Lady of the Lake

The Lady of the Lake (Dame del Lac in French) was a woman of great magical power. She resided in the lake. The lake was actually a Celtic Otherworld. A great enchantment was cast upon her castle to hide her land from intruders.

There seemed to be several "Ladies of the Lake". The most important Lady of the Lake was Niniane (also known as Viviane, Vivien or Nimue). Some even said that Morgan le Fay was also the Lady of the Lake, though most often Morgan was referred to as one of the nine sorceresses of Avalon.

Another Lady of the Lake was the one who gave the magical sword Excalibur to King Arthur (according to Suite du Merlin (Post-Vulgate, c. 1240) and Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (1469) [Book I, chapter 25]). She was given no other name apart from her title as the Lady of the Lake, yet she was different from Niniane. This unnamed Lady was killed by Balin le Savage [Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, chapter 3]. Niniane later became the guardian of the sword, especially when the dying Arthur returned Excalibur to the lake.

It is now generally believed that the Lady of the Lake, including her connection to Arthur's sword Excalibur, is of Breton origin. The Lady of the Lake is generally said to have lived in the forest of Brittany. Arthur received a new sword from the Lady, and the dying Arthur ordered the sword to be thrown back into the lake. There are no earlier Welsh or English sources besides the French/Breton version about these events.

• Niniane (Viviane or Nimue)

• Ganieda (Gwenddydd)

Niniane

Niniane, Nymenche or Uiuiane was the Lady of the Lake who appeared in the Vulgate Cycle. Niniane was often called Vivien and Nimue (Nimue or Nenive in Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur). She is better known as Vivian in modern literature. However you pronounce or spell this lady's name, for the sake of convenience I am going to use Niniane.

It should be noted that Niniane (Viviane, Vivien or Nimue) should be distinguished from the Lady of the Lake who gave Arthur his new sword, Excalibur (see The New Sword in the Legend of Excalibur), when Arthur broke the sword that he drew from the stone that named him king (see Kingship and Early Wars); this earlier Lady of the Lake had a home in Britain, but she was soon executed by Sir Balin, (see Knight with Two Swords). Niniane and this first Lady of the Lake were two different people.

According to the Vulgate Merlin, Niniane was the daughter of Dyonas who had married the niece of the Duke of Burgoyne (Burgundy). Dyonas was the godson of Diana, the goddess of the woods. Her father had served the Duke of Burgundy as vavasor, and he was given the Forest of Briosque. The other part of the forest belonged to King Ban, which he won through serving the king as a knight.

Her lake seemed to be located in Little Britain (another name for Brittany), in this Forest of Briosque, and the lake was known as the Lake of Diana. It was named after the Roman goddess of the chase. Niniane was only 12 years old when she first met Merlin in this forest. Even at this young age, Merlin fell into her charms, which he found irresistible. Merlin taught her some of his magic in return for her love, before he departed from her.

Niniane would meet Merlin again as an adult.

In the Post-Vulgate romance called Suite du Merlin (part of Post-Vulgate cycle; it is a continuation of the Vulgate Merlin) and Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (1469), Niniane was a huntress and the daughter of the King of Northumbria in Brittany, not Britain. Shortly after the wedding of Arthur and Guinevere, Niniane owned a brachet (hound) and she was hunting the white hart. Her hound was stolen and she was abducted. Merlin sent three knights in the Quest of the White Hart, where Gawain had to fetch the hart. Tor retrieved the hound and Pellinor had to rescue the abducted huntress (Niniane).

Again, the great wizard and prophet couldn't resist Niniane's beauty and Merlin followed her everywhere. She again promised her love to him in return for Merlin teaching her everything about magic. Before she lured Merlin to his death, the great wizard built her hidden domain and palace near the Lake. With his magic he hid her home so that anyone who went by would only see a lake instead of her home.

When Niniane decided to return home, Merlin decided to accompany her, hoping to seduce the Lady of the Lake. Merlin knew that his end was near, but he could not control his passion or lust for Niniane. On their journey, Merlin and Niniane met King Ban, his wife Helen (Elaine) and the infant Lancelot, who was then named Galahad. Merlin told her that this baby would grow up to become the greatest knight in the world.

By the time they reached her home, Niniane decided to get rid of Merlin, enticing the sorcerer to teach her his magic, which she would use to trap the wizard. When they entered the forest of Broceliande, Niniane tired of Merlin's company. She used the magic she had learned from him, and entombed the sorcerer in the rock. The Vulgate Merlin says that she imprisoned Merlin in a castle made of air, which only she could free him from.

In the Vulgate Merlin, Gawain learned of Merlin's fate and entombment, while in Suite de Merlin, it was Pellinor who discovered the news of Merlin. Whichever knight it was, he returned to Arthur with the news.

