Username: Nia The Elf
Lion name: Antor
(high, noble, Arthur's foster father)Lion gender: Male
Pride: Red EaglePride status: Knight
Painting: 
Explanation: The Sleep of Arthur in Avalon was painted by Edward Burne-Jones and was worked on for 17 years until his death. It was Burne-Jones' magnum opus and the Arthurian Legend stories of which is was made after had become an explanation for his life.
The painting depicts the King Arthur, who had been mortally wounded after the battle of Camlann were he had fought Mordred. He lies on a bench surrounded by three queens, and his head is in the lap of his sister Morgan le Fay, who took him to Avalon after he lost the battle. The carvings on the dome above are scenes of the legend of the Holy Grail, and the women appear with long braids - the symbol of sexuality.
The idea is that Arthur had not really died, but he is sleeping in Avalon, awaiting the moment when the nation will need his return most. Edward Burne-Jones was a Pre-Raphaelite artist, and so this idea has a special meaning for the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers; they found a depiction of shining armour and banners and gorgeous maidens, but Arthur had become a symbol for them of their campaign against the materialistic era. Burne-Jones had created a source of inspiration for the Pre-Raphaelites who opposed the Industrial Revolution, who believed that art can be a way of life and romanticised such ideal living.
Though the painting itself does not have that deep of a meaning (simply, a depiction of King Arthur waiting for when he is needed to rise), the inspiration that the painting had for the Pre-Raphaelite movement was meaningful.
