Viviane fairy

The fairy Viviane or Dame of the Lake is the name of a character of the legends arthuriennes. This character plays several parts; it gives the sword Excalibur to the King Arthur, guide the king dying towards Avalon after the battle of Camlann, enchants Merlin or educates Lancelot of the Lake after the death of her father.

The various authors and copyists gave to the Dame of the various Lake name: Viviane, Niniane, Nyneve ….

Presentation

Viviane living in the forest of Brocéliande (in which many species fairy-like like the dragons live), removed the young person Lancelot, whereas he was still child, after the death of her father the king Ban of Bénoïc; (death of sadness by learning that its kingdom had been burned by its Claudas enemy of the Deserted Earth). It took it along to deepest of very a big lake of which he never believed to be able to arise, ignoramus who it was the “passage” obliged to join the kingdom marvellous and hidden Avalon, the crowned island, ultimate refuge of the Celtic tradition. In other texts, it is not a question of Avalon but from the Diane Lake (cf the Merlin Huth , novel of the 13th century) His/her mother, the Helene queen withdrew herself thereafter in a convent until the end of her life. Viviane taught arts and the letters with Lancelot, insufflating wisdom and courage to him, making of him an accomplished knight. She then led it to the court of Arthur, with Camelot, to be adoubé there, and presented it to the Chevaliers of the Roundtable, of which he became most famous representing.

According to one of the many alternatives of the legend, Merlin succumbed to the charms of Viviane and she asked him to teach her secrecies to him. Merlin learned in Viviane practically all that it knew. Later, Viviane made turn nine times a magic veil around her deadened lover. He became thus his “lover eternal”. Finally, Viviane locked up Merlin in a tower of glass (or a cave, according to the various legends). Another alternative makes of Viviane it responsible for died for Merlin. Indeed, wanting to preserve her virginity of the repeated attacks of the old Enchanter, Viviane asks him to initiate it with the magic. With an only aim of conquering it, Merlin accepts, while knowing (thanks to its prophetic gift) which it will cause its loss. Viviane buries it alive in a tomb thanks to an enchantment. (cf the Lancelot in prose or the Merlin Huth , novels of the 13th century for example). The myth of Viviane and Merlin will be taken again at the 20th century by Guillaume Apollinaire in his book the Pourrissant Enchanter.

After the death of her mother Ygraine, Viviane had care of Morgane, making of it a magician, while Merlin the enchanter took care of the education of his/her half-brother, the future King Arthur. According to other texts, Morgane is not the half-sister of Arthur but his/her sister and this one were not raised by Viviane but she would have learned, she also, her magic of Merlin. Quite to the contrary, all two clash using their magic. Viviane protects Arthur, her court and the courteous and chivalrous ideal which it incarnates, while Morgane wants the loss of his/her brother and his sister-in-law, the Guenièvre queen. (cf the Lancelot in prose, the Merlin Huth and Death the king Artu for example). In its Cycle of Pendragon , Stephen Lawhead includes the figure of the Dame of the Lake under a different name: Charis , girl of the King Suprême of Avalon (more known under the name of Atlantis). Married with the Breton prince Taliesin, in the Brittany of good before Pendragon, those would have given birth to in the pain Merlin the Enchanter. After the death of Taliesin , Charis will deal with Merlin and it will rest in the lake of Logres , from where its name of Dame of the Lake .

Concerned

card deck HerosDeï : knights of the Roundtable of Arnaud Chapalain in 2005;

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