Sajhiri
Name:
Lledrith
Reincarnation of:
Morgan le Fay aka Morgaine aka Morganna of the Faeries
Gender:
Female
Link To Online Info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_le_Fay
http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/morgmenu.htm
Meaning of Name:
Lledrith is the Welsh word for 'Magic'.
History (947 Words):
The Legend of King Arthur is perhaps one of the best known and most beloved of legends. However, one of the most reviled, misunderstood, and inconsistent of all the legendary figures populating the various Arthurian Chronicles is that of Arthur's oft maligned and murderous half-sister, Morgan le Fay, aka Morgen, Morganna or Morgaine of the Fairies.
Some versions describe her as an evil sorceress or practitioner of the black arts, a malignant force out to destroy Arthur. But others, notably The Mists of Avalon by the late Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Vita Merlini (c. 1150), show another side of Morgaine, that of a healer and priestess, a benevolent fairy queen, or a devoted sister who would bring her dying brother back to Avalon to heal and await the time when he would be needed again.
Some tales speak of her being tricked by magics and ritual into lying with her own half brother and secretly birthing their son, but in fact Morgaine was not originally the mother of Mordred. In the first incarnations of the tale it was Morgause, her elder sister, who birthed the child who would later deal Arthur a mortal blow.
In college I took a Medieval and Renaissance Literature class, and did a great deal of research on Morgaine for a paper on the portrayal of women in medieval stories. I have come to find that the non-courtly tales almost universally portray her as a sympathetic character, who acts out against her brother only after Gwenhyfar (Guinevere) cruelly puts an end to her loving relationship with Gwen's cousin, Guiomar. Most tales speak of her later enticing her lover, Accolon, to try and kill Arthur, and then throwing the protective healing sheathe of Excalibur into the lake which allows Arthur to be mortally wounded by Mordred.
The woman I discovered is one who was high priestess of Avalon, caretaker of the island and protector of her people from the ravages of encroaching Christianity. In fact, it wasn't until the advent of heavy Christianity in Britain that Morgaine became humanized and vilified in subsequent tales. The Fa'e reincarnation of Morgaine would be based in part on these more sympathetic legends and in part on the later, darker legends. Here is Lledrith's story:
Lledrith was born as Morgaine of Cornwall in Castle Tintagel in 5th Century Britain, the daughter of Gorlois, the Duke of Cornwall, and Igraine, the sister of the Lady of the Lake. She was the youngest of three sisters, her birth having followed that of Morgause and Elaine. Imbued with the magics of her bloodline, she was only a young girl when Uther Pendragon murdered her father and disguised himself as Gorlois to enter Tintagel and lie with her mother, conceiving her half brother, Arthur, and resulting in the widowed Ygraine wedding Uther.
A child wound blessed with healing and oracular skills, in her youth she was sent to Avalon to study the ways of the goddess with her Aunt, and was graced by the goddess with the blue crescent moon upon her brow when she came of age as a priestess. There she met Lancelot for the first time, and was duly smitten with him, only to be heartbroken to find him enamored with a young pre-Arthur Guinevere.
Morgaine was chosen to take part in Avalon's Beltide rites in the role of the goddess, and lay with the boy chosen to represent the Horned God. Both were masked; neither new until much later that it was Arthur whom she conceived a son with that night. Upon discovering herself with child, she left Avalon to reside for a time with her elder sister, Morgause, who manipulatively wed her to the widowed King Lot of Orkney shortly before Arthur wed Guinevere. Morgaine gave birth to Mordred, but he was fostered by her sister Morgause, who planned to use him as a means to usurp control of Britain from her half brother. Under the aged Lot's nose, Morgaine began to consort with his son, Accolon, seeking to assuage her guilt and broken heart.
After learning the Queen had betrayed her brother with Lancelot and had been turning her him towards Christianity, Morgaine coerced Accolon into attempting to kill Arthur, fearing the portents her magics had shown her should Arthur remain King; namely the destruction of the worship of the goddess and ruination of Avalon's allies, the druids, by the ravages of the new religion sweeping Britain. Accolon was slain by Arthur in battle due to the magical nature of the sheath of Excalibur which protected Arthur from all wounds.
