43- Nimue: The Lady of the Lake
43- Nimue: The Lady of the Lake. (Vivienne, The Mists of Avalon. Anjelica Huston).
Enchantress from Arthurian Legend. Figure of political opposition.
Sorry, this post got long.
The Lady of the Lake is one of the most well know characters from Arthurian Legend. She goes by many names, and is a composite of various figures and characters who have been lumped together. Most commonly responsible for giving Arthur the magical sword Excalibur (which in turn makes him King /he uses to become King), The Lady often represents magic and political might that lies outside of traditional channels. With many similarities to Morgan le Fay (#85), The Lady of the Lake is connected with the mystical Island of Avalon, and is often seen as a faerie. The Lady has been described by various authors across thousands of years, but her modern portrayal in the 2001 TV miniseries “The Mists of Avalon” is perhaps the most pertinent interpretation of her character to this series.
Like other figures from Arthurian Legend, The traditional Lady of the Lake (as Nimue, Vivienne, Viviane, etc.) is a complex amalgamation of various characters, tales, and stories that, together, form her identity. As her story was told by different authors, new characteristics and qualities were attributed to her. The result of this was a slow evolution of seemingly opposing characters with different backgrounds into a single, cohesive individual—though it would be more appropriate to refer to her as Ladies of Lakes. Many stories about the Lady do, however, have parallels and common themes. She is often a powerful sorceress, she whisks children away to her island, and she bestows the great sword Excalibur onto the once (and future) King Arthur.
A key trope of the Lady (when she is Viviane) is as the feminine counterpart and consort to the great wizard Merlin. The legends say that the two were lovers, but Viviane wanted to learn all of Merlin’s knowledge and magic. She refused to give herself over completely to him until he conveyed to her all of his wisdom and power. Upon the transfer of knowledge, however, Viviane entombed Merlin, trapping him within a large tree. Merlin knew that Viviane was doing this but was unable/unwilling to stop her. Viviane follows the tradition of other magical women who seduce men to inherit their knowledge and wisdom for greater personal power. She represents feminine power and strength, offering a competing political structure illustrated through her weaponizing Arthur and knighting him as her chosen King.
The Lady of the Lake’s modern interpretation through the Marion Zimmer Bradley 1983 novel “The Mists of Avalon”, and by extension the TV miniseries from 2001 of the same name, is perhaps the strongest and most cohesive. Now as Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake is played by the magnificent Anjelica Huston in what is perhaps her most powerful and iconic role. Vivienne is the leader of the Island of Avalon, a representative of the Old Religion, and the voice for the Goddess on Earth. With many parallels to the traditional Lady of the Lake, Vivienne too takes children away to her island (to instruct them in old magic), bestows Excalibur onto Arthur, and is an opposing political force to the growing threat of Christianity.
“The Mists of Avalon” rewrote Arthurian Legend in a new light, focusing on the undercurrents of the tensions between pre-Christian Paganism and the new Christianity. This juxtaposition is represented by the dichotomy between the matriarchal strength of Avalon and the patriarchal might of the Kings of Christ. The Lady of the Lake calls attention to the marginalization of magic, witchcraft, and women through her aversion to the Christian empire and its utter dismissal of her and the tradition she represents. In the modern interpretation, Vivienne retains her role as consort to Merlin, though she does not overpower him. Instead, they are equals, two halves of the whole. They are representatives of the Old Faith, incarnations of the male and female embodiments of divinity on earth.
There is no doubt that Vivienne is in charge, though her and Merlin work in tandem to promote Avalon and save it from disappearing into the mists. Avalon is being further pushed into the margins of society by Christianity’s PR campaign associating its magic with witchcraft and superstition. Vivienne is immensely powerful and will stop at nothing to protect the religion and island she adores, internalizing the existential threat posed by the growing adversary of a competing faith. Unfortunately, Vivienne risks too much, including the trust of her loved ones. Unable to see her own demise, she sacrifices everything and sabotages her own cause.
As is the case with the Lady of the Lake from original Arthurian Legend, Vivienne in “The Mists” is another casualty of the growing patriarchy that wishes to displace her power. As she lays dying, Avalon slowly disappears into its namesake vapor. Vivienne’s apprentice—Morgaine (Morgan le Fay)— tries to save it, though she is unsuccessful. The old ways are dying out. In what turns into a beautiful ending, however, Morgaine realizes that Avalon, The Goddess, and by extension Vivienne will live on in new divine feminine forms such as the Virgin Mary.
This interpretation of The Lady of the Lake (1983 novel/ 2001 series) solidifies her archetype as that of a women whose political might and strength lies in opposition to the patriarchy. Avalon is a matriarchal, goddess-worshiping society. It is the seat of power for the Divine Feminine, with Vivienne as her incarnate ambassador. The complexity of the term Lady of the Lake is interestingly demystified, as it’s seemingly more of a title given to the High Priestess of Avalon. While currently bestowed onto Vivienne, she hopes that one day her title will be passed to Morgan le Fay. Vivienne fears the unfortunate transition away from the powerful women upheld by her faith, and the seemingly meeker roles women were being forced into by Christianity.
Anjelica Huston’s portrayal of this arcane archetype knocks it out of the park. She’s strong willed and totally no bullshit, all with a take no prisoners attitude. She identifies the threat posed by Christianity, and does whatever she must to protect the magic and women she loves. Grouping this modern portrayal with the classic Lady of the Lake from Arthurian Legend yields a figure as enigmatic as her island. The Lady refuses to be defined and contained—she is as evanescent as the mists she is known to reside in. She is both everything and nothing, constantly evaporating and reforming. She is both many goddesses, and one. Representing female mystery and magic, she lies in opposition to mainstream political structures. Laying outside of the boundaries of society (in watery landscapes), she embodies the denial of patriarchy, offering a matriarchal tradition to all those who seek her out.
kianamaiart
vaporwave
turnnoffyourmind
areudirty
origamiaround
prguitarman
