It’s no secret that The Witcher franchise borrowed a lot from already established literature and folklore. Some of the most prominent examples of this in the video games are how they twisted the Grimm’s fairy tales, making it a darker version of Shrek. Arthurian legends are not exempt from this creative exercise.
The Witcher games have always included elements of Arthurian tales since Andrej Sapkowski, the book’s author, it a huge fan. The Lady of the Lake is one such notable figure yanked straight out of the Arthurian legends and even interacts with Geralt of Rivia. Welcome as her existence may be, it’s not exactly seamless in The Witcher games and some things don’t make sense about her being there.
10 WHICH ONE WAS SHE?
The Witcher games made it clear that there was only one Lady of the Lake. The one that’s apparently a lonely single nymph who’s into hookups and likes to give swords and quests to random dudes she hooks up with, or so it seems with Geralt. However, The Witcher books make it more complicated.
There are several Ladies of the Lake in there and Ciri was even mistaken for one. Another one is even a sorceress who was clearly a human. That made it all the more confusing for fans of the books who delved right into the games though it seems CD Projekt RED decided to stick to the more Arthurian roots of the character.
9 SO UH, WHERE DO HER SWORDS COME FROM?
The Lady of the Lake being a complete nymph whose identity and capabilities are a mystery makes her all the more a weird character. Much like her actual Arthurian counterpart, her tendency of being a strange woman lying in ponds distributing swords is questionable, especially as a basis for government.
What’s more, the Lady of the Lake just casually hands these precious swords over to whoever is chivalrous enough. She’s certainly no smith by the looks of it, perhaps she just stole these swords from their rightful owners? In any case, who would refuse an Aerondight or an Excalibur from a half-naked woman?
8 WHERE IS KING ARTHUR?
Going by how the Lady of the Lake in the video games is pretty much a 1:1 recreation of its Arthurian counterpart, the fabled King Artorius or Arthur might as well be part of The Witcher lore. That could mean he walks the same world as Geralt.
Or perhaps he exists in a different world that only beings like Ciri can visit? If that’s the case, that would make the Lady of the Lake as powerful as Ciri. Galahad was definitely present in the books. It could also mean Excalibur should be up for grabs, in which case Geralt easily could have been king if he asked for it instead of Aerondight.
7 WHERE IS THE HOLY GRAIL?
Here’s where games get puzzling in its implementation of Arthurian legends. The Holy Grail is explicitly mentioned in the first Witcher game. It’s pretty much the same object of power as its original counterpart– one that grants eternal youth or other broken boons.
In that case, why was it not more or just as important as a lady who can move through space and time, especially for kings who want to live forever? The Lady of the Lake even sends countless knights over in search of the Holy Grail, it’s certainly no secret.
6 WHAT ARE HER POWERS AS A GODDESS?
The Lady of the Lake in all three Witcher games, and especially in the first and third, is considered a goddess and even worshipped by knights and locals. As for how and why, it’s never really expounded upon by the games.
The Lady of the Lake does mention that the locals of Murky waters and her knights mostly praise her beauty. Then there’s the fact that she hands out swords like candies, except with insurance and warranties included. Beyond that, what does she actually do as a goddess?
5 WHAT CREATURE IS SHE?
Speaking of being a powerful being, the Witcher games paint the Lady of the Lake as a nymph. She seems to be a different kind since she’s more amphibious compared to her cousins in Brokilon forest who prefer bows and barefoot walking.
Oddly enough, nymphs in The Witcher 3 are notorious for kidnapping little girls and raising them as their own or even being hostile to humans. One would think that the locals and knights would be more vigilant regarding the Lady of the Lake’s kind.
4 HOW IS GERALT STILL FAVORABLE TO HER?
Curses. That’s one power the Lady of the Lake has apart from having a dizzying arsenal of swords and water-breathing. She can curse any knight who breaks their chivalrous vows or anyone who acts dishonorably in general.
For some reason, Geralt (despite being a knight) seems to be a special case and is exempted from the Lady of the Lake’s ire despite having numerous transgressions against other beings. It’s a rough guess but around 50 percent of the player base likely tried out to be an amoral jackass in The Witcher 3. Doesn’t seem to bode well in the Lady’s book, for other knights, at least.
3 HER LUST IS CONTRADICTORY
For better proof that the Lady of the Lake is sort of a mortal and much like her nymph brethren, she tends to crave carnal pleasures and gets lonely from time to time. In fact, in the first Witcher game, she even wished that her worshippers be bolder towards her.
In any case, she seems to be in conflict with what she stands for as she’s internationally considered as the goddess of chivalry. That very well means her knights and worshippers have to be gallant to women and she shouldn’t expect them to hook up with her casually. This does seem to have changed in The Witcher 3.
2 WHY WAS SHE IN MURKY WATERS?
Speaking of being a goddess of chivalry, the Lady of the Lake tends to frequent lakes (who’d have thought) in areas where chivalrous knights usually reside. Toussaint, for that matter, is ripe picking for her.
That’s why it’s weird that she was in a rowdy and scummy hamlet of Murky Waters in the first game. The whole place is smack-dab in the middle of nowhere in Vizima with no knights on sight and peasants who do nothing but gamble and fight. Oh, and Geralt was there too, that’s probably why.
1 THE IRONY WITH AERONDIGHT
Aerondight is cool and all– the top silver sword in The Witcher 3, even, except it’s ironic what Geralt uses the sword for. It’s certainly not utilized for chivalrous nor to protect the downtrodden and the weak. No, Geralt uses it to make money.
More than that, cutting down legions of monsters with Aerondight results in humans expanding their territory where monsters, nymphs, and elves usually thrived. There’s no way the Lady of the Lake wouldn’t have known that.
NEXT: The Witcher 3: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Water Hags
