#Witch Queen of Orkney (Morgan)

[son-of-pendragon]

@rake-rake continued from here

Those eyes, cold and unforgiving is the deepest winter night; that voice, sharp and unforgiving as the crushing waves of the North Sea; that expression… Mordred knew all of it well. This particular expression in Morgan’s face had defined his childhood — when not furiously raving or maniacally gleeful, this had been the face of hers that he saw the most often. And even now, over a thousand years later, it still made every instinct he had scream to run.

It could still make his chest tighten with abject dread and frigid terror. But now, along with the fear — along with the trembling in his hands, and the feeling of drowning as Mordred forced himself to meet those arctic blue eyes — what Mother wants, Mother gets; never defy Mother — there was anger boiling up inside of him too. Curling his hands into fists, the half-dragon homunculus bared his fangs at the woman before him, glad he’d chosen to wear his armor.

“And what’s a fucking Queen, to the man she tired to make King?!” the Saber snarled right back at her, as his draconic pupils narrowed even further, and red lightning began to crackle around him. Rampage burned under his skin — begging, screaming, demanding to be use — but the teenager managed to hold himself back just barely. “Not surprised threats’re your go-to — you always did love using violence to make yourself feel superior, Mother.

“I’ll say what I please; you owe me that much.”

[hoodiedoodles]

the worst part about Morgan is that, like the faeries, she is incapable of changing

no matter how cruel, how ruthless, how apathetic she is towards the faeries, no matter how much she plays the role of ‘Witch’ or ‘High Queen’... she cannot help but be kind, if only fleetingly

even when she knew she was to be murdered at Orkney, she chose to save them for 3,400 years

even when they rejected her, chased her away to hibernate for centuries, she continued to save them

even though she was wanted and organized for every faerie in Britain to die, she could not help but beg Baobhan Sith to keep living

even though Woodwose had relapsed into a violent, bestial animal who attacked her out of rage, envy, and misunderstanding, Morgan comforted him with kindness in his dying moments

even though she had the power to destroy every Faerie in the Throne Room and every member of the Round Table and Rebel Armies, she still froze when she saw Sith’s body strung up in chains by Spriggan

at Morgan’s center is a painful, agonizing kindness that can never be cut away, and that kindness is her undoing, again, and again, and again.

[multiversalexports]

Corellian Classic #4 - Major Aspect Cards - The Adsila

Lore Notes:

The Adsila is my Corellian version of The Queen of Air and Darkness, which is the Sabacc version of The High Priestess (II.) in the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck.

The origin of ’The Queen of Air and Darkness’ is a character in a poem from A. E. Housman's Last Poems, Vol. III (1922).

It was probably made even more famous by becoming the title of the revised second volume of T. H. White’s Arthurian trilogy, The Once And Future King. There, it referred to Morgause, Queen of the Orkney Isle, sister of Morgan Le Fay, mother of Mordred and practitioner of witchcraft.

The original second volume was called The Witch in the Wood (1939).

The Corellian name 'Adsila' refers to a woman from Old Corellian mythology whose office was 'the inevitable dissension and uncertainty of life'. She was one of four sisters. This piece of lore, invented as part of the background lore for the Corellian colony planet Socorro in the 1997 RPG supplement 'The Black Sands of Sorocco', reminds me of a variety of characters from real life mythology.

Representing dissension, she recalls Eris, the the goddess of strife and discord in Greek mythology; as one of four sisters, she recalls the Fates (Gods of destiny) and the Grey Sisters (Gods of Old Age) -- also Greek, and both be related to themes of fate, necessity and death. Though we aren't given any imagery for Adsila, it is easy to imagine her as a type of the 'Old Hag' or 'Crone', associated with the chtonic powers of darkness and destiny, and with witchcraft, which firmly links the character to the archetype of 'The Queen of Air & Darkness'.

[legend-collection]

Morgan le Fay

In Arthurian legend, Morgan le Fay (/ˈmɔːrɡən lə ˈfeɪ/, meaning "Morgan the Fairy"), alternatively known as Morgan[n]a, Morgain[a/e], Morg[a]ne, Morgant[e], Morge[i]n, and Morgue[in] among other names and spellings (Welsh: Morgên y Dylwythen Deg, Cornish: Morgen an Spyrys), is a powerful enchantress. Early appearances of Morgan do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a goddess, a fay, a witch, or a sorceress, generally benevolent and related to King Arthur as his magical saviour and protector. Her prominence increased as legends developed over time, as did her moral ambivalence, and in some texts there is an evolutionary transformation of her to an antagonist, particularly as portrayed in cyclical prose such as the Lancelot-Grail and the Post-Vulgate Cycle. A significant aspect in many of Morgan's medieval and later iterations is the unpredictable duality of her nature, with potential for both good and evil.

