Inspired by Rainbow's Tune: LADY OF THE LAKE

An Historical View:

Often there are pieces of literature  in life that inspire us on to bigger and better things. It can come in the form of a great book, a movie, or even a song. Such it was with me. Both when I was a young boy and even more so later in my teen years, and--yes, I admit it--even in my adult life today. It began with the readings of medieval literature, John Boorman's Excaliber movie and finally when I heard Rainbow's Lady Of The Lake off of their 1978 Long Live Rock and Roll album.

Lady of the Lake proves an in depth and intriguing tale based, as you shall see, from Celtic folklore that was further developed by the French and passionately embraced by the English, built around a Celtic war chief later to become the deified King Arthur.

The tales in which feature the Lady of the Lake began as a Celtic oral tradition--being passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, and--true to Celtic story telling--grew with each and every telling. This grouping of tales was based on a real chieftain that was, through these tales, deified to a status beyond human mortality while still retaining many aspects of human character. (The best known example going to that of the King's own wife and King's most valiant knight having an affair directly beneath his nose and uncertain how to handle such a blatant indiscretion.) The first time for it to appear  in written text was published in 1132 by a Welsh gentleman Geoffrey of Monmouth, in what he called (translated from Latin) Historia Regum Britainniae, or the History of the Britons.

The portrayals of the characters we have come to see as chivalric and flawless heroes were quite different in these original tales. It is interesting to see that "knights" were quite a different concept than what we visualize today. They wore no shiny armor of glittery beauty--the technology did not permit this in the Bronze Age of metallurgy--and the men themselves were brutish and harsh. Rape and vengeance were the trade of the day, and all loyalty was often colored with gold--essentially more brigands and mercenaries than the do-gooders of our mythic visions.

Following this first 1130s printing, this work was promptly translated into French by Robert Wace in 1155. Little was changed in this version of the text, but it did bring about a level of exposure to other parts of Europe that would bring about more notable changes. The latter part of the 12th Century was likely the largest change, with little doubt, in the Arthurian tales. This was done by Chretien de Troyes.

Chretien's portrayal was focused about what was--of the day--called "courtly love", a concept of romance that dealt with concepts of honor and loyalty above all else. It was a time of moral order and deeds of valor. The church of the day took to this like a starved rat does to cheese--they stole many of the concepts and put divine interpretations upon it to propagate a religious morality that was perceived lacking.

Thomas Malory, in the 15th century further brought the astounding saga to life with Morte d'Artur (the death of Arthur) telling of the final battle between this great king and his misguided son--Mordred. It was now moving into a tale with a Greek feel to it--morality and entertainment meshed in the ferver of the day's popularity. The tale was still beyond the mortal conscripts of man, but maintained many elements and challenges that the men of the day were often seen to face.

At this point in the saga's history the church decided to wield the phenomenon as if it were Excaliber itself, selfishly imposing their won interpretation of the tale. This was driven by a German writer Wolfram's Parzifal, who brought about a knight and an aspect of Christianity that had not been so prevalent before: The Holy Grail and the Knights code based on GOD. This is, interestingly enough, the Arthur and Knights of the Round Table that we think of today.

But it was still not all that popularized, and the churches knew it. Not until the late 18th and early 19th century was the best known contemporary author of the Arthurian Sagas, by  Sir Walter Scott a Scottish novelist and poet (1771-1832).

Others authors continued to expand and build upon the Arthur based material including Alfred Lord Tennyson, with Idylls of the King. They continue even today through he 20th century with contemporary authors like Marion Zimmer Bradley, who uses this idea to its full advantage in her feminist revision of the tales, The Mists of Avalon, and on into the 21st century with writers we have yet to meet in the printed word.

I have doubts this tale will die a quiet death as long as humans continue to find elements of themselves imbedded in the stories themselves.

A Literary View:

A cursory glance at any collected version of the Arthurian legends quickly shows that there is not one Lady of the Lake, but several. The first Lady of the Lake to appear in the sequence {Suite de Merlin} is the one who gives the sword Excalibur to Arthur, and asks him In return to grant her whatever she requests. Subsequently this lady is rudely decapitated by Sir Balin, the Knight with the Two Swords, after she requests, his head from Arthur. This lady is therefore unlikely to be the same one as the lady who appears in later tales.

Then there is the Lady of the Lake who kidnapped Sir Lancelot as a small child and brought him up with her in her magical under-water kingdom, instructing him in all the skills and obligations of knighthood {Prose Lancelot}. Essentially proving to be Lancelot's mother--or foster mother at the very least.
This is the same lady mentioned by Chretien de Troyes  as the faery who had brought Lancelot up and given him a magic ring.

Thirdly, there is the Lady of the Lake, variously named as Nimane , Viviane or Nimue who  beguiles and enchants Merlin (Vulgate Merlin, Suite de Merlin, etc.). Having sealed the living Merlin in his tomb, this lady takes over some of his functions as magical protector, and immediately hastens off to save King Arthur from the evil plots of his sister Morgan le Fay.

