In the common sense, Morgana is a fairy from the legend of King Arthur.
The fairy Morgana in the Arthurian legend
According to recent works by philologists, Morgane, daughter of Ygerne also called Ygraine and the Duke of Cornwall, is the half-sister, considered wicked, of King Arthur. In other texts - notably from the pen of Chrétien de Troyes - Morgane is the sister of King Arthur, which reinforces the wickedness of the character. Note that in the first texts where the fairy Morgane appears, her role is positive:in Geoffroy de Monmouth (Historia Regum Britanniae) Morgane is learned; at Chrétien de Troyes (Erec and Enide, Yvain, the Knight of the Lion) she heals her brother as well as Yvain and Lancelot; in Wace (le Roman de Brut) and in La Mort le roi Arthur, Morgane takes Arthur to the island of Avalon to heal his wounds (episode already present in the Historia Regum Britanniae). It was not until the 13th century that legend made the fairy Morgana an evil fairy, hateful towards Arthur and Guinevere, a counterpoint to the Lady of the Lake.
Legend has it that, when he was born, King Arthur was adopted by a knight of Wales and his wife and, at the age of 15, he pulled a sword from the stone, which was not Excalibur, because the one -this was offered to him later by Viviane, the Lady of the Lake. Only the true King of Britain could dislodge this sword from the stone, which Arthur did, thus providing proof that he was supported by the ancient Celtic gods. A few years later, Morgana seduced Arthur, who had become king of what is now Great Britain. A child named Mordred was born several months later. Morgana knew very well that he would be the downfall of Arthur:her goal was to dethrone him so that she would gain control of Brittany through her son. During all these years, she tried to assassinate her half-brother, but Arthur and Mordred killed each other during the latter's claim to the throne. According to other sources, Mordred is not the son of Morgana but that of another sister of Arthur, the queen of Orcania (Anna or Morgause according to the texts - present in the suite of Merlin). According to the version presented by Marion Zimmer Bradley in The Ladies of the Lake, in which Morgana is not attributed the role of villain, she was raised on the island of Avalon (also called Atlantis) by the high priestess Viviane (reincarnation of the Goddess in the book). During "the fires of Beltane", Morgane will be pushed into the arms of her half-brother. They will find out the next morning. Lancelot du Lac, in this version, is the son of Viviane. On Avalon, Lancelot is called Galahad.
A Celtic legend speaks of a second child named Yvain (who would be Mordred's eldest); Yvain would be the fruit of the union between King Urien and Morgane. He is one of the great knights of the Round Table, although he is one day banished by Arthur (because of the faults of his mother Morgana, herself banished from court). However, he remained faithful to the king and took part in countless adventures in which he was accompanied by a powerful lion, very docile in the presence of his master, which earned him the title of Chevalier au lion (episode developed by Chrétien de Troyes ).
Morgane seeks to protect Brittany from the growing influence of Catholicism, in particular the influence of Queen Guinevere, of a very pious nature. She wanted to defend to King Arthur the ancient beliefs, which were the basis of her magical powers, as well as those of Merlin, says the Enchanter.
It was Morgana who is said to have embroidered Excalibur's magical scabbard that protects Arthur from fatal injury in battle. She will then seek to take this sacred object back from him because, by not remaining faithful to the old religion, he has betrayed his oath, his Celtic origins and the Little People. The son of Morgane and Arthur will have to regain power (hence their deadly duel) to restore the old religion. The final battle between them will take place in Camlan. This is where the Young Horned God (Mordred) will face the Old Horned God (Arthur). The two characters will die after killing each other, and Excalibur will return to Lake Viviane, carried for the last time by Merlin. Legend has it that King Arthur's remains were placed on the Isle of Avalon, and he will reappear in troubled times.
Another legend says that King Arthur was buried in Glastonbury, an English abbey. In particular, a lead cross was discovered there bearing this inscription:"HIC JACET SEPULTUS INCLITUS REX ARTURIUS IN INSULA AVALONIA" or "Here lies the renowned King Arthur in the island of Avalon", under a stone slab in 1191, as well as the remains of a couple.
Morgan the Fairy in paganism
In the Chronicles, Morgane the Fairy is said to be the godmother of Gargantua. Her name is also spelled Morgan-le-Fay there, while Rabelais calls her the fairy Morgue and writes, in his Pantagruel, that "Gargantua had been transported to the land of fairies by Morgue", in the Island of Avalon.
The energy of Morgane, sound MeReGue, is linked to that of Gargantua, sound GueReGue and, just as there are many Monts "Gargan", there are many Monts which owe their name to Morgane:Monts Morgon, Margantin, Mercantour. And just as many rivers Morgon, Mourgon, Morge, Mourgues; fountains of the Mourgue, while in Germany and Switzerland there are Murg rivers, as shown by Henri Dontenville in Histoire et Géographie Mythique de la France (p. 114-117).
She is sometimes said, in certain tales, to be the wife of Gargantua and, like him, she wears a "front" in which she transports stones. Pucci's Morgant Maggiore (late 15th century) recounts the exploits of a giant Morgante, or Morgant, Morgan.
Morgane is called Morgue and is linked to Death, but she is also Grandmother, Mother-Healer.
In the medieval poem Gauvain et le Chevalier Vert (translation by Alma L. Gaucher at Le Point d'eau editions), whose author is unknown, Morgane is the accomplice of the beautiful lady of Haut-Désert, both seeking death of Gauvain by deceitful and treacherous acts.
Christianization demonized Morgana, just as it did Gargantua and Melusine. She christianized her as Saint Marguerite, represented "issourt" of the dragon, as in Luceram (Alpes Maritimes), or with the dragon at her feet, the wyvern dragon then symbolizing telluric energies. In History and Mythical Geography of France, Henri Dontenville specifies that in the Queyras "a hundred witches burned between 1428 and 1447 (...) had the first name Marguerite" (p. 119).
Morgane continued under the name of the fairy Margot and you can find everywhere in France "Caves à Margot", "chambres de la fée Margot", "fuseaux de Margot", "Roche Margot" (id. p.119).
The Manuscript of the Words of the Nameless and Faceless Druid says "Grandmother, Morgan, She-who-knows-the-sight, Bel-Terre, the Black, the Lady of the Underground, and so many other names." .. »