Morgan le Fay

2445  ‘Here in my homelands they call me Bertilak de Hautdesert.
2446  And in my manor lives the mighty Morgan le Fay,
2447  so adept and adroit in the dark arts,
2448  who learned magic from Merlin—the master of mystery—
2449  for in earlier times she was intimately entwined
2450  with that knowledgeable man, as all you knights know
2451      back home.
2452      Yes, “Morgan the Goddess”—
2453      I will announce her name.
2454      There is no nobleness
2455      she cannot take and tame.’

2456  ‘She guided me in this guise to your great hall
2457  to put pride on trial, and to test with this trick
2458  what distinction and trust the Round Table deserves.
2459  She imagined this mischief would muddle your minds
2460  and that grieving Guinevere would go to her grave
2461  at the sight of a spectre making ghostly speeches
2462  with his head in his hands before the high table.
2463  So that ancient woman who inhabits my home
2464  is also your aunt—Arthur's half-sister,
2465  the daughter of the duchess of Tintagel; the duchess
2466  who through Uther, was mother to Arthur, your king.
2467  So I ask you again, come and greet your aunt
2468  and make merry in my house; you're much loved there,
2469  by me more than most, for as God be my maker
2470  your word holds more worth than most anyone in this world.’