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35-585: Elaine ( Helaine , Oisine ) or Elizabeth ( Eliabel , Elizabel , Elizabet , Heliabel , Helizabel ), also known as Amite ( Amide , Amides , Anite , Aude , Enite ), and identified as the " Grail Maiden " or the " Grail Bearer ", is a character from Arthurian legend . In the Arthurian chivalric romance tradition from the Vulgate Cycle , she is the daughter of the Fisher King , King Pelles of Corbenic , and

70-782: A King of the Britons , whose daughter, Helena marries Constantius Chlorus and gives birth to a son who becomes the Emperor Constantine the Great , tracing the Roman imperial line to British ancestors. It has been suggested that Leir of Britain, who later became King Lear, was originally the Welsh sea-god Llŷr , related to the Irish Ler . Various Celtic deities have been identified with characters from Arthurian literature as well: for example Morgan le Fay

105-557: A connection between the concept of the feminine "Grail-bearer" and the sovereignty goddess of Ireland, Ériu , who grants the chalice to only the worthy. He also saw her derived from the Welsh and Irish goddesses Modron and Dechtire , through the figure and archetype of Morgan . She first appears in the Prose Lancelot , a part of the Vulgate Cycle , as an incredibly beautiful woman named Heliabel but known as Amite (in one spelling variant of these names). Her first significant action

140-447: A counter-point to his involvement with Guinevere. The theme of a fay or enchantress falling in love with a knight and trying to keep him her prisoner in the otherworld occurs frequently in the Matter of Britain . Elaine is not described as a fay, but she comes from the otherworldly Grail castle and Lancelot takes refuge with her from the human world in the enchanted Joyous Isle, where there

175-421: A feast at King Arthur 's court. Lancelot ignores her when he sees her, making her sad because she loves him. She complains of this to Brusen, who tells her that she will, as Malory tells, "undertake that this night he [Lancelot] shall lie with [her]". That night, Brusen brings Lancelot to Elaine, pretending that it is Guinevere that summons him. He goes along, and once again is deceived into sleeping with Elaine. At

210-479: A pseudonym to hide from the court at Camelot. Another key difference between White and Malory is that in White, Lancelot is cured of his insanity by seeing Elaine, but becomes physically sick and is nursed back to health by Elaine. White also chronicles Elaine's final fate, having her commit suicide when it becomes clear that Lancelot will never truly love her or end his obsession with Guinevere. He therefore combines her with

245-576: A river to Camelot in a boat. In the 14th-century English poem Stanzaic Morte Arthur , she is known as the Maid of Ascolot . Thomas Malory 's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian tales, Le Morte d'Arthur , includes the story. Another version is told in the 13th-century Italian short story La Damigella di Scalot (No. LXXXII in the collection Il Novellino: Le ciento novelle antike ). Two of Tennyson 's famous and influential poems, both titled " The Lady of Shalott " (1832 and 1842), were later inspired by

280-462: A theme of special importance for writers trying to find unity in the mixture of their land's Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Roman and Norse inheritance." Geoffrey of Monmouth 's Historia Regum Britanniae is a central component of the Matter of Britain. Geoffrey drew on a number of ancient British texts, including the 9th-century Historia Brittonum . The Historia Brittonum is the earliest known source of

315-409: A wary Lancelot leaves the castle, never to return but now aware of her feelings for him. Ten days later, Elaine dies of heartbreak. In accordance with her instructions, her body is placed in a small boat, clutching a lily in one hand, and her final letter in the other. She then floats down the river to Camelot, where she is discovered by King Arthur's court, who call her 'a little lily maiden'. Lancelot

350-557: Is also possible to read the Arthurian literature, particularly the Grail tradition, as an allegory of human development and spiritual growth, a theme explored by mythologist Joseph Campbell amongst others. Elaine of Astolat The possibly original version of the story appeared in the early 13th-century French prose romance Mort Artu , in which the Lady of Escalot ( Demoiselle d'Escalot ) dies of unrequited love for Lancelot and drifts down

385-489: Is being unnecessarily cruel. After this, Elaine leaves court. Time passes in the story, and Elaine next appears when she finds Lancelot insane in her garden. She brings him to the Grail, which cures him. When he regains his mind, he decides to go under false name with Elaine to the Isle of Joy, where they live together for several years as husband and wife. Elaine of Corbenic is often passed over in favor of Elaine of Astolat . Like

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420-440: Is no time." Elaine appears in the 1939 novel The Once and Future King , by T.H. White . Although the basic character does not change, there are several key differences. Time is more definitely specified in this version; for instance, when Elaine finds Lancelot in the garden, Galahad is three years old. Additionally, Elaine and Lancelot live together as husband and wife for ten years and actively raise Galahad while Lancelot bears

