Morgan le Fay in modern culture


The Matter of Britain character Morgan le Fay has been featured many times in various works of modern culture, often but not always appearing in villainous roles. Some modern stories merge Morgana's character with her sister Morgause or with aspects of Nimue. Her manifestations and the roles given to her by modern authors vary greatly, but typically she is being portrayed as a villainess associated with Mordred.
Her stereotypical image, then, is of a seductive, megalomaniacal, power-hungry sorceress who wishes to destroy Camelot and overthrow King Arthur, and is a fierce rival of the mage Merlin. Contemporary interpretations of the Arthurian myth sometimes assign to Morgana the role of seducing Arthur and giving birth to the wicked knight Mordred, though traditionally his mother was Morgause, Morgana's sister; in these works Mordred is often her pawn, used to bring about the end of the Arthurian age. Examples of modern Arthurian works featuring Morgana in a role a major antagonist include characters in both the DC Comics and Marvel Comics comic book universes. Some other Arthurian fiction, however, casts Morgana in the various positive or at least more ambivalent roles, and some have her as a protagonist and sometimes a narrator.

Overview

Morgan le Fay has become ubiquitous in Arthurian works of modern culture, spanning mostly fantasy and historical fiction across various mediums including literature, comics, film, and television. As Elizabeth S. Sklar noted in 1992: "Currently a cornerstone of the new Arthurian mythos, occupies a secure position in the contemporary Arthurian pantheon, as familiar a figure to modern enthusiasts as Merlin, Lancelot, or King Arthur himself." Additionally, she has become an archetype serving as a source of tropes for many characters in other modern works, some of them borrowing her name in the form Morgana. As in the case of other modern Arthuriana, Le Morte d'Arthur is the dominant source today.

"He was nothing, this so-called king: the queen was the only power there."|alt=|left
Prior to her 20th-century resurgence, however, Morgan had been largely absent from modern Arthuriana. The relatively few exceptions of an actual Morgan character include William Morris's epic poem The Earthly Paradise, retelling the story of Morgan and Ogier the Dane. In his popular and often-adapted satirical novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain cast Morgan le Fay as a deceptively charmful representative of feudal corruption, who is also capable of the most vicious behavior and flirts with the time-travelling protagonist Hank Morgan, her namesake and essentially similar character or even a double.
Since the early 20th century, most modern works feature Morgan as a sorceress and sometimes a priestess, and usually a half-sister of Arthur and sometimes a femme fatale, but some also have her in other roles, including as a fairy or an otherwise non-human character. Many authors effectively merge Morgan with Morgause and combine her with the less savory aspects of the Lady of the Lake. Such a composite character is then often turned into Mordred's mother or partner. An early instance of such simplifications used to "streamline the plot" was Henry Irving's 1895 stage production King Arthur originally written by W. G. Wills.
Modern authors' versions of Morgan have her usually appear in conventionally villainous roles of a witchlike and irreconcilable enemy of Arthur, recurrently in league with Arthur's bastard son Mordred; be it in the time of the legend or still continuing her feud in the modern era, where she also may be just ruthlessly questing for power or even represent motiveless malevolence. Such Morgan is often devoid of nuances as a merely one-dimensional caricature, examples of which include the portrayals of her in several television films such as Merlin and the Sword, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and Arthur's Quest. According to Kevin J. Harty, already in the 1953 film Knights of the Round Table she did exhibit "the sexual wiles as well as the deceit and jealousy by now stereotypical for her character." Sklar described a modern stereotype of Morgan as "the very embodiment of evil dedicated to the subversion of all forms of governance, express the fears that inevitably accompany the sort of radical cultural change represented by the social realities and ideological imperatives of escalating female empowerment during this century...a composite of all the patriarchal nightmare-women of literary tradition: Eve, Circe, Medea and Lady Macbeth compressed into a single, infinitely menacing package," and whose "sexuality exceeds even that of her prototype and serves as the chief vehicle for her manipulation of others." Notable examples of this pattern are two comic book supervillainesses, Morgan le Fay in the Marvel Universe and Morgaine le Fey in the DC Universe. A modern Morgan is often an antagonist character for Arthur, Merlin and their followers to overcome and save Camelot, Avalon, or the entire world. Even in Excalibur, John Boorman's film adaptation of Le Morte d'Arthur, the evil Morgana le Fay meets her end at the hands of Mordred, her son in the film, instead of accompanying Arthur to Avalon as she did in the source material.
low relief of Morgan at the Two Temple Place in London|alt=
Nevertheless, other modern versions of Morgan's character can be more sympathic or ambiguous, or even present her as in an entirely positive light, and some also feature her as a protagonist of a story. Alan Lupack noted in 2007 that a modern Morgan has evolved to become "a woman whose own values and concerns become central in some retellings of the Arthurian story;" Fiona Tolhurst pointed out how "some contemporary novelists sanitize or justify" Morgan's origins as "the oversexed counter-hero in most medieval Arthurian texts." One notable example of this trend is Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, an influential novel that was later adapted into a television miniseries; other such positions in modern literature, sometimes told in first person from her point of view, include Mary Pope Osborne's series Magic Tree House, Welwyn Wilton Katz's The Third Magic, Fay Sampson's Daughter of Tintagel, Nancy Springer's I Am Morgan le Fay, J. Robert King's Le Morte D'Avalon, and Felicity Pulman's I, Morgana. Cindy Mediavilla praised two still antagonistic but in her opinion non-stereotypical portrayals of Morgan in the 21st-century television series Merlin and Camelot "as being among the most fully realized versions of her character in any medium." Some modern authors, especially women, are also particularly interested in the theme of a love-hate relationship between Morgan and Arthur, as studied by Raymond H.Thompson.
Furthermore, since the late 20th century, some feminists have also adopted Morgan as a representation of female power or of a fading form of feminine spirituality supposedly practised by the Celts or earlier peoples. These interpretations draw upon the original portrayal of Morgan as a benevolent figure with extraordinary healing powers. According to Leila K. Norako, "in addition to her appearances in literature, television, and film, Morgan le Fay is also frequently mentioned in the context of neo-pagan religious groups. She is alternately worshipped as a goddess, hailed as a symbol of feminine power, and adopted as a spiritual name." This development was attributed to the influence of The Mists of Avalon'', a revisionist retelling of the legend from a feminist and pro-pagan perspective. People who have been named or named themselves specifically after Arthurian figure of Morgan include Morgana Le Fay O'Reilly and Elizabeth Le Fey. Norako wrote:

