Yamato Takeru - Arthurian Theory

Arthurian Theory

Anthropologist C. Scott Littleton has described the Yamato Takeru legend as “Arthurian” due to some structural similarities with the King Arthur legend. Common points include the use of two magic swords, of which the first one validates the authority of the hero; the leadership role of a war band; the death to an enemy after giving up the sword to a female figure; a transportation to the afterworld, and others. Littleton proposed that both legends descend from a common northeast Iranian ancestor.