Every once in a while, myth triumphs conclusively over reality. Merely say the words, "King Arthur," and you conjure up a vision of knights and maidens, quests and adventures, good and evil.

It is tempting to begin a search for a "real" King Arthur by peeling away this romantic veneer, but the truth does not lie immediately beneath the surface. Indeed, the task of stripping away the myths and legends about Arthur is like unwrapping a huge 'present' that consists merely of one brightly wrapped box inside another. In our search for the gift we believe to be hidden inside, we run the risk of ending up with a small, empty box. Arthur has as many faces as this practical joke has boxes. Somewhere, there is a real man. But there is also a giant, a tyrant, a huntsman, an emperor -- even a god! The historical purist who wishes to remove all those colorful layers is left peering at a figure so small that all detail is lost. Arthur may have been a sixth-century chieftain, but his importance to European culture lies not in what he was, but in what he became. In this case, the wrapping is, indeed, worth far more than the gift.

On April 30, 1999, members of House Corvus and friends traveled to Great Britain and spent two weeks visiting sites associated with Arthurian myth and legend. Join us as we sift through folklore, medieval romances, and archeology to discover a Britain transformed by one man's legend!

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN THE CORVUS '99 TOUR

CLICK HERE FOR A LINKED INDEX OF INDIVIDUAL TOUR SITES