Arthurian characters figure prominently on The Fictional 100, even though Arthur himself does not appear on the list. Webster's New Biographical Dictionary lists Arthur as a 6th-century king of the Britons, possibly based on a historical military leader. Therefore, although his existence is shadowy, I prefer to exclude him from a list of fictional characters. Perceval and Tristan and Isolde were selected for the variety and breadth of their influence in the Arthurian cycles.