#Igraine le Fay

[thekingofthenameless]

I’M BACK

And I’m rebranding everything.

Profile picture change, username change (in a few days), etc.

talesofarcadiaforever -> thekingofthenameless

I took a long hiatus from writing and Tumblr in general because of bad burnout and putting expectations on myself that I shouldn’t have. Ha. But I’m back! And good news! I started writing again! Better news?

I decided to officially discontinue Emerald Embers and the Daylight’s Redemption series and write my own book.

I was already making everything so different from ToA that it was practically an alternate universe already: redesigning Merlin, making Merlin and Charlie familiars, adding magical species that weren’t explicitly in canon, completely changing other characters… I still love ToA, but I’m not hyperfixated on it anymore. And that’s okay. I was so scared of letting go for a long time, but I’m happy with my decision.

My wip is now called The King of the Nameless!

Currently, there are five main characters, and tidbits about each of them will be a little further down. (Except for one guy. He sucks.) Their attempted designs will also be down there.

In some aspects, it probably hasn’t changed too much. I’m still basing it off of Arthurian Legends, and Merlin is still the protagonist. But I redesigned him. Again.

The deuteragonist is Charlie; he and Merlin are still familiars. I tried several different names for him, but none of them would stick for him no matter how hard I tried; so Charlie the dragon he stays. But he now has the last name Ambrosius to reflect that he and Merlin are found family as well.

The other three characters in this stage of the story are Igraine, Gorlois, and Uther.

Igraine is Arthur and Morgana’s mother in the Arthurian Legends, (which I did not know at first and was wondering how Arthur and Morgana were half-siblings because they have different fathers…) and will stay the same here. I couldn’t find any official last name for her besides Pendragon from when she marries Uther? (Which is not going to happen here.) So I gave her and her husband the last name “le Fay” to match their daughter!

Gorlois is Igraine’s husband, and like I said, is Morgana’s father. However, unlike some media, he’s not going to be portrayed as a jealous and abusive husband. He’s the epitome of the “I love my wife” guy.

Uther is… a piece of work, to say the least. He’s the character who’s going to have a separate post because of triggering topics that I don’t want in this post.

I’m also going to make a separate post for upcoming characters, which include Nimue, Morgana, Arthur, etc.

Bear with me on lore and designs though please (I’m still working on the lore and I’m not sure if these will be their permanent designs except for Charlie). Some of it might be just random babble until I decide on something 😭 You’ll definitely be able to tell which characters I think about most ahaha.

Anyways, in more good news, I don’t use Artbreeder anymore. I attempt to use Picrews, but sometimes they don’t have everything I want, so I also use character creators from video games. If I could use Baldur’s Gate 3’s, I definitely would, but I’d have to spend like $600-ish to get something to play it on and get the game. 😑 I could also play it with my boyfriend, but our schedules are so busy with both of us working that’s it not really a convenient option.

But there is a game called Dragon’s Dogma, and I’ve been using that one! It’s an older game, so it doesn’t really have many fantasy character options, but it’s good enough for human characters lol. I made Igraine and Gorlois with it, and a few other characters yet to be posted.

Design and lore time!

Merlin:

This is him at the beginning of TKN! Expect more art of him eventually.

• 6' 8"

• “my son crump he has every disease”: schizophrenia, C-PTSD, misophonia

• is still a cambion like in the Arthurian Legends (specifically half-human, half-demon)

• was supposed to be the Anti-Christ (also like in the Legends)

• is also a romance and sex repulsed, non-partnering aroace <3.

• usually excudes a regal, dignified presence, and his preference for flowing outfits helps

• may seem slightly formal with strangers, but on a good day where he can clock their personality, he’ll either warm up to them quickly, or distance himself, depending on the person

• has a strong sense of justice, which also makes him anti-authoritarian for the most part. (unless they’ve actually proven that they’re not just in their position for the power of it, or because of nepotism; and really do want to help people.)

• extremely loyal

• highly empathetic; cries easily

• has a lot of trauma, but is still kind because he’s not going to make people suffer just because he did

• adrenaline junkie in regards to flying with Charlie

• Doesn’t kill if not necessary.

• Is very punctual. If you tell him to come at 5 he’ll be there at 4:30. At most.

Charlie:

• 6' 6" (top of muzzle)

• 7' 3" (top of head)

• the marking on his leg is his familiar mark!

