All about Arthurian names, Part VII (Female names, N–Y)

Illustration from King Arthur’s Knights: The Tales Retold for Boys and Girls (1911), by Walter Crane

Nimue is a sorceress known as the Lady of the Lake. In some stories, Merlin falls in love with her and becomes trapped by her magic. Nimue is also Lancelot’s protector and foster mother, and she gives the sword Excalibur to King Arthur and, many years later, helps to take him to Avalon when he’s dying.

Ninniane is the Old French form of Nimue. It may be derived from the Old Celtic male name Ninian, which in turn might ultimately come from the Brythonic name *Ninniau. Other forms include Ninniene, Niniane, Nyneve, Nymenche, Nimiane, Ninieve, Nivene, Niviène, Nivienne, Niviana, Niniame, Nymanne, Nimanne, Nynyane, Nenyve, Nyneue, Niniave, and Nynyue.

Merlin and Nimue (1861), by Edward Burne-Jones

Olwen means “white footprint” in Welsh, from roots ol (track, footprint) and gwen (white, blessed, fair). She’s one of the title characters of the Welsh epic Culhwch and Olwen. When Culhwch refuses to marry his stepsister, his stepmother curses him with the inability to marry anyone but Olwen. Though he’s never seen her, he falls in love with her. His father tells him he can only find Olwen with the help of his cousin King Arthur, who obligingly helps with the difficult search.

Orgeluse derives from the French word orgueilleuse (haughty). This is a character in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s 13th century romance Parzival. The name is spelt Orguelleuse in Chrétien de Troyes’s unfinished romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail.

Illustration of Culhwch and Olwen at the court of Olwen’s father Ysbaddaden, Celtic Myth & Legend (1905?), by Ernest Wallcousins

Palatyne, or Palentina, is one of the triplet sisters of water spirit Melusine. Their other sister is Melior. When their mortal father Elynas, King of Scotland, breaks his promise to not go into the bedchamber of his wife Pressyne while she’s giving birth, Pressyne leaves Scotland and raises her triplets in Avalon.

Qrainglaie is an Irish queen in Chretien de Troyes’s Les Merveilles de Rigomer.

Quebeleplus appears in Heinrich von dem Türlin’s Middle High German epic poem Diu Crône, which dates from about the 1220s.

Rathlean appears in the Irish romance Céilidhe Iosgaide Léithe (The Visit of Iosgaid Liath or Visit of the Grey-Hammed Lady). She’s the mother of Ailleann, who marries King Arthur when she takes him and the Knights of the Round Table to the Otherworld, and a granddaughter of the King of Iceland.

The Cumaean Sibyl (ca. 1617), by Domenichino

Sebile derives from the Greek word sibylla (sibyl). In Greco–Roman mythology, the sibyls (ten in number) are prophets and oracles. Sebile is a queen or princess who’s also a fairy or enchantress. She’s based on the Cumaean Sibyl, who presided over the oracle at Cumae, a Greek colony near modern-day Naples. According to legend, she lived a thousand years.

Soredamor is the lover of Alexander, a Knight of the Round Table, in Chrétien de Troyes’s epic poem Cligès (written about 1176). The Italian form is Sordamor.

Teleri is a contraction of the Welsh word ty (familiar “your”) and the name Eleri, which in turn derives from the name of a Welsh river. This river is also called the Leri. Teleri is a maidservant at King Arthur’s court in Culhwch and Olwen.

Sir Tristram and la Belle Ysoude drinking the love potion (1862–63), designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Xenebra is the Galician form of Guinevere.

Ydain is the name of two characters. One is a maidservant at King Arthur’s court and a cousin of Gawain, who marries Sir Cador of Cornwall. The other is rescued from Sir Licoridon by Gawain and mutually falls in love with Gawain, then decides to dump him for another knight. In revenge, Gawain gives her to the dwarf Druidan.

Ygrayne is a form of Igraine (King Arthur’s mother) used in Sir Thomas Malory’s 15th century epic Le Morte d’Arthur.

Yseut is an Old French form of Iseult used in 12th century Norman–French poet Béroul’s Tristan. Another Old French form, Ysolt, is used by Thomas of Britain in a 12th century poem also called Tristan.