Arthurian character appearances

The bolded titles mark the character's an appearance as the work's main character and/or narrator.

In literature

Series

21st century
20th century

Books

21st century
20th century
19th century

Short forms

In comics

, a DC Universe supervillainess introduced in 1972, and Morgan le Fay, a Marvel Universe supervillainess introduced in 1955, are discussed in their separate articles.
TitleYearNatureCharacterNotes
King Arthur and the Dragon Rider2018EvilMorganaA series by M.E. Martin.
The Musketeers2018OtherMorgan Fay
Immortal Brothers: The Tale of the Green Knight2017GoodMorgan le Fey
The Once and Future Queen2017EvilMorgan le Fay
Pendragon: The Quest For King Arthur2017EvilMorgana le Fay
Kids of the Round Table2015EvilMorgan le FayA series by Robert Tinnell and Brendon Fraim.
Merlin's Ring2015EvilMorgan Le Fay
Armour of Light2014EvilMorganaA series by Lady Antiva.
Eye of Newt2014OtherMorgan Le FayA series by Michael Hague.
Misfits of Avalon2014GoodMorganA series by Kel McDonald, starting with The Queen of Air and Delinquency.
The Unwritten2014GoodMorgan Le Fay
Fables2013GoodMorgan le Fay, The Green Witch
Son of Merlin2013EvilMorgan le Fay, Morgana
Excalibur: The Legend of King Arthur2011EvilMorgana le FayIn this version, Morgana was raised and thought in black arts by the evil Unseelie faeries, traded to them by Merlin for Arthur. When Morgana returns, she sends Merlin several years into the future, makes a fake copy of Excalibir, and challenges Arthur to war.
Le Morte d'Arthur2011Morgan le Fay
Avatar of the Futurians2010EvilMorgana La Fay
Muppet King Arthur2010EvilMorgana le FayA parody story starring Miss Piggy as Morgana who tries to undermine Kermit the Frog's Arthur with the help of Robin the Frog's Mordred. in the end, after Arthur gives up Camilla the Chicken's Guinevere to The Great Gonzo's Lancelot, he proposes to Morgana "and they all lived happily ever after".
Ghostbusters: Displaced Aggression2009EvilMorgan le FayA Ghostbusters comic miniseries in which Morgan has been banished into a pocket dimension by Merlin, but breaks free and returns to the physical plane with a plan to conquer the world and reign for all time. She is tricked and destroyed by the time-displaced Ghostbusters when Peter Venkman flirts with her and set his Proton Pack to overload.
Caliber2008MorganA miniseries by Sam Sarkar where Arthurian characters are reimagined in the Old West.
2008OtherMorgan le Fay
Lancelot2008OtherMorganeIncluding in the titular role in the volume Morgane.
Lords of Avalon2008EvilMorgen le Fay
Avalon High: Coronation2007EvilMorgan Frank, Morgan Le FayA comic sequel to Meg Cabot's novel Avalon High.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen2007EvilMorganaIn The Black Dossier.
Mondes & Voyages2007
La Quête du Graal2006EvilMorgane
Saddleback Illustrated Classics2006
Beyond Avalon2005GoodMorgan
Dracula vs. King Arthur2005EvilMorgan le FayMorgan and her son Mordred are both turned into vampires and become minions of Dracula.
Mickey Mouse Adventures2005Morgan le Fay
Gangs of Camelot2004EvilMorgan
Femzine2003OtherMorgan le Fay
Just Imagine...: Shazam2002EvilMorgan le Fay
Morgana 2002GoodMorgana
Arthur Pendragon2001Morgane
Tomb Raider2000EvilMorgan Farrel, Morgan le FayMorgan Farrel is one of the students of Vanessa Fenway, Lara Croft's old college friends and a fellow archaeologist. later it is revealed her actual identity is of the immortal Morgan le Fay, who has been searching for the time-portal artifact Merlin Stone for centuries. When Lara destroys the stone, Morgan gets trapped in the prehistoric era.
Warrior Nun Areala2000EvilFata Morgana, Morgen le FayIn the spin-off miniseries Warrior Nun Brigantia, Fata Morgana steals the head of the king Bran the Blessed in 1940 and delivers it to Heinrich Himmler Nazis to enable them conquer Britain. The British government calls on Brigantia, aided by the awakened Arthur's sister Anna the White Nin, to recover the head. Anna defeats Morgen with Excalibur's sister blade Ganieda, but Morgen apparently escapes to another realm.