• still nice, seems a little rougher around the edges than Merlin

• says the things that his wizard thinks but won’t say, and doesn’t hide that he stares people down while gauging their character. he sometimes won’t care that he sounds mean or very direct either

• very protective of his familiar and is intensely loyal to him. isn’t really willing to leave the latter alone with people they don’t really know because of people attempting to take advantage of his schizophrenia in the past, gaslighting him into thinking that their actions weren’t real and were things he hallucinated/imagined

• Do no harm but take no shit

• Far more willing to kill than Merlin

• “Hey do you want me to kill that guy for you? Because it sounds like he sucks and I will totally kill that guy for you.”

• (I guess he technically counts as an emotional support animal but like. he’s sentient so idk 😭)

• is an omnivore (most dragons are, but he eats more human food than them from growing up and staying around them.)

Igriane:

• 6' 5"

• a wizard!

• was originally a red head before I realized that oh yeah. Morgana has brown hair, and a ginger and blonde would definitely not for the most part have a brunette kid

• purple eyes (haven’t decided if I’m gonna stay with this concept, but I like the idea of all wizards having some type of heterochromia, or technicolor eyes to show that they have magic)

Gorlois:

• 6' 0"

• he doesn’t have any type of unique eye color yet because I didn’t have the concept of that for wizards yet, and still not sure if I’m gonna keep it so. blue eyes for now

• again I say he’s the “I love my wife” guy!!

• also a wizard (which is where Morgana gets her magic when she’s born. You have two parents with magic you’re like. guaranteed to have magic.)

• maybe not really much of a fighter? Would probably use some type of sword if he was.

Wow that was so much lore. 👍 If anyone wants to talk to me about my ocs or suggest ideas, my ask box is always open! (And I love love love getting asks)

Artist credits!

Merlin:

Charlie’s original artist:

Charlie’s second artist:

Charlie’s saddle:

[queer-ragnelle]

Camelot (2011) | Created by Michael Hirst & Chris Chibnall

Arthurian Film List | Arthurian Show List | Movie review below the cut ⤦

Star Rating: 10/10

Content Warning: graphic nudity & sexuality, heavy gore, torture, rape

Overview: Full disclosure, I'm hella biased. I watched this every week while it aired back in 2011. But having re-watched the series again numerous times since then, I stand by my love for it. If there was anything I would add, it would be dogs. Where are the puppies?! The costume designer for this show went on to win awards for her work on The Tudors, all the acting is prenominal, the set designs, the score and sound design, the writing is just insanely good. Even when I don't agree with all narrative choices, I'm convinced to appreciate them here. Eva Green is by far my favorite Morgan and James Purefoy my favorite Lot. I wasn't born queer, their intense sex scenes with blood oaths and body hair queerified me. Who said that. Anyway the biggest thing to praise about this show is how abundantly and well it centers women's stories. Igraine, Guinevere, Morgan, Vivian, Sebile, Bridget. You're all really amazing. I support women's rights and women's wrongs.

Synopsis: Morgan returns from her many years at the nunnery and is immediately rejected by Uther and her step mother Igraine. She vows vengeance and returns to the castle later in the guise of a child to secretly poison the king. As Uther lays dying, Merlin gets him to sign over his kingship to the son he never met. The show then transitions to Arthur, who has been raised along side foster-brother Kay by their loving parents in ignorance they are not fully brothers. Merlin shows up and spills the beans, taking Arthur and Kay with him to Camelot, an old crumbling castle they need to rebuild as the center of a great city. There, Uther's old knights, including Lancelot Leontes and his fiancée Guinevere, wait for them. Meanwhile Morgan turns castle Pendragon inside out to remake it for her own liking, including bringing on Vivian as her messenger and handmaiden, and Sebile the nun as her advisor. She also allies herself with King Lot intending to claim the throne of Britain for herself. Morgan and Arthur must battle for the right to take their father King Uther's place.

Final Thoughts: This show really has it all. It's a tragedy it was cancelled after a single season. There was so much set up that will never get pay off. I cry every day. The homoeroticism between Kay and Gawain going unfulfilled haunts me. Read Exiled From Camelot by Cherith Baldry to get your fix but damn I'm so sad we didn't see more of them in a second season. HUGE SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING but it set up that Guinevere was pregnant with Galahad and would take the bloody seat of the Round Table where Leontes was meant to sit, meanwhile Morgan was pregnant with Mordred in a last bid for power after she was finally revealed to Arthur as a threat. GO WATCH!!!!!!!

[daliathewitch]

Lady of the Hour for @caer-gai's Arthuriana August

I know I'm late, I'm super sorry about it💔 Anyway, I decided to draw Igraine (God help me to write her name properly) and her beautiful girls. This shit suck the life out of me, never again...