Pic by Sue Rundles-Hughes

Her character may have stemmed from Welsh mythology as well as from other ancient myths and historical figures. The earliest documented account, by Geoffrey of Monmouth in Vita Merlini (written c.  1150) refers to Morgan in conjunction with the Isle of Apples (Avalon) - where Arthur was carried after being fatally wounded in the Battle of Camlann. There, and in the early chivalric romances by Chrétien de Troyes (fl. c. 1160–1191) and others, Morgan's chief role is that of a great healer. Authors of the late 12th century establish her as Arthur's supernatural elder sister.

In the 13th-century, Robert de Boron-derived Arthurian prose cycles – and the works based on them in turn, including among them Thomas Malory's influential Le Morte d'Arthur – Morgan is usually described as the youngest daughter of Arthur's mother, Igraine, and of her first husband, Gorlois. Arthur, son of Igraine and Uther, is thus Morgan's half-brother; the Queen of Orkney is one of Morgan's sisters and Mordred's mother. Morgan unhappily marries Urien, with whom she has a son, Yvain. She becomes an apprentice of Merlin, and a capricious and vindictive adversary of some knights of the Round Table, all the while harbouring a special hatred for Arthur's wife Guinevere. In this tradition, she is also sexually active and even predatory, taking numerous lovers that may include Merlin and Accolon, with an unrequited love for Lancelot. In some variants, including in the popular retelling by Malory, Morgan is the greatest enemy of Arthur, scheming to usurp his throne and indirectly becoming an instrument of his death; however, she eventually reconciles with Arthur, retaining her original role of taking him on his final journey to Avalon.

Many other medieval and Renaissance works feature continuations of her evolutionary tale from the aftermath of Camlann as she becomes the immortal queen of Avalon in both Arthurian and non-Arthurian stories, sometimes alongside Arthur. After a period of being largely absent from contemporary culture, Morgan's character again rose to prominence in the 20th and 21st centuries, appearing in a wide variety of roles and portrayals.

[kob131]

We got Morgan's Bond profile!

... Untranslated...but we can use google to get a general idea!

Default

The queen who controls Britain, the fairyland. Established an absolute monarchy in the strange zone Britain, She has been oppressing for 2000 years and has afflicted the fairies. She is the highest-ranking fairy, and her end spear, Longominiad A genius magician in the sanctuary learned as magic

Bond 1

Height / weight: 170 cm / 56 kg Source: King Arthur Legend, British Fairy History, and Strange Belt Britain Region: The farthest Orkney Attribute: Order / Evil Gender: Female She was described in old British fairy history as "The Fairy of the Good Lakes", but since the legend of King Arthur was compiled, she has been regarded as a villain against King Arthur. She, on the other hand, gave King Arthur her holy sword and after his death She is equated with the guardian fairy Vivian.

Bond 2

In the history of pan-humanity, Tintagel's daughter, a fairy child in Igraine ... a child of Britain ... She later became a formal sister to Altria (Morgan's mother, Igraine, married to King Uther). After all, Altria was created by human beings. It's just a "king of people". I am the one who inherits the mystery of Britain Morgan, who knew he was the "King of Kings," Eventually his father, Uther, and his sister, Altria, And he hates all humans who do not obey him, It was a major factor in the ruin of Britain. In pan-human history she gave birth to many children, He produced the Knights of the Round Table. Gawain, Gaheris, Gareth, Agravain Children of Morgan and King Oakney, Mordred is a homunculus for defeating Altria, made using the blood and spirit of Altria.

Bond 3

○ Charisma of craving: B After many failures, many disappointments, many despairs, The power of the ruler who chose to rule the people with fear. ○ Lake protection: C Blessing by lake fairies. The wandering time is so long that the rank is down. ○ From the end: A Standing up, dying many times, Reaching the farthest island, The pride of the Queen who returned to Britain. A skill that only Morgan, the King of the Strange Zone, does not have with normal Morgan. A powerful curse vortex that determines the outcome of the battlefield itself.

Bond 4

"Utopia that can't be reached" Rank: EX Type: Anti-castle treasure Range: 10-99 Maximum capture: 100 people Roadless Camelot. Morgan wants to enter the castle over his life, And the unfulfilled chalk castle Camelot. The rules of the world itself ... That is, "humanity" He did not make Morgan the king of Britain. The unfulfilled hope turned into mourning and eventually became hatred. Twisted desire for control and privilege. A fiery nostalgia and anger at humans. And while being the same, on the throne of Camelot The hatred of sitting Altria turned Morgan into a "ruin table ruiner." This is a manifestation of that way as magic. It is Morgan's grace to break through a road that can never be reached in an instant and destroy it. It is not King Arthur that Morgan should defeat. Destined to destroy the fairies of Britain once for humans ... In order to overthrow "Humanity" itself, she returned from the end and became a witch who cursed the world.

Bond 5

A ruthless queen who believes only in her own power. She doesn't believe in others, but she doesn't. She puts "orderly rule of Britain" first. She hates humans, hates fairies, I hate the weak, I hate the ugly, She hates equality, hates peace, From the point of view of the people, she has a character like "the incarnation of evil" itself. But even if she says "I hate", it doesn't mean "unnecessary" No, it's just "incompatible". For Morgan, justice is "the state of domination," and evil is "the state of having someone who disturbs domination." Therefore, Morgan's personal "likes and dislikes" have nothing to do with "good and evil" as a ruler. Fairly admit and tolerate what is necessary for control, even if it is disliked. The extreme and absoluteness of the standard is like a machine without a heart.

