Brangain

Bragain, Braginja, Brandina, Brangane, Brangæne, Brangene, Brangien, Branguina, Brangwaine, Brengain, Brengvien, Brengwain, Bríngven, Bringvet, Bringwain

Isolde's faithful and beautiful maidservant in almost all of the Tristan (Tristram) legends. She had two brothers named Mathael and Perynin, whom she presented to Tristan as servants.

When Tristan came to Ireland to escort Isolde to King Mark of Cornwall to be wed, Isolde's mother gave Brangain a love potion intended for Mark and Isolde on their wedding day. Tristan and Isolde accidentally drank it on the way, however, and fell in love with each other.

On Isolde's wedding night, she substituted Brangain, under the cover of darkness, in Mark's bedroom, since Isolde was no longer a virgin. Isolde then tried to have Brangain killed to hide the secret; the attempt failed when the assigned killers took pity on her. Isolde regretted the attempt, and she and Brangain were eventually reconciled, but not before Brangain was kidnapped by Palamedes and used as a tool to get to Isolde.

Thomas says that she had an affair with Kahedins of Brittany - who fell in love with her upon seeing her statue in Tristan's Hall of Statues - but became enraged when Mariadoc, a cowardly and dishonest knight, reported that Kahedins had fled from him in combat. Some versions of the legend suggest that Brangain was infatuated with Tristan. Eilhart von Oberge says that she died before Isolde and Tristan, but does not name the cause. In La Tavola Ritonda, she perishes from sorrow after Mark forcibly retrieves Isolde from the castle of Joyous Guard, where she was living with Tristan. In some other Italian texts, she marries Governal, Tristan's tutor, and becomes the Queen of Lyoness.