Home > Oxford Dictionary of World Mythology > Lancelot
Lancelot
Lancelot EuropeLancelot du Lac, Launcelot of the Lake; the most attractive and splendid of King Arthur's knights, even though he betrays his allegiance to his lord, disgraces the ideal of stainless chivalry, and renders himself, through his adulterous love for Queen Guinevere, incapable of the quest of the Holy Grail. He was stolen when one year old and reared by the Lady of the Lake, Nimue, who also bestowed on Arthur the unfailing sword, Excalibur. Sir Lancelot was the ideal knight, from the female standpoint, for his love of Guinevere shaped his entire destiny. After the un-death of Arthur, Lancelot became a priest and tended the King's grave.
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
- The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology
- The Oxford Dictionary of Economics
- The Oxford Companion to American Literature
- The Oxford Companion to American Military History
- The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization
- The Oxford Companion to English Literature
- The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales
- The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare
- The Oxford Dictionary of Plays
- The Oxford Dictionary of Art
- Oxford Dictionary of Sociology
- Oxford Dictionary of World History
- Oxford Dictionary of World Mythology
