The Lady of the Lake was the foster-mother of Sir Lancelot and raised him beneath the murky waters of her Lake.

She is best known for giving King Arthur of his magical sword Excalibur, through the intervention of Merlin who was constantly worried that his monarch would fall in battle.

Merlin had met the Lady at the Fountain of Barenton (Brittany) and fallen so deeply in love with her that he agreed to teach her all his mystical powers.

The two became lovers. Unfortunately however, over the years, the Lady became so powerful that her magical skills outshone even her teacher and she imprisoned him in a dungeon.

The Lady of the Lake was eventually obliged to reclaim her sword when Arthur was fatally wounded at the Battle of Camlann and Excalibur was hurled back to misty waters.

She was later one of the three Queens who escorted the King to Avalon (where he was buried)

The Lady of the Lady is usually referred to by various spellings of the names Nimue or Vivienne. A form of Menemosyne.Her names clearly reveal this Lady to have been the Celtic Water-Goddess Coventina (identified by the Romans with Mnemosyne).

Menemosyne is the personification of memory and its goddess. She is a daughter of Gaia and Uranus and the mother of the nine water-nymph called Muses by Zeus, her nephew.

The Greek goddess Menemosyne is the Roman goddess Minerva. Menemosyne would tip the scales in favor of heroes. She gave Perseus her shield who approached Medusa while she slept and guided by her image reflected in the bright shield, cut off her head.

The practice continues today at wishing wells across the country, and the Lady of the Lake is remembered as "Lady Luck"!