| Elaine of Corbenic | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Other Names |
Elaine (Elayne, Helaine, Oisine); Elizabeth (Eliabel, Elizabel, Elizabet, Heliabel, Helizabel); Amite (Amide, Amides, Anite, Aude, Enite) |
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First Appearance |
Arthurian Legend |
|
Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Elaine of Corbenic (also known earlier as Heliabel or Amite) is a key figure in the Vulgate Cycle and later Le Morte d’Arthur. She is renowned for her extraordinary beauty and for being the woman destined to bear Galahad, the perfect knight who will achieve the Holy Grail.
Her father, King Pelles, knows through prophecy that Elaine and Lancelot will conceive Galahad, though earlier manuscripts don’t always identify her as his daughter — a mix-up that Malory likely inherited from a scribal error.
Elaine first displays her spiritual significance by revealing the Holy Grail to Lancelot. Her beauty draws the jealousy of Morgan le Fay, who traps her in a boiling bath until Lancelot rescues her. Elaine falls deeply in love with him, but Lancelot loves Queen Guinevere. With help from the sorceress Dame Brusen, Elaine twice deceives Lancelot into believing she is Guinevere, resulting in Galahad’s conception and later sparking Guinevere’s fury. Lancelot’s shame and Guinevere’s anger drive him into madness.
Elaine confronts Guinevere about this cruelty before leaving the court. Later, she discovers the now-insane Lancelot wandering in her garden. She brings him to the Grail, which restores his sanity. Afterward, Lancelot chooses to live with her under an assumed name on the Isle of Joy, where they remain together as husband and wife for several years.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Elaine of Corbenic from before January 1, 1931 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Le Morte d'Arthur
- The Romance of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
- Galahad (1926)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Robin Hood and His Merry Men #30
Notes[]
- She should not be confused with Elaine of Astolat, a different woman who too fell in love with Lancelot. Many modern adaptations tend to conflate her with the other Elaine including in The Once and Future King and the Wheel of Time series.