Morgan le Fay is a sourceress, known from legends about King Arthur. She is actually his half sister and her role varies from story to story, from era to era. I'll try to add as many interesting facts about her character as this project evolves, but for now we'll start as her graphic representation through the eyes of many artists.

Let's start with a few miniatures from the second half of the 15th century. The artist is unknown.

Johann Heinrich Fussli (1841-1925)

Johann Heinrich Fussli is also known as Henry Fuseli. His painting from 1788 shows King Arthur's meeting the Fairy Queen. While it's not explicitly stated, she is very likely Morgan Le Fay.

John Roddam Spencer Stanhope (1829-1908)

Spencer Stanhope was a Pre-Raphaelite. As expected, red was the color of his choice.

Frank William Warwick Topham (1838-1924)

King Arthur and Morgana Le Fay are traveling to Avalon. The painting was made in 1888.

Dan Beard (1850 - 1941) portrayed Morgan Le Fay in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, an 1889 humorous novel by Mark Twain.

William Frank Calderon (1865-1943)

One of the most popular scenes with Morgana Le Fay. She finds Sir Lancelot sleeping under the apple tree. He seems vulnerable. She wants him as a lover. But she is not alone. The painting is from 1908.

Four Queens, Morgana Le Fay is just one of them, abduct Sir Lancelot to force him to become a lover to one of them. Guess who wins? Design is made by Jessie M. King.

Aubrey Beardsley the same scene presented a bit differently - the queens are in front of the sleeping knight.

The Story of King Arthur is a novel for children from 1903, published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, where Howard Pyle adapted several stories about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Morgana Le Fay, of course, plays an important role. She is presented as a Queen with magical powers.

Legends of King Arthur and His Knights was written by Janet MacDonald Clark and illustrated by William Henry Margetson in 1914. The book, published by Ernest Nister (London) and E. P. Dutton (New York), features more than 60 illustrations, including several in full color.

Lancelot Speed (1860-1931)

The illustration by Lancelot Speed is from The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights, published in 1912 by Frederick Warne and Co., New York. It features twelve damsels saluting the King Arthur. Morgana Le Fay is probably not one of them, this illustration is just a manifestation of her power. On at least one occasion she sent thirty-six (!) damsels to accompany her guests.

Arthur Rackham (1867-1939)

Morgan Le Fay is active by night as well. Right now, she is stealing the Excalibur.

Arthur Rackham demonstrated Morgan Le Fay's shapeshifting powers with this illustration from The Romance of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, published in 1917.

Eric Pape (1870-1938)

Eric Pape portrayed Morgana Le Fay as a seductress who can play lute and is especially powerful by night.

These illustrations are from Lyrics and Old World Idylls, written by Madison Cawein (1865-1914). The same book features the next song about Morgana:

In dim samite was she bedight,
And on her hair a hoop of gold,
Like foxfire, in the tawn moonlight,
Was glimmering cold.
With soft gray eyes she gloomed and glowered;
With soft red lips she sang a song:
What knight might gaze upon her face,
Nor fare along?
For all her looks were full of spells,
And all her words, of sorcery;
And in some way they seemed to say,
"Oh, come with me!
"Oh, come with me! oh, come with me!
Oh, come with me, my love, Sir Kay!"—
How should he know the witch, I trow,
Morgan le Fay?

How should he know the wily witch,
With sweet white face and raven hair?
Who, through her art, bewitched his heart
And held him there.
Eftsoons his soul had waxed amort
To wold and weald, to slade and stream;
And all he heard was her soft word
As one adream.
And all he saw was her bright eyes,
And her fair face that held him still:
And wild and wan she led him on
O'er vale and hill.
Until at last a castle lay
Beneath the moon, among the trees:
Its gothic towers old and gray
With mysteries.
Tall in its hall an hundred knights
In armor stood with glaive in hand:
The following of some great king,
Lord of that land.
Sir Bors, Sir Balin, and Gawain,
All Arthur's knights, and many mo;

But these in battle had been slain
Long years ago.
But when Morgan with lifted hand
Moved down the hall, they louted low:
For she was Queen of Shadowland,
That woman of snow.
Then from Sir Kay she drew away,
And cried on high all mockingly:—
"Behold, sir knights, the knave I bring,
Who lay with me.
"Behold! I met him 'mid the furze:
Beside him there he made me lie:
Upon him, yea, there rests my curse:
Now let him die!"
Then as one man those shadows raised
Their brands, whereon the moon glanced gray:
And clashing all strode from the wall
Against Sir Kay.
And on his body, bent and bowed,
The hundred blades as one blade fell:
While over all rang long and loud
The mirth of Hell.

Who Was Ogier de Dane?

The legend of Ogier de Dane dates from the 13th century. The scene shows six fairies who visited him as a newborn and made prophecies. The last one announced he would be taken to Avalon by one of the faires. This fairy is Morgana Le Fay. Henry Justice Ford portrayed the visit of the fairies in The Red Romance Book, published in 1921.

Henry Justice Ford portrayed Morgane Le Fay on different occasions. This is where she casts away the Excalibur's scabbard (sheath) with a plan to kill King Arthur.

Dora Curtis (1873-1920)

Dora Curtis illustrated Stories of King Arthur and the Round Table in 1905 for J. M. Dent, London. This book was essentially an upgraded edition of Stories from Le Morte Darthur and the Mabinogion from 1901. The main difference is the inclusion of Morgan Le Fay, who presented a challenge to the artist. Dora Curtis described her character as unpleasant. However, she is powerful and influential, and a lot of action evolves around her.

This illustration was used as a frontispiece. It's the only picture in color.

Morgan Le Fay is a lady of many faces. She is a fairy, magician, priestess and goddess. Although her origin is unclear we can safely presume she belongs to Celtic mythology. Her name is a name for a man. Correct would be Morgain, but we are not talking about an ordinary person.

Here are few intereting facts about Morgan Le Fay:

1. We can find her roots in Irish and Welsh mythology, but also in the background of real people from 6th century, where some real events possibly inspired the legend of King Arthur.

2. She is able to change her appearance (shape-shifting), she can transform in younger, older, prettier or uglier person, she can become an animal as well. Her second name Fay clearly suggest her magic powers because 'fay' means 'fairy'

3. While her character and role in so called Arturian cycle is constantly changing, in all works she is associated with strong healing powers. These are sometimes connected with black magic. Morgan Le Fay is a healer of King Arthur.

4. Her love life is pretty interesting too. Different authors connected her with King Urians, his nephew Giomar and with Sir Lancelot.

5. Morgan is in earlier works mentioned only as a healer and sourceress, but in later she has the same mother as Arthur. It is interesting to notice, she is only his healer in older works, but she becomes his enemy in later stories.

Did you notice numerous similarities with the story of Sleeping Beauty? What's your opinion on Morgan Le Fay?