Editing King Arthur (section)

== Name ==
{{Main|Arthur}}
[[File:Nuremberg chronicles f 143v 2.jpg|thumb|"Arturus rex" (King Arthur), a 1493 illustration from an early printed book, the ''[[Nuremberg Chronicle]]'']]

The origin of the Welsh name "Arthur" remains a matter of debate. The most widely accepted etymology derives it from the Roman ''[[nomen gentile]]'' (family name) [[Artoria gens|Artorius]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Koch|2006|p=121}}.</ref> Artorius itself is of obscure and contested etymology.<ref>{{Harvnb|Malone|1925}}.</ref> Linguist Stephan Zimmer suggests Artorius possibly had a Celtic origin, being a Latinization of a hypothetical name ''*Artorījos'', in turn derived from an older [[patronym]]'' *Arto-rīg-ios'', meaning "son of the bear/warrior-king". This patronym is unattested, but the root, ''*arto-rīg'', "bear/warrior-king", is the source of the Old Irish personal name ''Artrí''.<ref name=zimmer09>{{Harvnb|Zimmer|2009}}.</ref> Some scholars have suggested it is relevant to this debate that the legendary King Arthur's name only appears as ''Arthur'' or ''Arturus'' in early Latin Arthurian texts, never as ''Artōrius'' (though Classical Latin Artōrius became Arturius in some Vulgar Latin dialects). Others believe the origin of the name ''Arthur'', as ''Artōrius'' would regularly become ''Art(h)ur'' when borrowed into Welsh.<ref>{{Harvnb|Koch|1996|p= 253}}.</ref>

Another commonly proposed derivation of ''Arthur'' from Welsh ''arth'' "bear" + ''(g)wr'' "man" (earlier ''*Arto-uiros'' in Brittonic) is not accepted by modern scholars for [[phonology|phonological]] and [[orthography|orthographic]] reasons. Notably, a Brittonic compound name ''*Arto-uiros'' should produce Old Welsh ''*Artgur'' (where ''u'' represents the short vowel /u/) and Middle/Modern Welsh ''*Arthwr'', rather than ''Arthur'' (where ''u'' is a long vowel /ʉː/). In Welsh poetry the name is always spelled ''Arthur'' and is exclusively rhymed with words ending in ''-ur''—never words ending in ''-wr''—which confirms that the second element cannot be ''[g]wr'' "man".<ref>See {{Harvnb|Higham|2002|p= 74}}; {{Harvnb|Higham|2002|p= 80}}.</ref>

An alternative theory, which has gained only limited acceptance among professional scholars, derives the name Arthur from [[Arcturus]], the brightest star in the constellation [[Boötes]], near [[Ursa Major]] or the Great Bear.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chambers|1964|page= 170}}; {{Harvnb|Bromwich|1978|page= 544}}; {{Harvnb|Johnson|2002|pp= 38–39}}; {{Harvnb|Walter|2005|page= 74}}; {{Harvnb|Zimmer|2006|page= 37}}.</ref> Classical Latin ''Arcturus'' would also have become ''Art(h)ur'' when borrowed into Welsh, and its brightness and position in the sky led people to regard it as the "guardian of the bear" (which is the meaning of the name in Ancient Greek) and the "leader" of the other stars in Boötes.<ref>{{Harvnb|Anderson|2004|pp= 28–29}}; {{Harvnb|Green|2007b|pp= 191–194}}.</ref>

Many other theories exist, for example that the name has [[Messapian language|Messapian]]<ref>Marcella Chelotti, Vincenza Morizio, Marina Silvestrini, ''Le epigrafi romane di Canosa'', Volume 1, Edipuglia srl, 1990, pp. 261, 264.; Ciro Santoro, "Per la nuova iscrizione messapica di Oria", ''La Zagaglia'', A. VII, n. 27, 1965, pp. 271–293.; Ciro Santoro, "La Nuova Epigrafe Messapica "IM 4. 16, I-III" di Ostuni ed nomi" in ''Art-, Ricerche e Studi'', Volume 12, 1979, pp. 45–60.</ref> or [[Etruscan language|Etruscan]]<ref>Wilhelm Schulze, "Zur Geschichte lateinischer Eigennamen" (Volume 5, Issue 2 of ''Abhandlungen der Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Philologisch-Historische Klasse'', Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften Göttingen Philologisch-Historische Klasse), 2nd edition, Weidmann, 1966, p. 72, pp. 333–338; Olli Salomies, ''Die römischen Vornamen. Studien zur römischen Namengebung''. Helsinki 1987, p. 68; Herbig, Gust., "Falisca", ''Glotta'', Band II, Göttingen, 1910, p. 98.</ref> origins.