[gawrkin]

The (Alternative) Daughters of Uther Pendragon

Morgause - Historia Regum Britanniae

Morgan le Fay - Wichecraft and Vilaine by Zoe Enstone

Lady of the Lake - Wikipedia

[princess-ibri]

How you do imagine Uther and Igraine (Arthur’s parents) in the DisneyVerse?

So here’s the DisneyVerse Pendragon Family tree as it currently stands

I feel like Disney would most likely just make Uther marry Igraine after her first husband’s death so as to be able to keep his whole “Good King” title per the song, and have Mordred just be Arthur’s (half) nephew cuz nooo way they’d do the actual story 😅

[gellavonhamster]

reading the story of merlin

the backstory of Merlin’s mother and how he was conceived differs here and in Book I of Lancelot, and I prefer the less moralistic, funnier version in the latter, but I do like the idea of idea of a literal baby talking and essentially being his mother’s lawyer during her trial (and basically telling the judge “your mom’s a hoe”)

he was also born remarkably hairy for a child, so does it mean he’s supposed to look like your traditional picture of a demon but without hooves/horns/tail? Or what?

has Vortigern considered, well, building the tower in some other place?

“Then they dragged one dragon near the other, and they smelled each other’s backsides” like dogs on a walk

“I must, by the force of my nature, be away from people at times. [...] If you want to keep me as a friend, you must not be upset whenever I go away” Snufkin behaviour

Merlin built Stonehenge. Brought the stones from Ireland and put them there. I’ve heard this part before but every time it’s like. Okay

reading about Uther trying to court Ygraine and absolutely SEETHING. Get a job! Stay away from her! She has told you no!!!

interestingly, this version specifies that Morgan is a bastard. Further it is said that “Ygraine [...] had five daughters, three by her husband the duke and two by her first husband”, while earlier it is mentioned that she had three daughters. Anyway, my question about which Arthur’s sister is Lore’s mother seems to be pointless because the number of his sisters is inconsistent here

“and she learned so much so well that she mastered the arts. She became wonderfully skilled in an art called astrology, and she worked hard all the time and knew a great deal about the healing arts. For her mastery of knowledge, people called her Morgan the Fay” <333

Antor (Ector) is described as “one of the worthiest men in [Uther’s] kingdom”

I feel so, so bad for Ygraine, she doesn’t even know who had sex with her (probably thinks it was the devil or something, because her real husband died that very night), and now her newborn baby is given to some random old man that refers to him as “the thing you are bringing me”, and then she “began to weep because she was filled with great sorrow” 😭😭😭 no one ever tells her anything! God!!!

“You know that Ygraine your wife is dead” what?! She doesn’t even get to meet her son in this one?? Oh for fuck’s sake!

Arthur bursting into tears when he finds out he’s adopted gets me every time

for reference: Kay here is “barely half a year” older than Arthur

“She is very beautiful and young, and she is one of the cleverest women in the world” - Merlin about Guinevere

“Yvain the Great, whose heart will be filled with every kindness” I love you normal guy <3

gonna turn inside out the classist notion that Kay got his rude manners from being nursed by a commoner woman and conclude that this is how he got the skills necessary to run the castle household as a seneschal

I’ve heard about Arthur and Guinevere having a son called Loholt in some romances, but here he is the son of Arthur and a lady called Lisanor. That reminds me how in Le Morte Arthur also had a son with some lady, and both of these sons are mentioned to become knights of the Round Table... and there’s never any drama around them. I wonder if they knew who their real father was

apparently, the Duke of Clarence also is Arthur’s nephew. Literally who ISN’T Arthur’s nephew

I confess I am still very confused about how Gawain’s solar powers work, it seems to me different stories have slightly different interpretations of when he is at his strongest

“That day Gawainet killed more of them than all the others, and he and his horse were all covered with blood. He wielded an axe, and right away, any man he went after could do nothing to avoid being split open down to his bowels [...] But above them all, it was awesome to see the death and destruction that Gawainet meted out” - I say that is my baby and I’m really proud

“When King Arthur saw the maiden, who was of such great beauty, kneeling before him, he was very eager to look at her, first of all because her breasts were firm and hard like little apples” I read this with my own two eyes and now you also have to

chapter titles that sound like superhero comics:

“And he said to himself that he would be most unwise to fall asleep in sin and lose his mind and his knowledge just to know the delights of a young lady” - she is TWELVE years old.........