Extra

I just don't feel strong anymore. For many years, I have been protecting Britain earnestly, Morgan's heart is cold. The only passion that lit his heart --- A wish that I have been hungry for in the past. Only for the purpose of "dominating Britain" He is still driving her. ...... It's not her childhood human dream, It ’s just something that was born that way, While she was made aware of the fact during her long journey. ◆ ◆ Morgan in the history of pan-humanity was a sample of a villain, lewd, brutal, and selfish, but this Morgan is a talented woman whose elements were overwhelmed during her long journey. It has become. She is a frustrated or remorseful beauty of a country. Enjoyment between men and women The excitement that hurt others Her pleasure through her own self "It's boring. I'm tired of those things." (Talk with Morgan). However, since she is only hiding herself, it is possible that her former brutality and bad taste will recur if her predicament / situation is enough to hunt her down.

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Again this is google translate so only take the general knowledge into account. But still, it does show quite a bit.

A. The narrative seems to treat her as a tyrant. She's constantly portrayed as dominating the land or being an absolute ruler. So it explains her 'Evil' alignment.

B. Her mother actually IS Igraine. ... Despite how little sense that makes...eh, wouldn't be the first time Fate's version of events has fucked stuff up *cough* Mordred's age *cough*.

C. Morgan is a control freak. No really, even the general feel here shows that she's obsessive over controlling Britian and it's stated to be a trait shared between the two versions of herself.

D. She never had any of her kids in the Lostbelt.

E. Her charisma is explictly done through fear.

F. Her third skill is unique to her.

G. Her Noble Phantasm is basically the embodiment of her desire to rule and dispose Arturia. So...Arturia may have been king here once.

H. Morgan is fundamentally selfish. At least this version is though the original probably is too. Her view of right and wrong is skewed to what benefits her. This also means she's alike to Goddess Rhongyominad.

I. Morgan plays the part of the good king...but it's a lie. She's still the same woman who instilled the idea of 'mothers don't love their kids' into Mordred. She's only good because things go her way. Once it doesn't, LB Morgan will probably act the same as PHH Morgan.

[ofbloodandfaith]

Gawain's precursor Gwalchmei, son of Gwyar, was a hero of Welsh mythology and clearly a major figure of the now largely lost oral tradition. His popularity greatly increased after foreign versions, particularly those derived from Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, became known in Wales.[7] The Gwyar (meaning "gore"[8] or "spilled blood/bloodshed"[9]) in Gwalchmei ap Gwyar is likely the name of Gwalchmei's mother, rather than his father as is the standard in the Welsh Triads.[1] Gwyar appears as a daughter of Amlawdd Wledig in one version of the hagiographical genealogy Bonedd y Saint. The 14th-century fragment Birth of Arthur, a Welsh text adapting scenes from Geoffrey, substitutes Gwyar for Anna, Geoffrey's name for Gawain's mother, the Queen of Orkney.[10] There, Gwalchmei is given three sisters: Gracia, Graeria, and Dioneta, the last one of them being a counterpart of Morgan.[11] Early references to him include the Welsh Triads; the Englynion y Beddau (Stanzas of the Graves), which lists the site of his grave; the Trioedd y Meirch (Triads of the Horses), which praises his horse named Keincaled (known as Gringolet in the works of medieval French authors); and Cynddelw's elegy for Owain Gwynedd, which compares Owain's boldness to that of Gwalchmei.[2] In the Welsh Triads, Triad 4 lists him as one of the "Three Well-Endowed Men of the Isle of Britain" (probably referring to his inheritance);[12] Triad 75 describes him as one of the "Three Men of the Island of Britain who were Most Courteous to Guests and Strangers";[13] and Triad 91 praises his fearlessness.[14] Some versions of Triads 42 and 46 also praise his horse Keincaled, echoing the Triads of the Horses.[15] The singling out of Gwalchmei out as Most Courteous evokes his role in the Mabinogion, where he regularly serves as an intermediary between King Arthur's court and stranger knights.[16] An early Welsh romance Culhwch and Olwen, composed in the 11th century (though not recorded until the 14th), and eventually associated with the Mabinogion,[17] ascribes to Gwalchmei the same relationship with Arthur that Gawain is later given: he is the son of Arthur's sister and one of his leading warriors.[2] However, he is mentioned only twice in the text, once in the extensive list of Arthur's court towards the beginning of the story, and again as one of the "Six Helpers" whom Arthur sends with the protagonist Culhwch on his journey to find his love Olwen.[7] Unlike the other helpers, he takes no further part in the action. This suggests he was added to the romance later, likely under the influence of the Welsh versions of Geoffrey's Historia.[7] He also appears in Peredur fab Efrawg (Peredur son of Efrawg), part of the Mabinogion, where he aids the hero Peredur in the final battle against the nine witches of Caer Loyw.[18] A similar motif was mentioned by 16th-century Welsh scholar Sion Dafydd Rhys in an unrecorded oral tale in which Gwalchmei destroyed three evil witch-sisters, wives of the giants previously slain by Arthur, killing them within their castles through his cunning, as they could not be defeated otherwise due to their powers.[19]

