First off, I totally forgot about this blog's anniversary, so we missed it! My first post, an Intro to Norse Mythology, was published on October 28th, 2014. That's right - mythdancer has been around for over a year now! During that time you guys have been amazingly friendly and supportive, and I've loved seeing your enthusiasm for mythology, fairy tales, and folklore. So, whether you've been reading since the start (thanks Mom!) or have only recently found this blog, thank you for your support. You're the reason I keep writing these posts.
Next, we are very nearly to 4000 pageviews! I can't believe it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Last thing before I get into the post: This coming Saturday I will be at the Bookmans on Speedway and Wilmot for their last Local Author's Fair of the year. I'll have copies of both Hammerfall and Lovesick, along with a massive number of lightsaber earrings (Come to the dark side! We have fashionable jewelry!). If you're in the neighborhood, you should swing by and see me! You never know who might be there...
Now, on with the post!
Arthurian legend is full of honor, chivalry, and strict ties between knights and their lords. Unfortunately, it is also fraught with convoluted familial relationships and romances that at times tear the court apart. One such situation leads to the fall of King Arthur's court, and his disappearance from this world.
I mentioned in my post about Uther that Igraine, the mother of Arthur, had several daughters with her first husband (before Uther killed him). These girls were married off by Uther to various vassals and lords that he wanted brought under his control. One of the daughters, Elaine, doesn't really figure into Arthurian legend after this. Unfortunately, she is the only girl who disappears from the stories. Her sisters Morgan le Fay and Morgause appear quite prominently.
Now, when I see the name Morgan le Fay I tend to go "Boo! Hiss! Evil!" This reaction is because Morgan is portrayed as a villain in so many parts of popular culture nowadays. She has been the evil responsible for Arthur's downfall in books, television shows, movies, and videogames.
This is very interesting, because in the original legends Morgan le Fay actually wasn't that bad of a person. She was depicted in the beginning as a healer who often aided King Arthur and his court. Later the myths changed to make her an opponent of Queen Guinevere (largely because Morgan loved Lancelot, Guinevere's lover), and by extension King Arthur - but she eventually exiles herself to the land called Avalon to study magic and ceases to plague the court. She even shows up in the end to escort a mortally wounded Arthur to his rest in Avalon.
So how did the Morgan le Fay from the legends become the one now featured so evilly in pop culture? The answer lies in her other sister, Morgause. The two women are often combined into one, with Morgan's name and magical prowess merged with the story of Morgause. It is to Morgause that we now turn.
Morgause, like her two sisters, was married off to a vassal of King Uther. When the king died she was unaware that he had sired her half-brother, Arthur. Arthur, being raised away from the court and his heritage, was unaware that he had any half-sisters. Upon his coronation a dramatic turn of events saw he and Morgause share an incestuous night together - a night that resulted in the birth of a son, Mordred.
In truth, that is about the extent of Morgause's importance to the story. She bears several sons to her husband, and they and Mordred (raised without knowing his heritage) go on to become knights in King Arthur's court. Morgause pretty much disappears from Arthurian Legend at this point.
It is to Mordred that we now must turn. He became a seemingly noble knight for King Arthur, but in reality he often sought to undermine the king's power. Mordred is often depicted as trying to alert Arthur to the adultery of Guinevere and Lancelot, hoping to plunge the knights into a civil war. This usually fails, luckily for the court!
Unfortunately, Mordred gets his chance to overturn the order of things when Arthur leaves him in charge while the King wages war far away (sometimes this war is upon Lancelot and his army, since Arthur finally discovered the betrayal of his knight). Left with no one to stop him, Mordred crowns himself king and seizes Arthur's throne for himself. He also tries to marry Guinevere - depending on which story you read, she sometimes willingly marries him and sometimes flees to a convent rather than wed him. In any case, Mordred takes the power of Camelot and has no intention of giving it back.
This is problematic, because when Arthur hears of his young knight's betrayal he marches his army straight back to Camelot to reclaim his throne. The battle that ensues is known as the Battle of Camlann. Many died during this battle, which culminated in a confrontation between Mordred and Arthur. Arthur managed in the end to kill Mordred, but he was struck a mortal blow in the process.
Lying on the battlefield dying, Arthur sends one of his knights to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. The knight tries several times to keep the blade for himself, but Arthur sees through his lies each time. He eventually gives in to his King's orders and throws the sword into the Lake, where it is reclaimed by the hand of the Lady rising from the deeps.
What happens next is one of the more interesting parts of Arthurian legend (at least to me). Arthur is taken by a group of women - their identities vary, but they generally include at least one Lady of the Lake and Arthur's half-sister Morgan le Fay.
These women carry the dying king to a boat and escort him to the isle of Avalon, a mystical land of healing. According to legend, the great king does not actually die. Instead, he lies on Avalon, regaining his strength until the day of his return.
(Which sounds an awful lot like the story of Fionn, doesn't it?)
With that, I'll end my posts about Arthurian legend for now. What did you guys think?
As I said at the beginning of the post, next week I'll be starting to take a look at Jewish folklore. Until then, you guys have a great week! Happy Thanksgiving!
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