Elaine, the daughter of Bernard of Astolat, with Lancelot's shield— she had fallen in love with him and guarded his shield.
Arthurian legend refers to the vast body of medieval story that focuses on King Arthur of Britain. The first references to him, as early as c. 600, indicate that he was historically a British leader in the Anglo-Saxon invasion, Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1137 names him the head of a magnificent court and master of Europe. This illustration, dating to 1916, depicts Elaine, the daughter of Bernard of Astolat, with the shield of Sir Lancelot, with whom she had fallen in love and whose shield she guarded after he was hurt in a joust. Elaine died from unrequited love for Sir Lancelot. Elaine's tale was inspiration for Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem "The Lady of Shalot."
Size: 3224px × 4814px
Photo credit: © Ivy Close Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: alfred, anglo, arthur, arthurian, astolat, bernard, chivalry, elaine, england, english, geoffrey, guards, history, king, knights, lady, lancelot, legend, legendary, lord, monmouth, royalty, saxon, shalot, shield, sir, tennyson
