The loathly lady is an archetype commonly used in medieval literature, most famously in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale. The motif was prominent in Celtic mythology and to a lesser extent Germanic mythology, where the lady often represented sovereignty.
Read more about Loathly Lady: Characteristics, Bibliography
Famous quotes containing the words loathly and/or lady:
“Turns to meet the loathly birds
Flocking round him from the skies,
Waiting for the flesh that dies.”
—Ralph Hodgson (c. 1871–1962)
“I saw my lady weep,
And Sorrow proud to be advanced so
In those fair eyes where all perfections keep.
Her face was full of woe;
But such a woe, believe me, as wins more hearts
Than Mirth can do with her enticing parts.”
—Unknown. I Saw My Lady Weep (l. 1–6)