Guinevere (Arthurian legend)
Guinevere ( English ), Gwenhwyfar ([ gwenˈhuivar ] Welsh ), Ginebra ( Spanish ), Ginevra ( Italian ), Guenièvre ( French ), is the wife of King Arthur and in the Celtic mythology of Wales and in the subsequent Arthurian saga the mistress of the knight Lancelot (who does not appear in the Welsh tradition).
Etymology and traditions
The name Guinevere comes from Welsh in the form Gwenhwyfar ("the white fairy", "the white ghost"); but this can also mean "Gwen the big one", in contrast to her sister Gwenhwyfach ("Gwen the little one"). This Gwenhwyfach is only mentioned in the story Culhwch ac Olwen ("The story of Culhwch and Olwen "), as well as in two of the Trioedd Ynys Prydein ("The Triads of the Isle of Britain").
According to one version, Guinevere is the daughter of King Leodegrance (Lleudd-Ogrfan), according to the trioedd Ynys Prydein , Gwythyr is said to be her father.
The first mentions of Guinevere are in the Welsh tale Culhwch ac Olwen , where she is only mentioned as Arthur's queen. Arthur tells Culhwch that he could have any gift from him, except his ship, cloak, sword, lance, shield, knife or his wife Gwenhwyfar. She is also mentioned in five of the trioedd Ynys Prydein .
According to Caradoc by Llancarfans Vita Gildae ("The Life of Gildas ") she is captured, kidnapped, raped and captured at his fortress Glastonbury by Melwas (Meleagant), the King of Somerset , as a prize in a duel against Cei fab Cynyr (Sir Keie) held. Arthur besieged Melwas' fortress for a year with an army until Gildas found a peaceful solution and Melwas returned Guinevere to Arthur. In Chrétien de Troyes ' story of this kidnapping, she is freed by Gawain and Lancelot du Lac, who loves her but gives her back to Arthur.
At Geoffrey of Monmouth , Arthur is said to have left Guinevere (here called Guanhumara ) in the care of his nephew Mordred (Medrawd) while he was translating to Europe to go to war against a Roman procurator . In his absence, Mordred seduces Guinevere and makes himself king with her as his queen. This leads Arthur to return to Britain to face Mordred in the Battle of Camlann . After Mordred dies in a duel with Arthur, who is also fatally wounded in the process, Guinevere finally goes to the monastery. In all the tales she remains childless, although Welsh lore mentions Arthur's sons.
The name Gwenhwyfar is equated in John T. Koch with the Irish Findabair , the daughter of Ailill mac Máta and Medb .
In the Lai (poem) Lanval by Marie de France , written around 1170, Gwenhwyfar plays a rather inglorious role as a scorned woman.
Spread of the name in the present
The first name Jennifer, which is still common today, is a Cornish variant of Guinevere.
See also
- List of Celtic gods and legendary figures
- Myths and legends from Wales and Britain
- Genoveva , Guinevere (female first name)
- Adultery in Literature
literature
- Helmut Birkhan : Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-7001-2609-3 .
- Helmut Birkhan : Celtic stories from the emperor Arthur. Part 2, Lit-Verlag, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-8258-7563-6 .
- Bernhard Maier : Lexicon of Celtic Religion and Culture (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 466). Kröner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-46601-5 .
Web links
- John T. Koch: Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia. 2, Celto - F . Volumes 1-5. ABC-Clio, Santa Barbara, Calif. 2006, ISBN 1-85109-440-7 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 7, 2017]).
- Guinevere in the Camelot Project at the University of Rochester (English)