At the Place of the Gathering Waters

A few years back, I was studying some of the characters in Arthurian legend. This image is of a young version of the Lady of the Lake, who plays a pivotal role in Arthur’s kingship. I like the idea of looking at these mythic characters when they are young and sort of projecting the troubles of youth on them, of getting established within your life and your identity.

In this image, we see the water beginning to seep in around her very rapidly, which we could interpret psychologically and mythically perhaps as psychic power and intense emotion. She seems uncertain or reluctant to have these changes happening to her. She’s not sure how she will deal with it yet, but she already wields the sword which she will later give to Arthur, and which will be returned to her upon his death. How she will use it in the meantime is yet to be determined.