Scotland's Storybook: stories in English (1.1 - Education Scotland

KING ARTHUR AND THE LADY OF THE LAKE
King Uther Pendragon burned with passion and lust for the Lady Igraine, the
wife on the Duke of Tintagel. He led an army to Cornwall and besieged the castle
in his attempt to force the lady to share his bed. As the Duke of Tintagel’s lifeless
body grew cold on the field of battle, Merlin the sorcerer used his magic powers
to transform King Uther’s shape into that of the duke and he went straight away
to Igraine and lay with her in the form of her husband. By this deception Arthur
was conceived, but he was given to Merlin to be fostered so his mother never
saw him grow up. She married King Uther and her three daughters by the Duke
of Tintagel were married to kings, including King Lot of Orkney who married
Margawse.
The legend says that Arthur was discovered to be the true heir to the throne
of England when he pulled out a sword that was embedded through an anvil and
into a large stone. This lay in London with a sign that proclaimed:
WHOSO PULLETH OUT THIS SWORD OF THIS STONE AND ANVIL IS RIGHTWISE
KING BORN OF ALL ENGLAND
Arthur had not realised this when he pulled it out, but it was soon known that
this young man was the rightful king of the land.
Arthur was accompanied by Merlin, but he lamented that he had no sword of
his own, and who had ever heard of a king without a sword? Merlin took him to
a lake where he saw a woman’s arm clad in white silk that was interwoven with
gold and silver thread rise from the water clutching a sword. Arthur also saw a
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