Gwenhwyfar

Gwenhwyfar is the Welsh name for Guinevere, the queen consort of King Arthur in medieval Welsh literature and later Arthurian romance. The etymology of Gwenhwyfar is uncertain; "gwen" can mean white or fair, while "hwyfar" is variously interpreted as enchantment, illusion, or phantom.

In the Arthurian canon, she is Arthur's wife and queen, a central moral and political figure in many narratives. In Welsh law-cycles and triads, her character functions differently; sometimes depicted as virtuous and devoted, other times as a figure of strife.

In Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136) she is named Guinevere and becomes the archetype of Arthur's queen in Latin tradition. In later French and English romances—most notably the Lancelot-Grail cycle and Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur—her relationship with Sir Lancelot drives major plotlines and is a catalyst for conflict within Arthur's realm. Some modern editions emphasize political alliance, while others focus on personal tragedy.

Modern scholarship treats Gwenhwyfar as a legendary rather than historical figure, and her portrayal varies by text and era. She remains a prominent symbol in Arthurian literature, representing idealized feminine virtue, political authority, or romantic catastrophe, depending on the telling.