“Sir Pearmuzzle led the ninth; he was a good knight, but his nose was no bigger than a cat’s” - the authors’ attempts to make up a guy are really starting to get out of control

on how to distinguish the two Guineveres: “King Arthur’s betrothed was a little taller and darker than the other Guenevere; she was better-spoken, for of all die ladies in the world, she was the best trained in eloquence and speech, and her hair grew much thicker, but in every other way they were so much alike that people could hardly tell one from the other, unless it was a lucky guess”

I’ve completely lost track of how old everyone is at this point. During the war with King Rion Arthur is “still only twenty-eight years old”, but Mordred is only two years old, and Arthur was still a squire when he slept with Morgause, and he was a teenager when he was crowned

“And while they were staying in the city, Morgan and Merlin became friends; she was endowed with great learning, and she grew so close to him and came around him so much that she found out who he was. He taught her many wonders in astrology and necromancy, and she kept them all in her mind” !

“Yvain the Bastard and his four cousins who were all named Yvain” I laughed

weird as fuck to read about La Rochelle here after having recently read The Three Musketeers where it also plays a big part

I just met Grisandoles/Lovely (the lady who came to Julius Caesar’s court disguised as a squire, was knighted and made seneschal) but I am already obsessed with her 

more details on Morgan in the Vulgate: “she had a rounded build, not too thin and not too plump”; she’s “the best worker with her hands that anyone knew about in any land” and a very good singer; there’s a bit when she spins golden thread to make a headpiece for Morgause

Mordred is referred to as the “uncrowned lion” in the prophecy

Gawain just got turned into a dwarf. This is a thing that happens

Nimue imprisoning Merlin in this version because she wants to keep him for herself forever: boring. Nimue imprisoning Merlin in Lancelot because she’s sick of his advances: awesome, a girlboss move

[false-guinevere]

ENOUGH with adaptations making Morgan Uther’s child. Give me some more Mommy Issues/Mommy’s Girl Morgan!

[heliabel]

Arthurian characters through the ages ° • ☆ • °

[mosaicofdreamsanddragons]

Confessions of a medievalist: I have never read Mallory’s Morte Darthur cover to cover.

So I now present to you things I didn’t realize about Morte Darthur chapter 1:

Kay was still “nourishing” and was handed off to another woman so his mother could “nourish”baby Arthur. Meaning he was not old enough to get weened. So Kay and Arthur’s age difference is smaller then the three years (as I had always assumed) and probably no more then one.

Sir Ector (Kay’s dad, Arthur’s foster dad) knew the king was giving him this baby and got a lot of rewards for it. Yet when Arthur pulled the sword he was shocked and confesses Arthur’s blood was of a higher status then he’d assumed. This leads me to believe that he thought he was Igraine’s child by her first husband and the king was just getting rid of him like he did with all of Igraine’s daughters (marrying them of and then putting the youngest in a nunnery)

Morgan is sent to a nunnery and then married off. Which seems odd to me. But I guess Uther just didn’t want to raise her until she was ready to be married off.

Oh and Uther goes and gets himself into a war two years after arthur is born. It seems to be implying that’s why he never went to go get him. Which makes sense…but I still don’t like this guy, he killed a woman’s husband to sleep with her, raped her, didn’t tell her the baby was his and left her stressing about it for a good while, sent all her children away. If Merlin’s gonna manipulate him on his deathbed to secure Arthur’s throne I am not gonna shed a tear over it.

It didn’t say Arthur was 15. It’s left quite vague. All we know is he’s older then two. Which, I sure hope so

Kay knows what the sword is the second he sees it. It’s Arthur who doesn’t. Kay immediately goes “oh I guess I’m king now” and goes to tell his dad but is completely willing to explain that Arthur found it and seems not to care that Arthur gets the crown.

Arthur swore as long as he lived he’d never let anyone but Kay be steward. Like that’s an oath he takes. Explains a lot about the Dutch tradition and why he never gets fired.

The aristocracy kept trying to delay his coronation. It’s kinda funny.

[heavy-is-the-crown-if]

whaatt, igraine has TWINS?!?!?!! btw veryy nice prologue, though i spotted a typo, "corps" i think should be "corpses"?

Yes !!!!! Igraine gave birth to twins. Baby Arthur and baby Morgana. Thanks for the typo !

[thekingofthenameless]

37 for the ask game

Thanks for the ask!

