Morgan le Fay

Also known as: Morgan / Queen Morgan / Queen Morgan le Fay · Family: unknown · Role: sorceress · First appears: Book I, Chapter II

Morgan le Fay was sent to school in a nunnery, where she learned necromancy, and then married King Uriens of Gore. She was the daughter of Igraine and sister of King Arthur, who entrusted her with Excalibur’s scabbard; in Book II, she betrayed that trust by enchanting a counterfeit scabbard and giving the true one to her love, Accolon, so that King Arthur might be slain.

In Book IV, Morgan armed Accolon with Excalibur and urged him to fight King Arthur without mercy, while deceiving Arthur with a false sword and scabbard. After Accolon’s death, Arthur sent his body back to her as a present. Morgan then attempted to kill her husband, King Uriens, but their son Sir Uwaine stopped her, and she promised not to repeat the deed. She later stole Arthur’s scabbard, threw it into a lake, used enchantment to conceal herself and her men as marble stone, freed Manassen in return for his love of Accolon of Gaul, and strengthened her castles in Gore because she feared Arthur. She also sent Arthur a jeweled mantle and offered to amend her offense, though Arthur vowed revenge.

Morgan next joined other queens in enchanting and imprisoning Sir Launcelot, offering to release him if he chose one of them as paramour; he refused and remained loyal to Queen Guenever. In Book IX, she plotted against Launcelot with thirty knights and sent ladies to lure him or Sir Tristram to her castle. She received Tristram well, then declared him her prisoner and released him only after he promised to carry a shield she had made to rebuke Launcelot and expose his love for Guenever. Her shield was made against Queen Guenever and Launcelot, and Sir Gawaine condemned the treason wrought by “a queen, and a king’s sister, and a king and queen’s daughter.”

In Book X, Morgan possessed a castle once given to her by King Arthur and made war against him after they fell into strife. She healed Alisander’s wounds in exchange for his promise to remain within her castle, but Earl of Pase, who hated her, later burned it and enabled his escape. Morgan also sought to have Alisander captured or killed at King Mark’s request, and with Queen of Northgalis she used enchantment to hold a lady in torment for five years. During this period, Sir Bors learned that Sir Launcelot had been imprisoned with Morgan for half a year.