Gawain - Wikipedia

[teatitty]

i remember being like 10 and reading the magic treehouse books and like,,falling in love with Morgan and anyways thats why i'm gay and love arthurian legend

Fun fact about Morgan le Fay! Originally she was either a goddess, fay, witch or sorceress who was quite benevelont and served as Arthur’s magical saviour and protector! Her prominence in the legends increased over time and she was slowly changed from “benevelont protector” to “complete antagonist”

She also wasn’t originally his sister and one of the first known texts to make her as such was the Draco Normannicus, a 12th century chronicle written by Étienne de Rouen. She is frequently mistaken as Mordreds mother, but is his aunt instead, as Mordred’s mother is actually Morgause, the Queen of Orkney, and also the mother of Gawain, Gareth, Agravain and Gaheris (who ends up murdering her)

[beyondthedreamline]

Ladies of Legend: Morgan le Fay and Morgause

References: Women of Camelot: queens and enchantresses at the court of King Arthur (Orchard Australia, 2000) by Mary Hoffman, Le Morte d’Arthur in two volumes: volume one and volume two (J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, 1978, originally published in 1485) by Sir Thomas Malory, Mythology: Myths, Legends, & Fantasies (Hodder, 2013) by Dr. Alice Mills, The Complete Book of Witches and Wizards (Carlton Books Ltd, 2007) by Tim Dedopulos

Trigger warning: references to rape

There is a tendency, in Arthurian legend, for Igraine’s daughters to be highly variable in number and almost entirely interchangeable in identity, their roles within different versions of the myth generally depending on which woman gives birth to which sons. The Vulgate Cycle, for instance, has a whole crowd of half-sisters, while other versions whittle it down to one or two. The Complete Book of Witches and Wizards credits Morgan le Fay with eight sorceress sisters – Cliton, Gliten, Glitonea, Mazoe, Modron, Moronoe, Thitis and Tyronoe – all living together on the island of Avalon and acting as good fairies at Arthur’s birth. Mythology: Myths, Legends and Fantasies speculates that Morgan le Fay may have originally been a Celtic sea goddess or even a goddess of death. She has associations with the Morrigana, an Irish triple goddess represented by the three warrior queen aspects of Badb, Macha and Morrigan, the latter of whom is also strongly associated with fertility.

In Le Morte d’Arthur, there are three sisters: Morgause (alternatively spelled Margawse) being the eldest, Elaine the middle child and Morgan as the youngest. They were the children of Duke Gorlois of Cornwall and Igraine. When Gorlois was defeated in battle by King Uther Pendragon, Igraine had little choice but the marry the victor. She gave birth to a son, Arthur, who was taken away to be raised with a foster family, his very existence a well-kept secret. Uther then used his newly acquired stepdaughters to secure political alliances, marrying Morgause off to King Lot of Orkney and Elaine to King Nentres of Garlot. At this point Elaine promptly vanishes from the narrative.

Morgan was perhaps too young for marriage at the time because she was sent to a convent for an unexpectedly arcane education, learning the arts of necromancy and sorcery. Other stories have her trained at court by Merlin himself. Eventually, however, she was given a royal marriage of her own and became queen to Uriens of Gore.

Morgause had four sons with Lot – Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris and Gareth. The only one to inherit any magical tendencies was Gawain, whose strength increased as the sun approached its zenith. When Arthur emerged from obscurity and Uther’s former allies went to war against him, including Lot, Morgause calmly came as a messenger to the embattled young king (with all of her boys in tow, what’s more) and had a month-long fling with him that resulted in a fifth son, Mordred. The relationship appears to have been consensual and mutually misinformed.

When Merlin finally told Arthur the truth, it came with a side serve of apocalyptic prophecy and the two of them threw a full King Herod routine by having all the baby boys born on May Day sent to sea to be drowned. Mordred survived. What’s more, he appears to have been raised by Morgause, because he shows up later in the story as a knight in Arthur’s court, not quite popular but respected and running around with the other Orkney boys. How he got from one point to the other is one hell of a mystery that Malory never explains.

Nentres and Uriens were also aligned against Arthur, though that did not stop Igraine bringing Morgan along when she met Arthur for the first time. Which means that Morgan was present, listening, when Igraine told the court how Uther appropriated her husband’s face in order to rape her.

The fight for the throne was brutal. During the final battle, thirteen kings were killed; among them, Morgause’s husband Lot, brought down by Arthur’s ally Pellinore. This was the beginning of a labyrinthine tangle of messed-up relationships, as Gawain eventually killed Pellinore and the widowed Morgause later took Pellinore’s son Lamorak as her lover.

