A semantic and linguocultural analysis of the imagery of the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legends

this article provides a linguistic, cultural and regional analysis of the images of the Lake Maiden in the cycle of legends about King Arthur. The works about the legendary king became famous in the Early Middle Ages and were influenced by historical events that took place at that time. Over time, the legends became more detailed and new characters appeared, which successfully merged into the overall plot. The origin of the main character of the cycle is still unknown, it is not possible to determine whether King Arthur actually existed or is a fictional character. Many of the images presented in the works of the Arthurian cycle were borrowed from Celtic mythology, for example, the image of the Lake Maiden echoes the heroine of mythological tales about fairies living in lakes and springs. The combination of mythology, descriptions of real historical events and many unanswered questions make the legendary cycle an interesting material for research. This article provides a brief historical summary and a linguistic and cultural analysis of the work and images of the Virgin of the Lake in the works about King Arthur. The conclusion of this paper presents the conclusions that were obtained after studying the empirical material. The materials of this work can be used in teaching activities in the framework of courses on foreign literature and regional studies.

King Arthur, knighthood, folklore, legend, linguoculturology, mythology