Arthurian kinship: examining the kinship legacies of Morgan le Fay and Nimue, the Lady of the Lake in Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13131/unipi/a0rw-a517Keywords:
Literary collections, Medieval, Fiction, Urban fantasy, Fiction, fantasy/Arthurian, MedievalismAbstract
Using Seanan McGuire’s October “Toby” Daye urban fantasy series as a case study, this essay examines the kinship legacies crafted by the supernatural women of the medieval Arthurian romance tradition as they are perpetuated and reclaimed by female characters in contemporary fantasy romance genres. Invariably helped or hindered by two powerful and ancient fae women known as the Luidaeg and Eira Rosynhwyr, but who are really The Lady of the Lake and Morgan le Fay of Arthurian lore respectively, Toby’s narrative journey reflects a reclamation of Arthurian women. McGuire expands on the use of these powerful women in the medieval lexicon as family makers and court breakers, giving voice, agency, and depth to the often dualed roles of Morgan le Fay and the Lady of the Lake. The Luidaeg, Eira Rosynhwyr, and their niece Toby, may therefore be analyzed together as representations of the subversive power present in Arthurian women, an extension of motherhood’s expectations to move beyond that of passive progenitors and into active participants in the creation of family and legacy.
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