Gwenivere the Great

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Gwen took a liking to Lancelot, who had romantic feelings for her as soon as he met her. At first Gwen said to Merlin that Lancelot wasn’t her type, but later she developed romantic feelings for him ( Lancelot). Lancelot turned to Gwen to get armour and weapons before going out to kill a Griffin. Gwen was sad when Lancelot left Camelot, thinking she would never see him again but they were later reunited while Gwen was the prisoner of Hengist. Lancelot said he had little to live for, but Gwen reprimanded him for this, saying that he was "everything beautiful in this world." He was determined to risk his life so that he may escape, to which she objected. He then told her that he would die for her a hundred times over, and Gwen kissed him before running away. There is a hint from Malory that Guinevere may have set up her own abduction, perhaps as some kind of test as she deliberately leaves her own company of guards, the Queen’s Knights, behind to rely on ten lightly armed knights without their armour. It may be that Arthur, for all his greatness, was ageing and with age lost his former vitality and potency. Therefore, a younger, more dynamic replacement was needed to ensure the fertility of the land. It was Lancelot she sent for to rescue her and not her husband. Koch, John T.; Minard, Antone (1 April 2012). The Celts: History, Life, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598849646– via Google Books. In the 2005 French television series Kaamelott, and the 2021 film, Guinevere is a humorous and cheerful queen with a big heart, portrayed by Anne Girouard. Her story with Arthur, her true love, is one of the longest slow burns in French television. In the 1983 DC Comics maxi-series Camelot 3000, Guinevere appears reincarnated in the body of Commander Joan Acton, American-born leader of the United Earth Defense Forces, and is reunited with King Arthur to defend Earth from a race of extraterrestrial invaders.

Göller, Karl Heinz (5 March 1981). The Alliterative Morte Arthure: A Reassessment of the Poem. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. ISBN 9780859910750– via Google Books. The character of Gwen is based on Guinevere, the wife of Arthur and Queen of the Britons, in the Arthurian legends. Guinevere appears in the earliest stories of Arthur as his faithful wife. The Welsh Triad names the three queens of Arthur, all three named Gwenhwyfar. It is widely accepted that the famous Gwenhwyfar of legend is the third one mentioned; she is the "daughter of Gogfran the Giant." Geoffrey of Monmouth portrays Guinevere as a noble lady with a Roman heritage, raised by Duke Cador of Cornwall. The recurring theme of her love affairs, whether by consent or abduction, has many variations. Early stories give Arthur as her rescuer, while later the rescuer is Lancelot. Other Allies: Merlin • Annis • Odin • Rodor • Mithian • Godwyn • Bayard • Elena • Alined • The Diamair • Vivian • Olaf Guinevere plays a significant role in many other Arthurian works than those mentioned here and has continued to fascinate readers for centuries. The English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892 CE) revived the Arthurian Legend with his Idylls of the King in 1859 CE and portrays Guinevere as a fallen woman who recognizes her failings and his forgiven by her lord. Tennyson's Guinevere reflects the values of the Victorian Age he was writing in, and every writer since then has followed this same paradigm. Even a cursory knowledge of how Guinevere has been portrayed in film over just the past 50 years shows how she is constantly re-imagined to fit the values of the time while the other characters in the legends remain more or less the same. Three years after becoming Queen, Gwen was present at Arthur's coronation anniversary dinner. Seeing that her husband was upset, she asked him if he was all right and he told her he was and kissed her on the cheek. After Arthur blew the Horn of Cathbhadh to see the spirit of his father, Uther criticised Arthur's decision to marry Gwen and make her queen. While Arthur defended his wife and said that he chose love over matters of state, Uther became angry and when his spirit was released, Gwen, in Uther's rage, became one of Uther's victims and he tried to burn Gwen alive.Sir Lancelot was at a loss what to do. Sir Meliagrance was right and he should spare him, but he had wanted to wreak revenge on him for his treatment of the Queen and also himself. Lancelot looked towards Guinevere, who slightly nodded and looked at him in a way that clearly showed she wanted her accuser dead. Lancelot then told Meliagrance to get up and resume the battle to the bitter end. However, Meliagrance refused, “I will not stand until you accept I have yielded and I will give you huge rewards for sparing me!” Guinevere rightly denied the charge because it was Sir Lancelot she had slept with, but she said nothing of that. When Sir Lancelot arrived and learned of the accusation, saying nothing of where he had been in the night, he warned Meliagrance that he would fight to defend the queen against any malicious accusation. However, Meliagrance was emboldened by what he and the others had seen and declared he would take the accusation to King Arthur and, if found guilty, she would be burnt at the stake. Archibald, Elizabeth; Putter, Ad (2009). The Cambridge Companion to the Arthurian Legend. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521860598. In the 2016 television series Legends of Tomorrow episode " Camelot/3000", Guinevere is portrayed by Elyse Levesque. [55] In the episode, she is a knight who became queen because of her loyalty to Merlin. In response to Sara letting her know of her affection for Guinevere; Sara Lance felt attraction to her, and after Merlin, who was actually Stargirl, confessed her love to King Arthur, she and Sara shared a kiss. Samples, Susann Therese (2012). "An Unlikely Hero: The Rapist-Knight Gasozein in "Diu Crône" ". Arthuriana. 22 (4): 101–119. doi: 10.1353/art.2012.a494786. JSTOR 43485991. S2CID 160239206.

