Merlin is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a magician, with several other main roles. The familiar depiction of Merlin, based on an amalgamation of historic and legendary figures, was introduced by the 12th-century British pseudo-historical author Geoffrey of Monmouth and then built on by the French poet Robert de Boron and their prose successors in the 13th century.
Guinevere, also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First mentioned in popular literature in the early 12th century, nearly 700 years after the purported times of Arthur, Guinevere has since been portrayed as everything from a fatally flawed, villainous and opportunistic traitor to a noble and virtuous lady. Many records of the legend also feature the variably recounted story of her abduction and rescue as a major part of the tale.
Avalon is a mythical island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 Historia Regum Britanniae as a place of magic where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was made and later where Arthur was taken to recover from being gravely wounded at the Battle of Camlann. Since then, the island has become a symbol of Arthurian mythology, similar to Arthur's castle of Camelot.
The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. The 12th-century Welsh cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, widely popular in its day, is a central component of the Matter of Britain.
Morgan le Fay, 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, is a powerful and ambiguous enchantress from the legend of King Arthur, in which most often she and he are siblings. Early appearances of Morgan in Arthurian literature do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a goddess, a fay, a witch, or a sorceress, generally benevolent and connected to Arthur as his magical saviour and protector. Her prominence increased as the legend of Arthur 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.
The Queen of Orkney, today best known as Morgause and also known as Morgawse and other spellings and names, is a character in Arthurian legend in which she is the mother of Gawain and Mordred, both key players in the story of King Arthur and his downfall. In early texts, Mordred's father is her husband, King Lot of Orkney, with whom she may also have various other children. In later versions, including the seminal Le Morte d'Arthur, Mordred is the offspring of Arthur's accidental incest with Morgause, his estranged half-sister. There, she is furthermore a sister of Morgan le Fay, as well as the mother of Gareth, Agravain, and Gaheris, the last of whom murders her.
Brocéliande, earlier known as Brécheliant and Brécilien, is a legendary enchanted forest that had a reputation in the medieval European imagination as a place of magic and mystery. Brocéliande is featured in several medieval texts, mostly related to the Arthurian legend and the characters of Merlin, Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and some of the Knights of the Round Table. It first appeared in literature in the Roman de Rou chronicle by Wace in 1160 and today is most commonly identified as Paimpont forest in Brittany, France.
Ywain, also known as Yvain and Owain among other spellings, is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend, wherein he is often the son of King Urien of Gorre and either the enchantress Modron or the sorceress Morgan le Fay. The historical Owain mab Urien, on whom the literary character is based, was the king of Rheged in Great Britain during the late 6th century.
Arthur is a masculine given name possibly of Brythonic Celtic origin. Another theory is that the name is from Latin origin, derived from the Roman clan Artorius who lived in Roman Britain for centuries. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. It may derive from the Celtic Artos meaning “Bear”.
Morgens, morgans, or mari-morgans are Welsh and Breton water spirits that drown men.
Tristan or Tristram or Tristen is a given name descending from Welsh Drystan, influenced by the French word triste and Welsh/Cornish/Breton trist, both of which mean "sad" or "sorrowful". It owes its popularity to the character of Tristan, one of the Knights of the Round Table and the tragic hero of Tristan and Iseult. Alternate form Tristram has also been in use since the Middle Ages and was the more usual form of the name after the publication of the 1759-60 comic novel Tristram Shandy by Laurence Stern. Later usage of the name Tristan was influenced by Richard Wagner's 1860 opera Tristan und Isolde. The name Tristan became particularly well-used in the United States by parents who had attended college after it was used for a character on All Creatures Great and Small, a 1978 British television series based on the memoirs of James Herriot. The popular series aired in the United States on PBS. The name Tristan later became popular with parents of all classes after Brad Pitt played Tristan Ludlow in the popular 1994 movie Legends of the Fall, and also increased the usage of variant spellings Tristen, Tristin, Triston and Trystan, all of which also appeared among the 1,000 most popular names for boys in the United States in 1995. Usage of the name also increased after Tristan was used for characters in the 2006 film Tristan & Isolde and the 2007 fantasy film Stardust. Tristan has been consistently among the top 1000 names given to baby boys in the United States since 1971. The name has been used in the Anglosphere and in other countries such as Belgium, France, Iceland, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain.
Jordan is a given name and a surname.
Kristen is a first name, also the Breton, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian form of Christian. As a result, Kristen is a male name in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, with the female equivalent spelt as Kristin, a Scandinavian form and a variation of Christine. In Breton, Kristen is both a male and female name. In English-speaking countries, Kristen is now usually a female name, used as an alternative spelling of Kristin, with the Kristen spelling having become the more popular spelling of the name in English-speaking countries for newborn girls by the mid 1970s.
Eoin is a masculine Irish-language given name. The Scottish Gaelic equivalent is Eòin and both are closely related to the Welsh Ioan. It is also cognate with the Irish Seán and English John. In the Irish language, it is the name used for all Biblical figures known as John in English, including John the Baptist and John the Apostle.
Events from the year 1978 in France.
Gareth is a Welsh masculine given name. The name's popularity in Wales may be as a hypocorism of Geraint, which itself became popular after the famous hero and king of Dumnonia.
Guiomar is the best known name of a character appearing in many medieval texts relating to the Arthurian legend, often in relationship with Morgan le Fay or a similar fairy queen type character.