Arthur held a great funeral, attended by Morgause and her sons, Morgan and her husband Uriens, and their son Ewaine (also spelled Yvain). Eager to connect with his half-sisters on a non-sexual level that is also not a battlefield – this family is such a disaster in so many ways – Arthur entrusted his sword Excalibur into Morgan’s care. Apparently she had a trustworthy vibe or something. Arthur proved once again that he was a shocking judge of people because not only did Morgan plan to use that sword for a double regicide, she had learned enough about Arthur’s personality to arrange it that he took every step into the trap for himself.

Arthur went hunting with Uriens and a knight called Sir Accolon who, unbeknown to the others, was Morgan’s lover and accomplice. The kings and their companion spied a beautiful ship floating in nearby waters and were invited to stay the night aboard by the twelve beautiful women who were its only occupants. However, when Uriens awoke he was in bed with Morgan – and when Arthur awoke, he was in the dungeon of Sir Damas, a knight in the middle of a property dispute with his little brother and who had a habit of kidnapping promising fighters in the hope that one of them would consent to be his champion. Thus far, nobody had. Arthur grimly offered himself on the condition that the other prisoners would be released. He didn’t realise that the messenger girl he was talking to was a servant of Morgan le Fay, or that the sword he went to fight with was not Excalibur at all. Morgan sent Accolon to Sir Ontzlake, Damas’ brother, to volunteer as his champion in the upcoming fight, and he had the true sword.

It’s neatly done. It would have worked beautifully had the Lady Nimue not been among the spectators, because in Le Morte d’Arthur it is she who received the training from Merlin, not Morgan, and after she got rid of him for good, she took over the role of Arthur’s intermittent protector. She forced Accolon to drop Excalibur, so that Arthur could reclaim it. Accolon confessed to everything. Morgan’s plan was to kill Uriens as well, take Accolon as her consort and rule the land herself. I shouldn’t like that. But I sort of do.

Expecting Accolon to have already succeeded, Morgan had moved in for the next kill. She sent a handmaiden for Uriens’ sword so that she could kill her husband with his own weapon – nasty sense of irony that the lady’s got there – but the handmaiden had qualms and woke Uwaine, who was sadly prepared for exactly this kind of situation. “I may say an earthly devil bore me,” he said, catching the sword before his mother could strike. She might be willing to murder her brother and husband in cold blood, but Morgan loved her son and in exchange for his forgiveness, she swore that Uriens would be safe from her. She kept her word, too; as far as Malory tells it, she never made another attempt on her husband’s life.

Arthur was deeply hurt by Morgan’s betrayal. He settled matters between Damas and Ontzlake, and when Accolon died of his injuries, four days after the fight, Arthur sent the body to Morgan as a warning. She hid her grief, planning her vengeance. She went to see Guinevere before Arthur returned to court, acquiring royal permission to travel into the country. Travelling with a company of her own knights, she found the abbey where Arthur was staying overnight and tried to steal Excalibur from him, only to discover he’d taken to sleeping with it in his hand. She settled for snatching the scabbard, which protected its wearer from physical harm. Arthur soon woke and pursued her. Maliciously, she hurled the scabbard into a lake and enchanted herself to disappear into the landscape as a rock until Arthur gave up looking.

After that, Morgan rejoined her knights and travelled on. She encountered one of Arthur’s knights, blindfolded and pushed into a fountain by the man whose wife he was sleeping with. The imperilled knight was Sir Manassen, cousin to Accolon. Morgan turned the tables: it was the other knight who drowned and Manassen was sent back to court unharmed, as a message to Arthur: she saved one of his knights for love of Accolon and with all her magic, she did not fear Arthur. She then turned her attention to building up the defences and devotion of Gore.

Her next attempt to get at Arthur was presented as a truce. She sent a handmaiden with a beautiful cloak as a reconciliation gift, but Nimue was there once again to foil her; she suggested the handmaiden try the cloak on first and the court watched, horrified, as the girl burned alive. Though Arthur did not blame Uwaine for his mother’s actions, the young knight was no longer welcomed at court and when he left, his loyal cousin Gawain went with him. The children of Morgause and Morgan were fiercely clannish. Of course, Morgause decided to be on good terms with Arthur – as he had no children with Guinevere, Morgause’s children were his obvious successors, a good reason if ever there was one to take his side in this unusually bloody sibling squabble. But Morgause never seemed to be on bad terms with Morgan either.

Which is not to say Morgause didn’t have problems of her own. To begin with, her (favourite) son Gareth took it into his head to arrive at Arthur’s court incognito and prove himself as an unknown knight instead of claiming his royal birthright from the get go, so Morgause had to storm over there and tell off Arthur for not keeping a better eye on his nephews – and then she told off her other sons for not recognising their own goddamn brother when he was right under their noses. Upon hearing that the court bully Sir Kay nicknamed her son Beaumains (meaning ‘fair-hands’, this being a way of calling him a freeloader) she tersely retorted that Gareth was ‘fair-handed’ indeed, flipping the insult into a compliment to Gareth’s sense of justice. The adventure ended happily, with three of her sons all getting married at once.

