As iconic as the sword Excalibur is, so too is the image of the Lady of the Lake, arm aloft, bestowing the gift upon young Arthur. But what if the moniker “Lady of the Lake” is, as in much mythology, more of a metaphor? Author Jennifer R. Povey got to thinking about this in a recent Tumblr thread, and the result is a delightful new take on this fantasy archetype.
Povey’s argument:
We would watch that movie.
But the legend continues! As in the case of the best Tumblr exchanges, other users picked up Povey’s thread and ran with it—specifically, to pondering Damascus steel and how its blade shimmers like water…
Top image: The Lady of the Lake gives Excalibur to King Arthur (original work: Alfred Kappes, 1880; derivative work: Themadchopper, 2011)