Monstrous Mothers: Morgan La Fey and Mélusine

Abstract

Let us now explore another strategy employed to deal with the Oresteian Mother: splitting her into the nurturing Mother and the femme fatale— although this defense, too, ultimately fails. This is achieved in the Arthurian tradition, beginning with the Vulgate Cycle, by splitting off the figure of the Dame du Lac from Morgan. We will also examine the resonances of this split in the Mélusine legends and the Cult of the Virgin. Although it is not successful, this attempted splitting of the Oresteian Mother into bitesize pieces is catastrophic for the hero-child.