Themes: Death, Regeneration
Symbols: Lakes, Rivers, Water Spirits, Faeries
About the Lady of the Lake: Nevertheless, common threads do appear; one
of the best documented is that of relic-guardian, holder of the sacred
sword Excalibur, who gives it to Arthur, and takes it back at the end
of the stories. There seem to be two or perhaps three Named Ladies.
Nimue is specifically named as a Lady of the Lake; she is the defeater, or
perhaps simply replacer, of Merlin at Arthur's Court. Nineve seems to
be the Keeper of Excalibur, and her name may be a variant on Nimue, but
she is slain by Sir Balin, and her personality is at variance to
Nimue's. There is also a French Lady of the Lake, Viviane. There are, in
addition, other unnamed Ladies as well.
The Lady of the Lake is by some accounts a faery woman, by others a
potent deity of life, death, and regeneration. The Bretons claim she was a
Breton addition to the Arthurian myths and that she never appeared in
the original Welsh versions of the story. Contrary to the widely popular
"sword in the churchyard stone" legends, the Breton version tells us
that Merlin and Arthur rode out to the center of the Dosmary Lake in
Cornwall, and that it was there that Excalibur was presented to him, the
sword embedded in floating stone. When he pulled it out, he reversed the
act of the Great Rite, separating the female and male principles of
creation which were not to be united again until Arthur's death.
The Lady of the Lake is also attributed with being the foster mother of
Sir Lancelot, one of Arthur's knights, also a Breton addition to the
myth.
She is described as sitting on a throne of reeds in the center of the
lake's depths. Among her many magickal credits is that of healer.
To Do This Week: This week take some time to spend it near a body of
water. Have a picnic at the lake, beach or river. If you don’t have any
of these near to you then have a picnic in your back yard and make sure
that you have water to drink and if you are adventurous, then have a
bowl of water as the center piece of your picnic area.
Here is a song for the Lady of the Lake
There’s a magical sound slidin’ over the ground
Makin’ it shiver and shake
And a permanent cry fallin’ out of the sky
Slippery and sly like a snake
With a delicate move kind of shifty and smooth
A shadow has covered the light
Then a beam in the shade from a silvery blade
Has shattered the edge of the night
I know she waits below
Only to rise on command
When she comes for me
She’s got my life in her hands
When a movement behind hit the side of my mind
I trembled and shook it away
Then another assault and I started to faulter
Fibres of steel turned to clay
With a bubbly turn now the water should churn
And push it way from the core
And a lady in white will bring sun to the night
Brighter than ever before
I know she waits below
Only to rise on command
When she comes for me
She’s got my life in her hands
Lady of the lake
There’s a magical sound slidin’ over the ground
Makin’ it shiver and shake
And a permanent cry fallin’ out of the sky
Slippery and sly like a snake
With a delicate move kind of shifty and smooth
A shadow has covered the light
Then a beam in the shade from a slivery blade
Has shattered the edge of the night
Straight down I’m swirling around
Blinded and bruised by the strain
There must be some way to see
Diamonds out of the rain
I know she waits below
Only to rise on command
When she comes for me
She’s got my life in her hands
Lady of the lake
