Round Table Newbies
Don’t worry if you don’t know a lot about King Arthur or if you haven’t read any of the stories/poems! Here are some great middle English stories to get into if you loved The Hunger Games series!
If you liked the clever survival aspects of The Hunger Games, you might also like:
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
This story’s hero is surprisingly quite similar to Katniss Everdeen; there’s some great scenes of his survival and battles in the countryside –and of course, this is all leading up to his big final battle with his foe at the end of the story!
Sidenote: I highly recommend you read the modern English translation of this story, especially if you are new to Middle English!
If you liked the violence and rebellious nature of Catching Fire, you’ll definitely like:
The Alliterative Morte Arthure
Battles, battles, battles–there is soooo much carnage and violence in this poem that you’ll always be on the edge of your seat. While it sucks that there’s no badass female characters like Katniss or Johanna in this one, you’ll have a fun time comparing the differences in how fight scenes were written back in the late 14th century
Sidenote: try digging into some of the mysterious nature behind the poem’s unknown author!Â
Did you know that the Harry Potter series draws some inspiration from Arthurian Legend? Not only are Arthur and Ginny Weasley named after the king and queen of Camelot respectively, but one of the most famous wizards in history, Merlin, is name dropped a few times including the Order of Merlin status given to some witches and wizards throughout the series. However, the Wizarding World draws from King Arthur with certain story beats as well. Let’s explore a few…
Are you a fan of the battle with the troll in Sorcerer’s Stone? How about the Basilisk in Chamber of Secrets?
Consider reading the Alliterative Morte Arthure! One of the many events to occur during that story is King Arthur himself challenging a giant (which, while not the same, is quite similar to a troll). It is pretty exciting to see an actual battle between the two combatants over one well-placed levitation spell! There is also quite a bit of sword fighting within the Alliterative Morte, reflecting Harry’s fight with the Basilisk using the Sword of Gryffindor, which was likely inspired by Arthur’s own sword, Excalibur!
Enjoy the Triwizard Tournament’s Challenges within Goblet of Fire?
Look into Sir Gawain and the Green Knight! Not only does Sir Gawain face many challenges within his quest to find the Green Chapel, he must show courage and bravery, among other positive traits, to solve them. From the game he plays with the Green Knight to the trading of rewards with Lord Bertilak, Gawain is a very different character than Harry himself when it comes to solving these challenges. You can even compare and contrast the two heroes and their strengths and weaknesses!
Looking for a one-on-one fight that keeps you on your toes, similar to Harry and Voldemort in Deathly Hallows?
Try reading The Awntyrs off Arthur! The beginning might seem a bit out of place for being related to a battle-centric story such as Deathly Hallows, but the second half makes up for it with its battle between Gawain and Galeron to the near-death! While Voldemort is more pure evil than Galeron, it is still great to watch Gawain prove his value as a knight through this fight against a foe that wishes to kill him. You could even compare the women stopping the fight to save the men to Lily Potter and her saving of Harry from Voldemort’s curse!
If you liked the Maze Runner series here are some Arthurian stories that you might enjoy!
If you enjoyed the mysterious identities of the Grovers’ in Maze Runner then you’d like:
The Stanzaic Morte Arthur
The characters often liked to hide their identities throughout this poem to add a dramatic flair to thier quests much like the unknown identities of the Maze Runners. This story will keep you on your toes from start to finish with the random changing of identities that Launcelot likes to undertake.
If you enjoyed the adventures of the Grovers’ in The Scorched Trials then you’d like:
The Avowyng of Arthur
The tasks that Arthur, Kay, Gawain and Baldwin vow to perform are similar to the trials that the Grovers’ must endure. The tasks that the knights agree to undertake are meant to be life threatening and prove their knighthood is rightly deserved much like the WICKED’s goal for the kids.Â
Note: a dictionary of medieval words may be helpful in the reading of this poem.Â