455-573: Is showing the Holy Grail to the near-perfect knight, Sir Lancelot . In the version as told by Thomas Malory in Le Morte d'Arthur , based on the later Queste part of the Vulgate Cycle, Lady Elaine's father, King Pelles of the Grail castle Corbenic ( Corbenek , Corbin , etc.), knew that Lancelot would have a son with Elaine, and that that child would be Galahad , "the most noblest [sic] knight in

490-603: Is summoned and hears the contents of the letter, which explains what happened. Ashamed, he pays for her rich burial. Elaine has captured the minds of many painters, becoming one of the most recognizable tertiary characters from the Arthurian legends. Those who have depicted her story in their art include Dante Gabriel Rossetti , Emilie Autumn , Edward Reginald Frampton , Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale , Elizabeth Siddal , Howard Pyle , John Atkinson Grimshaw , John William Waterhouse ( The Lady of Shalott ; The Lady of Shalott Looking at Lancelot ; I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, Said

525-598: Is the best-known part of the Matter of Britain. It has succeeded largely because it tells two interlocking stories that have intrigued many later authors. One concerns Camelot , usually envisioned as a doomed utopia of chivalric virtue, undone by the fatal flaws of the heroes like Arthur, Gawain and Lancelot . The other concerns the quests of the various knights to achieve the Holy Grail ; some succeed ( Galahad , Percival ), and others fail. The Arthurian tales have been changed throughout time, and other characters have been added to add backstory and expand on other Knights of

560-527: The 12th to the 16th century. The three "matters" were first described in the 12th century by French poet Jean Bodel , whose epic Chanson des Saisnes  [ fr ] ("Song of the Saxons") contains the lines: Ne sont que III matières à nul homme atandant: De France et de Bretaigne et de Rome la grant There are only three subject matters for any discerning man: That of France, that of Britain, and that of great Rome. The name distinguishes and relates

595-541: The Italian variant. In Malory's telling, Elaine's episode begins when her father Bernard, the lord of Astolat ( William Caxton 's misread of Malory's original Ascolat ), organises a tournament attended by King Arthur and his knights. Sir Lancelot was not originally planning to attend, he is persuaded otherwise and visits Bernard and his two sons before the tournament. While Lancelot is in her family's household, Elaine becomes enamoured of him and begs him to wear her token at

630-559: The Kings of Britain) is a central component of the Matter of Britain. It was one of the three great Western story cycles recalled repeatedly in medieval literature, together with the Matter of France , which concerned the legends of Charlemagne and his companions , as well as the Matter of Rome , which included material derived from or inspired by classical mythology and classical history . Its pseudo- chronicle and chivalric romance works, written both in prose and verse, flourished from

665-515: The Matter of Britain from the mythological themes taken from classical antiquity , the " Matter of Rome ", and the tales of the Paladins of Charlemagne and their wars with the Moors and Saracens , which constituted the " Matter of France ". King Arthur is the chief subject of the Matter of Britain, along with stories related to the legendary kings of Britain , as well as lesser-known topics related to

700-487: The Round Table . The medieval legend of Arthur and his knights is full of Christian themes; those themes involve the destruction of human plans for virtue by the moral failures of their characters, and the quest for an important Christian relic. Finally, the relationships between the characters invited treatment in the tradition of courtly love , such as Lancelot and Guinevere , or Tristan and Iseult . In more recent years,

735-592: The character of Elaine of Astolat, who is not referenced in the novel. Howard Pyle , too, conflates Elaine of Corbenic with Elaine of Astolat in his Arthurian book series. Elaine also appears as a character in The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley . In this version, she tricks Lancelot with the help of Morgaine into sleeping with her by making him believe she was Gwenhwyfar . Her father finds out and forces Lancelot to marry her to keep her honor. She and Lancelot, in addition to their son Galahad, have two daughters by

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770-495: The coming tournament. Explaining that Queen Guinevere would be at the tournament, he consents to wear the token but says that he will have to fight in disguise so as not to be recognized. He asks Bernard if he can leave his recognizable shield with him and borrow another. Bernard agrees and lends him the plain-white shield of Sir Torre, Elaine's brother. Lancelot goes on to win the jousting tournament, still in disguise, fighting against King Arthur's party and beating forty of them in

805-599: The early Arthurian and pseudo-historical sources of the Matter of Britain. The Scots , for instance, formulated a mythical history in the Pictish and the Dál Riata royal lines. While they do eventually become factual lines, unlike those of Geoffrey, their origins are vague and often incorporate both aspects of mythical British history and mythical Irish history. The story of Gabrán mac Domangairt especially incorporates elements of both those histories. The Arthurian literary cycle

840-413: The history of Great Britain and Brittany , such as the stories of Brutus of Troy , Coel Hen , Leir of Britain (King Lear), and Gogmagog . The legendary history of Britain was created partly to form a body of patriotic myth for the country. Several agendas thus can be seen in this body of literature. According to John J. Davenport, the question of Britain's identity and significance in the world "was

