Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain (; ; ; ) is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. The 12th-century writer Geoffr ...

, Lunete (also known as Luned or Lunet) is a

handmaiden A handmaiden (nowadays less commonly handmaid or maidservant) is a personal maid or female servant. The term is also used metaphorically for something whose primary role is to serve or assist. Depending on culture or historical period, a handma ...

and advisor to the Lady of the Fountain (

Laudine Laudine is a character in Chrétien de Troyes's 12th-century romance '' Yvain, or, The Knight with the Lion''. The character is unnamed in the Welsh version of the tale, '' Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain'', but is named as Laudine in both ...

). It is she who is responsible for convincing Laudine to accept

Ywain In Arthurian legend, Ywain , also known as Yvain and Owain among other spellings (''Ewaine'', ''Ivain'', ''Ivan'', ''Iwain'', ''Iwein'', ''Uwain'', ''Uwaine'', ''Ywan'', etc.), is a Knight of the Round Table. Tradition often portrays him as t ...

in marriage. She is described in

Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien de Troyes (; ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on King Arthur, Arthurian subjects such as Gawain, Lancelot, Perceval and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's chivalric romances, including ''Erec and Enide'' ...

' ''

Yvain, the Knight of the Lion ''Yvain, the Knight of the Lion'' () is an Arthurian romance by French poet Chrétien de Troyes. It was written c. 1180 simultaneously with ''Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart'', and includes several references to the narrative of that poem. It ...

'' as "a charming brunette, prudent, clever and polite..."Chretien de Troyes, ''Yvain Or The Knight With The Lion'', Kessinger Publishing, June 30, 2004. When

Esclados Red Knight (, , ) is a title borne by several characters in the Arthurian legend. Legend Tales of Perceval The Red Knight prominently appears in the tales of the hero Perceval as his early enemy. * In Chrétien de Troyes' ''Perceval, the Stor ...

the Red (Laudine's first husband) is mortally wounded and killed by Ywain, he finds himself trapped in Laudine's castle (Castle of Landuc near

Brocéliande Brocéliande, earlier known as Brécheliant and Brécilien, is a legendary enchanted forest that had a reputation in the medieval European imagination as a place of magic and mystery. Brocéliande is featured in several medieval texts, mostly t ...

). Lunete offers him shelter and agrees to aid him in escaping the villagers who want to avenge their lord's death. During his escape from the castle, Ywain sees Esclados' widow and falls in love with her. Ywain, with Lunete's help, wins Laudine's hand and marries her. Lunete grows to become a close friend and confidant to the Lady of the Fountain. Ywain and the Lady of the Fountain are married for many years; but one day,

Gawain Gawain ( ), also known in many other forms and spellings, is a character in Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend, in which he is King Arthur's nephew and one of the premier Knights of the Round Table. The prototype of Gawain is mentioned und ...

arrives and reminds Ywain of his absence from his chivalric duties and from King Arthur's court. The Lady of the Fountain agrees to let him go — only if he promises to return after one year. Ywain breaks his promise and delays his return; the Lady asks her husband to leave her and never return. As a result of the separation, Lunete loses favour with her Lady, since Lunete was the one who advised Laudine to marry Ywain. Meanwhile, in court, the

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

envies Lunete of her rising status and becoming Laudine's favourite advisor. He accuses her of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

and she is sentenced to be

burnt at the stake Death by burning is an execution, murder, or suicide method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment for and warning agai ...

. Ywain duels with the seneschal and his brothers and defeats them in combat; Lunete is then let free. Lunete later helps Ywain to win his wife's love back, by tricking the spouses into reconciliation.

References

Arthurian characters Fictional servants {{fantasy-char-stub

See also

References