Lancelot's life with the Lady of the Lake is detailed in the German Lanzelet by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven and the Prose Lancelot Proper, which was later expanded into the Lancelot-Grail Cycle. ![]() The first mention of Avalon, a magical island with which the Lady and Morgan are frequently associated, is in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae Geoffrey says Arthur's sword Caliburn was forged there, and says Arthur was taken to the isle after his battle with Mordred to have his wounds healed.Ĭhrétien de Troyes mentions in his romance Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart that Lancelot had been raised by a water fay who gave him a magic-resisting ring. The Lady of the Lake's origins are probably ancient and modern, like Morgan le Fay's, and she and Morgan may have ultimately derived from the same tradition. The character appears in many other episodes of Malory's work. Sir Thomas Malory also uses both Ladies of the Lake in his Le Morte d'Arthur he leaves the first one unnamed and calls the second one Nimue. The Post-Vulgate's second Lady of the Lake is called "Ninianne", and her story is nearly identical to the one in the Lancelot-Grail. Instead, Balin chops off her head, and is banished from court. Some time later, she shows up at court and demands Arthur put the knight Sir Balin to death, explaining her family has had an ongoing blood feud with his. The first of these gives Arthur his sword Excalibur after he breaks his first one, but she demands he repay the favor at the time of her choosing. ![]() The Post-Vulgate Cycle omits the entire account of Lancelot's early adventures found in the Lancelot-Grail, and splits the Lady of the Lake's character in two. ![]() Because he could see the future, he knew this would happen, but was powerless to avoid it. She refuses to give him her love until he has taught her all his secrets, but when he does, she uses her power to trap him either in the trunk of a tree or beneath a stone, depending on the version. There, Viviane learns her magic from Merlin, who becomes enamored of her. The Lancelot-Grail Cycle provides a backstory for the Lady of the Lake, "Viviane", in the Prose Merlin section, which takes place before the Lancelot Proper, though it was written later.
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