This article features spoilers for The Winter King episodes 1-3!The druid priestess Nimue plays a big role in The Winter King and looms large in the King Arthur mythology. While there have been many adaptations of the King Arthur legend that have leaned hard on the fantasy elements – such as John Boorman’s Excalibur or 2017’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword – The Winter King isn’t one of them. MGM+’s TV series is based on the book by Bernard Cornwell, which remixed the Arthur myth with real history, meaning the magical side of the tale is largely discarded.
That’s not to say fantasy is absent from the show, with Merlin (Nathaniel Martello-White) and Nimue (Ellie James) shown to display magical abilities bestowed by the “Old Gods.” Merlin’s “Death of Britain” also shows off his gift of foresight which is present in many tellings of the myth. The show’s take on Nimue is still linked to water, but she’s clearly not the fairy-like being or goddess that’s found in many iterations of the myth either.
The Real Mythology Of Nimue & Her Story In King Arthur’s Legends
As is typically the case with legends, there are many differing versions of “The Lady of the Lake” Nimue. In some she goes by names like Viviane or Ninianne, and in others, she is just one of many “Lady of the Lake” figures. Regardless, Arthur’s first encounter with Nimue tends to be when he breaks his original sword in the stone – which isn’t to be confused with Excalibur itself – and is taken to the lake by Merlin to receive a new weapon. This is where one of the most iconic images from the myth emerges, as Nimue’s hand breaks through the water to gift Arthur Excalibur.
In exchange for the magic-infused blade, Nimue commonly asks a favor of Arthur that is to be repaid later. This request in some versions is asking for the head of Arthur’s knight Sir Balin, but after this request is refused, Balin himself beheads Nimue and is then banished by his King. Various versions treat this unlucky enchantress as a different Lady of the Lake, with Nimue herself going on to Merlin’s apprentice, an aspect The Winter King maintains. Merlin falls in love with her, and depending on how the story is told, she either returns his feelings or uses his affections to learn his magical abilities.
In the end, she uses a spell that traps him in some kind of eternal prison (which could be a cave, a tree, etc.) and becomes Arthur’s new magician. Following Arthur’s mortal wounding during his final battle with Mordred, Nimue is one of those who takes him to Avalon to be buried or healed of his wounds. Yet other Arthurian tales involve Nimue raising Sir Lancelot from when he was an infant in her underwater castle.
Nimue’s Lady Of The Lake Title Origins & Meaning Explained
Regardless of which version of the King Arthur myth is being recounted, Nimue – whether she be a fairy, goddess or human sorcerer – is always closely tied to water. It’s believed the inspiration behind the Lady of the Lake came from Celtic folklore, which emphasized the importance of water spirits as bringers of life. Nimue is likely based on the goddess of wells and springs Coventina, who has her origins in Roman mythology. During this period it was believed the water from wells or rivers came from magical beings, and people made offerings to them in the form of coins, swords and other objects.
It makes sense Roman mythology would make its way into King Arthur narratives, as the departure of Rome from Britain is what plunged the country into the so-called “Dark Ages” that subsequently inspired the myth. Coventina was almost certainly the figure the Lady of the Water/Nimue was based on, and in keeping with those origins, exactly what Nimue is or what she wants remains somewhat mysterious.
How The Winter King’s Nimue Is Different From Arthurian Legends
In The Winter King episode 1, Nimue is introduced as part of Merlin’s peaceful community at Avalon. She’s present when Arthur takes the wounded Derfel there for treatment, and she and Derfel fall in love across the eight years he spends there. Merlin saved Nimue some years before from a shipwreck and claims that she has the power to become one of the most powerful magicians in Britain. Unfortunately for her and Derfel, this means she must remain celibate for life, or the Gods will take her powers away.
In one of Winter King’s most upsetting scenes, she is raped by King Gundleus (Simon Merrells) during his raid on Avalon, which she fears has also taken away her powers. The series’ take on Nimue is a far more human version, and while her exact backstory is a mystery (at least so far) and she can see visions in bodies of water, she’s not a water nymph. She and Arthur (Iain De Caestecker) become estranged when he refuses to let her kill the captured Gundleus, and her desire for revenge will likely drive her story for the rest of season 1.
