GUENEVERE (QUEEN)

 

Guenevere was the daughter of Leodegan, a valuable and trusted friend to Arthur in the early days of his reign. It waas during a visit to Leodegan that Arthur first laid eyes upon the young woman. This slender beauty was known as Gwenhwyfar to the Welsh, meaning "White Phantom," and indeed she had a complexion of cream and the grace of a san. Arthur had made his choice though Merlin disapproved adn warned that Guenevere would bring him much sorrow.

 

In some versions of the Arthurian saga, Guenevere is seen as a magic figure, in others she is blamed for the failure of Arthur's vision. Her affair with Lancelot was said to have caused a division among the Kights of the Round tAble. Since she was the wife of the High King, Guenevere's relationship with Arthur's best friend was considered not only adultery, but also an act of high treason, punishable by death. Although Arthur tried to overlook this indiscretion, the people and their new ways demanded justice. Lancelot would have to oppose the king and break the Fellowship to save his love.

 

The rather harsh treatment of Guenevere may be the result of interpretations by Christian chroniclers of medieval socity. In realty, Guenevere's taking of lovers would not have been considered such a dire sin. The land was in a state of religious transition, a time when Celtic pre-Christian and Christian values overlapped. The old ways gave the queen complete equality with all the same rights and powers as the king. The Celtic queen was involved in all aspects of rule, including war. What the warrior queen may have lacked in brawn, they often made up in skill and strategic planning. Medb of Ireland provides a fine example of this, a does the famous Boudicca (or Boadicea) of Britain, to whom a monument stands on the Thames Embankment. Three Celtic queens were within tehir right to take lovers, as did their counterparts, the kings. We see this practice with Morgause, among others, and in the attiudes of the lady fo the Lake who tells Guenevere that there is nothing wrong with her love for Lancelot. In some versions of the story the affair with Lancelot is mentioned only in passing, if at all.

 

Apart from differing depictions of her infidelity, the portrayal of Guenevere also varies radically from that of a cold queen who treated teh knights with contempt to that of a generous, much loved queen who nurtured the Fellowship. Contradictions also arise as to the ferility of the queen. While most present Guenevere as barren, teh Welsh tradition insists that she did give birth to Arthur's sons. The health and fertility of the queen were important considerations, as it was believed they were directly linked with the state of the land itself. The custom of Maying embodied this sentiment.

 

Each year Guenevere would ride out on May Day to welcome the season. Knowing this, the love-struck Melwas, ruler of the Summer Land, planned to abduct the queen as she roamed the woods. Melwas lay in waait and watched as the queen and her party of green adorned themselves with flowers, herbs and mosses and danced in the early sunshine. Seeing his opportunity, Melwas rose up, snatched Guenevere, and waas gone. Word reached Arthur (or in some accounts, Lancelot) that the queen had been abducted and was being held by Melwas. The abductor's home was Glastonbury Tor in Somerset, a favorite Haunt of the Faery. The hill wsa surround by an"adventurous marsh" which made rescue difficult. Nevertheless, Arthur led his troops on from Cornwall and Devon, ready to risk all out war for his queen. The monk Gildas and a local Abbot were not and were able to interceded and negotiate the return of Guenevere, thus preserving the peace.

 

From Ferguson, Anna-Marie. Keeper of Words. 1995 Llewellyn Publications. St. Paul, Minnesota. (42-43)

 

 

 

 

 

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