Immortality, Space, and the Subtle Heresy of Arthurian Expectations

The twelfth century expectations about the return of King Arthur connect to a more comprehensive and ancient belief in physical immortality being possible beyond the ordinary human geography. But contrary to other immortalised figures in medieval belief, who either remained in the geographical periphery or came back only at the end of time, Arthur returning at any moment to continue his ideal rule countered the basic Christian understanding that immortality had no place in the ordinary world before the apocalypse. The emotional longing for the widely popular Arthur’s apparently infinite perfect reign could also put the hope for Christ???s second coming more in the shadow. The Arthurian expectations simultaneously represented a most subtle heresy as none of those holding these unorthodox beliefs considered themselves in opposition to the Church. This, along with a most adamant defence of their expectations, made the Arthur believers hard to handle without turning them into full-fledged heretics, while denouncing Arthur himself was difficult without afflicting the pious ideals he represented as a legendary Christian champion. The 1191 fabrication of Arthur’s tomb could thus have been the perfect answer to a subtle heresy, as it effectively eliminated the possibility of his return without overtly criticizing anyone’s beliefs.