Niniane in the the Once and Future
King and the Book of Merlyn by T. H. White
I can't really say too much that's bad about what's probably the best modern
book on Arthurian Legend (and certainly the most influencial, having inspired
such things as the musical Camelot, the movie The Sword in the
Stone, etc. And, of course, as usual, the book is better than the movies.
This is a must for all Arthurian lovers.) and the book that got me started
on Arthurian Legend. Basically, it's a great book. It's funny, it's true
to Malory, the characters are alive. It's like a fun, better, nicer version
of Malory. It's a great book. OK, enough babbling. Niniane's
character, Nimue, virtually never comes in. You see her once with Merlin,
on their tour, when they run into Lancelot, she's mentioned by Merlin once
(he knows that he will be killed by her) and later in The Book of Merlin
where Merlin seems none too fond of her. Her personality, though, can be
summed up in the beginning of chapter 38 in the Once and Future King.
The whole poisoned apple episode has gone by. Guenivere is accused of having
tried to poison Sir Gawaine and having succeeded in murdering Sir Patrick.
Normally this would be solved by her knight defeating the knight of Sir
Patrick's kinsmen. However, Lancelot's on vacation, and no one really wants
to fight for her. After a grueling ordeal where Guenivere begs a relative
of Sir Lancelot on hands and knees to fight for her, he agrees to save
her, and, of course, a minute before the duel, Sir Lancelot rides up to
save the day...then the next chapter begins with:
It so happened that the Patrick accusation was cleared up the next
day, when Nimue arrived with a second-sighted explaination.
Merlyn, before letting her lock him up in the cave, had given the Matter
of Britain into her hands. He made her promise--it was all he could
do--that she would watch over Arthur herself, now that she knew his own
magic. Then he had gone meekly to his imprisonment, casting a last,
long doting look upon her. Nimue, although scatterbrained and unpunctual,
was a good girl in her own way. She turned up a day late, told how
the apple came to be poisoned, and went back to her own concerns.
Dates:
The Once and Future King: 1939
The Book of Merlyn: 1977
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