Take a trip back in time to a place where magic reigned freely and was abundant in everyday life, and is actually why the legend began, a place where knights gathered around a round table, where men honored the men, women and children of their kingdom and served their lords. Not to mention a king chosen by fate after pulling the sword Excalibur from a rock, this was none other than the beginning of Arthurian legend. The legendary King Arthur and his court at Camelot are at the center of the Arthurian legend which defines the chivalric code followed for centuries by knights in Europe. Arthurian legend through stories such as Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, defined the chivalric code and illustrated its uses throughout its plot. Even before the men clad in these suits of steel knew these features, the Arthurian legend developed in its early stages. Although King Arthur's name does not appear anywhere on the timeline of medieval or Dark Age rulers, according to lordsandladies.org, we do know that his legend had profound effects on the chivalric code and honor of courteous love. Scholars state that to find a historical location for King Arthur, they must go back to "the ancient period and the collapse of Roman Britain" (Goodman). With no precise records of Arthur's history or reign, the only assertion we have is based on books written by clerics of different nations. After years of research and study of the different periods mentioned in the legends, scholars state that "the Arthurian legend developed from stories in Celtic mythology" (Columbia 1-2). According to lordsandladies.org, a Welsh cleric named Geoffrey of Manmouth also contributed greatly to the legend of King A...... middle of paper ...... British and American literature. Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers, 1988. Web. November 28, 2013. Lull, Randal "The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages: Theme 1: Texts and Contexts: The Book of the Order of Chivalry." » The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages: Theme 1: Texts and contexts. WW Norton and Company, nd Web. November 21, 2013. Markman, Alan M. “The Meaning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” » PMLA 72.4 (September 1957): 574-586. Rep. in Criticism of World Literature, Supplement 1-2: A selection of major authors from Gale's literary criticism series. Ed. Polly Vedder. Flight. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Information Resource Center. Internet. November 28, 2013. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Masters of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and Kevin JH Dettmar. Flight. A. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 146-202. Print.