Grief stricken, Morgaine stole the sheath and threw it into the lake where Excalibur had been granted to Arthur. She then retired to the island to assume the mantle of High Priestess of Avalon. Once there she wandered into the mists where the fey resided, and was lost there for many years in enchanted revels. She was drawn back by the sense of impending doom, and found that she was still youthful and beautiful, as time passed differently in the Fairy Realm, while her half brother was in his late middle years and still without an heir due to Guinevere's barrenness.
It was then that Mordred, under the influence of the greedy and power-hungry Morgause, dealt Arthur a mortal blow and in turn was slain by Lancelot. Morgaine conveyed her brother to Avalon to preserve his life, placing him a deep sleep, and in fulfillment of her destiny she watched over him until her death two hundred years later, when the goddess' connection to the earth had been so weakened by the Christian influence, that it could no longer sustain her magics or her extended life.
Personality (446 Words):
Like the goddess whom she served in her former life, Lledrith has a somewhat motherly, albeit introverted nature. She is a healer, and because of this, she bears a deep compassion for those in pain and those who suffer. She has a pensive and ethereal outward nature, which can sometimes be mistaken for aloofness or distractedness, but when children or the needy are around, her demeanor becomes warm and nurturing. She is quick to offer a kind word or reassurances to those who are wanting for them.
She is often somber due to the weight of prophecy upon her shoulders. The riddles which come to her with portents of the future are not immediately understandable to her, and many are the mysterious messages she will not understand before fate spins them into the web. This can result in a feeling of failure or helplessness, and it can also result in her being perceived as an utter crackpot (ala Cassandra of Greek Myth, who was cursed with knowing the future but never being believed when she told of it).
As high priestess of Avalon she was charged with the protection of the ways of the goddess, and later with the safety of the sleeping Arthur himself. She is a devoted guardian when given any task, though at the back of her mind is a nagging sense that she has a duty she has not yet fulfilled. Although she doesn't realize it, she must still bring Arthur from his sleep to fulfill his role as the Once and Future King when the time comes.
She fears relationships and doesn't know it is due to having loved and lost thrice in her past life: first Lancelot, then the first man she lay with who turned out to be her own half brother, and finally Accolon. The further loss of her flesh and blood child at her brother's hand has left her spirit shredded and tender from grief. She is cautious in the matters of the heart and deep bonds, subconsciously unable to stomach the threat of losing another loved one.
Like all beings, however, she has a darkside. She has been deeply betrayed in so many ways in her first life, that it has left her spirit inexplicably twisted. She has difficulty trusting, and if there is any suspicion of betrayal she can become paranoid or even smolderingly vengeful.
She is also haunted by a sense of guilt she cannot put a name to. It tugs at her conscience, the unremembered sins of her former life and the murderous betrayal of her brother. Due to this, she may often try to overcompensate in good deeds to assuage her guilt.
Appearance:
* A blue crescent moon with the points facing upwards on her forehead
* Long, dark brown or black hair with waviness or curliness to it
* Dark eyes
Powers:
Lledrith receives visions in the form of riddles, portents of the future, and she has some skill at magical healing of others by draining her own life force. It takes her time to recover from healing and in the case of grievous wounds she could be weak or even incapacitated for weeks.
How do the powers and your character relate back to your mythos?
Lledrith's powers revolve around those she was talented at even before her training as a priestess, and which were most strong in her as High Priestess of Avalon, and to which her fate revolved around as both the prophetic downfall and saviour of King Arthur.
Why do you want a Fa'e?: I worship the ground Anya walks on? The concept, the art, and the roleplay, are all of the highest level. It is one of the most active and interactive roleplaying communities on Gaia, and the caliber of roleplayers is amazingly high. The chance to weave a story based on so legendary a figure, and one whom I admire, and have a special place in my heart for, would mean a great deal to me. I started working up this concept many moons ago, when I first found the Fa'e in Breedables. I didn't know if I'd ever have an opportunity to use it, so now I'm overjoyed at the chance!
