Who was the Lady of the Lake?
The Lady of the Lake doesn't really
appear in historical investigations. She is thought to have
been based on lake fairies in Welsh stories. Geoffrey
of Monmouth says the leader of
the maidens of Avalon
was Morgan
Le Fay. Later legend traditions
say that the Lady of the Lake was the leader in
Avalon. The Lady of the Lake in popular
conception is the high priestess of an older
religion and the woman who gave Arthur
Excalibur
and then took it back when Bedivere
threw it back into the lake. She is also said to
have intervened when Morgan
Le Fay gave Excalibur to
Accolon,
who tried to kill the king with it. Many traditions, chief among
them Marion Zimmer Bradley, say the Lady was
responsible for educating Lancelot.
Bradley also presents the Lady, whom she names
Viviane, as the high priestess of a very old
religion, centered in Avalon. She is known by many names,
including Vivien and Nimue; she is also said to
be See also Literature of the LegendsSir Thomas Malory Literature of the LegendsMarion Zimmer Bradley and Mary Stewart
the one who locked Merlin
away with his own spell.
Was
Arthur a king or just a battle commander? Was
Guinevere really an adulteress? Was
Morgan Le Fay really a witch? Was
Morgause to blame for all of Arthur's
troubles?
Explorations in Arthurian History and Legends
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