Arthurian names

 There are many names in the Arthurian story cycle that are rarely if ever used, such as Galahad, the name of Lancelot's son.. but there are others which have become popular. 

Its hard to decipher where the names come from as they may be Celtic names which were altered when the stories were written down in French..  There is a Welsh name  Elain which means fawn or hind, which may be the original name of the character Elaine.  Elaine itself is a version of the French name Helene, which in English is Helen or Helena.  Elaine is the name of the Maid of Astolat who falls in love with Lancelot but he does not care  for her because of his illicit love for Guenevere.  In some versions of the story she tricks him into a sexual encounter and conceives Galahad, or he marries her which makes Guenevere jealous).

Guenevere's name means White (Gwyn) and "smooth or yielding". and has never been all that popular as a name.  However its sometimes abbreviated to Gwen.  Other variants which were more popular are Jennifer (a Cornish version) or Gaynor or Ginevra. 

Another woman character is Nimue, the enchantress who lures Merlin into imprisonment and sleep.  In some versions of the story she is portrayed as a girl who falls in love with Merlin and learns his secrets of wisdom and magic.. and looks after him till he dies.  In modern stories, her name is often given as Ninian which was the name of a Pictish saint.  Nimue is one of the names which is rarely if ever used.

Ironically the most unsympathetic woman character in the Arthurian saga has a name which has become quite popular in modern days, particularly in the US.  Morgan is a name used by girls and boys, though I think its now more common as a girls name.  Another variant of it is Morgana.  Morgan le Fey was portrayed particularly in the 19th century as the evil enchantress who hated Arthur and tried to destroy him who learned Magic from Merlin but used it for bad purposes.  The name comes from Mor, meaning sea and "Cant" meaning circle or edge.. so it is related to the sea... 

Morgan is Arthur's older half sister in some versions who lures him unwittingly into a liaison which produces Mordred his illegitimate son who hates his father and tries to take over power from him.... 

I hope to write some more about Arthurian names in another blog post....