Finally there is a group of ladies who collect the dying Arthur after the Battle of Camlann and sail away with him to the Isle of Avalon--one of which is reported to be the Lady Of The Lake.

These reflect confused and jumbled versions of a number of Celtic and Neo-Euro tale elements. It is not surprising that these disparate elements fail to make up one consistent character. But any who have read any tales originating of this period, know it is not infrequent for such tales to be jumbled or even contradictory--it is the very nature of their (verbal) telling that infuses this element.

The Tradition:

There is a strange weave of all the Arthurian characters that speak to the origins and nature of The Lady Of The Lake.

As mentioned before, The Lady of the Lake was the foster-mother of Sir Lancelot and raised him beneath the murky waters of her lake--apparently being a faery in nature, she can inhabit any body of water. She is, however, best known for her presentation to King Arthur of his magical sword Excalibur, through the intervention of the King's druidic advisor, Merlin (Myrddin) who was constantly worried that his monarch would fall in battle due to his ability of forevision.

According to the original tales Merlin had met the Lady at the Fountain of Barenton (Brittany) and fallen so deeply in love with her that he agreed to teach her all his mystical powers. The lady became Merlin's scribe, who recorded his prophecies, as well as his lover. Unfortunately however, over the years, the Lady became so powerful that her magical skills outshone even her teacher and she imprisoned him in Glass Tower (or similar dungeon). This is perhaps where we get the Boorman interpretation in the motion picture. To some extent she stepped into Merlin's role at King Arthur's side, but the old man's removal contributed considerably to the great monarch's downfall. This in hiroic literature known as the "mentor" figure--he who guides and directs the main character on their heroic quest. The Lady of the Lake was eventually obliged to reclaim her sword when Arthur was fatally wounded at the Battle of Camlann and Excalibur was hurled back to misty waters. She was later one of the three Queens who escorted the King to Avalon.

Her Name:

The Lady of the Lake is seen in many other cultures and their literature. She is a commonly re-occurring spirit. Her name usually referred to by various spellings of the names Nimue or Vivienne. Nimue is thought to be related to Mneme, the shortened form of Mnemosyne, one of the nine water-nymph Muses of Roman and Greek Mythology who gave weapons, not unlike Arthur's sword, to the heroic Perseus. Vivienne betrays the Lady's Celtic form, for "Vi-Vianna" probably derives from "Co-Vianna", a variant of the widespread Celtic water-goddess, Coventina. Remembering Latin pronunciation, this name probably relates to Merlin's original partner in early poetry, his wife Gwendoloena. Thus Gw-end(-ol)-oena = Cov-ent-ina.

There have also been attempts to show Vivienne as a corrupt form of Diana or Rhiannon. Though possible, these theories seem unlikely.  

Ancient Origins:

Water deities were extremely popular with Celtic Society for they controlled the essential essence of life itself. The spontaneous movement of springs, rivers and lakes clearly showed the supernatural powers of the goddesses who lived within; and offerings at such aquatic features were commonplace, especially of weapons and other valuables. The practice continues today at wishing wells across the country, and the Lady of the Lake is remembered as "Lady Luck"!

Her names clearly reveal this Lady to have been the Celtic Water-Goddess Coventina (presumably identified by the Romans with their Mnemosyne). This lady was worshipped throughout the Western Roman Empire, in Britain, the Narbonne area of Gaul and North-Western Iberia too. She is most celebrated for her shrine at Brocolitia (Carrawburgh) on Hadrian's Wall. Here a quadrangular temple surrounded a central pool fed by a sacred spring. Coin, jewellery and small bronze figurine offerings have been excavated as well as numerous altars dedicated by the local soldiers.

Since the Lady of the Lake's place as Merlin's student and lover was largely overtaken by Morgan Le Fay, a lady whose very name in Breton indicates a water-nymph, it seems that the two were aspects of the same character. Indeed, as both appear among the three queens who escort Arthur to Avalon, she no doubt had a third aspect making up the well-known theme of a Celtic Triple-Goddess.

Lady Of The Lake lyrics by Rainbow

TThere's a magical sound slidin' over the ground Makin' it shiver and shake And a permanent cry fallin' out of the sky Slippery and sly like a snake With a delicate move kind of shifty and smooth A shadow has covered the light Then a beam in the shade from a silvery blade Has shattered the edge of the night I know she waits below Only to rise on command When she comes for me She's got my life in her hands When a movement behind hit the side of my mind I trembled and shook it away Then another assault and I started to faulter Fibres of steel turned to clay With a bubbly turn now the water should churn And push it way from the core And a lady in white will bring sun to the night Brighter than ever before I know she waits below Only to rise on command When she comes for me She's got my life in her hands Lady of the lake There's a magical sound slidin' over the ground Makin' it shiver and shake And a permanent cry fallin' out of the sky Slippery and sly like a snake With a delicate move kind of shifty and smooth A shadow has covered the light Then a beam in the shade from a slivery blade Has shattered the edge of the night Straight down I'm swirling around Blinded and bruised by the strain There must be some way to see Diamonds out of the rain I know she waits below Only to rise on command When she comes for me She's got my life in her hands Lady of the lake

Present Day Myth:

These legends and tales follows even into today's modern text and theater--the modern method of story telling: television.

