The Arthurian legend is a group of stories about Arthur, a legendary king in ancient Britain. In ancient times the stories were told aloud. Later, in the Middle Ages, authors in Britain and France began to write them down. There are many different versions of the stories that make up the Arthurian legend. Still, they usually revolve around several main characters—King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and the knights of the Round Table. Other common elements of the stories are Arthur’s fabled sword Excalibur, the magical island of Avalon, and the search for the Holy Grail.