NIGHTBRINGER | The Arthurian Encyclopedia

Wise Damsel

Wise Maiden

A sorceress who entrapped Meliadus (Meliodas), Tristan’s father, in her fortress, called the Tower of Enchantments or the Rock of the Cornishwoman.

She is first found in the Prose Tristan. The tower was in the Forest of Morrois in Cornwall. The Wise Damsel used her enchantments to cause Meliadus to lose his memory; he therefore remained with her while his wife gave birth to Tristan and perished. Eventually, Merlin led Meliadus’s knights to the tower, where the Wise Damsel was executed.

Tristan and Isolde later used her fortress during one of their expulsions from Mark’s court. The Italian Vita di Merlino relates that she learned her arts from Merlin.


See also
Wise Damsel’s Rock | The Legend of King Arthur


Sources
Prose Tristan | 1230-1240
La Tavola Ritonda | 1325–1350
Vita di Merlino con le Sue Profetie | c. 1480