King Arthur’s mother and the conception of Arthur.
Ygrayne
No one knows where she came from.
They say she’s of the fairy folk,
blown in on the wind,
washed up on the strand,
though he can’t imagine her
surprised and shipwrecked on the beach.
She would have glided over the wave tops
unruffled by the tempest, using
her drowning companions as stepping stones.
Rumour says Ireland, or the Western Isles,
but where family is defining,
she’s no one’s daughter. No one at court
remembers when she first arrived,
nor how. She might have been a slave.
But she had captivated Gorlois
and that prim, moral man,
was soon creeping to her bed at night
while his wife was sleeping solitary in his.
From The Fabled Third (Shearsman 2025).
‘No One knows where she came from’ is both true of the character in the Fabled Third, and of the character in general. It’s perhaps significant that while ‘who was Arthur’s father’ has been the subject of scholarly dispute his mother seems to have created much less interest. In R.S.Loomis’s encyclopaedic ‘Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages’ she didn’t even rate an entry in the index. Blackwell’s huge ‘Companion to Arthurian Literature’ (2009) gives her three entries but none of them are more than passing references to her role in the story.
In Laȝamon's Brut there is a passing reference to her mother and others in her family, but as it’s not in his immediate source, it could just be a conventional compliment. If we go back to the Welsh sources, in Culhwch and Olwen, ‘the oldest Arthurian tale’, although there is no mention of a father, the story turns on Arthur’s relationship with Culhwch. By inference, Arthur’s unnamed mother would seem to be a daughter of Anlawd Wledic, and she has at least two sisters and a brother. In the Welsh translation of Geoffrey, the wife of Gorlois is Eigyr uerch Amlaud Wledic. But whether this name existed before Geoffrey or is an attempt to translate Geoffrey’s name into Welsh is one of those questions….
Whether Geoffrey of Monmouth knew this tradition is debateable. An online search produces various sites that confidently declare that Ygerne or Igerna is from the Welsh Eigyr. It would take a better linguist than me to prove this, but I’m not convinced. In the ‘Vulgate version’ of Geoffrey of Monmouth she is Igerna. In his exhaustive study of names in GOM J.S.P, Tatlock had nothing to say about her name except that it had only been found as a male name, Iger or Igner in Brittany.
Realistically, in the traditional versions of the story she is not a character in the modern sense. She has a narrative function: to give birth to Arthur and that’s all you need to know. But having said that, it’s worth tracking her from Geoffrey, via Wace, to Laȝamon. It is only in the latter that she speaks.
Part two. The conception of Arthur
The four texts are:
GOM. The History of the Kings of Britain. ‘The vulgate version’ (GOM), (Translated by Lewis Thorpe.)
FVV. The History of the Kings of Britain. The first variant version (Edited and translated by David W. Burchmore.)
Wace’s ‘Roman de Brut’, Text and Translation by Judith Weiss.
Laȝamon's ‘Brut’. Translations are taken from Barron and Weinberg’s edition. Direct quotations from the University of Michigan’s Corpus of Middle English Verse and Prose: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/LayCal.
The first two texts were written in Latin, which I can’t read. Doing source analysis using translations is a dodgy business. The arguments over whether the ‘Vulgate’ version came before or after the ‘First Variant’, or whether it’s the work of one or two writers, aren’t relevant here nor is the debate about which version Wace used, or whether or not Laȝamon had read Geoffrey.
The Wife of Gorlois is respectively, Ygerna, Igerna, Ygerne, and Ygærne.
In all four texts the story of Arthur’s conception follows the same sequence and contains the same elements that first appear in Geoffrey’s account. Only Laȝamon adds anything substantial. However, each writer treats the material differently. Geoffrey relates the story. Wace is critical of Uther. Laȝamon removes the criticism of Uther and goes out of his way to emphasise Ygaerne’s innocence.
The Sequence
At a feast to celebrate Uther’s recent victories, he sees the wife of Gorlois. Uther is besotted, and his behaviour outrages Gorlois who storms out.
Gorlois puts his wife in the safety of Tintagel, which is impregnable, while he fortifies and occupies another castle.
Overwhelmed by desire, Uther besieges Gorlois but can’t take the castle. Sick with love, he asks Ulfin for advice.
Ulfin points out that Tintagel is impregnable, and advises him to seek Merlin.
Merlin offers to transform Uther into Gorlois so he can enter the castle and bed Ygerna.
While Uther is absent his men attack Gorlois, kill him and capture his castle.
Uther hears the news and leaves Tintagel.
He then takes Tintagel and marries Ygerna. Arthur is born. Later, a daughter, Anna is born.
And there is no further mention of Ygerna.
The differences between the Vulgate and the First Variant are slight
Neither mention Ygerna’s reaction to Uther’s behaviour at the feast. FVV notes the David and Bathsheba parallel, with ‘Satan as the go between’, perhaps alluding to the earlier meeting of Vortigern and Rowena, also at a feast, where the devil was busy.
Uther is upset by the news that Gorlois is dead but in GOM ’he mourned for the death of Gorlois; but he was happy all the same, that Ygerna was freed from her marital obligations’. In FVV‘ ‘…pretending to be saddened by the death of his duke, but rejoicing not a little about Igerna’s release from her marital bond.’
Uther takes Tintagel and marries Y/Igerna. GOM states: ‘From that day on they lived together as equals united by their great love for each other: and they had a son and a daughter’. The First Variant ‘After their nuptials were lawfully and splendidly celebrated, the King and Queen Igerna lived together side by side. And at the time for her delivery she gave birth to that famous Arthur. Afterwards she conceived and brought forth a daughter named Anna.’
WACE
The conception of Arthur was a ‘morally ambiguous’ story for a cleric writing in the 12thCentury. Possibly far more morally ambiguous then it would have been a century or so later. Uther is intent on committing adultery, and/or rape: Ygerne’s actions could be described as adultery, though unintentional. Later writers, Malory most notably, would make sure Gorlois was dead before Arthur was conceived, but this isn’t in Geoffrey.
However, in all four versions, only Wace shifts the narrative so it becomes openly critical of Uther. He also adds a little to Ygerna’s character.
In his version of the story, even before he’s seen her, Uther ‘had loved and desired her for she was exceedingly celebrated’. I’m not sure when the Church decided the intent to sin is the same as the sin itself, but it was a long time before Geoffrey wrote this story. The implication here is that Uther’s been waiting for his opportunity and he intends to make the most of it.
Y is introduced: ‘There was no fairer in all the land: she was courteous, beautiful and wise, and of very high rank.’ Courteous and Wise distinguish her from other dangerous beauties, like Rowena and Aestrild.
While Uther is flirting with her the obvious question is ‘what was she doing?’ Geoffrey doesn’t describe her reaction. Wace adds: ‘Ygerna behaved in such a way as neither to consent nor refuse.’ Which may have been a sane policy in such a situation, but it doesn’t exonerate her either.
Wace’s Ulfin becomes the voice of reason. For Geoffrey’s Ulfin, the impregnability of Tintagel is the only problem, but Wace leaves Tintagel out of Ulfin’s speech.
‘These are astonishing words,‘ said Ulfin. ‘You have harassed the count with war, destroyed his lands and confined him to this castle. Do you think that that pleases his wife? You love the wife and make war on the husband! I don’t know what sort of help you need; I can’t advise you.’
When he learns of the death of Gorlois: Uther ‘was grieved that the count was slain, he said; that had not been his wish. He was full of regrets and compunction, and angry with his barons. He seemed distressed but there were few who believed him.’
‘The king, deeply in love with Ygerne, married her without delay. She had conceived a son that night and in due course bore him.’
And that’s the end of her role in the story.
Laȝamon
Laȝamon’s version is the most dramatic of the four. As was his practice, while closely following Wace, he expands incidents and adds speeches. He removes Wace’s criticisms of Uther, while consistently adding comments which emphasise Ygærne’s innocence.
You can almost see how he had visualised what he read and then, in translating, added small but significant detail. However, he also possessed a limited vocabulary of praise and an apparent lack of interest in ‘motivation’. Some terms in French which would later enter English, seem to have had no equivalent in his version of English.
Ygærne is introduced by her social role, as most of Laȝamon's characters are. Gorlois ‘sat with his gracious wife’ ‘the fair Ygærne the wife of Earl Gorlois, the fairest of all women’. Wace’s ‘Courteous and wise’ disappear, but Laȝamon seems to have had trouble translating ‘curteise’ (courteous) which may account for its absence here. (Later in the story he translates ‘Curteise’ as ‘of tuhtle swipe gode’ (Which Barron and Weinberg translate as ‘refined in bearing’, more literally ‘of very good manners’)
Wace’s ambiguous ‘Ygærne behaved in such a way as neither to consent nor refuse’ leaves his translator confused: ‘He looked at her often, flashing glances from his eyes, often sent his cup-bearer to her table, smiled at her and eyed her often; and she looked kindly upon him-but whether she loved him I do not know!’
