Merlin and Excalibur - Houston Chronicle

Exciting Reading with Fun Activities
Merlin and Excalibur
An English Folktale
Retold by Marie Swiston
Illustrated by Gary Tuttle
Chapter 1
Many, many years ago in the fifth century, Britain was engaged in a war against the cruel Saxons.
The Britons faced slavery and starvation if they were conquered by the Saxons, but they were led by a
noble king, Uther Pendragon, and assisted by Merlin, the greatest of the magicians. Pendragon was
brave and courageous against his enemy, and Merlin made it possible for him to win battles even when
he was outnumbered. Merlin would cause raging storms and heavy winds to batter the Saxons in battle.
The Saxons would fi nd themselves suddenly in the midst of thick fog as they prepared to attack. Merlin
would transform himself into a wolf or dog and creep into the tents of the Saxons as they planned their
tactics for upcoming battles. Then, he would report to Uther Pendragon, who would counter these
tactics with plans of his own. Merlin was responsible for the Britons’ success, and Uther Pendragon
was grateful for the help he had received.
When Uther Pendragon and his wife, Queen Igraine, had a son, Merlin asked to speak to the king.
“This will be your only child, Uther,” Merlin told him. “He must learn how to be king, and his life will
be in danger in a few short years. I must ask you to let me take the child away, to shield him from his
enemies and to educate him for the responsibilities he will face in the future.” Uther was saddened by
this request, but he trusted Merlin with his life and the life of his young son. “If you are certain that the
child will not be safe here with his mother and me, I will agree to your suggestion,” he told Merlin. So,
a few days later, in the middle of the night, Merlin took the child, and no one knew what had happened
to Uther’s son.
Uther Pendragon died three years later, and for a dozen years after his death, various nobles fought
amongst themselves for the right to take over the throne. No one was powerful enough to become king,
and none of these greedy men were acceptable to the people. The people wanted a leader whose first
priority would be their safety and security.
They swore their loyalty to the king, but he was expected to make their lives better in exchange for this
loyalty. They were not fooled by those who simply wanted power and wealth. So there was no king of
Britain for a number of years after the death of Uther Pendragon.
Fifteen years after the birth of Pendragon’s son, Merlin reappeared and gathered nobles from
throughout the land. He showed them a large stone that lay outside a small chapel. The hilt of a sword
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Exciting Reading with Fun Activities
extended from the stone; the rest of the sword was hidden within the stone. On the stone was an
inscription: Whoever can pull the sword from the stone is the true king of Britain.
“This is easy,” laughed one noble, who grasped the hilt of the sword and pulled as hard as he could. The
sword remained firmly within the stone.
“Let me have a try,” said another, elbowing his way through the onlookers. Although he was a
powerfully built man, pulling with all his strength, the sword did not shift.
Dozens of these nobles tried without success to remove the sword from the stone. Suddenly, they
became quiet and attentive as Merlin called out to them. He stood before them, accompanied by eight
soldiers, and made an announcement: “A tournament will be held nearby in two weeks. At that time,
every knight in the land will be gathered here. We have sent heralds to every part of the kingdom to
announce the tournament.
Each knight will have the chance to take the sword from the stone and prove that he is the true king of
Britain. Until then, the sword will be guarded by these men.”
Merlin turned to the soldiers. “No one is to try to remove the sword until the day of the tournament.”
The soldiers nodded and took up their positions around the stone.
The nobles left to prepare for the upcoming tournament and the chance to become king of Britain. All
of them were filled with excitement at the changes that could occur in their lives in a few short weeks.
On the evening before the tournament was to begin, Sir Hector; Sir Kay, his young son; and Arthur,
Sir Kay’s squire, rode toward the site of the next day’s competition. Arthur was three years younger
than Sir Kay, training to become a knight when he reached 18 years of age. He had lived with Sir
Hector’s family since he was a young child and had received the same careful education as Sir Hector’s
own son. Although he did not know who his real parents were, Arthur was happy with this generous
family. The three men rode toward the local inn.
One of Sir Kay’s friends, also a young knight, galloped up and rode alongside Sir Kay, catching up on
the latest news. “Are you going to try your luck with the sword in the stone?” this friend asked
Sir Kay.
Sir Kay listened with interest to the story of the strange sword, then called out to his father, “I will meet
you at the inn in a while.” Then, he and his friend rode over to the chapel to see the stone with the
sword. Sir Kay dismounted and walked over to the stone to read the inscription. Perhaps he would be
the one to draw the sword from the stone. Then he would become the next king of Britain.
How proud his father would be!
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Exciting Reading with Fun Activities
Chapter 1 Activities
1. Merlin tells Uther Pendragon that his son must be educated to handle the responsibilities that would
face him. What skills do you think were important for a leader at that time? Look through the
Houston Chronicle for descriptions of leaders around the world today. What skills do you think are
important for them to have? Write a paragraph in which you explain the similarities and differences
in the skills required by leaders past and present.
2. Merlin is an important advisor to Uther. All leaders depend upon their advisors to help them make
decisions. Look through the Houston Chronicle for articles about advisors to the President of the
United States. Describe the advisors you have chosen and tell how they help the President make
decisions. In what ways are they like Merlin? In what ways are they different from Merlin?
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Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle
Exciting Reading with Fun Activities

