Cid Arthurianism

Cid Arthur

Cid Arthur eventually escaped his father’s palace and soon found more than poverty outside of its walls. As prophesised, he renounced his throne and set upon a quest to find the Holy Grail, the cup of enlightenment, alongside his trusted knights. Eventually coming to a forbidden forest, he entered what seemed to him the darkest part and discovered the Merlin Tree, beneath which he sat in meditation and came to enlightenment.

Merlin

Merlin was a sage who is believed to have been tempted by the demon Mara’s daughters whilst seeking wisdom and so doing was enticed and sealed within a fig tree. Upon realising what had happened, he came to the wisdom he had sought but was unable to share it, until the Cid Arthur discovered him and meditated under the boughs of his tree.

It is said that the spirit of Merlin lives on within the sacred trees on every world, whispering riddles, guiding those who seek wisdom and are able to discern his words through the creaking of branches.

Knights of the Round Table

Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot, Sir Percival, Sir Bedivere, Sir Gareth, Sir Kay, Sir Gateris, Sir Galahad, Sir Tristan, Sir Palamedis and Sir Ram have all been mentioned as Knights of the Round Table. Each man entered the forbidden woods at what they thought the darkest part in their quest for the Holy Grail, the cup of enlightenment.

Dinadan Vima

Considered the greatest khandasattva in the last 5000 years, who reiterated and transmitted much of the teachings of the Arthur-Buddha.

Khandasattva

Also known as Sword Saints, these were warriors who had achieved the Holy Grail of enlightenment and so were free from samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth. Although very rare, it was possible for a sword saint to return to the mortal world in a time of great need.

Gurram

A Knight of the Path, a Gurram is an initiated warrior monk. Each monk takes on the lifelong quest for the Holy Grail, to attain the cup of enlightenment, by sharpening the mind.

They would aim to cultivate the “whole-mind” or “no-mind” (similar to the Nipponese Mushin No Shin) and become fully present in the moment, so as to become aware of what the unconscious mind noticed and not just rely on the conscious aspect. The object is to go beyond the need to think in order to act spontaneously, with swift and decisive action.

The ideal Gurram was to be detached from all things, including their own life and survival, as they believed their atman, their soul, survived in samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth, until such time that they achieved enlightenment.

The traditional clothing of a warrior monk was an azure robe and saffron cloak, with many wearing malaros beads that featured a tassel and a medallion depicting a Holy Knight, which were used to aid with chanting and meditation.

Lorian Aristedes

A devotee of the Path he, whilst uninitiated, aspired to embody the virtues of a Gurram, a Knight of the Arthur-Buddha.

Fordgron

Fordgrons are the fortified abbeys in which aspiring warrior monks follow the Path to become Gurram or potential Khandasattva. They are decorated with rounded windows and doors, featuring motifs of the Merlin Tree wrought in iron. The peaked roofs are supported by wooden beams that are intricately sculpted in geometric designs. It is designed in a way to balance humility and pride.

A central feature is an enclosed garden hosting a sacred fig tree and a rock garden surrounding the anvil and sword of the Arthur-Buddha. They also featured English gardens in the surrounding grounds enclosed by high hedge walls.

Another central feature of any Fordgron is the Fencing Gimbal. This is a sub-daimonic training automaton featuring concentric circular tracks fixed to the ceiling, upon which up to four target dummies can be suspended. When activated, a holograph well overlays images of historic knights on the dummies, which then move to attack the warrior monk who is ready to be tested and display their prowess.

Fordgrons within the Empire are burned or de-sanctified wherever they are found.

Hyadon

There is mention of a Cid Arthurian temple near the outer wall of this Extrasolarian space station.

Maddalo House

A former Cid Arthurian fordgron located in the highlands of Nessus. It had been de-sanctified by the Terran Chantry and has since served as a private residence for the lords of the planet. Notably, it was the site of Hadrian Marlowes’ and Valka Onderras’ exile/ house arrest after returning to Imperial Space.

Nagramma

A Norman Freehold settled by Cid Arthurian refugees, the planet hosts a Cid Arthurian temple established in the 13th millennium, located amongst the mountains of a cloud forest and surrounded by champak trees. It contains a mighty statue of the Arthur-Buddha sitting upon a lotus throne and an ancient Merlin Tree in its central courtyard. As a temple, it also featured prayer wheels and wooden wind chimes.

Fordgron is a Welsh for “roundtable”.

Gurram is a Telugu word for “horse”, perhaps referring to the fact that medieval knights often fought on horseback.

Khandasattva can be compared to the modern-day term Bodhisattva, which is a Sanskrit word for “awakened being”. The word “Khanda” refers to a double-edged straight sword from ancient India and is a significant symbol in Sikhism, representing faith.

Malaros have a real-world equivalent, known as Mala beads, which are used in Hinduism, Buddhism and other traditions to count mantras, affirmations or the breath in meditation.