Arthur1999Morgwen
Batman: Dark Knight of the Round Table1999EvilMorgana le Fay
Adventures in the DC Universe1998EvilMorgan le FayA different character than DC Universe's Morgaine le Fey.
Le Chant dExcalibur1998EvilMorgane
Lady Pendragon1998EvilMorganna
Merlin1998EvilMorgan Le FayA comic by Robin Wood.
Vamperotica1998EvilMorgan le Fay
Sláine1996GoodMorgaine La FeeIn "The Treasures of Britain".
3-D Classic Comics1994In King Arthur and the Sowrd in the Stobne.
Knights on Broadway1993GoodTammy, Morgan le Fay
King Arthur & the Knights of Justice1993EvilMorgana
Arthur au royaume de l'impossible1991EvilMorgane
Arthur Sex1991OtherMorgana
Camelot Eternal1991EvilMorgan le Fay
Jughead's Time Police1991EvilMorgan le FayMorgan is a time-travelling rogue Time Police agent from the future who has been mistaken for a witch in medieval times due to her use advanced technology. Jughead's Time Police foil Morgan's world-domination scheme and arrest her.
Martin Mystère1990EvilMorgana le Fay
Corto Maltese: A Mid-Winter Morning's Dream1987GoodMorgana
The New Wave1986GoodMorgaine, Morgana, "The Lady"
The Black Dragon1985GoodMorgan Le Fey
Les Ecluses du Ciel1983GoodMorgane
Rom1982Morgan le Fay
The Last Defender of Camelot1980GoodMorgan Le Fay
De Jeugdjaren van Koning Arthur1974EvilMorgana
Knights of the Round Table1964
Adventure Comics1960EvilMorgan le Fay
La Giovinezza d'Arturo1957EvilMorgana
Robin Hood and His Merry Men1956GoodMorgane le FayQueen Morgane, Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, and the Queen of North Galis bear the wounded King Arthur away to Avalon after his battle with Mordred.
Knights of the Galaxy1952Morgan le Fay
Forbidden Worlds1951EvilMorgan le Fay
Operation: Peril1950EvilMorgan le FayPrincess Morgan conspires with Merlin, Mordred and the "Black Teutonic Knights" to kill King Arthur to claim the throne, but is betrayed by the time-traveller Dr. Tom Redfield who went back in time to retrieve Excalibur from the 6th century whom she tried and failed to seduce, and who defeats them and burns her and Merlin with the exhaust of his jet fighter.
Ibis the Invincible1946EvilMorgana Le Fay
Classics Illustrated1945
Jingle Jangle Comics1945EvilMorganThe disguised Queen Morgan steals Excalibur from Arthur, but it is retrieved by Bingo and Glum and a ring from the Lady of the Lake blows up her castle.
Super-Mystery Comics1943EvilFaye Morgana
Top-Notch Comics1940EvilMorgana de FayThe witch Lady Morgana is the wife of the Knight of the Griffin, an enemy of Arthur, and use treachery to substitute Galahad's sword with a broken one, but Galahad wins and kills his opponent anyway thanks to Merlin's help. Later, her men accidentally capture Galahad's squire Garlan and she sends a monster after Galahad when he comes for rescue him.
Thrilling Comics1940EvilMorgan le FayThe time-travelling Ghost expels Merlin from King Arthur's court. Merlin sewears revenge and talks Queen Merlin into sending her knights to conquer England and dispose of King Arthur. They capture Ghost and Morgan orders him executed, but he escapes and helps Arthur beat back the attack using his 20th-century weapons.
Weird Comics1940EvilMorgana le FayQueen Morgana attempts to rid Camelot of Sir Gareth, who is a rival to her son Mordred for the hand of Lady Elaine. But Gareth is protected by the time-travelling Sorceress of Zoom, who wants Gareth for herself and so she decides to get rid of Elaine, who is in Morgana's captivity, and defeats Morgana's men and magic. Morgana surrenders to her, but then Merlin's magic sends the Sorceress of Zoom back in time to the future.
Prince Valiant1937EvilMorgan le Fay
Sir Batman at King Arthur's Court1936EvilMorgan LeFey