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All about Arthurian names, Part VI (Female names, G–M)

Sir Launcelot in the Queen’s Chamber (1857), Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Guinevere is the Norman–French form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar (white phantom), which derives from from Old Celtic roots •windos (white, fair, blessed) and *sebros (magical being, phantom). Who doesn’t know Queen Guinevere is King Arthur’s wife? She’s alternately depicted as virtuous but flawed and a self-serving traitor. Many stories feature her being abducted and having an affair with Lancelot which leads to the downfall of Camelot.

You can read this post for more in-depth information and a comprehensive list of other forms of Guinevere in different languages.

Gwendolen may mean “white ring,” derived from Welsh roots gwen (fair, white, blessed) and dolen (loop, ring). She’s Merlin’s wife. Some scholars believe this name may have arisen from a misreading of the male Old Welsh name Guendoleu, which may derive from gwyn (white, blessed, fair) and dol (meadow). Other forms include Gwendolyn (English) and Gwendoline (French, British English, Welsh).

Gwynhwyfach may derive from the name Gwenhwyfar with the Welsh suffix -ach, which evokes unpleasantness. She’s Guinevere’s sister, and the probable meaning of her name seems to suggest she’s meant as an evil or unpleasant form of Guinevere.

Władysław T. Benda illustration from Uther and Igraine (1903)

Heliabel is Perceval’s sister.

Herzeloyde derives from Middle High German roots herze (heart) and leit (sorrow, grief, suffering). She’s the mother of Parzival in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s 13th century romance Parzival.

Igraine comes from the Welsh name Eigyr/Eigr, which is of unknown origin. The Latin form is Igerna. Igraine is Duchess of Cornwall and King Arthur’s mother.

Tristan and Isolde (1901), by Herbert James Draper

Iseult may be Celtic in origin, or it may derive from an Ancient Germanic name like Ishild, composed of roots is (ice) and hilt (battle). She’s an Irish princess who’s betrothed to King Mark of Cornwall, and while en route to her new country, she and Mark’s nephew Tristan accidentally drink a love potion which makes them fall in love. This sets many tragic events in motion.

Other forms of the name include Isolde (German and Scandinavian), Isolda (Latin, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Galician, Czech), Izolda (Polish, Serbian, Russian, Georgian, Sorbian, Hungarian), Isoud (Norman), Isoude (Middle English), Ísodd (Old Norse), Izold (Breton), Isalde (Middle German), Isotta (Italian), Isolt (Old French), Iseut (Norman and Old French), Isaut (Old French), Iosóid (Irish), Esyllt (Welsh), Eseld (Cornish), Yseut (Old French), Ysolt (Old French), and Yseult (modern French).

Owain Departs from Landine (pre-1898), by Edward Burne-Jones

Laudine may derive from Lot or the place name Lothian, which both have the same origin and ultimately derive from the Latin place name Leudonia (of unknown origin). She’s the Lady of the Fountain, and marries Yvain after he murders her husband.

Lunete derives from the Welsh name Eluned, which has the root eilun (idol, image, likeness). In Chrétien de Troyes’s 12th century Old French epic Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, Lunete is the Lady of the Fountain and helps Yvain. In Thomas Malory’s 15th century Le Morte d’Arthur, she appears as Lynet and marries Gaheris. Alfred, Lord Tennyson calls her Lynette. In the Welsh romance Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain, she’s Luned.

Lyonesse means “lioness” in Middle English. In Thomas Malory’s epic, the Red Knight traps her in a castle, and her sister Lynet gets Gareth to rescue her. Other forms of the name are Lionesse and Lyones.

Lyonors has an affair with King Arthur in Thomas Malory’s story and has a son by him, Borre. She’s the equivalent of Lyonesse.

Morgan-le-Fay (1863–64), by Frederick Sandys

Morgan probably derives from Old Welsh roots mor (sea) and gen (born of), not the male Welsh name Morcant (Morgan in modern times), which may have the roots mor and cant (circle). The Middle English form used by Geoffrey of Monmouth is Morgen, and the French form is Morgaine. Who doesn’t know the sorceress Morgan le Fay, King Arthur’s sister and protector?

Morgause is Queen of the Orkneys, King Arthur’s halfsister, a witch, and the mother of Mordred, Gawain, and Gareth. The original forms of her name are Orcades and Morcades. The former was the earliest known name for the Orkney Islands and probably derives from Celtic root *forko- (piglet). Orcades may have become Morcades and Morgause due to confusion with Morgan. The name sometimes appears as Margause.

Melora probably derives from Meliora, which comes from the Latin word melior (better). This name first appears in the 1696 Irish romance The Adventures of Melora and Orlando, where she’s a minor character.