37 - Defy

Tws: rape mentions

[Gorlois and Igraine] are in shock for a while. Uther, their king, is the one who raped her. Has he raped more women, or is his wife his only victim? The question plagues him as he pulls out some parchment. We found him, is all that he writes, before he sends it to Merlin. Merlin and Charlie don’t speak about it, (don’t speak about any of their past really, but it clearly haunts the former) but it’s not a secret that they have gone against kings before. Charlie being a dragon probably helps. Either way, they know how to defy royalty, and perhaps, they’ll have ideas of how to bring justice to Igraine (and Uther’s possible other victims) without bloodshed. He hopes they will.

[tiodolma]

Then he said to Merlin, I will that my mother be sent for that I may speak with her; and if she say so herself then will I believe it. In all haste, the queen was sent for, and she came and brought with her Morgan le Fay, her daughter, that was as fair a lady as any might be, and the king welcomed Igraine in the best manner.

Morgan is here! And also she’s staying with Lady Igraine! Maybe because Uriens was waging war against Arthur?

[thenntrewrite]

Today's the day I introduce my Nanatsu no Taizai/Seven Deadly Sins OC, the very first one I have ever made in the year 2015-16.

ALERON/MORGAN LE FAY

Her name is Aleron, but she is loosely based on Morgan le Fay, so her true name is Morgan le Fay (or just Morgan, depending on how I write her backstory). She's a pretty powerful mage that is arguably rivaling Merlin for the title of 'best mage in all of Britannia', but in order to justify that, I borrowed from Dungeon Meshi and did the 'combing two races gives the offspring a longer lifespan' while also applying 'combing two races makes the offspring that much stronger' while also applying 'hair color dictates magic'.

Aleron is a half-Goddess (indicated by her extra eye and the fluffy feathers as well as the star theme she had going on) and a half-faerie (indicated by her ears and flowers naturally growing in her hair). The idea of her design was to indicated 'heaven and earth', so she'd have stars on her upper half and her lower half would have earth (sandals to be closer to the ground, ruffles in her skirt to indicate waves)—her entire staff is just a combo of that theme!

Backstory wise, a very short summary, she's an alchemist that has lived for many centuries already and has a hyperfixation on magic—collecting ancient tomes, reading them, crafting her own magic, alchemy, studying under talented mages from other races, etc. Her mother is Rhiannon—a Goddess/Celestial that fought in the Holy War—and her father is Gorlois, a faerie king that rules the Kingdom of Tintagel in another faerie country named Cornwall. To tie Aleron in with Arthur, Rhiannon dies during the war and reincarnates as Igraine. I had the rough idea that Aleron gets hired throughout the country by different kingdoms as the royal court mage (she needs that coin), and eventually wounds up in Camelot to cater to Igraine and her family—which eventually becomes Aleron's family since she was there when Arthur was born—for a time before Merlin comes into the picture.

If you have any questions about her, feel free to ask! I'd love to answer them.

[gawrkin]

The most peculiar character in Diu Crone: Meet Gansguoter

[.....]

So long before Sir Bertilak de Hautdesert (who I personally suspect may be based on Vulgate cycle's Bertolai the Red), there was this guy:

a powerful Sorcerer-knight who aides and accompanies Gawain in this story

Is Igraine's husband after Uther Pendragon died (whom he won over with legit courting! Like a positive version of Klingsor from Parzival)

And is the one who engages Gawain with the Beheading Game

Very interesting. Also noting how the beheading game motif (which goes all the way back to Cu Roi in Irish Myth) in Gawain's stories have an element of familial ties present (Morgan le Fay in SGatGK, Gansguoter himself in Diu Crone).

[the-rad-menace]

"The Mists of Avalon is a 1983 historical fantasy novel by American writer Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which the author relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters. The book follows the trajectory of Morgaine (Morgan le Fay), a priestess fighting to save her Celtic religion in a country where Christianity threatens to destroy the pagan way of life. The epic is focused on the lives of Morgaine, Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere), Viviane, Morgause, Igraine and other women of the Arthurian legend."

"The Devil in the White City is a 2003 historical non-fiction book by Erik Larson presented in a novelistic style. Set in Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, it tells the story of World’s Fair architect Daniel Burnham and of H. H. Holmes, a criminal figure widely considered the first serial killer in the United States."

"The Nightingale is a historical fiction novel by American author Kristin Hannah published by St. Martin's Press in 2015. The book tells the story of two sisters in France during World War II and their struggle to survive and resist the German occupation of France. The book was inspired by the story of a Belgian woman, Andrée de Jongh, who helped downed Allied pilots escape Nazi territory."

"Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for vengeance against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg on the ship's previous voyage."