Laȝamon makes her more than just the object of Uther’s lust. When Gorlois sends her to Tintagel he writes: ‘To Tintagel he sent his beloved, gentle wife, called Ygærne, the fairest of women, and shut her up securely in the castle, Ygærne was sorrowful and sad at heart that so many men for her sake should lose their lives there.‘
For Laȝamon, like Wace, Uther’s problem is not the impregnability of Tintagel, but Ygraene’s character. To Wace’s Ulfin he adds: ‘If you think to win Ygærne with such violence, then she will behave as no woman ever does, feeling in extreme fear the sweetness of love. But if you love Ygærne you should keep it secret, and quickly send her gold and silver and woo her with cunning and with fair promises. Even so it would be doubtful whether you could possess her, for Ygærne is a good and very faithful woman as her mother was and others of that family. (My italics)
In Wace and Geoffrey, Merlin is sent for. In Laȝamon he is staying with a hermit. Before the hermit admits he’s told Ulfin where Merlin is, Merlin tells the hermit: ‘Uther is filled with longing for the lovely Ygraene, greatly besotted with the wife of Gorlois. But it will never happen, as long as time shall last, that he shall win her save by my magic skill: for there is no truer woman in this mortal world.’(My italics)
By dramatizing Uther’s arrival at Tintagel Laȝamon reinforces the success of the deception. ‘They came to the gate of the castle and called out in a familiar manner: Undo the bar of this gate, the earl is come here, the lord Gorlois’. But instead of the gates being thrown open, soldiers come to the wall and speak with Gorlois ‘and recognised him clearly’.
He gives Ygærne the only lines of direct speech in the four versions :
‘Welcome my lord, dearest one; and Jurdan and Brutael are welcome too. Did you escape from the king without harm?’
Neither Geoffrey nor Wace give much space to what actually happened in Tintagel. But Laȝamon describes the scene. It contains one of the quietest moment in the Brut:
Ygærne beh to bure; & lætte bed him makien.
wes þat kine-wurðe bed; al mid palle ouer-bræd.
Þe king hit wel bihedde; & eode to his bedde.
and Ygærne læi adun; bi Uðere Pendragun.
He insists on her innocence by repeatedly insisting that Ygaerne is unaware she’s in bed with Uther. (italics in what follow are mine.)
‘Now Ygærne truly believed that it was Gorlois; in no way whatsoever did she recognise Uther the king. The king went unto her as a man should to a woman and his way with the woman most dear to him and he begot on her a marvellous man, the boldest king who ever was born; and he was called Arthur.. Ygerne knew not who lay in her arms, for all the time she fully believed that it was the earl Gorlois.‘
After he returns to his army, all reference to Uther’s response to Gorlois’ death is removed. Uther sends messengers ‘to greet Ygærne, the noblest of women, and sent her as a sign something she had said in bed, commanding her to yield up the castle immediately-there was no other recourse for her lord was dead. Ygærne still believed the truth was that the dead earl had gone to join his troops and she firmly believed it was not true that king Uther had ever come to her.‘
‘There and then Uther the king took Ygærne as queen: Ygærne was with child by King Uther before she was married, all through the magic of merlin.’ And we hear no more of her.
Laȝamon, who we know was a priest, adds one detail to this story. When Arthur is born:
Sone swa he com an eorðe; aluen hine iuengen.
heo bigolen þat child; mid galdere swiðe stronge.
heo ȝeuen him mihte; to beon bezst alre cnihten.
heo ȝeuen him an-oðer þing; þat he scolde beon riche king.
heo ȝiuen him þat þridde; þat he scolde longe libben.
heo ȝifen him þat kine-bern; custen swiðe gode.
þat he wes mete-custi; of alle quike monnen.
þis þe alue him ȝef; and al swa þat child iþæh.
I’ve quoted the original because Barron and Weinberg translate Aluen as Fairies, but I’ve always read it as Elves. The Middle English dictionary says it could be either and a little research suggests the distinction is a later one. For a modern reader, fairies might evoke the disneyfied version and the christening of sleeping beauty. Elves, especially the Old English, pre-Tolkien variety, are more sinister and were much less benign. The elves attend and give gifts: strength to be the best of knights; that he should be a mighty king, and they gave him long life. ‘They gave him such qualities that he was the most liberal of all living men.’