Lanval

Lanval is one of the Lais of Marie de France. Written in Anglo-Norman, it tells the story of Lanval, a knight at King Arthur's court, who is overlooked by the king, wooed by a fairy lady, given all manner of gifts by her, and subsequently refuses the advances of Queen Guinevere. The plot is complicated by Lanval's promise not to reveal the identity of his mistress, which he breaks when Guinevere accuses him of having "no desire for women". Before Arthur, Guinevere accuses Lanval of shaming her, and Arthur, in an extended judicial scene, demands that he reveal his mistress. Despite the broken promise, the fairy lover eventually appears to justify Lanval, and to take him with her to Avalon. The tale was popular, and was adapted into English as Sir Landevale, Sir Launfal, and Sir Lambewell.

==Plot== Lanval, a knight in King Arthur's court, is beloved by many for "his valor, his generosity, his beauty, his prowess". Arthur, however, dislikes him; at a feast during Pentecost, he distributes rewards to his knights, but leaves out Lanval, who subsequently falls into penury. One day, Lanval rides out to a meadow and lies down by a stream. Two women appear and direct him to a tent to see their lady, a fair Maiden who is in love with him. Lanval is immediately struck by the Maiden's beauty and they become lovers. She blesses him that, "the more richly he spends, the more gold and silver he will have," and that she will come when he wants her, but only on the condition that he does not tell anyone else of her existence. Lanval leaves certain that the Maiden is no dream but "from the realm of faery".