Morgause
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In Arthurian legend, Morgause or Morgase (also known as Anna-Morgause or Ann-Morgause) is the half-sister of King Arthur who slept with him and produced Mordred, the incestuous heir that would lead to Camelot's downfall. She is the daughter of the Duke of Cornwall and Lady Igraine. She is married to King Lot, an enemy of Arthur in the rebellions following Arthur's coronation.
She has four siblings:
- Gormant, her brother
- Elaine, her sister
- Morgan le Fay, her sister
- Arthur Pendragon, her half-brother from her mother's affair with Uther Pendragon
She has five children, all sons. From eldest to youngest they are:
- Gawaine, who becomes one of King Arthur's greatest knights
- Agravaine
- Gaheris
- Gareth
- Mordred, her son with her half-brother
Her children play key roles in the story of Arthur and his kingdom. She is active in Le Morte d'Arthurand Prose Merlin.
In Le Morte d'Arthur, her husband is killed by King Pellinore, sometime during her oldest sons' teenage years. She then has a long affair with Lamorak, son of Pellinore and one of the best knights of the Round Table. Eventually, her sons find out about the affair and are deeply offended by it. In Le Morte d'Arthur they kill Lamorak in a fight where he is outnumbered four to one (Gareth does not take part in this). But there are also versions of the legends where upon finding Lamorak and Morgause in bed together, they kill both Lamorak and their mother there and then.
In modern variations, the defining role of Morgause (that of sleeping with her brother) is often assigned to Morgan le Fay and the character of Morgause sometimes ignored entirely.