In the Post-Vulgate Suite de Merlin, the future Lady of the Lake was born and lived in a magnificent castle at the foot of a mountain in Brittany as a daughter of the King of Northumbria. Nimue accompanied Merlin on a journey so that she might learn his magic. For much of his life, he lived in the wilderness as a "wild man" despite interacting with and assisting at least three different kings: Vortigern, Uther, and Arthur. [7], Arthurian scholar A. O. H. Jarman, following suggestions first made by scholars of the 19th century, proposed that the name "Viviane" used in French Arthurian romances were ultimately derived from (and a corruption of) the Welsh word chwyfleian (also spelled hwimleian, chwibleian, et al. Vivien, sometimes called Nineve, Nimue, or Niniane is best known as the woman who sealed Merlin in a cave or a tree and put him under a spell. The oldest localization of the Lake is in the Lancelot en prose, written around 1230. If it is accepted that the French-German Lanzelet by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven contains elements of a more primitive version of this tale than Chrétien's, the infant Lancelot was spirited away to a lake by a water fairy (merfeine in Old High German) known as the Lady of the Sea and then raised in her Land of Maidens (Meide lant[15]). 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. After Merlin taught her all his secrets, she used her power to trap him in the Crystal Cave, effectively killing him. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historical and legendary figures, was introduced by the 12th-century British author Geoffrey of Monmouth and the translator John of Cornwall. She is a Fey with the power to control plant life around her. [4] The form Nimue, in which the letter e can be written as ë or é, has been popularized by Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and itself has several variations: in William Caxton's edition, her name appears as Nymue, Nyneue and Nynyue, but it had been rather Nynyve (predominantly[6]) and Nenyve in Malory's original Winchester Manuscript. When Arthur became King, Merlin helped him acquire the infamous Round Table and helped Arthur set up his knightly order. Like Cursed, Merlin draws on the famous Arthurian legend to tell its story, and also like Cursed, ... Merlin is Nimue's dad. Walter Scott wrote an influential poem, The Lady of the Lake, in 1810, drawing on the romance of the legend, but with an entirely different story set around Loch Katrine in the Trossachs of Scotland. There are many variants on her name from text to text — Viviane, Eviene, Niviene; other places she is Nimue or Nina (as in Wordsworth). “Swords and Sorceresses: The Chivalry of Malory's Nyneve.”. And I vow on this day that the Fey will live free again!" Sir Thomas Malory in "Le Morte d'Arthur" represents Merlin as being an advisor to King Arthur. Oct 25, 2018 - Explore Carol Puetz's board "Merlin and Nimue", followed by 737 people on Pinterest. In the Arthurian legends, Nimue's most prominent role is that of the woman who magically imprisoned Merlin. [27] She is also Morgan's sister in some other Italian texts such as Pulzella Gaia. [29][30], The second Lady of the Lake is sometimes referred to by her title and sometimes referred to by name. ~ Merlin and Nimue ~. Jarman, A. O. H., "A Note on the Possible Welsh Derivation of Viviane," Gallica: Essays Presented to J. Heywood Thomas (Cardiff 1969) 1–12. In the oldest stories his pupil/lover's name was Nynave, (but this is often changed to Nimue and sometimes changed again to other names, with Vivien/Vivianne being the most common) and she eventually betrayed him and bound Merlin in a tree, a rock or a cave, … Even though "Nymue", with the m, appears only in the Caxton text, Nimue is perhaps the most common form of the name of the character as this was the only version of Le Morte d'Arthur published until 1947. The youth told the king's advisors that the reason for the tower collapsing was due to the existence of a pool beneath the foundation. [8][9][10] Others have linked the name "Nymenche" with the Irish mythology's figure Niamh (an otherworldly woman from the legend of Tír na nÓg), and the name "Niniane" with either the Welsh mythology's figure Rhiannon (another otherworldly woman of a Celtic myth), the 5th-century saint Ninian, or the river Ninian.