Gate of the Three Queens
A portal at Camelot associated with the three queens destined to bear Arthur to Avalon.
Introduction#
The Gate of the Three Queens appears in Alfred Tennyson’s Idylls of the King. During Arthur’s coronation, sunlight shining through a stained-glass window illuminates the figures of three queens whose images Merlin had caused to be placed above a gateway at Camelot.
The Prophecy#
At Arthur’s coronation, Merlin draws attention to the three royal figures depicted above the gate. Their appearance foreshadows the king’s eventual departure from the mortal world. Merlin foretells that these queens will one day bear Arthur away to Avalon after his final battle.
The prophecy connects the beginning of Arthur’s reign with its end, linking his coronation to the journey to Avalon that follows the Battle of Camlann.
The Three Queens#
Tennyson does not explicitly identify the queens by name.
However, Arthurian tradition commonly associates the company that bears Arthur to Avalon with several noble or magical women, among them Morgan le Fay. Medieval texts provide varying lists of these queens, and their identities differ between sources.
The mystery surrounding the figures contributes to the symbolic nature of the prophecy.
Camelot and Avalon#
The Gate of the Three Queens serves as a literary bridge between Camelot and Avalon.
Its imagery reminds the reader that Arthur’s story is shaped by destiny from the very beginning. Even at the height of his triumph, the shadow of his final departure is already present.
The gate is one of Tennyson’s many symbolic additions to Arthurian tradition, emphasizing the legendary and almost mythic character of Arthur’s reign.
Sources#
Idylls of the King | Lord Alfred Tennyson, 1859-1886
