Vivian is one of the many names of the Lady of the Lake
in the Arthurian legends. Her various names have led to
speculation that "Lady of the Lake" may have
been a title that was applied to different women, perhaps
in their role as priestesses. Or they may represent memories
of a Celtic lake-goddess or fairy, much like the Gwragedd
Annwn, or Lake Maidens of Wales. Some have seen in Her
name Nimue a connection with the sacred groves or nimidae,
which links Her with Diana.
Like Morgan
Le Fay, the Lady of the Lake (under the name
Nimue) was a pupil of the great wizard Merlin, and he taught
to Her everything he knew. When She had learned all She
could from him, She used Her new-learned skills to cast
a spell of binding and imprisonment on him. Different versions
of the story give different reasons for and descriptions
of his prison: some say She imprisoned him in a magical
castle in the air, so that only She could love him; or
that She shut him beneath a stone or in a tomb, leaving
him to slowly die; or that he was imprisoned within a hawthorn
tree, forever asleep. The castle version describes his
prison as a tower of glass constructed as a spiral, high
up in the air. This suggests a connection with Arianrhod's
revolving castle which represent the spiralling stars,
and connects Her realm with Fate and the land of the dead
or Otherworld.
The reasons for Her behavior towards Merlin are various--she
imprisons him out of love, or to keep him safe, or from
a deceptive nature, or as revenge--and in most legends
Her character has an ambiguous nature: though She takes
Merlin and his valuable counsel away from King Arthur,
at other times She gladly helps the King by providing the
magical sword Excalibur, and comes to his aid with magic
on occasion. She is also said to be one of the four Queens
who bore Arthur away to the Isle of Avalon after he was
mortally wounded. This probably reflects the ambiguous
nature of water itself: necessary for life, it has great
beauty but also great danger, and many other water creatures
are of this two-fold nature, such as mermaids, rusalky,
and undines.
Vivian is said to have lovingly fostered the orphaned
boy Lancelot, bringing him up in Her magical home beneath
a lake, which earned him the name Lancelot du Lac. When
he was of age She presented him to King Arthur who knighted
him at Her request. She is also a healer and cured Lancelot
of an episode of madness.
This card in a reading indicates healing and magic, and
tells of the ability to access realms of deep intuition.
Emotional healing is possible now, if you are willing to
explore the depths and align yoursefl with the flow of
things.
Alternate spellings/names: Vivienne, Vivien, Eviene,
Nimue, Nina, Niniane, Nineve, Nyneve, the Lady of the Lake,
la Dame du Lac (c'est très français!). Also
called Chwinbian, Hwimleian, or Chwimlean as the companion
of Myrddin, the Welsh forerunner of Merlin.