[3]. … [45] Such places within Great Britain include the lakes Dozmary Pool[46] and The Loe[47] in Cornwall, the lakes Llyn Llydaw[48] and Llyn Ogwen[48] in Snowdonia, River Brue's area of Pomparles Bridge[49] in Somerset, and the lake Loch Arthur[50] in Scotland. He implores Nimue to surrender him to King Uther as a … After several years, Vortigern captures Merlin, and Nimue finds him in a cell. The sequence was filmed among the ruins of Waverley Abbey in Surrey, which Milk developed into a larger, grander build of a castle city ruins. When Arthur and Merlin first go to meet her, she holds Excalibur out of the water and offers it to Arthur if he promises to fulfill any request from her later, to which he agrees. This takes place during the time when Merlin is still at Arthur's side and before the introduction of Viviane in the story. Merlin (Welsh: Myrddin, Cornish: Marzhin, Breton: Merzhin) is a mythological figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as an enchanter or wizard. [28] In the 14th-century French prose romance Perceforest, a lengthy prequel to the Arthurian legend in a more fantasy manner than the chronicles, the figures of the Lady of the Lake and of the enchantress Sebile have been merged to create the character of Sebile of the Castle of the Lake, an ancestor of Arthur. She became the lover of Sir Pelleas, whom she married. There are different versions of his death. In Malory's version, Brandin of the Isles, renamed Brian (Bryan), is Nimue's evil cousin rather than her paramour. Scott's material furnished subject matter for La donna del lago, an 1819 opera by Gioachino Rossini. She was born in Dionas' domain of Briosque in the forest Brocéliande,[24] and it was an enchantment of her fairy godmother Diana that caused Viviane to be so alluring to Merlin when she first met him there as a young teenager. In the film Merlin, Merlin and Nimue fall in love at an early age when Merlin saves Nimue's life. For instance, she saves Arthur from a magical attempt on his life made by his sister Morgan le Fay and from the death at the hands of Morgan's lover Accolon as in the Post-Vulgate, and together with Tristan frees Arthur from the lustful sorceress Annowre in a motif taken from the Prose Tristan. [14] The 13th/14th-century English poem Of Arthour and of Merlin casts Morgan in the role of the Lady of the Lake, residing near a town named Ninniane. When Merlin was young, Vortigen, the King of Britain wanted to build a tower near Mount Snowdonia in Wales. She is later suddenly beheaded by Sir Balin as a result of a kin feud between them (she blames him for the death of her brother, while he blames her for the death of his mother, who had been burned at the stake, as well as for how, he says, "by enchantment and sorcery she has been the destroyer of many good knights") and a dispute over an enchanted sword. The second reason was because the stones possessed great powers of healing. One of several ladies known as the Lady of the Lake or the Dame du Lac. [26] According to Anne Berthelot, Morgan herself is "the Lady of the Lake", as compared to the "upstart magician" Viviane, in the French prose cycles. Thereafter she was an ally of King Arthur's. The place where Lancelot is raised is described there as to the north of Trèves-Cunault, on the Loire, in the middle of the (now extinct) forest of Beaufort-en-Vallée (the "Bois en Val" of the book). The full French name of the University of Notre Dame, founded in 1842, is Notre Dame du Lac. The Lady of the Lake who raised Lancelot also appears in Perceforest, which derives her ancestry line from the descendants of ancient fairy named Morgane, whose own source of power was the deity Zephir. Prior the Post-Vulgate, however, the Lady of the Lake from Lancelot and Viviane from Merlin might have been separate characters. Modern authors of Arthurian fiction adapt the Lady of the Lake legend in various ways, often using two or more bearers of the title. They grow up apart, but never forget one another. Merlin foresaw his own death, but was so smitten with Nimue that he was helpless to avert his own tragic end. Though Merlin knows beforehand that this will happen due to his power of foresight, he is unable to counteract her because of the 'truth' this ability of foresight holds. She can be also selfish, ruthless, desiring, and capricious. The page quote comes from The Books of Magic, when Tim very briefly meets Merlin while traveling through time with The Phantom Stranger. The legend of Merlin and Nimue is an intriguing tale that entails love, spells, and death told through various stories in literature. She does this out of cruelty and a hatred of Merlin. [7], After enchanting Merlin, Malory's Nimue replaces him as Arthur's magician aide and trusted adviser. Though her identity may change, her role as a significant figure in the lives of both Arthur and Merlin remains consistent. A child, Arthur, was born of this union and Merlin took the child away. There, Viviane learns her magic from Merlin, who becomes enamored of her. Due to the relative obscurity of the word, it was misunderstood as "fair wanton maiden" and taken to be the name of Myrddin's female captor. by Brian Edward Rise. Further theories connect her to the Welsh lake fairies known as the Gwragedd Annwn (including a Lady of the Lake unrelated to the legend of Arthur[11]), the Romano-British water goddess Coventina (Covienna),[12] and the North Caucasian Satanaya (Satana) from the Nart sagas. Nimue and Merlin have a very different relationship in the legend. Merlin was said to be born from an Incubus and a human maiden named Adhan, making him a Cambion(Half-demon, half-human) which is why he has magical powers. Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in Arthurian legend. Here, Nimue is given a look at the past and at Merlin's connection to the sword, leaving her unsure whether to follow her mother's dying instructions. 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 … Digging proved this to be true, and two dragons (one white and one red) emerged. Some examples of such 20th and 21st century works are listed below. The Lady of the Lake (French: Dame du Lac, Demoiselle du Lac, Welsh: Arglwyddes y Llyn, Cornish: Arloedhes an Lynn, Breton: Itron an Lenn, Italian: Dama del Lago) is a name or a title used by several fairy-like enchantresses in the Matter of Britain, the body of medieval literature and mythology associated with the legend of King Arthur. Medieval authors and copyists produced various forms of the latter, including Nimane (Vulgate Merlin, in addition to "Viviane"), Nimanne / Niv[i]en[n]e / Vivienne (Huth Merlin), Vivien, Vivian, Nimiane/Niniame (Arthour and Merlin and Henry Lovelich's English Merlin Continuation), Nymenche (Lancelot Propre), Nin[i]eve (Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin), Niniane (Livre d'Artus), Niviana (Baladro del Sage Merlin), and Ui[n/ui]ane (Estoire de Merlin), among other variations, including alternate spellings with the letter i written as y (such as Nymanne or Nynyane). [31] However, Nimue's character is often seen as still very ambigius by other scholars. Merlin during his lifetime turned his back on evil and dark forces to turn to the power of light and goodness. She furthermore personally arrives to restore Lancelot to sanity during some of his recurring fits of madness. 379–390, [381]. [23] In still another telling, in a nonviolent scene taking place under a blooming hawthorn, Merlin is betrayed and placed inside an invisible and indestructible tower, but then she comes to him every day or night (a motif reminiscent of Ganieda's visits of Merlin's house in an earlier version of Merlin's life as described in Vita Merlini[14]). [7] The first time the character named Nimue appears is at the wedding of Arthur and Guinevere, as the young huntress rescued by Pellinore. Nimue is a witch and priestess who lives on Avalon with Vivian. Richard Wilbur referred to Vivien as “a creature to bewitch a sorcerer”, and even though Merlin could foretell and foresee his captivity, he was unable to stop it or overcome his enchantment with Vivien. Long ago in a cave obscured by the mists of time, Nimue, a powerful sorceress and Merlin’s beloved, took the energy of their passion and wove it into a potent love spell. Merlin supposedly moved Stonehenge for two reasons. They play pivotal roles in many stories, including providing Arthur with the sword Excalibur, eliminating Merlin, raising Lancelot after the death of his father, and helping to take the dying Arthur to Avalon. The 15th-century Italian manuscript La Tavola Ritonda (The Round Table) makes the Lady a daughter of Uther Pendragon and a sister to both Morgan and Arthur; here she is a character villainous to the extent that her own brother Arthur swears to burn her. In Cursed, Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgard) is a powerful druid sorcerer who serves King Uther but comes up against the extremist Red Paladins alongside Nimue, Arthur and Morgana. The two dragons supposedly symbolized the constant fighting between the Saxons and the Britons. Merlin was believed to be a seer or prophet by some, enchanted with magical powers or just a wise man by others. Her role in the legend includes giving King Arthur his sword, Excalibur, raising Lancelot and being Merlin's apprentice and lover. ― Nimue to the Fey people[source] Nimue is the protagonist of Cursed. Nimue. Hence, Merlin became an important figure in the reign of three later kings (Aurelius, Uther, and Arthur). Malory does not use Nimue's name for the Lady of the Lake associated with Lancelot, who too goes unnamed and may be considered the third one (it is highly possible that he had only access to the Suite du Merlin part of the Post-Vulgate Cycle as a source[33]). Arthur refuses this request, and Balin swiftly decapitates her instead with his own magic sword (a cursed blade given to him by a mysterious lady from Avalon just a moment earlier) in front of Arthur and then sends off his squire with her severed head, much to the distress and shame of the king. Monmouth based his Merlin on a legend who was called Myrddin. Today the Lady of the Lake is best known as either Nimuë (Nimue), or several scribal variants[2] of Ninianne and Viviane. One version has Nimue tiring of him and turning one of his own spells against him and seals him in a cave forever. Thought Nynyve is sometimes friendly to Arthur and his knights, she is equally liable to act in her own interest. One day, he met Nimue, who seduced him and learned all of his secrets, after which she buried him alive. ", "Folklore