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Female Characters in
the Arthurian Court
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- Achefleur
- -Arthurs sister, Perceval's mother, went
mad for a while.(Sir Perceval of Galles)
- Aillean
- -woman of the other world who has
tendency to turn into a deer. (Irish Romance 'Visit of grey Ham')
- Alaida
- -lady of the lake
- Alcina
- -enchantress, sister of Morgan le Fey
(Orlando Furoso)
- Aldan
- -Merlins mother.
- Alemandine
- -queen of a kingdom troubled by a Wild
beast quelled by Florisant who refused to marry her.
- Alice (la beale pilgrim)
- -wife of Alisander the orphan. (Mallory)
- Andrivette
- -wife of Kei, Daughter of king Bador.
(Mallory)
- Angharad Golden hand
- -lover of Percival, he vowed never to
speak to another Christian till she married him.
- Anduine
- -blind sorceress/seer.
- Anglides
- -mother of Alisander the orphan, her
husband was killed by Mark. (Mallory)
- Anglitora
- -wife of Tom O'Lincoln, Daughter of
Prester John. (A collection of Early English Prose Romances (Thomas W.J. (ed),
Pickering, London 1858))
- Annowre
- -sorceress who wanted Arthur for her
lover but he refused
- Argante
- -elven queen of Avalon
- Arianrod
- -lady of Avalon.
- Aries
- -cowherd's wife who raised Sir Tor.
(Mallory ; in French romances this was the name of the Cowherd himself who was also a
king and Tors father)
- Beaute
- -handmaiden of Guinevere, lover of
Gliglios who was Gawains squire.
- Belide
- -princess of France, daughter of
Pharamand, enamoured of Tristram, died of love sickness.
- La Belle dame sans merci
- -collects and kills of lovers.
- Birogue of the mountain
- -tutor of Morgan, beloved of Merlin, one
of the sidhe.
- Blasine
- -sister of Arthur, married Nentres of
Garlot mother of Galachin Duke of Clarance.
- Blenzibly
- -mother of Tristram, lover of Plegrus
then Kalegas. (Saga of Tristan and Isolde)
- Blodeuwydd
- -woman made of flowers, turned into an
owl as punishment for attempting to murder her husband. (Mabinogion)
- Bloie
- -lady of Malehaute.
- Bradmante
- -Carlogingian warrior, house of Este
descends from her. (Orlando Furoso)
- Brangwen
- -handmaiden of Isolde, gave Tristan and
Isolde the love potion, went to bed with Mark for Isolde.
- Sir Britomart
- -the lady knight, daughter of Rience,
kills the Amazon queen and marries Artegall. (The Farie Queen)
- Caelia
- -faerie queen, lover of Tom O`Lincoln. (A
collection of Early English Prose Romances(Thomas W.J. (ed), Pickering, London 1858))
- Camille
- -sorceress of Saxon ancestry, enamoured
of Arthur, kidnaps him and kills herself when Lancelot rescues him.
- Celeman ferch Kei
- -enamoured of brother Goranwen who raped
and killed her.
- Ceridwen
- -mother of Taliesin after eating Gwion in
the form of a seed. (Mabinogion)
- Claire
- -sister of Sagremour, saved from 2 giants
by Guiglan.
- Clarissant ferch lot
- -daughter of Lot and Morgawse, Married
Guiromelant and mother of Guigenor. (Percevalus)
- Cliton
- -sister of Morgan le Fey.
- Creiddyled
- -Gwyn and Gwythr fought over her till
doomsday. (Mabinogion)
- Cundrie
- -grail damsel, learned in star lore.
Daughter of Arthur's sister Sangive and Lot, married Lischoise. (Parsifal)
- Cywyllog
- -wife of Mordred, daughter of Caw,
founded Llangwyllog church on Angelsey.
- Daronwy
- -companion of Arthur, sword maiden and
counsellor.
- Dionise
- -an enchanted chatelaine, liberated by
Gawaine, who refused to marry her.
- Efrddf
- -twin sister of Uriens of Rheged.
- Elen Llydaw
- -lady knight and advisor.
- Elaine ferch Pelles
- -enamoured of Lancelot her father tricked
Lancelot into sleeping with her (thinking she was Guinevere) to conceive Galahad.
- Elaine of Astolat
- -died of love for Lancelot, the lady of
Shallot.
- Elaine of Tintagel
- -daughter of Ygraine, half sister of
Arthur.
- Elaine ferch Pellenor
- -daughter of Pellenor, killed herself
after her lover (Sir Miles) was killed.