Meanwhile, Morgan’s one woman war on Arthur continued undaunted. She started running with a girl gang of fellow queens, including the Queen of Northgalis, the queen of Eastland and the queen of the Out Isles. I swear, I am NOT making this up. They captured Sir Lancelot while he was out questing and tried to make him choose a lover from among them, but he held true to Guinevere and was rescued by another independently-minded handmaiden, the daughter of King Bagdemagus, who is not named by Malory but who Howard Pyle calls Elouise. Morgan preferred to work with women (she was later reputed to have a spy network of up to thirty women across the kingdom) but was prone to overestimating her influence on them.

One woman Morgan was completely disinterested in bonding with was Guinevere, who she appeared to view as nothing more than a weak spot in Arthur’s defences. She knew – well, everybody knew – that Guinevere and Lancelot were lovers, and came up with increasingly ingenious ways to try and drum home the message to Arthur. She sent a horn that could not be drunk from by an unfaithful lady, only for it to be waylaid and given to King Mark of Cornwall’s court instead; she depicted a king and queen on a shield with a knight above them both, imagining the symbolism to be obvious, only for Arthur to dismiss it entirely. He was too familiar with his sister’s traitorous habits to take her word for anything.

Morgan also captured Arthur’s knights whenever she could. One of her female spies tried to talk Sir Tristram and Gawain into an ambush. Though Gawain revealed her as one of his aunt’s servants, Tristram wanted the fight anyway, but (recognising a bull-headed hero when she saw  one) Morgan refuses to send out her knights. She later managed to imprison Tristram and made  him carry the suggestive shield in return for his freedom. That was not enough for her lover at the time, Sir Hemison, who chased after Tristram against Morgan’s advice and was killed in the ensuing fight.

Morgause, meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying her widowhood with Lamorak. He was a contemporary of her sons, so presumably a couple of decades or so younger than herself, and who was the kind of fiery type who picked fights with anybody who implied Guinevere might be more beautiful than his own regal silver vixen of a girlfriend. He also beat a whole gang of Morgan’s knights to work off some steam. The sex was canonically excellent.

Unfortunately, Morgause’s sons were not on board with her having an active love life. Gawain resented Arthur’s fondness for Lamorak, seeing him only as the man whose father murdered his own, and taking Lamorak as a lover ‘shamed’ Morgause in Gawain’s eyes. All his brothers, apart from possibly Gareth, took the same view. Having intercepted a message that named the time and place for a rendevous, Gaheris stormed in on the lovers and cut off his own mother’s head. Covered in the blood of the woman he loved, Lamorak screamed that he would rather have died in her place, but he was unarmed and could not fight back. Gaheris’ twisted sense of honour would not allow him to kill a naked man and so he let Lamorak go, but the enmity between him and the Orkney brothers was bitter after that and Lamorak was eventually killed by Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris and Mordred acting as a mob. The only one who refused to be involved was Gareth.

It was a terrible end for a remarkable woman.

Both Arthur and Lancelot were horrified at Morgause’s death and Gaheris was banished from court. The narrative being what it is, Morgan’s reaction is not recorded, but her enmity with Arthur seemed to taper off after that. She went into small-scale acts of evil sorcery with the Queen of Northgalis as her partner. For instance, she allowed King Mark to talk her into using her sorceress connections to find an enemy of his…only to turn around and heal the young knight in question, swearing him to her service. She kept him at the castle of La Beale Regard. The castle’s true heiress soon showed up, brought the knight over to her side, then had the castle razed to the ground, once again proving that Morgan needed to stop underestimating other women.

It was possibly with that in mind that Morgan and the Queen of Northgalis cursed Elaine of Corbin, called the fairest lady in the land, leaving her to boil alive without ever dying until the best knight in the world came to rescue her. It’s a brutal act of spite. Of course, this could also have been an indirect attack on Arthur, as Lancelot’s rape by Elaine ends up triggering great turmoil at court, but predicting all of that might be beyond even Morgan’s talent for scheming.

In any case, Arthur’s court crumbled on its own, first losing many knights to the hopeless quest for the Sangreal before being shaken apart at the foundations when Mordred revealed Lancelot and Guinevere’s affair beyond any chance at denial. It was Mordred who took over the kingdom; it was he who led the final battle against Arthur and struck the blow that would kill him, even as he himself lay dying.

Arthur sent Bedivere, the sole knight remaining at his side, to throw Excalibur into the nearby waters. To Bedivere’s amazement, a hand rose to catch the blade. By the time he carried Arthur down to the water, a barge had arrived at the bank. Nimue was aboard it, and three queens: the Queen of the Waste Lands, the Queen of Northgalis and the Queen of Gore. Arthur laid his head in the lap of his sister and Morgan asked, gently, “Ah dear brother, why have ye tarried so long from me?” They disappeared together, across the water to Avalon. Neither were ever seen again.

