Round Table

Round Table in Arthurian legend , the table at which King Arthur and his knights held court. It was allegedly fashioned at the behest of Arthur to prevent quarrels among the knights over precedence. According to one version it was given to Arthur as a wedding gift by his father-in-law. A round table of undetermined antiquity hangs now in the castle at Winchester. Traditionally King Arthur's, it may be a relic of one of the medieval jousts also called round tables.

Round Ta·ble • n. 1. the table at which King Arthur and his knights sat so that none should have precedence. It was first mentioned in 1155. 2. an international charitable association that holds discussions and undertakes community service. 3. (round table) an assembly for discussion, esp. at a conference: art historians fly around the world to attend colloquia and round tables | [as adj.] round-table talks.

Round Table, the, in the Arthurian legend, the symbol of the common purpose of Arthur's court and knights. According to Malory it was made for Uther Pendragon who gave it to King Lodegrean (or Leodegrance), who gave it as a wedding gift, with 100 knights, to Arthur when he married Guinevere, his daughter. It would seat 150 knights, and all places round it were equal. The ‘Siege Perilous’ was reserved for the knight who should achieve the quest of the Grail. In Laзamon's Brut, however, the table was made for Arthur by a crafty workman. It is first mentioned by Wace.