#he was also used as a pawn by some court members to oust the kings old favourite that they did not like

[georgevilliers]

…

[blackswordmeister]

The following is a critical analysis I did on Mordred’s Song by Blind Guardian some years back. Figured I’d post it here and see what everybody else thought of it.

MORDRED: VILLAIN OR VICTIM

Abstract

           The following analysis is on “Mordred’s Song” by German power metal band Blind Guardian and its driving theme is that Mordred is less a villain and more a victim of fate. The ballad gives us Mordred’s side of the story concerning his feelings regarding his fate as the ultimate betrayer of his father King Arthur, the usurper of Camelot, and the cause of his final downfall as well as her personal feelings regarding his destiny. Instead of the popular depiction of him as a cursed child who maliciously covets his father’s throne, kingdom and (in some versions) even his queen, here he is depicted as a tragic victim of fate groomed for his entire life to destroy his father, never given a say otherwise. In other words, a pawn in another’s bid for power.  

              In Morte D’Arthur, compiled by Sir Thomas Malory, Mordred is the bastard son of King Arthur conceived by his half-sister Morgauise. Much like his father before him, his conception is marked by the breaking of numerous societal and religious taboos such as incest, witchcraft and in some versions, rape. It is foretold that this “child of evil” will eventually be the one to bring about Arthur’s doom. Years down the line, Mordred eventually grows to become one of the Knights of the Round Table and actually proves to be one of its more prominent members, earning praise from even Lancelot himself. It all goes downhill once he learns who his father is and the circumstances of his birth. All details aside, he eventually launches a coup in an attempt to oust his father as king and usurp the throne of Camelot. In many versions of the epic, Mordred is often cast as the villain, the devil child, the archetypal dark prince, an “evil bastard” in a figurative and literal sense. One such alternative character interpretation comes from German power metal band, Blind Guardian in their aptly titled “Mordred’s Song”. Here, listeners are given a chance to see through Mordred’s eyes and walk in his shoes as he feels trapped by his supposed destiny to bring about his father and Camelot’s downfall. Here, the so-called “evil prince” is less a villain seeking to supplant Arthur as king and more of a victim of fate, lamenting what he’s essentially been groomed all his life to do.

The very first line “I’ve lost my battle before it starts” (Line 1) foretells that he’s fully aware that he was essentially doomed from the start. With his birth marked by the breaking of numerous taboos and his eventual bid to oust Arthur and take Camelot, (and in some versions Guinevere as well) Mordred knows that it’s all to easy for him to be labelled as somebody destined to be the villain. “I’ve gone beyond the truth, it’s just another lie.”(lines 30-31) indicates to listeners that Mordred has been manipulated and lied to all his life to the point that he doesn’t know who to believe anymore. It remains unclear whether Mordred’s attempted power grasp was made of his own volition or whether he was influenced or manipulated by another.

“But fate fooled me and changed my cards” (lines 12-13) is a possible reference to tarot cards often used in divination and fortune telling, thus further highlighting Mordred’s role in the ballad as a victim of fate. “No Joker’s on my side” (line 19) references the joker card’s usual status in many card games as the “trump card” which often ensures victory where it would be impossible under normal circumstances. The line tells us that Mordred has no “trump card” that allows him to defy his dark destiny. The chorus line “I turn off the light and murder the dawn” represents Mordred’s apparent resignation to his fate. He knows that because of the circumstances of his birth and his usurpation of the throne, this verse indicates that he’s fully aware that he’s doomed to be forever be cast as the villain, the traitorous son, the Judas Iscariot of Camelot. Especially since that while Arthur has committed some actions worth calling out for the sake of keeping his throne. (i.e. the May Day massacre where in an attempt to get rid of the then unknown Mordred, Arthur pulls a Herod and decrees that every child born on May 1 of that year to be carted off to sea to be shipwrecked. Mordred himself survived that event.), Arthur is not remembered either in his time or in modern days as a tyrant. However, Mordred during his reign as “interim king” is well received as king because as noble as Arthur was, his reign was marked by near constant warfare whereas Mordred promises the peace that has long eluded the land. The line “In agony, we’re unified” (line 34) speaks upon Mordred’s feelings of loneliness regarding his father. In Mary Stewart’s book, “The Wicked Day”, it shows that Mordred possibly loved Arthur as his father and felt some sort of loyalty towards him in spite of his fate as shown in the following exchange with his mother:

Morgause tells Mordred:

If Merlin saw it written in the stars that you would be Arthur’s doom, then how can you escape it? There will come a day, the wicked day of destiny, when all will come to pass as he foretold (Stewart, 234)

Mordred’s reply to this

Now that I am warned, I shall know what to do. If I have to leave court and stay away from him, I shall do it. No power on earth can make me lift a hand to kill unless I wish it, and this death I swear to you I shall never undertake. I swear it by the Goddess herself (235)

As Amber Kelly-Anderson notes in her own analysis on Mordred,

“Mary Stewart really focuses on the development of Mordred, whose destiny is dictated by fate and misunderstanding, rather than the innate malevolence of earlier characterizations in the Legend. In The Wicked Day Stewart’s Mordred is a thoughtful, conflicted young man who acts out of necessity rather than malice; his treachery is rather reluctant and the result of circumstance (Amber). In this way, Mordred’s character is redefined, making him more human and less villainous.”  (Sheble, p. 13)  The line can also be used to hint at the feelings of not just the son but the father as well. In the same manner that there is no indication on how Mordred feels about his actions, Arthur’s feelings on facing his son in battle are ambiguous as well. Both of them know that the path they’ve been set on can only end one of two ways. Either the father dies by the hand of the son or the son dies by the hand of the father.  Either way, their relationship is doomed to end in tragedy.

The song references Mordred’s father, Arthur, referring to his eventual fate of his attempt to usurp his throne and meeting him in battle. “I am the fallen one” (chorus line 2) can also be taken as a sort of Biblical reference regarding fallen angels. For example, Lucifer, whose pride and jealousy saw him cast from heaven, taking a host of angels with him into hell. Lucifer would ultimately become Satan, the source of all evil according to Christian doctrine and the mortal enemy of God and his servants. “Wash away the blood on my hands, my father’s blood” (lines 32-33) foreshadows his final showdown with his father towards the end of the Battle of Camlann, the ultimate confrontation between father and son where both strike each other down.

The driving theme behind Blind Guardian’s ballad “Mordred’s Song” is that Mordred is not so much a villain lusting after his father’s throne as he is more of a victim of fate, resigning himself to being branded as a traitor and fallen knight. Here, Mordred is no scion of evil as he is often cast but more of a tragic villain trapped by fate to ultimately slay the father and by extension bring about the downfall of Camelot as well as his own in the process. Metaphors are used to highlight his personal pain as he struggles between his personal morals and what he’s been groomed all his life to do. Symbolism is used. Allusions to the Arthurian stories hint at the guilt Mordred possibly feels for his actions and hint at his final confrontation with his father. In the end, the ballad asks its listeners “Is Mordred is truly the villain as he is often presented as or is he simply a victim cursed by fate and groomed since childhood to play a role he probably never wanted to begin with? Is Sir Mordred, true son of King Arthur Pendragon, a villain or a victim?

Annotated Bibliography

Blind Guardian, “Mordred’s Song” from the album “Imaginations form the Other Side” from Century Media Records. Retrieved from

:http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/blindguardian/imaginationsfromtheotherside.html#5

The source material for the analysis. The song is essentially Mordred’s side of the story in his final dealings with his father. The ballad sees him lamenting what he’s been groomed all of his life to do. Eventually, he resigns to his fate.

Malory, Sir T. Le “Morte D’Arthur” from CRW, 2007ISBN 1904633978, 9781904633976

The original saga of King Arthur as compiled by Sir Thomas Malory as well as the inspiration for the previously discussed ballad. It includes the tales of Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, including Mordred himself. Here, it details Mordred’s knighthood and ends with the eventual coup against his father Arthur.

Sheble M. The Once and Future Hero, A Vindicated Mordred (2011, March 10) Retrieved from:

http://nchchonors.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2011-SIRP-Sheble-Margaret.pdf

The source of the quotes found in this analysis. This is Margaret Sheble’s own analysis regarding the character of Mordred. Here, she examines many aspects of Mordred’s character, including theories concerning his childhood, his relationships with those around him and finally his eventual fall into villainy.

Steward, M., “The Wicked Day” Published from Ballatine Books, 1983 ISBN 0-449-91185-3

(paperback)

Fourth in Mary Stewart’s five part “Merlin” series. As with the ballad above, Mordred is shown as a victim of fate rather than a fallen knight. Here, Mordred is shown to be close with his father Arthur, but circumstances beyond his control as Mordred is drawn into the intrigues and infighting that marked the end of his reign.