Arthur lost his mentor and chief adviser. However, Niniane took over Merlin's role as the king's magical adviser. Niniane also foiled several plots of Morgan le Fay to kill her half-brother, King Arthur. Morgan le Fay was another sorceress who beguiled Merlin with her magic and necromancy.

In Suite du Merlin and Le Morte d'Arthur, Morgan le Fay stole Excalibur from her brother and gave the magical sword to her lover, Accolon of Gaul. As Arthur was losing his duel with Accolon, it was Niniane who rescued the king. She used her magic to knock Excalibur out of Accolon's hand.

Later, when Arthur returned to Camelot, Morgan sent one of her damsels carrying a beautiful mantle to her half-brother, as a token of peace. Niniane, suspecting treachery from Morgan, advised the king not to wear the robe. Arthur forced Morgan's attendant to wear the robe instead. The damsel died when the mantle was placed on her shoulders, and she was instantly burnt to a crisp. (See The Conspiracy of Morgan le Fay.)

Niniane was responsible for raising Lancelot after the death of his father, King Ban of Banoic. Lancelot did not know his own name, nor those of his parents, because Niniane did not reveal it while he was living with her. Niniane revealed only that he would find his real name when he became the best knight in the world. Niniane taught Lancelot about courtly love and the duties of a true knight. It was she who sent him to Arthur to be knighted, and there the young Lancelot fell instantly in love with Arthur's beautiful queen – Guinevere. Niniane helped Lancelot several times either by herself or by many of her damsels who served her. She knew of her foster son's love for the queen. See the page on Lancelot of the Lake.

According to Chretien de Troyes' Le Chevalier à la charrette (or Lancelot, c. 1175), Lancelot possessed a ring, given to him by a fairy, who had raised him. The ring allowed him to dispel any magic. No name was given of this lady (fairy). In Ulrich von Zatzikhoven's Lanzelet (c. 1194), the author wrote that the hero was abducted and raised by a water fay in her magical kingdom after his father was overthrown by his vassals.

Niniane gave Queen Guinvere a magical split shield. One half of the shield depicted a knight and woman kissing, but their lips were not touching one another because of the split in the shield. Once Lancelot and Guinevere consummated their passion, the shield would be made whole.

In Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, she was known as Nimue or Nenive, and she was one of four ladies who took the dying Arthur on a boat, to be healed in Avalon. (See The Death of King Arthur)

The antecedent of Niniane was probably Ganieda/Gwenddydd, Merlin's sister. Ganieda became Merlin's successor, not as a sorceress but as a powerful seeress, inheriting her brother's gift of divination. Niniane was not related to Merlin anyway, but she was his last pupil, and the Lady of the Lake became Merlin's successor as the magical adviser of Arthur.

Ganieda

In the tale told by Geoffrey of Monmouth titled Vita Merlini (c. 1152), Ganieda was known as the sister of Merlin. In the Welsh legends, Ganieda was known as Gwenddydd, and was the sister of Myrddin (Merlin). She was also the sister-in-law of Gwendoloena, Merlin's wife.

Ganieda (Gwenddydd) was the wife of King Rodarch of Cumbria (Welsh Rhydderch Hael, king of Stathclyde).

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, when her husband died, Ganieda lived in the forest with her brother. It was she who built a house with seventy doors and seventy windows for Merlin. The construction of the house allowed her brother to observe the night sky and foretell the future (astrology).

The legendary bard Taliesin later joined the brother and sister in the forest, where the bard shared news with Merlin. When Merlin regained his sanity by drinking water from a healing spring, Ganieda gained the power of prophecy, supposedly superior to his own power.

As the Welsh Gwenddydd, according to the poems attributed to Myrddin (Merlin), she was upset with her brother for the death of her son. But later she was reconciled with Myrddin in a dialogue between Myrddin and Gwenddydd (Cyfoesi Myrddin ac ei Chwaer Gwenddydd). Here, we find out that their father was named Morfryn, and that he and her sister were twins.

Ganieda doesn't appear in the mainstream Arthurian legend. However, some people believe that Merlin's sister was replaced with a fairy woman and sorceress known as the Lady of the Lake. The Lady of the Lake was known by several different names including Niniane, Nymenche or Uiuiane (in the Vulgate Cycle), Nimue (in Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur) and Vivian (a name more popular in modern literature).

That's not to say that Ganieda was a Lady of the Lake; she may have been the antecedent of the Lady of the Lake. Though Merlin's sister and the Lady of the Lake appeared to be two totally different people, the resemblances are there. Ganieda became gifted in divination as soon as her brother's sanity was cured. Therefore, Ganieda had inherited Merlin's position, since her brother refused to prophesy any more. Merlin said that his sister was even better than him in divination, just as the later Merlin was superceded by the Lady of the Lake. While Niniane (Vivian) was a pupil of Merlin, she learned all she could about magic from Merlin. After confining or killing Merlin, Niniane inherited Merlin's magical knowledge and skill, and became Merlin's successor as King Arthur's adviser.