Role Of Morgaine In The Arthurian Legend

Essay, Research Paper

The Depiction of Morgan Le Fay In

Various Accounts Of The Arthurian

Legend

Morgaine speaks….

“In my time I have been called many things: sister, lover, priestess, wise-woman,

queen.” So begins Marion Zimmer Bradley’s account of the Arthurian legend, which

places unusual emphasis on the character of Morgaine, otherwise known as Morgan Le

Fay. But who exactly is Morgan and how does she vary in the different accounts of the

Arthurian legend.

In order to assess how Morgan Le Fay is depicted throughout history, it is first

important to establish who she is and what part she plays in the legend. Five different

texts: Geoffrey of Monmouth’s The History of the Kings Of Britain, Sir Thomas Malory’s

Le Morte d’Arthur, a French version of the Arthurian legend, Mort Artu, written by an

unknown 13th century author and T. H. White’s 20th century classic The Once and

Future King, along with Marion Zimmer Bradley’s New York Times best-selling novel

The Mists Of Avalon show vastly different versions of the character of Morgan and her

importance in the legend.

In most versions of the legend, Morgan is Arthur’s half sister, the daughter of

Queen Igraine and her first husband, the Duke of Cornwall. After her mother’s marriage

to the High King, Morgan is trained in magic of some sort. She, whether knowingly or

unknowingly, beds Arthur and is impregnated by him. She bares him a son, Mordred, then

disappears into the “realm of the fairies” After several years, Morgan is married to the

King of Uriens. This is the way Morgan appears most frequently in re-tellings of the

Arthurian legend. However, the character Morgause has often taken on some of the

characteristics and roles of Morgan in the legend; therefore, in order to adequately

compare texts on Morgan, one must explore the depiction of Morgause also.

The original full retelling of the Arthur story, Monmouth’s The History of the

Kings of Britain, has few female characters. Morgan Le Fay is once such decided absence.

Not only does she play no part whatsoever in the legend, but she is never even mentioned.

Mordred, who is often her son by an incestuous relationship with Arthur, is instead the son

of Anna and her husband, Loth, the King of Lothian. Anna is as close as Monmouth gets

to a Morgan-like character. She is the sister of Arthur, and daughter of Igraine and Uther.

She gives birth to Mordred, who is the means by which Arthur’s death comes about, and

Gawain, one of Arthurs most loyal and trusted knights.

Le Morte D’Arthur by Malory shows an entirely different perspective as to the role

and person of Morgan Le Fay in the Arthurian legend. She is one of Arthur’s three

sisters, the others being Morgause and Elaine. Morgause marries King Lot of Lothian and

has four sons including Gawaine while Elaine marries King Nentis. Arthur has an

incestuous relationship with Morgause and she gives birth to Mordred. Meanwhile

Morgan is continually conspiring against Arthur in an attempt to avenge his father’s poor

treatment of Igraine. Morgan steals Arthur’s sword Excalibur and gives it to her lover

Accolon, who challenges Arthur so that he might become High King. Accolon is fatally

wounded. Morgan also attempts to sabotage Arthur’s knights several times.

Mort Artu, a French prose text by an unknown author from 1225, shows a very

different side of Morgan. She is once again a sorceress and sister of Arthur; however, she

is not shown in such a negative light. She loves her brother and is shown to care very

much about his welfare. She describes herself as one of the “ladies who know all the magic

in the world” and says that she feels most at home on the Isle of Avalon. She is not the

mother of Mordred, nor does she play any part in Arthur’s death and downfall. Morgan

does, however, have two important roles in this account of the legend. She tells Arthur of

Lancelot and Guenivere’s treachery and offers him comfort and advice as to what he

should do. She tells him to punish them, a piece of advice which he follows. Morgan’s

other important role in this legend is that after Arthur is mortally wounded by Mordred

she carries him off to Avalon to tend to his wounds.

The Once and Future King, by T.H. White, shows Morgan in yet another different

light. She is no relation to Arthur, but instead she is the Queen of the Fairies, an women

described as “heartless”. She cares little for others, only for her own pleasure. She also is

not the mother of Mordred. This role is reserved for Morgause, who is shown as a bitter

witch. She has four children by Lot before she seduces Arthur to her bed and bears his

child. Morgaine is not a terribly important part of this version of the legend other than

because she is the Queen of the Fairies. The fairies are described as quite evil characters

and they are responsible for much of the misery of the times. Morgan is describes a

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