875-515: The more famous Elaine, Elaine of Corbenic is in love with Lance. Yet unlike Astolat, she is successful in both bedding and marrying Lancelot. Despite this, she has been traditionally overlooked by literary analysts. One theory for why she has been so ignored is because of the moral ambiguities of her actions. She does not fit into a neat category of female characters; she is neither good nor evil, but something in between. According to Richard Cavendish , "Lancelot's experiences with Morgan and Elaine form

910-534: The mother of Galahad by Lancelot, whose repeated rape by her results in his descent into madness. She should not be confused with Elaine of Astolat , a different woman who too fell in love with Lancelot. Her character is derived from the earlier (and later separate) figure of Percival's sister , and possibly also from that of Arthur's sister . Under her "Amite" name she was furthermore linked to Amice from Meraugis de Portlesguez . Roger Sherman Loomis 's work The Grail: From Celtic Symbol to Christian Myth draws

945-515: The names of Gwenhwyfar and Nimue , who later becomes a priestess of Avalon and is used to trick Merlin into coming with her to the isle to receive punishment for perceived crimes against the Goddess and later drowns herself. Unlike the Elaines in earlier stories, she dies of natural causes later in the book. A more contemporary novel is Elaine of Corbenic by Tima Z. Newman. Based on Malory's account of

980-472: The same time, however, Guinevere herself had summoned Lancelot and is enraged to discover that he is not in his bedchamber. She hears him talking in his sleep, and finds him in bed with Elaine. Guinevere is furious with him and tells him she never wants to see him again. Lancelot goes mad with grief and, naked, jumps out a window and runs away. Elaine confronts Guinevere about treatment of Lancelot; she accuses her of causing Lancelot's madness and tells her that she

1015-542: The sorceress Dame Brusen for help. Dame Brusen gives Lancelot wine and Elaine a ring of Guinevere's in order to trick Lancelot into thinking Elaine is Guinevere. The next morning, Lancelot is most displeased to discover that the woman he slept with was not Guinevere. He draws his sword and threatens to kill Elaine, but she tells him that she is pregnant with Galahad and he agrees not to kill her, but instead kisses her. Lancelot departs, and Elaine remains in her father's castle and gives birth to Galahad. Thereafter, Elaine comes to

1050-596: The story of Brutus of Troy . Traditionally attributed to Nennius , its actual compiler is unknown; it exists in several recensions. This tale went on to achieve greater currency because its inventor linked Brutus to the diaspora of heroes that followed the Trojan War . As such, this material could be used for patriotic myth-making just as Virgil linked the founding of Rome to the Trojan War in The Æneid . Geoffrey lists Coel Hen as

1085-623: The three brief encounters of Launcelot and Elaine in Le Morte d'Arthur , it chronicles Elaine's journey through abandonment to the finding of inner strength and deepening wisdom. Arthurian legend By century The Matter of Britain ( French : matière de Bretagne ) is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur . The 12th-century writer Geoffrey of Monmouth 's Historia Regum Britanniae ( History of

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1120-574: The tournament. He does, however, receive an injury to his side from Sir Bors ' lance, and is carried off the field by Elaine's other brother, Sir Lavaine, to the hermit Sir Baudwin's cave (Baudwin being a former knight of the Round Table himself). Elaine then urges her father to let her bring the wounded Lancelot to her chambers, where she nurses him. When Lancelot is well, he makes ready to leave, and offers to pay Elaine for her services; insulted, Elaine brings him his shield, which she had been guarding, and

1155-401: The trend has been to attempt to link the tales of King Arthur and his knights with Celtic mythology , usually in highly romanticized, 20th-century reconstructed versions. The work of Jessie Weston , in particular From Ritual to Romance , traced Arthurian imagery through Christianity to roots in early nature worship and vegetation rites, though this interpretation is no longer fashionable. It

1190-496: The world". Moreover, Pelles claims that Galahad will lead a "foreign country...out of danger" and "achieve...the Holy Grail". The sorceress Morgan le Fay is jealous of Elaine's beauty, and magically traps her in a boiling bath. After Lancelot rescues her, Elaine falls in love with him, only to find he is already in love with Queen Guinevere and would not knowingly sleep with another woman. In order to seduce Lancelot, Elaine goes to

1225-966: Was often thought to have originally been the Welsh goddess Modron or Irish the Morrígan . Many of these identifications come from the speculative comparative religion of the late 19th century and have been questioned in more recent years. William Shakespeare was interested in the legendary history of Britain, and was familiar with some of its more obscure byways. Shakespeare's plays contain several tales relating to these legendary kings, such as King Lear and Cymbeline . It has been suggested that Shakespeare's Welsh schoolmaster Thomas Jenkins introduced him to this material. These tales also figure in Raphael Holinshed 's The Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland , which also appears in Shakespeare's sources for Macbeth . Other early authors also drew from

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