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Lady of the Lake
Lady of the LakeThe Lady of the Lake, an enchantress also known as Viviane or Nimuë, appears in many of the tales of King Arthur. According to legend, she lived in a castle beneath a lake surrounding the mystical island of Avalon. She raised Lancelot and gave Arthur the magical sword Excalibur, which he treasured. When Arthur was near death, she saved him by taking him to Avalon. Arthur's magician Merlin fell in love with the Lady of the Lake, but she did not return his affection. However, she did persuade him to teach her some of his magic. While the two were traveling together, the Lady of the Lake used the spells she learned from Merlin to imprison him in a tower with invisible walls (in some versions of the story she traps him in a tree or cave instead). The Lady of the Lake was also associated with Pelleas, one of the knights of the Round Table. When Pelleas was rejected by Ettard—the woman he loved—the Lady of the Lake took care of him. She and Pelleas fell in love and were married. See also Arthur, King; Avalon; Excalibur; Lancelot; Merlin. |
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"Lady of the Lake." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lady of the Lake." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900292.html "Lady of the Lake." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900292.html |
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Lady of the Lake
Lady of the Lake, in the Arthurian legends, a rather shifting supernatural character. In Malory's Morte D'Arthur she gives Arthur the sword Excalibur, but when she asks for the head of Balyn as payment Balyn strikes off her head. Also called the Lady of the Lake (in Malory) is Nimiane (Nimue, and, probably by scribal misreading, Vivien), the wife of Pelleas, who loves Merlin whom she tricks into revealing his magic arts and then imprisons in a tower of air in the forest of Broceliande from which he never escapes. In Malory she is said to have accompanied the three queens who bore Arthur away by ship after his death. In Celtic origin she may derive from Morgan, the archetypal lake lady.
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Cite this article
MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Lady of the Lake." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Lady of the Lake." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-LadyoftheLake.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Lady of the Lake." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-LadyoftheLake.html |
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Lady of the Lake
Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend , a misty, supernatural figure endowed with magic powers, who gave the sword Excalibur to King Arthur. She inhabited a castle in an underwater kingdom. According to one legend she kidnapped the infant Launcelot and brought him to her castle where he lived until manhood. She has been identified variously with Morgan le Fay and Vivien. The poem The Lady of the Lake, by Sir Walter Scott, is based on a totally different legend. |
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Cite this article
"Lady of the Lake." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lady of the Lake." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-LadyLake.html "Lady of the Lake." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-LadyLake.html |
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