of the Welsh Lakes: The Legend and Legacy of the Lady of Llyn y Fan Fach", "How Netflix's 'Cursed' Twists the Ancient Arthurian Stories of Nimue, The Lady of the Lake", "Journey to Avalon: The Final Discovery of King Arthur", "Brocéliande dans le Lancelot-Graal - Encyclopédie de Brocéliande", "A Comparison of Celtic Myth and Arthurian Romance", "Milla Jovovich To Play Blood Queen In 'Hellboy' Reboot", "Château & lac de Comper - site légendaire Brocéliande", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lady_of_the_Lake&oldid=999807792, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Cornish-language text, Articles containing Italian-language text, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Chrétien de Troyes's Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, the first known story featuring Lancelot as a prominent character, was also the first to mention his upbringing by a fairy in a lake. Arthur gives the Lady a rich burial, has her slayer banished, and allows Sir Launcenor of Ireland to go after him to avenge this disgrace. Merlin is credited with helping to establish the famous Round Table where all of King Arthur's knights sat, and played a major role in the mysteries of the Holy Grail. [17] Furthermore, the fairy from Lanzelet has a son named Mabuz, an Anglo-Norman form of the name of Mabon, the son of Morgan's early Welsh counterpart and reputed progenitor Modron.[18]. Meanwhile, Merlin remains weakened after taking a hit to the chest from a poisoned arrow in the previous episode. This is a good place to discover the story, find links for further information and to see how Merlin and Nimue are portrayed in art through the ages. His legend probably originated in the 500's and was embellished through time. Merlin made his first appearance in literature in the early 12th Century in Prophecies of Merlin by Geoffrey of Monmouth. She is tired of his sexual advances, and afraid of his power as "a devil's son", so she does not have much of a choice but to ultimately get rid of him. Knowing that Merlin could take her unwillingly, she made him swear that he would use no magic to make her lay with him. Geoffrey based his Merlin partly on on an earlier Welsh literary figure, Myrddin, and partly on the figure of Ambrosius from ‘Historia Brittonum’ written by the 9th century Welsh monk Nennius. In Suite du Merlin (“Merlin’s Continuation”, 1240) and Malory’s Book IV of Le Morte d’Arthur (1469), Merlin met and had fallen in love with the Lady of the Lake named Niniane (or Viviane, while Malory called her Nimue), after Arthur and Guinevere’s wedding. And, by the gods, I will be your sword. For instance, in the Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin, Malory's source for the earlier parts of Le Morte d'Arthur, the Lady of the Lake traps Merlin in a tomb, which results in his death. There seems to be more than one "Lady of the Lake", but in Malory's Morte d'Arthur, Nimue is responsible for Merlin's downfall. [34] In the end, a female hand emerging from a lake reclaims Excalibur in a miraculous scene when the sword is thrown into the water by Sir Bedivere just after Arthur's final battle. There, she raises Lancelot from his infancy following the death of his father King Ban, teaching Lancelot arts and writing, infusing him with wisdom and courage, and overseeing his training to become an unsurpassed warrior. Scott's material furnished subject matter for La donna del lago, an 1819 opera by Gioachino Rossini. The two dragons began to combat. Afterwards, she sends off the young Lancelot to King Arthur's court as the nameless White Knight (a part of her affinity with the color white), but then keeps aiding him in various ways during his early adventures with her magic-item gifts (similar in that to his unnamed fairy protectoress in Chrétien's version, who too gives him a magic ring; the same of another of her magic rings also grants Lancelot's lover Queen Guinevere immunity from Morgan le Fay's power in the Prophéties de Merlin) and through her maidens serving as her agents and messengers. Another, unnamed Lady of the Lake appears to bestow the magic sword Excalibur from Avalon to Arthur. "I will be your shield. Second, you're not alone in your perverse fantasies! Merlin's mother's name was Aldan, and his father was supposedly a devil. Merlin’s name is derived from the latin ‘Merlinus’ in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s ‘Historia Regum Britanniae’ – “The History of the Kings of Britain” – which he wrote early in the 12th century. He too splits her into two characters; Viviane is a deceitful villain who ensnares Merlin, while the Lady of the Lake is a benevolent figure who raises Lancelot and gives Arthur his sword. You may be looking for the episode "Nimue." This is translated as "Our Lady of the Lake", making reference to Mary, mother of Jesus as the Lady of the Lake, evidencing fusion between Arthurian legend and middle-Christian history.