Guinevere

Revision History

loadingDate    Editor    Change Summary
12/1/2024, 10:33 PM Mike C update #117
4/23/2024, 9:35 PM Mike C update #115
6/9/2023, 2:32 PM Mike C update #114
12/7/2022, 9:35 PM Mike C update #113
1/21/2022, 9:40 PM Mike C update #111
11/20/2020, 10:42 PM Mike C update #109
11/16/2019, 11:04 AM Mike C update #105
2/28/2019, 2:08 PM Mike C update #102
8/26/2016, 12:51 PM Mike C update #92
9/1/2013, 10:30 PM Mike C update #87
2/12/2007, 1:03 AM Mike C earliest recorded revision

Gender Feminine
Usage Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced Pron. /ˈɡwɪn.ə.ˌvɪɹ/(American English) /ˈɡwɪn.ə.ˌvɪə/(British English)

Meaning & History

From the Norman French form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar meaning "white phantom", ultimately from the old Celtic roots *windos meaning "white" (modern Welsh gwen) and *sēbros meaning "phantom, magical being" [1]. In Arthurian legend she was the beautiful wife of King Arthur. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, she was seduced by Mordred before the battle of Camlann, which led to the deaths of both Mordred and Arthur. According to the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes, she engaged in an adulterous affair with Sir Lancelot.

The Cornish form of this name, Jennifer, has become popular in the English-speaking world.