Scottish History and Adultery
Scottish History and Adultery: A Guinevere Story
The Arthurian legend is a story that has inspired poets, writers, playwrights and directors through the ages. There are many versions of the legends. Some of the legends are more known than the others. Like all myths, they are used to convey the values and ideals of a culture. They often attempt to explain topics that are important for the culture. One of the versions of the Arthurian legend that I encountered when traveling in Scotland is the legend of Guinevere’s adultery and Meigle.
Guinevere the Adultress
The version of the Arthurian legend told in the Angus region of Scotland is that, his wife Guinevere traveled north. She changed her name to Vanora or Ganore. Both these names mean wanderer’. Although she traveled north and changed her name, she did not change her ways. She continued being adulterous. There are several variations as to what happened next. In one version, the local townspeople of Meigle disapproved of her immoral behavior and had her killed. Since the local punishment proscribed for infidelity was to be thrown into a pit of starving dogs, it is possible that she met her end in such a manner. Her body is reportedly buried in the graveyard of the local church.
Another version has her being kidnapped by Mordred (Arthur’s son by the enchantress). Mordred takes her to the town of Alyth. It is there that Arthur rescues her. After rescuing his wife, Arthur proceeds to have her torn in two by wild horses as punishment for her adultery.
Both variations of the story convey the disapproval of adultery. As a therapist, the stories also convey some other meanings. In the Meigle version, the idea of vigilante justice and the need for moral standards is a prominent theme. Those caught up in infidelity often take on the role of a wanderer and change locations as a way to remove themselves from their past. Guinevere tries leaving behind her past, but is unable to leave behind her nature.
In the second version, Arthur’s punishment in many ways describes the sensations that people experience when going through infidelity. They often report feeling torn concerning their loyalties. They often talk of feeling like something was ripped out of them. There is also the whole incestuous aspect of the actions that makes the second version more distasteful. Although it is not spoken of polite circles, within some families, there are some incestuous twists that accompany infidelity. Sleeping with the brother in law, sister in law or other close relations happens more often than people often want to admit. The harsh punishment dealt out by Arthur may have been seen a fitting for the offensiveness of the kind of adultery that occurred.
It is ironic that some of the modern goddess movement writers associate Guinevere with “true love”, when the Guinevere of Arthurian legend in this part of the world was associated with her disloyalty and infidelity. The modern versions of such persons often convey a different story than their historic inspirations.
In a subtle variation of the second version, Mordred is not related to Arthur, but rather is a Pictish Prince who captures Guinevere. Arthur goes to war with the Picts to regain his queen. While in captivity she has an affair with Mordred. Arthur finally obtains her release and has her punished for her infidelity.
Another variation is that the knights of the roundtable and Arthur want to know where Guinevere and Lancelot went when they had their rendezvous. They discover that the pair went north and changed their names in order to hide their true identities. Lancelot reportedly changed his name to Diarmid. While in Scotland, he managed to kill a wild demon boar of some notoriety. He died in the process of killing the boar from a wound he received. When Arthur found the tomb of the warrior, he had it leveled. He also proceeded to kill Guinevere.
Whichever legend one chooses to convey what occurred, some facts remain. One of the things is that there are carved Pictish stones found in the church yard of the church in Meigle. These carved stones illustrate the death of Guinevere via wild animals/horses. The evidence does not indicate so much that she died there, but rather that the story of Guinevere was used in Pictish times to convey the community attitude toward infidelity. The stones present a graphic illustration of how strongly adultery was disapproved of. Such art forms were ways of illustrating the values of the culture. In the case of Meigle, the stones were also accompanied by stories. Since stories are often told to reinforce the mores, beliefs and attitudes of the community, they were used to keep the people respectful of the bonds of holy matrimony.