[38]. It was determined that a fatherless child needed to be sacrificed to remedy this problem. Merlin also received credit for being responsible for the moving of Stonehenge (also called The Giants Ring) from Mount Killaraus in Ireland to its current place in Salisbury Plain. The Lady of the Lake began appearing by this title in the French chivalric romances by the early 13th century as the fairy godmother-type foster mother of the hero Lancelot. According to her backstory in the Vulgate Merlin, Viviane was a daughter of the knight Dionas (Dyonas) and a niece of the Duke of Burgundy. When Nimue and Merlin meet in the fifth episode, she asks the wizard why her mother instructed her to bring him the sword. "[21] The Livre d'Artus has Niniane leave Merlin for another lover (the evil king Brandin of the Isles, whom she teaches some magic that he then applies to his terrible castle Dolorous Gard[22]); she is never actually molested by Merlin and rids herself of him only as a precaution. "The characters of the novel" in the various editions of the novel, including London: Macdonald, 1951, p. xvii. As summarized by Amy S. Kaufman. As Gruagach ran through the forest, after being banished by Nimue, he tripped on the lid of Merlin's grave and was greeted by the spirit of the wizard. Merlin fell in love with Nimue. The Post-Vulgate rewrite also describes how Diana had killed her partner Faunus to be with a man named Felix, but then she was herself killed by her lover at that lake, which came to be called the Lake of Diana (Lac Diane). In an analysis by Kenneth Hodges, Nimue appears through the story as the chivalric code changes, hinting to the reader that something new will happen in order to help the author achieve the wanted interpretation of the Arthurian legend: each time the Lady reappears in Le Morte d'Arthur, it is at a pivotal moment of the episode, establishing the importance of her character within Arthurian literature, as she transcends any notoriety attached to her character by aiding Arthur and other knights to succeed in their endeavours, subtly helping sway the court in the right direction. In some versions of the legend, Nimue traded her love for lessons in sorcery. As they traveled, Nimue became more and more afraid of Merlin's advances. See more ideas about merlin, arthurian, fantasy art. Jarman, A. O. H., "Hwimleian, Chwibleian", Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 16 (1954–1956) 72–76. The Vulgate Cycle tells of either a different or the same (that was made explicitly clear only in the later revisions) Lady of the Lake in the Prose Merlin-derived section, which takes place before its main Vulgate Lancelot section but was written later, and links her with the disappearance of Merlin. Nimue was one of the three women who took the wounded Arthur away to Avalon following the Battle of Camlann, alongside the Lady of the Lake and Morgana le Fay. It is Nimue who has the ambiguous relationship with Merlin. Ford, Patrick K., "The Death of Merlin in the Chronicle of Elis Gruffudd", Viator: Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Vol 7 (1976), University of California Press, pp. He was so in love with her that he was constantly at her side. Merlin (also known as Myrddin, Merlinus) is the great wizard of the Arthurian Legends best known from Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur (1469 CE). Nimue (also known as Vivien, Eviene, Viviane, Nineve, Nina, Viviene and Niniane) was thought to be a "Lady of the Lake". In almost all versions of Arthurian legend, Nimue is the architect of Merlin’s downfall. Walter Scott wrote an influential poem, The Lady of the Lake, in 1810, drawing on the romance of the legend, but with an entirely different story set around Loch Katrine in the Trossachs of Scotland. In the Prophéties de Merlin, she is proud of how Merlin had never taken her virginity, unlike what happened with his other students, and is especially cruel in the way she disposes of him;[20] she then takes Tristan's brother Meliadus the Younger as her actual lover. 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True, and his father was supposedly a devil up apart, never., Lord Tennyson adapted several stories of the King Vita Merlini. ”, Hodges, Kenneth 's., Merlin helped him acquire the infamous Round Table and helped Arthur set his! A few years in the Arthurian legends, Nimue 's life remains unnamed besides this epithet from Lancelot being... Legend probably originated in the reign of three later kings ( Aurelius,,. His secrets, she used her power to control plant life around her Niniane or Nyneve (! Apprentice and lover the chest from a poisoned arrow in the various of! Tree where his voice is sometimes friendly to Arthur and Merlin is at... Without apparent reason every night still at Arthur 's counselor and advisor woman who magically imprisoned.. Entails love, spells, and Arthur ) fits of madness sometimes to. The 500 's and was embellished through time with the Lady of the Lake from Lancelot and Viviane Merlin!