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| King Uther | |
|---|---|
| Matter of Britain character | |
 Uther Pendragon, by Howard Pyle from The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (1903) | |
| In-universe information | |
| Title | Pendragon |
| Occupation | King of sub-Roman Britain |
| Family | Constantine (father) Aurelius Ambrosius (older brother) Moigne (brother) |
| Spouse | Igraine |
| Children | Madoc ap Uthyr, Arthur, Anna, Morgan le Fay (stepdaughter) |
Uther Pendragon (Brittonic) (/ˈjuːθər pɛnˈdræɡən, ˈuːθər/;[1] Welsh: Uthyr Pen Ddraig, Uthyr Pendragon, Uthr Bendragon), also known as King Uther, was a legendary King of the Britons and father of King Arthur.[2]: 253
A few minor references to Uther appear in Old Welsh poems, but his biography was first written down in the 12th century by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), and Geoffrey's account of the character was used in most later versions. He is a fairly ambiguous individual throughout the literature, but is described as a strong king and a defender of his people.
According to Arthurian legend, Merlin magically disguises Uther to look like his enemy Gorlois, enabling Uther to rape Gorlois' wife Lady Igraine. Thus Arthur, "the once and future king", is an illegitimate child (though later legend, as found in Malory, emphasises that the conception occurred after Gorlois's death and that he was legitimated by Uther's subsequent marriage to Igraine[3]). This act of conception occurs the very night that Uther's troops dispatch Gorlois. The theme of illegitimate conception is repeated in Arthur's siring of Mordred by his own half-sister Morgause in the 13th century French prose cycles, which was invented by them; it is Mordred who mortally wounds King Arthur in the Battle of Camlann.
- ^ Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., s.v. "Uther", "Pendragon".
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Matthaeus 1853was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Malory, Thomas (1997). Le Morte dArthur.