Exciting Reading with Fun Activities
Chapter 2
The next morning, Sir Kay was nervous and excited as he prepared for his f rst tournament. He was so
distracted that he forgot to take his sword when they left the inn. As Arthur began to dress him in his
suit of armor, Sir Kay noticed that his sword was missing. “My sword!” he cried. “Arthur, ride back to
the inn as quickly as you can! I must have left it in our rooms.”
Arthur mounted his horse and turned toward the road. “Take the road to the left,” Kay suggested. “The
one that goes by the chapel. It is a bit shorter.”
Arthur nodded and hurried away to retrieve the sword for Sir Kay. The morning mist was beginning to
burn off as he rode by the chapel, and he noticed the strange sword in the stone from the corner of his
eye.
When he reached the inn, Arthur pounded on the door and peered through the windows, but no one was
there. Everyone had gone to watch the tournament, locking the inn as they left. Arthur loved Sir Kay as
a brother and did not want to disappoint him. “I must do something,” he thought. “Kay cannot miss
today’s competition!”
As he galloped along the road back, Arthur remembered the sword near the chapel. Perhaps he could
take that one for Sir Kay. He would return it later. When he reached the chapel, Arthur jumped from his
horse and easily pulled the sword from the stone. There was nobody there because the soldiers had gone
to watch the tournament. Arthur did not even see the inscription on the stone.
“The inn was locked. I borrowed this sword for you,” Arthur told Sir Kay when he returned to their
tent. Sir Kay immediately recognized the sword from the emerald and ruby jewels and gold scrollwork
on the hilt.
He took the sword to his father and said, “Look, father. I am to be the High King of Britain!”
Sir Hector raised his eyebrows and asked quietly, “How did you get this sword, Kay?”
“I pulled it from the stone,” lied Sir Kay. However, Sir Hector was one of the few men in Britain who
Merlin totally trusted with his secrets, and he knew that his son was not the rightful ruler.
“Well, if you did it once, you can do it again,” responded Sir Hector. “Come, we will go to the chapel
so you can show me.” He found Arthur in the tent where he was cleaning Sir Kay’s helmet. “Take your
horse and follow us,” he ordered.
When they reached the chapel, Sir Hector placed the sword back in the stone and turned to Kay. “Pull it
out again,” he challenged. Sir Kay pulled and pulled, but the sword did not budge. Ashamed and
embarrassed, Kay lifted his eyes to his father’s face and confessed the truth. “Arthur brought it to me,”
he said quietly.
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Meanwhile, rumors had sped through the knights, and a crowd was forming around the stone. Sir
Hector waited until a large crowd of petty kings, knights, and soldiers clustered around them. Then he
told Arthur to remove the sword from the stone. Arthur lifted the sword easily and the blade flashed as
though alive.
“This is Excalibur, the sword of the leader who will unite all of Britain,” Hector proclaimed, “and
this is Arthur, the rightful King of our country.”
Arthur was completely shocked, and stood speechless, trying to understand all that Sir Hector’s
statement meant.
“I challenge the choice! Are we to be led by an untried boy? When the Saxons return, are we to have a
boy to lead us?” Voices from the crowd questioned Sir Hector’s announcement.
“You are all welcome to try to remove the sword from the stone,” answered Hector. “This sword has
been hidden for centuries, waiting for its King. It will not allow anyone else to take it from the stone.”
Dozens of men tried, and none succeeded. Still, the crowd was uncertain as they stared at the young
man.
Then Merlin was standing beside Arthur, silencing the crowd. “This is not a matter of choice,” he
shouted. “Here we have our true and rightful High King. This is not open to challenge. No one is more
fit to unite the kings from all the corners of Britain. This is Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, who has
been hidden all these years so that he would be unspoiled and uncorrupted and safe from treachery and
ambition.”
The gathered men had such respect for Merlin that their reaction was now one of approval, joy, and
relief that at last a High King had come forth. They began to shout, “Long live King Arthur, High King
of Britain!”
And so began the reign of King Arthur, who with his Knights of the Round Table, his advisor Merlin,
and his magic sword Excalibur united Britain and brought safety, peace, and prosperity to his country.
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Exciting Reading with Fun Activities
Chapter 2 Activities
1. Historians believe that, very likely, there was a King Arthur many hundreds of years ago and that he
probably was responsible for uniting Britain under his rule. However, folktales are added to and
exaggerated as years pass, so it is difficult to be sure of exactly what Arthur accomplished. It is
possible that people who are alive today will become ‘legends’ in the future, and that their deeds —
both good and bad — will be exaggerated.
Find a person mentioned in the Houston Chronicle whose actions might become part of history. List
the person’s actual deeds as they are known today. Then, write a folktale about this person,
exaggerating his characteristics and accomplishments (good or bad) as they might be described in
the future.
2. Excalibur, King Arthur’s sword, was considered magical when it was in the hands of its rightful
owner. There are many stories of battles fought by King Arthur with this weapon, which made him
extraordinarily powerful. Our armed forces today have weapons that appear to have magical
qualities to people who do not understand how they work. Read through the Houston Chronicle for
descriptions of technology that might seem to be magic to people from countries that have no
understanding of modern science and technology.
Describe the technology you have chosen and how it might appear to someone who doesn’t
understand the science behind it. Then, try to explain King Arthur’s incredible success with
Excalibur without the use of magic.
Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle

Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle
Exciting Reading with Fun Activities