The hotsell Lady of the Lake original watercolour painting

Original watercolour painting featuring the Lady of the Lake.

The watercolour measures 21X29 cm or 8.30x 11.7 inch and is NOT framed.

It will be sent in a protective sleeve with a sturdy cardboard.

The price includes shipping per UPS, tracking number will be provided.
The Lady of the Lake

Lady of the Lake is the title held by a hotsell sorceress character in the Arthurian Cycle. She began appearing in the French chivalric romances by the early 13th century, becoming Lancelot's fairy godmother-like foster mother. A backstory for the Lady of the Lake, Viviane, is provided in the Lancelot-Grail cycle. Merlin is in love with the lady of the Lake (Viviane) and she refuses to give him her love until he has taught her all his secrets, after which she uses her power to trap him either in the trunk of an oak tree or beneath a stone, depending on the story and author. Though Merlin, through his power of foresight knows beforehand that this will happen, he is unable to counteract Viviane. He decides to do nothing for his situation other than to continue to teach her his secrets until she takes the opportunity to entrap and entomb him in a tree, a stone or a cave.
In the Post-Vulgate Cycle a second Lady of the Lake, called Ninianne appears, and her story is nearly identical to the one in the Lancelot-Grail, though here she gives Arthur a magic sword named Excalibur.
Sir Thomas Malory also uses both Ladies of the Lake in his Le Morte d'Arthur; he leaves the first one unnamed and calls the second one Nimue (Nymue). Malory's original Lady is presented as an early benefactor of King Arthur who grants him Excalibur when his original sword is damaged.
The first Lady of the Lake remains unnamed besides this epithet. When Arthur and Merlin first meet this Lady of the Lake, she holds Excalibur out of the water and offers it to Arthur if he promises to fulfill a request from her later. He agrees and receives his famous sword. Later, the Lady of the Lake comes to Arthur's court to receive her end of the bargain; she asks for the head of Sir Balin, who she blames for her brother's death. Arthur refuses this request, and Balin beheads her instead, much to Arthur's distress.
The second Lady of the Lake is sometimes referred to by her title and sometimes referred to by name. Nimue appears as the chivalric code changes; her appearance hints to the reader that something new will happen. The first time the character named Nimue appears is at Arthur's wedding. She then appears in many other episodes of Malory's work. Each time the Lady reappears, it is at a pivotal moment of the episode, by aiding Arthur and other knights to succeed in their endeavors.[8]
Malory's Nymue performs some of the same actions as the Lady of the Lake of his sources, but Malory's Nimue is different in some ways. For instance, in the earlier versions she traps Merlin in a tomb, which results in his death and does this out of cruelty and a hatred of Merlin. Malory, on the other hand, writes that Nimue is still the one to trap Merlin, but the author gives her a sympathetic reason. Merlin would not leave her alone. Malory gives no indication that Nimue loves him back. Eventually, since she cannot get rid of him otherwise, she decides to trap him under rock and makes sure he cannot escape. She is tired of his sexual advances, and she is afraid of the sorcerer's power, so she does not have much of a choice but to ultimately get rid of him.
After enchanting Merlin, Malory's Nimue replaces him as Arthur's adviser. She becomes the lover and eventual wife of Sir Pelleas and mother to his son Guivret
In Malory's text, Nimue is obedient wife and a compassionate, clever, strong willed, sympathetic, pragmatic, and knowledgeable woman.
It is important to note that when Arthur is in need in Malory's text, some incarnation of the Lady of the Lake, or her magic, or her agent, reaches out to help him.