The Lady of the Lake is a well known figure from Arthurian Mythology, a fairy enchantress, who bestows the magical sword Excalibur upon King Arthur.
However, this later goddess of chivalric romance is based in part on earlier faery stories and folklore from the Celtic speaking world.
In this folk tale from the Brecon Beacons in Wales, the fey spirit of a magical lake (Llan y fan Fach) agrees to marry a farm boy, on one condition....
In truth there are many 'Lady of the Lake' type folktales from Britain and Ireland which prefigure the legends of King Arthur.
Many of these may contain the Iron Age Celtic belief in animism and spirits of rivers, lakes, springs and bogs, as attested in the numerous votive offerings found in such places. Lakes are gateways to the otherworld.
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3 авг 2024