- Elaine
- -Niece of Arthur, daughter of Lot or
Nentres.
- Elaine the White
- -wife of Ban, mother of Lancelot.
- Elsa
- -wife of Lohegrin, She was forbidden to
ask his name but she did so he left her.
- Elizabel
- -cousin of Guinevere, imprisoned by
Claudas for espionage.
- Emmeline
- -blind girl whose sight is restored by
Merlin, daughter of Duke Conon of Cornwall, kidnapped by Oswald the Saxon king of Kent.
- Eneuavc
- -daughter of Bedivere.
- Enid
- -wife of Geraint or Erec. (Erec and Enid
and Geraint and Enid)
- Esclarimonde
- -fairy, lover of Brian des Illes and
Escanor le Beau.
- Escorducarla
- -lady of Vallone, enamoured of Merlin and
imprisoned by him.
- Ettard
- -punished by Nimue for scorning Pelleas.
(Mallory)
- Esmeree
- -enscorcelled as snake until Guinglain
rescued her.
- Felelollie
- -sister of Sir Urre, wife of Sir Laverne.
- Florie
- -wife of Gawain, able to resurrect,
mother of Wiglois daughter of the king of Escavlon. (Wiglois)
- Florisdelfa
- -enchantress, student of Merlin, killed
herself when she saw the beauty of Isolde.
- Ganieda (Gwendydd)
- -twin sister of Merlin, Wife of Rhydderch
hen, her adultery is spotted by Merlin. (Welsh poetry and Vita Merlini)
- Gargamelle
- -giantess created ofcow whale bones &
10 pounds of Guinevere's nail clippings.
- Galienne
- -lady of Lothian, married Fergus.
- Gililen
- - a sister of Morgan le Fey. (Vita
Merlini)
- Glitonea
- - a sister of Morgan le Fey. (Vita
Merlini)
- Goroien
- - a sister of Morgan le Fey. (Vita
Merlini)
- Goleuddydd
- -sister of Ygraine, Arthurs Aunt and
mother of Culhwch. (Culhwch and Olwen; Mabinogion)
- Grey Lady
- -a ghost lady who protected Arthurs 13
treasures, haunts Moel Arthur.
- Guinevere
- -wife of Arthur, lover of Lancelot,
daughter of Leodegrance.
- Gwenhwyach
- -Guinevers evil identical half sister.
(Mabinogion)
- Halwynna
- -nurse of Taliesin, wife of Benselek.
- Hags of Gloucester, nine
- -nine witches, one trained Peredur.
- Helie
- -handmaiden of Esmeree, brought Guinglan
to rescue her , at first she despised him but finally respected his prowess.
- Hellawes
- -sorceress.
- Iblis
- -Lancelots wife. (Parzival)
- Ildana Paragon
- -druidess [ban-draoi].
- Inogen
- -daughter of Merlin.
- Isolde, La Beale (Iseult/Yseult)
- -married to Mark, enamoured of Tristram,
Daughter of king Anguish of Ireland.
- Isolde (Iseult/Yseult)the elder
- - Mother of La Beale Isolde, husband of
King Anguish of Ireland.
- Isolde (Iseult/Yseult) white
hands
- - Tristans Wife, Daughter of Hoel of
Brittany and Duke Jovelin of Arundel. Lied about the ship with white sails resulting in
Tristans death.
- Lady of the fair hair
- -fairy who Arthur rescues, later his
lover.
- Lady of the garden of earthly
pleasures
- -lures knights into her garden.(The
Knight of the Lion)
- Laitha
- -orphan, tracker/hunter, Arthurs wife,
the lady of the lake.
- Laudine
- -lady of the fountain, Widow of Esclados,
married Owain. (The knight of the Lion)
- Laurel
- -niece of Lyonesse & Lynette, wife of
Agravian. (Mallory)
- Lile
- -lady of Avalon, foretold of Balin's
destruction after he would not return the sword which only he could draw from its
scabbard. (Mallory)
- Logistilla
- -sister of Morgan le Fey. (Orlando
Furoso)
- Lore, lady of Garadigan
- -bearer of an enchanted sword belt which
only Meriadeuc could unfasten. (The Evolution of Arthurian Romance)
- Lorie
- -Gawains mistress.
- Lunette
- -niece and student of Nimune, she crated
a fountain in Broceliande for her lover to defend.
- Lynette
- -sister of Lyonesse, wife of Gaheris, 'La
damosel sauvage', fetched Gareth to rescue Lyonesse from the Red Knight of the Red
Lands. (Mallory)
- Lyonesse
- -,mistress of castle perilous, besieged
by the Red Knight of the Red Lands till rescued by Gareth who she then married.