Guinevere, wife of Arthur, legendary king of Britain, best known in Arthurian romance through the love that his knight Sir Lancelot bore for her. In early Welsh literature, one Gwenhwyvar was “the first lady of this island”; in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s inventive Historia regum Britanniae (early 12th century), she was named Guanhumara and was presented as a Roman lady. In some accounts it was suggested that she was Arthur’s second wife.

Guinevere has continued to be a popular character featured in numerous adaptations of the legend since the 19th-century Arthurian revival. Many modern authors, usually following or inspired by Malory's telling, typically still show Guinevere in her illicit relationship with Lancelot as defining her character. Although Gwen's father Tom was killed by Uther's knights when he attempted to flee the dungeons, Gwen did not hate Uther but stated that she felt nothing for him and wouldn’t kill him if she had the choice, as this would make her no better than him. Uther was the main obstacle in her and Arthur’s relationship since Uther followed the tradition that forbid royals to mate with commoners or servants. He banished her and sentenced her to death after finding out about her relationship with Arthur and being convinced by Morgana that Gwen had enchanted Arthur. He even physically slapped her across the face when she stood up for herself against his accusations of enchanting Arthur, telling Uther that he would never understand what it is like to love someone. Gwen was the only one who managed to provoke Uther to direct physical violence towards a prisoner throughout the series, probably because of her accusation that he was not able to understand real love and by that dishonouring Uther's love for Ygraine. Despite her dislike for Uther, she looked after him when he was broken by Morgana’s betrayal, but her indifference increased, which was clear when she told Gaius that she only did it for Arthur’s and not for Uther’s sake. When Uther died, Gwen happily watched Arthur being crowned king after his death. The two were reunited as prisoners when both were captured, and Lancelot professed his love for Gwen again before realising that she was present. After Arthur and Merlin came to their rescue, Lancelot noted that Arthur had taken extraordinary measures to rescue a maid and guessed that the prince harboured feelings for Gwen as well, which Merlin confirmed. Unwilling to come between Gwen and Arthur, Lancelot decided to depart, leaving a message for Gwen through Merlin saying that she had "changed him forever," but "some things cannot be" ( Lancelot and Guinevere). Gwen burst into tears upon learning of his departure, and at this point seemed to share a stronger romantic bond with Lancelot than with Arthur. This later changed as her relationship with Arthur blossomed in later episodes, with both strengthening their strong love for each other, eventually Lancelot sees Arthur kiss her passionately, once in the castle and another in public ( The Coming of Arthur). Gwen trusted Lancelot to keep Arthur safe and he promised that he would protect him with his life. When Lancelot was killed when sacrificing himself to defeat the Dorocha, Gwen was devastated at his death, tearfully telling Arthur that he sacrificed himself to fulfill the promise he gave to her ( The Darkest Hour). Further information: Lancelot A scene preceding the kidnapping by Maleagant: "How Queen Guenever rode a maying into the woods and fields beside Westminster."

Sir Lancelot, are you sure on this? Will you abide by the conditions you yourself have set?” asked the King.

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Guinevere watching the mortally wounded Arthur being sailed off to Avalon in Queen Guinevere by James Archer (c. 1860) Lancelot and Guinevere, illustration by N.C. Wyeth, for The Boy's King Arthur: Sir Thomas Malory's History of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, 1917, reissued 2006. (more) Gwen discovers Eira's treachery and has her executed, but not before sending a false lead on Arthur's whereabouts on her raven to Morgana. Roberts, Sandye; Jones, Arthur (2010). Divine Intervention II: A Guide to Twin Flames, Soul Mates, and Kindred Spirits. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4567-1255-6. When Arthur is challenged to a duel to the death with a wraith - his uncle Tristan De Bois - it is from Gwen that Merlin gets the legendary sword Excalibur she tells him that it is the finest sword her father ever made. It is from The Great Dragon the sword gains its powers ( Excalibur).