Home › Glossary › Letter T

Tintagel Castle

Arthurian Legend
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Legendary Cornish fortress where Uther Pendragon, disguised by Merlin, conceives King Arthur with Igraine—central to Arthur’s origin myth.

Detailed Definition
Tintagel is Uther’s site of deception with Igraine. In poetry, it symbolizes the intersection of magic and destiny—its cliffs a stage for the founding act of Arthurian myth, where love, trickery, and prophecy converge.
Example
Example in poetry:
Tintagel Castle, Arthur’s legendary birthplace per Geoffrey of Monmouth, appears in poetry as a liminal space between sea and sky, myth and history; Tennyson evokes Tintagel’s cliffs in “Idylls of the King” to frame Uther’s deception and Arthur’s miraculous conception; In modern verse, Tintagel symbolizes origins—both personal and national—where destiny is forged in secrecy; Poets use Tintagel’s ruins to meditate on time’s erosion of glory, yet the persistence of story; The castle’s dramatic setting inspires imagery of isolation and revelation, as in poems where Merlin watches the stars from its towers; Contemporary poets visit Tintagel as pilgrims, weaving personal reflection with legendary resonance in lyrical form.
Additional Notes
Tintagel Castle is the legendary site of Arthur’s conception, where Uther Pendragon, disguised by Merlin’s magic as Gorlois, lies with Igraine; located in Cornwall, it blends history (a real early medieval site) with myth—poets use Tintagel as a threshold of origin, enchantment, and the mingling of human desire with supernatural intervention.
Also Known As
Castle of Tintagel Tintagel Rock Birthplace of Arthur Tintagel Castle Tintagel
Skip to main content