A “Strange Woman Lying in a Pond”: The Lady of the Lake’s Authority over the Male Arthurian World in the Prose Lancelot

Abstract

This study examines the character of the Lady of the Lake in the Old French Prose Lancelot and argues that the Lady of the Lake gains power and authority through the use of her knowledge (both traditional learning and the knowledge of enchantments) to exert influence that directly affects the male Arthurian world. Her occupation of a liminal space—the lake outside of Camelot—allows the Lady of the Lake to perceive the challenges and shortcomings of the male chivalric world. Significantly, she establishes herself as an authorial voice; a voice that uses her foreknowledge in order to rewrite social codes to establish a better framework for the men who occupy this martial space. Her dissemination of knowledge and the effective use of her powers not only teach knights proper conduct, but they also encourage knights to rely on her authority. In this liminal position, therefore, the Lady of the Lake exerts considerable influence that benefits others but her efforts are not entirely altruistic, for they benefit the Lady as well giving her status and unquestioned authority. She becomes an archetype of the Wise (Wo)Man, seizing the mantle from Merlin after she figuratively and literally disposes of him at the beginning of the Prose Lancelot. Her actions throughout the romance, while at times seemingly immoral, serve a moral purpose of bettering the male-dominated chivalric court system for all involved. Her righting of wrongs and improvement of knights directly stems from her status and placement as “other.”