In film

In television

In video games

In other games

In stage productions

In music

TitleAuthorWorkYear
"Morgana"Lord of the LostThornstar2018
"Morgan La Fey"Tuatha DeaKilts and Corsets2017
"Morgan Le Fay"Derek FiechterDark Journey2014
"Morgan Le Fay"AvalonRebirth of Camelot2013
"Morgan Le Fay"Thierry FervantLegends of Avalon2013
"Morgan Le Fay"Paul RolandRoaring Boys & Sarabande2012
"Morgan Le Fay"Evil BeachSeasick - Tales from the Deep2012
"Lurid Bride: I. Morgan le fay"Turning Point EnsembleStrange Sphere2012
"Morgan Le Fay"LovespoonLovespoon2011
"Morgan le Fay"Brigands' FolieTwain2010
"Morgaine"Brian BullerThe Riverbank Faerie2010
"Morgaine's Spell"Atham'eEchoes of Avalon2009
"Morgaine"GypsyThere's Still Hope2008
"Morgan Le Fay"SunspotNeanderthal2007
"Morgaine's Song"Lucid MadnessGypsy Soul2007
"Morgan Le Fay"Wyllow RavenscroftTales of Camelot2007
"Morgan La Fay"Ricky Dean FisherAcoustic Songbook Chapter 1: Bittersweet2007
"Morgane Le Fay"Grave DiggerExcalibur1999
"Beech and Willow", "Four Queens", "The Lady", "Sword and Scabbard"Anne ListerRoot, Seed, Thorn and Flower1997
"Gawain, An Aside from Morgan le Fay I" and "II"Harrison BirtwistleHarrison Birtwistle: Gawain1990
"Fata Morgana"Fates WarningAwaken the Guardian1986
"Pani Morgan Le Fay"Grażyna BacewiczPrzygoda Króla Artura1960

Inspired characters