(Mallory)
- Maid of the narrow wood
- -attempted to kill Gawain when he spurred
her love.
- Marrion
- -Morgan le Fey's sister.
- Marisque
- -fairy who obtains the scabbard of
Excalaber for Gawain.
- Mazoe
- -a sister of Morgan le Fey (Persevalus)
- Medini ferch Elaine
- -stepmother of Taliesin, friend of
Birogue.
- Melora
- -daughter of Arthur, wife of Orlando of
Thessali, quest knight .(The Visit of Grey Ham)
- Morgan Le Fey
- -Arthurs half sister, mother of Mordred ,
lover of Accalon etc.
- Morganetta
- -Morgan le Fey's sister.
- Morgawse
- -Arthurs half sister, wife of king Lot,
Morgan le Fey's sister, mother of Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris, Gareth, Soredamor,
Clarissant and sometimes Mordred. The name may be a title rather than a personal name.
- Moronoe
- -sister of Morgan le Fey. (Vita Merlini)
- Nimue
- -lover and student of Merlin who she
imprisoned. Daughter of Diones a low ranking noble. (Mallory)
- Olwen white track
- -wife of Culhwch, daughter of the giant
Ysbadden. (Culhwch and Olwen: Mabinogion)
- Orainglais
- -Irish princess, bears a son to
Sagremore.
- Obliot
- -as a child had a pretend liaison with
Gawain who wore her favour, Daughter of Lyppaut, lord of Bearosche. (Parzival)
- Orguelleuse
- -a haughty lady, an advocate of courtly
love. (Parzival , Le Conte de Graal)
- Pulzella Gaia
- -lover of Gawain who left him when he
divulged her existence, but came to rescue him at the head of a fairy army, daughter of
Morgan le Fey. (The Arthurian Legend in Italian Literature)
- Queen of Eastland
- -an enchantress, captured Lancelot.
- Queen of Northgalis
- -an enchantress, associate of Morgan.
- Queen of Sorestan
- -an enchantress who is enamoured with
Lancelot, she imprisoned him in her castle Chateau de la Charette till he decided which
of several enchantresses he loved.
- Queen of the Out Isles
- -an enchantress, Queen Morgause?, the out
isles may be the Hebrides.
- Queen of the Wastelands
- -an enchantress, tells Percival of the
death of his mother, on the barge with Arthur at the end.
- Ragnell
- -loathsome hag who is revealed as
beautiful after her marriage to Gawain . (The Marriage of Dame Ragnell)
- Raven
- -a lady of the lake.
- Rhiannon
- -wife of Pwyll. (Mabinogion)
- Rowena
- -Daughter of Hengist the Saxon, Married
to Vortigern. (Geoffrey)
- Saraide
- -lady of the lake rescues Bors and Lionel
from Claudas by magic.
- Sebile
- -enchantress and companion of Morgan.
- Seli
- -wife of Nudd, mother of Gwyn, lord of
the faery realm.
- Seren
- -wife of Leodegrance, mother of
Guinevere.
- Soredamor
- -Gawains sister, Married Alexander a
Byzantine prince and mother of Cliges.
- Tamise Rospaen
- -wise woman/advisor to Arthur.
- Tancree
- -nice of Arthur who married
Guinganbresil.
- Tarian
- -knight protector, tactician.
- Tegan Goldbreast
- -warrior who lost a breast in battle
which was magically replaced by gold.
- Thitis
- -a sister of Morgan le Fey (Vita
Merlini).
- Trephina
- -Daughter of Warok chief of the Venetii
murdered by her husband Cunomorus then resurrected by Gildas, she carried her original
severed head with her.
- Tristouse
- -Posthumous daughter of King Briant of
the Red Isle, cast out to sea but was adopted then married by king Ydor, mother of
Torec, she laughed for the first time at his birth.
- Tyronoe
- -a sister of Morgan le Fey (Vita
Merlini).
- Tryamore
- -faery lady, lover of Lanval (The lay of
Sir Lanval).
- Verseria
- -committed adultery with Gawain in order
to test her husbands jealousy.
- Vivianne
- -lady of the lake, student of Merlin who
she imprisoned, an alternative name for Nimune.
- Ydian
- -Gawains mistress who he rescued from
rape. she tried to desert him so he bestowed her on the dwarf Druidan.
- Ygraine (Igraine)
- -mother of Arthur, wife of Gorlois and
then Uther.
- Ysaive
- -niece of Arthur, wife of king Caradoc,
beloved of Eliavres the knight with magical powers.
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