Many characters in Arthurian legends share this name. Some more
notable examples are:
- Elaine of Corbenic: In Malory, Elaine is identified as the
mother of Galahad. She is the daughter of king Pelles, the keeper of the
Grail. In order to create this perfect grail knight, who represents the
mixing of two strains of 'holy' blood, Elaine must seduce the less than eager
Sir Lancelot. She succeeds in this by enchanting him. She appears to him as
Guenevere and causes Galahad to be engendered and Queen Guenevere to be
enraged. Modern adaptations often portray her as either naove or
insincere.
- Elaine of Astolat: Probably best known from Tennyson's Lady of
Shalott, this cursed damsel falls in love with Lancelot and dies of grief when
he does not return the affection. She is born by a barge to Camelot where all
the court views her body and a letter explaining her death because of
Lancelot's rejection. Tennyson is the creator of the idea that she must view
the world through a mirror or else perish; thereby making her more tragic.
She loves Lancelot because of his image in the mirror, and knows that she will
die in the vain attempt to join the world of Camelot to find him. Malory
gives her the name Elaine in the Morte Darthur, and places her geographically
in Astolat.
- Elaine: Daughter of Pellinore who kills herself after the death of
her lover, Sir Miles of the Laundes. This episode can be found in Malory,
during Pellinore's quest to bring back the female owner of the white brachet
(end of Book III (the book of Gawain)).
- Elaine: Daughter of Igraine, sister of Morgan and Morgause,
half-sister to Arthur. She married King Nentres of Garlot. She is a very
briefly discussed character in Malory.
- Elaine: Lancelot's mother and the wife of King Ban according to
the French traditions. Note that Elaine' sister Evaine is married to Ban's
brother Bors. This parallelism is worth little more that keeping the names
tidy.
- Elaine: Arthur's niece who is fathered by either Lot or Nentres,
depending on the tale. She falls in love with Perceval in some tales, but is
a minor character.
Bibliography
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Arthurian Legends. Ed. Ronan Coghlan. New
York: Barnes and Noble, 1993.
New Arthurian Encyclopedia. Ed. Norris J. Lacy. New York: Garland,1996.
WebMagick: Pre-Raphaelite
Collection. (Graphic taken from this site)
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