Morgause and Morgan were ruthless women, in their different ways – Morgause being the pragmatic one, willing to overlook the blood on the hands of the men in her life if she got what she wanted out of it, while Morgan pursued power with a single-minded force of will and fierce cunning. What is so glorious about Malory’s women is that they are, above all other things, people. Their motivations may be obscure, but they are their own selves, making decisions in their own interests. They are not shadowy seductresses stalking the edges of Arthur’s court; these women are queens, and the daughters of a queen. Their lives might be tragedies, but they lived them proudly – the political matriarch and the warrior witch. They are not interchangeable at all.

These stories vary wildly depending on time and teller – I work with the sources I have to hand but if you know an alternative version I would love to hear it!

Originally posted on Wordpress

[chiefbelieverstarlight]

The Wizard Way

[Dedicated to General J.C.F. Fuller] Velvet soft the night-star glowed Over the untrodden road, Through the giant glades of yew Where its ray fell light as dew Lighting up the shimmering veil Maiden pure and aery frail That the spiders wove to hide Blushes of the sylvan bride Earth, that trembled with delight At the male caress of Night. Velvet soft the wizard trod To the Sabbath of his God. With his naked feet he made Starry blossoms in the glade, Softly, softly, as he went To the sombre sacrament, Stealthy stepping to the tryst In his gown of amethyst. Earlier yet his soul had come To the Hill of Martyrdom, Where the charred and crooked stake Like a black envenomed snake By the hangman's hands is thrust Through the wet and writhing dust, Never black and never dried Heart's blood of a suicide. He had plucked the hazel rod From the rude and goatish god, Even as the curved moon's waning ray Stolen from the King of Day. He had learnt the elvish sign; Given the Token of the Nine: Once to rave, and once to revel, Once to bow before the devil, Once to swing the thurible, Once to kiss the goat of hell, Once to dance the aspen spring, Once to croak, and once to sing, Once to oil the savoury thighs Of the witch with sea-green eyes With the unguents magical. Oh the honey and the gall Of that black enchanter's lips As he croons to the eclipse Mingling that most puissant spell Of the giant gods of hell With the four ingredients Of the evil elements; Ambergris from golden spar, Musk of ox from Mongol jar, Civet from a box of jade, Mixed with fat of many a maid Slain by the inchauntments cold Of the witches wild and old. He had crucified a toad In the basilisk abode, Muttering the Runes averse Mad with many a mocking curse. He had traced the serpent sigil In his ghastly virgin vigil. Sursum cor! the elfin hill, Where the wind blows deadly chill From the world that wails beneath Death's black throat and lipless teeth. There he had stood - his bosom bare - Tracing Life upon the Air With the crook and with the flail Lashing forward on the gale, Till its blade that wavereth Like the flickering of Death Sank before his subtle fence To the starless sea of sense. Now at last the man is come Haply to his halidom. Surely as he waves his rod In a circle on the sod Springs the emerald chaste and clean From the duller paler green. Surely in the circle millions Of immaculate pavilions Flash upon the trembling turf Like the sea-stars in the surf - Millions of bejewelled tents For the warrior sacraments. Vaster, vaster, vaster, vaster, Grows the stature of the master; All the ringed encampment vies With the infinite galaxies. In the midst a cubic stone With the Devil set thereon; Hath a lamb's virginal throat; Hath the body of a stoat; Hath the buttocks of a goat; Hath the sanguine face and rod Of a goddess and a god! Spell by spell and pace by pace! Mystic flashes swing and trace Velvet soft the sigils stepped By the silver-starred adept. Back and front, and to and fro, Soul and body sway and flow In vertiginous caresses To imponderable recesses, Till at last the spell is woven, And the faery veil is cloven That was Sequence, Space, and Stress Of the soul-sick consciousness. "Give thy body to the beasts! Give thy spirit to the priests! Break in twain the hazel rod On the virgin lips of God! Tear the Rosy Cross asunder! Shatter the black bolt of thunder! Suck the swart ensanguine kiss Of the resolute abyss!" Wonder-weft the wizard heard This intolerable word. Smote the blasting hazel rod On the scarlet lips of God; Trampled Cross and rosy core; Brake the thunder-tool of Thor; Meek and holy acolyte Of the priestly hells of spite, Sleek and shameless catamite Of the beasts that prowl the night! Like a star that streams from heaven Through the virgin airs light-riven, From the lift there shot and fell An admirable miracle. Carved minute and clean, a key Of purest lapis-lazuli More blue than the blind sky that aches (Wreathed with the stars, her torturing snakes), For the dead god's kiss that never wakes; Shot with golden specks of fire Like a virgin with desire. Look, the levers! fern-frail fronds Of fantastic diamonds, Glimmering with ethereal azure In each exquisite embrasure. On the shaft the letters laced, As if dryads lunar-chaste With the satyrs were embraced, Spelled the secret of the key: Sic pervenias. And he Went his wizard way, inweaving Dreams of things beyond believing. When he will, the weary world Of the senses closely curled Like a serpent round his heart Shakes herself and stands apart. So the heart's blood flames, expanding, Strenuous, urgent, and commanding; And the key unlocks the door Where his love lives evermore. She is of the faery blood; All smaragdine flows its flood. Glowing in the amber sky To ensorcelled porphyry She hath eyes of glittering flake Like a cold grey water-snake. She hath naked breasts of amber Jetting wine in her bed-chamber, Whereof whoso stoops and drinks Rees the riddle of the Sphinx. She hath naked limbs of amber Whereupon her children clamber. She hath five navels rosy-red From the five wounds of God that bled; Each wound that mothered her still bleeding, And on that blood her babes are feeding. Oh! like a rose-winged pelican She hath bred blessed babes to Pan! Oh! like a lion-hued nightingale She hath torn her breast on thorns to avail The barren rose-tree to renew Her life with that disastrous dew, Building the rose o' the world alight With music out of the pale moonlight! O She is like the river of blood That broke from the lips of the bastard god, When he saw the sacred mother smile On the ibis that flew up the foam of Nile Bearing the limbs unblessed, unborn, That the lurking beast of Nile had torn! So (for the world is weary) I These dreadful souls of sense lay by. I sacrifice these impure shoon To the cold ray of the waning moon. I take the forked hazel staff, And the rose of no terrene graff, And the lamp of no olive oil With heart's blood that alone may boil. With naked breast and feet unshod I follow the wizard way to God. Wherever he leads my foot shall follow; Over the height, into the hollow, Up to the caves of pure cold breath, Down to the deeps of foul hot death, Across the seas, through the fires, Past the palace of desires; Where he will, whether he will or no, If I go, I care not whither I go. For in me is the taint of the faery blood. Fast, fast its emerald flood Leaps within me, violent rude Like a bestial faun's beatitude. In me the faery blood runs hard: My sires were a druid, a devil, a bard, A beast, a wizard, a snake and a satyr; For - as my mother said - what does it matter? She was a fay, pure of the faery; Queen Morgan's daughter by an aery Demon that came to Orkney once To pay the Beetle his orisons. So, it is I that writhe with the twitch Of the faery blood, and the wizard itch To attain a matter one may not utter Rather than sink in the greasy splutter Of Britons munching their bread and butter; Ailing boys and coarse-grained girls Grown to sloppy women and brutal churls. So, I am off with staff in hand To the endless light of the nameless land. Darkness spreads its sombre streams, Blotting out the elfin dreams. I might haply be afraid, Were it not the Feather-maid Leads me softly by the hand, Whispers me to understand. Now (when through the world of weeping Light at last starrily creeping Steals upon my babe-new sight, Light - O light that is not light!) On my mouth the lips of her Like a stone on my sepulchre Seal my speech with ecstasy, Till a babe is born of me That is silent more than I; For its inarticulate cry Hushes as its mouth is pressed To the pearl, her honey breast; While its breath divinely ripples The rose-petals of her nipples, And the jetted milk he laps From the soft delicious paps, Sweeter than the bee-sweet showers In the chalice of the flowers, More intoxicating than All the purple grapes of Pan. Ah! my proper lips are stilled. Only, all the world is filled With the Echo, that drips over Like the honey from the clover. Passion, penitence, and pain Seek their mother's womb again, And are born the triple treasure, Peace and purity and pleasure. - Hush, my child, and come aloft Where the stars are velvet soft!

