Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings!   For today’s post, I have decided to take a look at some of the lesser-discussed Arthurian ladies.    As much as I can ceaselessly write and talk about Morgana and Guinevere, it is nice to give a spotlight to ones that are not as well known.   I will be briefly discussing each lady in her own short section of this post.    Without further ado, here are seven incredibly interesting Arthurian Ladies!

The Lady of Shalott 

~Elaine of Astolat, better known as the Lady of Shalott, was a young woman confined to her Tower.   She was cursed to never look outside her window, instead, she could only see the world through the mirror inside her rooms.   When she first saw Lancelot, she could not help but turn to look at him, at which point the mirror cracked, and her worldview became clear!   In her tragic tale, she ended up dying in a boat on her way to Camelot, longing for Lancelot and a love that would never be returned, given he was so in love with Guinevere.   

Elaine of Corbenic, Mother of Galahad

~Another Elaine and another Elaine obsessed with Lancelot!   This Elaine is the daughter of the Grail King and became infatuated with Lancelot when he attempted to find the Grail.   Elaine goes so far as to use a Glamour to make herself look like Guinevere so that she and Lancelot would sleep together, and this is how Galahad is conceived!    This works as a sort of mirroring of how Uther Pendragon begat Arthur on Igraine with the help of Merlin’s Glamour.   The High King Arthur was conceived by a Glamour tricking one of his parents, as was the Grail Knight Galahad!

Laudine, Lady of the Fountain & Wife of Yvain

~Yvain, also known as Owain, meets Laudine at her Fountain.      Yvain had defeated and killed her husband, who was an Otherworldly Knight when he sought revenge for his cousin.   Even though Laudine grieved the loss of her husband, she and Yvain fell in love.   She agreed to marry him and bring him into her Faery court on the other side of the Fountain.   There they remained for a long time until Yvain was reminded of his knightly duties, and against Laudine’s wishes, he went on another quest with Gawain.    She set him a time limit to get back to her, but he forgot, so she rejected him when he finally returned.    It is only through saving her Lady Lunete from death and having Lunete’s aid that Yvain is able to win back his wife!   This tale serves to show one way in which the heart of a Knight might be tested, directly by the Faery woman whom he loves!   

Enide, Wife of Erec

~Enide is the Wife of Erec in the French Romances, but in the older Welsh tales he is named Geraint.   She weds her husband after he defeats a cruel Knight and her family provides him food and shelter.    Over time there is a misunderstanding when Erec believes she does not love him because he heard her sobbing, but her tears are because she believes the fact that he softened due to their love is ruining his own Knightly reputation!   It is through going on a dangerous trip together, where Enide does not keep quiet (as she had been told) to warn him of several dangers and Erec proving he is still a fierce Knight that their love is rekindled and true communication is reached between the two lovers!   I love this tale for its emphasis on the importance of communication within relationships, as that is something we all need to be reminded of sometimes!

Ragnell, Wife of Gawain

~Ragnell is the Loathly Lady who is married to Gawain in order for him to help his Uncle, King Arthur.    After their marriage, Ragnell revealed that she was cursed to appear as a Loathly Old Woman during the day and to be her true beautiful young self at night.    She offered Gawain the choice of whether he would like her to appear beautiful in the day so that the court could see his lovely wife, or beautiful at night for him to bed her.   She did have the option to choose when she looked which way.   Gawain refused to choose, telling her it was her appearance and her choice, solving the riddle that Arthur did not.   “What do women most desire?”   What a woman wants most is Sovereignty!   Gawain gave Ragnell personal Sovereignty and broke her curse in the process!   This story always makes me happy because of the level of respect Gawain showed his Faery Bride.

Olwen, Wife of Culhwch

~Olwen’s name means “white footprint” or “white track” and she is described as being so delicate that white trefoils grow in her footprints!   Olwen is the daughter of a Giant named Ysbaddaden.   Her father is fated to die if she is ever to marry.   That is why Culhwch is given immensely difficult tasks in order to win the hand of his beloved.   Luckily for him, Culhwch is the cousin of King Arthur, who helps him with his tasks.   Eventually, after having proved himself to his wife’s father, he is allowed to marry her, and her father dies.   This is an extreme example of how many fathers must feel when their only daughters marry.   They are no longer the primary man in their daughter’s life, but they know that her husband is worthy, if he has proved himself like Culhwch did, and I am sure some fathers would love to make their sons-in-law do just that!   This tale appears in The Mabinogion and is an example of a Knight being tested for worthiness in love and also of Knightly Virtues.   This is a unique circumstance in having the testing figure by a male.   Usually, the testing figure is the Faery woman herself, not her father! 

Blanchefleur, Wife of Percival

~Blanchefleur, whose name means “white flower” in French, is the long-suffering wife of Percival.   They meet and fall in love near the beginning of his tale.   However, he still goes on his quest to find the Holy Grail, which takes him away from her so long that she does not know if he has forgotten their love.   Eventually, the couple is reunited and married, taking over rulership of the Grail Castle, where Percival’s Grandfather had been the Grail King (also known as the Fisher King)!   While she is not a prime player in the story, she does show us the importance of patience and perseverance in her own gentle way.

~I hope that you have enjoyed this brief look at some lesser-discussed Arthurian Ladies.   Who is your favorite of this bunch?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is Olwen.   I found the image on https://shriradhemaa.wordpress.com/tag/goddess-olwen/.

Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/

Further Reading

• The Faery Gates of Avalon by Gareth Knight
• The Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes
• The Mabinogion translated by Sioned Davies
• Le Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
• Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson