Who were the Women in the Legend of King Arthur?
The stirring tales of King Arthur are legendary. His achievements of courage and endeavour are exciting stories passed down through generations, and songs are still sung of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. But who sings the songs for the Women of Arthur? The most well known woman in the Legend of Arthur is Guinevere, Arthur’s Queen, who is said to have caused the downfall of Camelot. Another is Morgan le Fay, his half sister. His mother, the often-overlooked Ygraine, appears briefly at the beginning, her only part is to give birth to Arthur. There are also mystical women, such as the Lady of the Lake. We also meet ordinary women in Arthur, women who are not Queens or great women of magic. Love seems to always bring them tragedy, like Isolde of Ireland, or Elaine the Fair, whom Tennyson immortalised as the Lady of Shalott. But when the feats are recounted and the stories retold, what do we say of the women in this story? The portrayals of these women tell us much more about th