-ALEISTER CROWLEY

[son-of-pendragon]

When I was young If I just closed my eyes Then I could go anywhere Dream of any place

Imagination set the pace And my heart was happy there What a shame that you came Round and told me

Said my dreams can't come true “Don't be foolish Give up your wish Big things aren't for you.”

And how you'd scold and chide me Forever criticize me But now I think I know the truth You were the one

Who held me down and told me I was heading nowhere You said “Know your place Accept your fate and show good face

And be thankful that you're there.” That was so long ago When you owned me I believed it was true

Bend me shape me Build me break me Why was I your fool? And now I'm so much stronger

I'm not yours any longer I've got a message here for you Time for you to learn It's my turn

I won't be held down any longer I've waited all my life and finally it's here It all begins A chance to win

A dream that's been a lifetime An endless vast uphill climb The day I've waited for is drawing near Hey wait turn and show your face

I've got a lot to say And you're not going anywhere You lose; the time you ruled me's through I'm in control I own my soul

And I'll never go back there Wasted years that I spent Never knowing I was kept, I was used

Never-ending Condescending Now I just refuse I don't care what it costs me

I know I almost lost me Won't spend another day confused You rose I fell Made my life hell

Anything to crush my soul Anything to feel control Finally free I've come so far Finally see how sick you are

I spent my life degraded But I won't leave here jaded I'll start again and finally prove Time for you to learn

It's my turn I won't be held down any longer I've waited all my life and finally it's here It all begins

A chance to win A dream that's been a lifetime An endless vast uphill climb The day I've waited for is drawing near