World classic, retold in simple Mandarin
King Arthur
亚瑟王
King Arthur (亚瑟王, Yàsè Wáng) is a legend, retold in simple Mandarin as a 5-chapter story with audio for learners at about HSK 1 (Beginner).
Retold from Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: a boy pulls a sword from a stone, and a giant green rider comes to the Round Table.
Meet the voices
- Narrator · 旁白 — A warm older storyteller who sets the scene.
- Arthur · 亚瑟 — A kind, brave boy who becomes the king of Britain.
- Kay · 凯 — Arthur's grumpy foster brother, who is always hungry.
- Merlin · 梅林 — An old wizard who guides Arthur.
- Lady of the Lake · 湖中女士 — A mysterious lady who gives Arthur the magic sword.
- Gawain · 高文 — A brave knight of the Round Table who takes the Green Knight's challenge.
- Green Knight · 绿骑士 — A giant green rider who loves a strange game.
- Castle Lord · 城堡主人 — A cheerful lord who welcomes Gawain to his castle.
- Sir Ector · 埃克特 — Kay's father, who raised Arthur.
- Proud Knight · 傲慢骑士 — A big knight who says Arthur is too young to be king.
- Lancelot · 兰斯洛特 — A polite knight who joins the Round Table.
- Castle Lady · 城堡夫人 — The lord's kind wife, who gives Gawain a green belt.
5 chapters, one journey
Chapter 1: The Sword in the Stone
石中剑
Arthur runs to find a sword for Kay and pulls one from a stone like it's nothing. Then a strange old man says something that changes everything.
Free to read
Chapter 2: The Lady of the Lake
湖中女士
A knight breaks Arthur's sword in a fight. Then Merlin leads him to a misty lake where a hand rises out of the water.
SayMei Stories
Chapter 3: The Round Table
圆桌
Arthur builds a table where everyone is equal. On New Year's night, a huge green rider bursts in with a strange game.
SayMei Stories
Chapter 4: The Green Knight's Game
绿骑士的游戏
Gawain plays the Green Knight's game and must find him in a year. Lost in the snow, he finds a warm castle and a secret.
SayMei Stories
Chapter 5: The Green Chapel
绿山上的游戏
At the green hill, the Green Knight raises his axe three times. Only then does Gawain learn who has been playing with him.
SayMei Stories
Key words in King Arthur
Behind the story
King Arthur is a legendary king of Britain. His stories were gathered in English in 1485 by Thomas Malory in Le Morte d'Arthur, and an anonymous poet told the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight about a hundred years before.
In Chinese, the king is known as 亚瑟王 and his knights as 圆桌骑士, the Knights of the Round Table. The tale of the round table, where nobody sits above anyone else, still stands for fairness and friendship.
Did you know?
- The sword in the stone and the sword Excalibur are two different swords in Malory's book.
- The Round Table was round so that no knight could sit at the head.
- In the poem, the Green Knight carries a holly branch in one hand and a huge axe in the other.