The relationship between King Arthur and earlier kings who were supposedly buried at Stonehenge was promoted by the twelfth-century English writer and bishop Geoffrey of Monmouth. Those kings were Arthur’s father and uncle. In his History of the Kings of Britain, Geoffrey explicitly connects Stonehenge, which was already quite ancient, with the great magician Merlin. According to Geoffrey, the stones for the standing circle came from Ireland, but Merlin believed that even earlier, giants had brought them from Africa. Geoffrey also claims to be drawing on earlier accounts in stating that Merlin advised Arthur’s uncle, who was then king, to have the so-called Giants’ Dance moved to southern England. The monument’s purpose was to commemorate the Britons who had been killed at the site in a great battle with the Saxons.
King Abrosium Aurelianus’s brother, Uther Pendragon, was Arthur’s father and, when he became king, took charge of the mission to obtain the stones. The Irish understandably objected, and Uther’s men had to defeat the Irish forces. Nevertheless, humans were not able to move the massive stones, but Merlin was able to move them using magic. He also supervised the reinstallation of the henge on Salisbury Plain.
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