, based in Cornwall) keeps enough for you to grab hold, whilst accepting it’s a never-the-same-twice, charging beast of a tale. He follows a loose trail left behind by Mallory: injecting Mabinogion, Geoffrey, Chretien, modern reworks including Mary Stewart, his own experiences in wild Cornwall and a flicker of his own imaginings.
In other words, Sam is inviting you to play a game of 'yes and...'.
St Paul’s is a cathedral, but it's also a stand of trees at the foot of the mountain. The women are multitudes, and also, in a way, one woman. The priests are also druids, who are also wild, viscous little shits from the deep rivers. When a knight charges, visor low and lance lifted, he is simultaneously a lover, a modern, hooded thug with a mouthful of ketamine and a handgun, a paint-daubed Celt rushing Roman lines and a ruthless warrior chasing an open lie across the holy lands.
Camelot is on wheels. Commoners—like us—are nowhere to be seen. Loyalty is thin. Might is right. Dishonour is death. Love is the name of insanity. The grail is a mirage. The castle where it’s housed is shrouded, hidden from our modern lives, tucked in a crevasse through a crack in the cliffs hard on the edge of the deepest lake we're not sure how to even fish in anymore.
All said, this is a chaotic romp through the imaginations of the dreaming generations. The truest lie ever told.
It's going to take time and some resting places for us all to pass around the watered wine. Sam will behave as if he knows the way. He will also swear with abandon. Best if you can come for the whole journey and join every session, but it’s not essential. This is a ham-hock of a myth, saturated in the weird, uncanny prescience we've come to love, so however you arrive, you'll go to bed full.
About Sam Crosby:
Sam is a traditional oral storyteller. He lives in Cornwall, and he is enamoured by the world. He offers:
— One-on-one guidance in myth and meaning
— Drop The Map, the podcast for busy people who wonder about their chosen path
—Speeches and workshops for events and organisations
You can find Sam at www.samuelcrosby.com and on social media as @campfiresam.
Details:
The story series begins on Tuesday, March 11, and will continue for five weeks each Tuesday evening via Zoom (7:30pm AEDT running approximately 90 minutes). All sessions via Zoom. Sessions will be recorded.
This event is free to subscribers of The Fifth Direction. You can also gain access by joining our community.
The Fifth Direction is a welcome community for everyone. This includes people of all genders, faiths, backgrounds, orientations, ages and abilities.