Isabella Rossellini as Nimue in NBC's Merlin

This was actually a really great made for TV movie! The portrayal does not prove exceptionally accurate to the original literature, but I found it an interesting twist on an old tale. It was so successful as a TV movie that it even went to video.

I highly recommend it!

Even Touched By An Angel Episode 506:  "Lady Of The Lake"

Another evidence of contemporary television saturation of this character and these tales lies in "Touched By An Angel"--personally I hare VERY little for this program as well as its message, but I thought it would show just one more element of the continuing involvement of religion and the use of cultural based elements originally deemed pagan and heresy in content.

The Research:

There has been a great deal of research put into discovering if Arthur, and the other characters enmeshed throughout the ages with him, truly did exist and, if so, where he might have lived--and died. Though the research runs anywhere from loosely based to scientific carbon testing and statistical probability, there is the old saying that where there is smoke there is fire and many believe that if there was not a true Arthur, then there was--at the very least--someone who lived on which the legendary figure was based.

It is claimed that the birthplace of Arthur was an ancient castle called Tintagel.  This location can be visited today and provides tours for both those familiar and unfamiliar with the tales of the region.

Another great tourist site that is a matter of contention among archeologists today is the Abbey of Gladstonbury. This locale was "discovered" in 1191 to be the tomb of our beloved hero King Arthur and maid of little faith, Guinevere. A sign, in fact, proclaims the very spot in which they are supposedly at rest.

Whether it be the true resting place or not, I bet it damned sure makes a fortune in tourism fees...perhaps enough to build a new Camelot!

And so, we could write several books on the topic of each character and each aspect of fact or fiction, beside the many that have already been written--both in fact as well as in fiction.

It is my hope I have given you a small overview of my own brief findings and encourage you to look into further readings if you rind it even of mild interest. Too, I hope that I might have provided another dimension to one of our favorite rock songs and favorite writers that also seemed to find this topic of at least mild interest.

All The Best,

KEN

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Some Great Sources:

If you would like to further research this and related topics, I would highly recommend to you readings which I have already found good reading:

Celtic Mythology by TW Rolleston ISBN: 0-571-12179-4

The Archaeology of Weapons by Ewart Oakeshott ISBN: 1-56619-596-9

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Nimue, Vivien, Vivienne, Niniane

The Lady of the Lake was known by many names. She was most often Nimue (pronounced Nim-oo-ay). Nimue was often confused and misrepresented in Arthurian Legend as an enchantress wanting nothing more than to steal Merlin's magick. This is considered by most, a literary fabrication created by the misogynist, religious state of that time.

Literarily, Nimue was the daughter of Diones and the lover of both Pelles and Merlin. In reference to Nimue as the Lady of the Lake, it was she who gave the sword Excalibur to Arthur and regained it when he died. She also accompanied three additional faerie queens to Avalon with the body of the slain king. It is also said that she stole the child Lancelot and cured his madness. This was done so Lancelot could become guard to Nimue's weak son Mabuz who was tormented by Iweret.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson paints one of the lovliest literary pictures of the Lady of the Lake in his great work, Idylls of the King. This first reference describes the Lady of the Lake presenting Excalibur to the King. The second reference is the return of the sword after the death of Arthur.

"And near him stood the Lady of the Lake
Who knows a subtler magic than his own-
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful.
She gave the King his huge cross-hilted sword,
Whereby to drive the heathen out. A mist
Of incense curl'd about her, and her face
Well nigh was hidden in the minster gloom;
But there was heard among the hold hymns
A voice as of the waters, for she dwell
Down in the deep-calm, whatsoever storms
May shake the world- and when the surface rolls,
Hath power to walk the waters like our Lord."

Spoken by Sir Bedivere who was charged with casting Excalibur to the Lady...

"Then with both hands I flung him [Excalibur], wheeling him;
But when I look'd again, behold an arm;
Clothed in white samite, mystical, wonderful,
That caught him by the hilt, and brandish'd him
Three times, and drew him under the mere."

Mythologically, the Celtic Lady of the Lake was known as a Gwragedd Nnnwn (or Lake Faerie). These fae were often married to mortal men. They were lovely, blonde women who enjoyed female company and aiding mortal women and children. The Lady of the Lake was also considered the Queen of the Isle of Maidens.

Nimue, mythologically, was a lessor Celtic Moon Goddess; cognate with the Greek Nemesis and Diana of the Grove. Her name meant "fate" and "she who lives" and was said to reside in the Fairy wood of Broceliande. She was also connected to the Goddess Morgan.

Archetypically, Nimue and the Lady of the Lake represented the primal initiation into the Otherworld. She reigned over knowledge, was the foster mother, and the mistress of wisdom.