Fairy Morgana
Sorceress Morgana (Morgana Fairy, Morgana witch) is the heroine of English legends about King Arthur. The main gift of the Morgana fairy was healing. In early works, Morgana is described as a sorceress, sister and friend of Arthur. In late medieval literature, her role increases, and she becomes a blood relative of Arthur, his sister.
Morgana was probably originally a pagan Celtic goddess or her incarnation.
(Roman sources mention a Celtic mother goddess named Modron, and there was also an Irish goddess called Morrigan.)
In addition, it is possible that her image was taken from the water nymph of the Breton legends of the same name (12th century).
Morgana was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Cornwall, who, after her father's death, was sent to be raised by her relatives in a school at a distant monastery. It was there that the future sorceress got acquainted with the basics of magic, and also learned healing, having perfectly mastered all facets of this skill.
When Arthur became king, his sister was brought to court, where he was soon married to Urien of Gorsky, her brother's former opponent.
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The proud girl did not like that she became a bargaining chip in royal politics, and Morgana's marriage could not be called happy, since her husband constantly cheated on her, not even trying to hide his love affairs.
All these circumstances forced Arthur's sister to leave the family hearth and newborn son and go to Brittany. There, in the mysterious forest of Broceliandes, Morgana sought out the wizard Merlin and begged him to become a teacher - to reveal to her the great secrets of magic.
Tradition says that Merlin fell madly in love with a beautiful lady and, unable to resist her charm, taught everything that he knew himself. Having become a powerful witch, Morgana immediately left her teacher.
Remembering her unhappy marriage, right in Broceliande, she set up a real trap for the unfaithful knights - the Valley of No Return.
Any man could cross its border, but only one who never, even in thought, changed his beloved, was able to return. Soon, Morgana's creation was filled with frivolous heroes who languished in her captivity for many years until they were freed by the knight Lancelot, faithful to his love.
The sorceress did not forget her brother Arthur. For many years, Morgana plotted against the king, either trying to steal his magic weapon, or sending poisoned clothes to Arthur as a gift. However, after Arthur's fateful battle, she took her mortally wounded brother under her protection. It was Morgana who took him to the wondrous island of Avalon, where she became Arthur's guardian until the day of the awakening of the legendary king.
Few people know that the fairy from the legends had a real prototype. It is believed that under the name of Morgana was the wife of Urien, the ruler of Reged (an ancient kingdom on the borderlands of England and Scotland), whose son, Owen ap Urien, became the founder of many noble British families, and was also the father of St. Mungo, the first bishop of Glasgow.
According to legends, Morgana and Merlin had three daughters who inherited the gift of healing from their mother. The fairies' offspring passed on the secrets of fighting diseases to their students, and even centuries later, many ladies from noble families in England could easily make elixirs and balms according to Morgan's recipes, which have analgesic properties and can heal the most severe wounds. Their secret is now, unfortunately, forgotten.
Fairy of Melusine's waters
The story of another Celtic sorceress, Melusine, is also interesting. According to Celtic and medieval legend, Melusine was the spirit of fresh water in holy springs and rivers.
The fairy spent her childhood on the legendary island of Avalon, where her mother, the fairy Pressina, took refuge after a quarrel with her husband, the Scottish king Elinas.
When Melusine was 15 years old, the girl found out the reason for the breakup of her parents and decided to punish her father, who severely insulted his wife. The young fairy locked Elinas forever in a huge mountain, but Pressina, who still loved her husband, cursed her daughter for her arbitrariness.
Maternal spell doomed Melusine every Saturday to turn from the waist down into a snake, after which she was forced to leave Avalon. The sorceress found shelter on the banks of the Loire in the waters of a transparent forest spring, near which Raymondin, the nephew of the Count of Poitiers, met her.
The young man fell in love with Melusine at first sight and immediately invited her to become his wife. The fairy agreed, however, setting a condition for the groom - he should not see her on Saturdays. At first, the life of the newlyweds was cloudless. Thanks to the advice of his wife, Raymondin quickly became rich, and his wife gave him ten beautiful children.
But Raimondin's brother, envious of the wealth that had fallen on him, decided to destroy the family union of a relative. He began to spread rumors discrediting Melusine: they say, it is not for nothing that the Countess is hiding on Saturdays - only on this day she meets her lover.
Tormented by jealousy, Raymondin decided to break his oath to his wife, and on the very first Saturday, entering the chambers of Melusine, instead of the beautiful wife, he saw a huge snake floating in her bath. The wife forgave Raymondin, but later, when her husband called the sorceress a snake, the angry fairy immediately turned into a dragon and flew out the window, leaving her husband forever.
Since then, the fairy's habitat has become forest rivers and lakes, over the waters of which she acquired unlimited power. However, after parting with her husband, Melusine did not forget her degas. For many centuries she was considered the patroness of the noble French family of Lusignans, the founder of which was one of her sons.
The descendants of the fairies in the female line possessed an amazing magical gift that made the water fulfill any of their desires.
The most famous great-great-granddaughter of Melusine is the English Queen Elizabeth Woodville. Thanks to a magical charm, she was able to marry the heir to the House of York, Edward, and then helped him get the crown. During the War of the Scarlet and White Rose, it was oh, how difficult it was for young York to keep the throne, but every time on the eve of the decisive battle … the weather came to his aid.
So, a sudden oncoming storm prevented the Lancaster allies from landing on the English coast, or before the battle, a strange fog enveloped the rival troops, causing confusion in their ranks.
To this day, in England, Melusine is called the guardian of the royal family. The British believe that until the spirit of this fairy leaves the waters of the Thames, no tragedy will happen to the monarchs of Misty Albion.
Elena LYAKINA, magazine "Secrets of the XX century"