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VALERIN King of the Tangled Wood, he lived in a castle on a high mountain, mist-
and forest-bound. No one could enter unless Valerin told his monsters to let
him pass. Valerin claimed Guinevere, saying he was betrothed to her before she
was affianced and wed to Arthur. Lancelot fought for her and won, but Valerin
later carried her off and imprisoned her in a castle surrounded by snakes. She
was placed in a magic sleep but, with the aid of the wizard Malduc, she was
freed. # 156 - 710 VALLEY OF THE THRUSHES Oisin's spell broken in the Valley of the Thrushes. #
562 VALYANT The King of Wales, he was a relation of Lancelot. # 2 -
156 VARLAN (Brutan) A King of Gales (see WALES), newly converted to Christianity. A
mysterious ship arrived in Britain, carrying David's Sword, which Varlan used
to kill his enemy, King Lambor. As a result of this act, their kingdoms became
the Waste Land. # 156 VEIL OF ILLUSION The Veil of Illusion thrown over Caradawc by Caswallan. #
562 VELLENDRUCHER The site in Cornwall of a legendary battle in which Arthur defeated the
Danes. He was assisted by the Seven Kings of Cornwall. #
156 VENETII A Gaulish tribe, noted as mariners, considered still to be existing in the
sixth century. Traditionally, Trephina, daughter of their leader, marries
Cunomorus. See: MARK. # 156 VERCINGETORIX Celtic chief who was defeated by Caesar and send to Rome where he was
imprisoned for six years and finally, under Caesar's triumph, was killed. #
396 - 562 VERONICA, SAINT See: VERRINE. VERRINE In the Grail story this name is used to designate Saint Veronica who,
tradition claims, had a cloth with Christ's image on it. In the saga of the
Grail, Verrine used this cloth to cure Vespasian's leprosy. # 30 -
156 VESPASIAN Roman emperor AD 69-79. The Grail story makes him the liberator of Joseph
of Arimathea who had been held prisoner in Jerusalem. # 30 -
156 VIRTUES ESTEEMED BY THE FAIRIES The human virtues which commend themselves to fairies are those which
render human intercourse agreeable to them, for a point which is always
striking us in fairy legend is the Dependence of Fairies Upon Mortals. Two
different and almost contradictory traits are asked of humans: they should be
close and private, well able to keep the fairy secrets and to guard aganst
Infringements of Fairy Privacy, often fond of solitude and contemplation; and
they should be open and capable of generosity, ready to share with anyone in
need and to speak the truth about their own plans and quests. The first
necessary if the traditional way of life of the SECRET PEOPLE is to be
preserved, and the second is congenial to the fairies as guardians of
fertility and growth. In the interests of fertility, true love and the affairs
of lovers are always under fairy patronage. Open, loving, free people are dear
to them, but boasters and braggarts are unpopular. Gentleness and politeness
are important to success. In a Russian fairy-tale, Father Frost's heart is won
because the heroine politely refuses to complain of the cold although it is
nearly killing her, and this is true to folk tradition everywhere, except in
dealing with the most sinister of the supernaturals, where bragging and the
Last Word is a recognized weapon. Hospitality is one of the admired human virtues, and particularly
hospitality towards the fairies, who must be made welcome in the houses which
they visit be neatness and good order, a freshly swept clean hearth and clear
fire, fresh, clear water set out for drinking and to wash the fairy babies,
and sometimes milk, bread and cheese. An unexpected stranger fed may well be a
disguised fairy. Good fortune rests upon a miller who sets his mill ready for
use on request, a woman who freely lends a measure of meal or gives a fairy
baby a suck at her breast. Examples of all these are to be found in the
Lowlands of Scotland, cited by J. G. Campbell and William Henderson. Fair Dealing and the keeping of promises always win respect and are often
rewarded. A case in point is the story of 'The Laird o' Co', told by Chambers
in his POPULAR RHYMES OF SCOTLAND. The Laird of Colzean Castle was accosted
one day as he returned home by a small boy with an equally small can who
begged for a drink of ale for his old, sick mother. The laird called the
butler to fill the can to the brim. The butler took the can and emptied a
whole cask into it without more than half-filling it. The butler in perplexity
sent to ask what he should do. The laird said: 'I promised to fill it, and
filled it shall be if it takes all the ale in my cellar.' So the butler
broached a new cask, and after one drop the can was full, and the little boy
thanked him and took it away. Some years later the laird was fighting in the
Low Countries and had been taken prisoner. He was languishing there when the
door opened, the fairy boy appeared and transported him back to his own
castle. A similar good fortune befell Sir Godfrey McCulloch on the eve of his
execution because he had courteously moved his back door so that his cesspool
should not leak into the living-room of a fairy man whose house was beneath
his. These are two examples of grateful fairies, who respected generosity,
true dealing and courtesy when they met them. Merriment, cheerfulness, music,
dancing and good fellowship are all endearing to those fairies who may be
called the Seelie Court. The evil fairies of the Unseelie Court are incapable
of affection. No man can endear himself to them, but then again, the
difference between the two are easily recognized when they display themselves
before the mortal humans. # 100 - 131 - 146 - 302 VIRTUES, THE PHILOSOPHERS THREE 'Studies, meditation and idleness', this is, according to Michel Rio's
MERLIN, the three virtues of the philosopher. # 555 p 96 VIVIANE See: VIVIENNE. VIVIENNE The alternative name for Nimue in, among other stories, Tennyson's MORTE
d'ARTHUR: a portrayal far removed from the otherworldly nuances of earlier
legend. See: NIMUE. # 156 - 454 VIVIONN (Beehionn) A young giantess, daughter of Treon, from the Land of Maidens.
She was slain by Aeda and buried in the place called the Ridge of the Dead. #
562 VORTIGERN A British king who is first mentioned by Bede, Uurtigernus was his Latin
name. As Vortigern means 'overlord', it may have been a title rather than a
name (see: ARTHUR, KING - THE HISTORICAL) but this is by no means certain. He
was connected with central Wales, south Wales and possibly Gloucester, from
whose alleged founder he was thought to be descended. It cannot be stated with
certainty over how much of Britain his sway extended, but he is generally
regarded as historical, though H. Butler thinks it quite possible that he is
purely legendary. Nennius says he began to reign in AD 425. He may have
married a daughter of Maximus, the rebel Roman emperor who led an expedition
from Britain to the Continent. He is credited with sons called Vortimer,
Catigern, Pascent and Faustus. It was Geoffrey who made him the usurping king
of Britain who invited the Saxons as mercenaries against invading Picts and
Scots and to fend off the waves of Saxon invaders who periodically encroached
on British shores. The Saxon mercenaries soon became greedy for more and more
lands and began inviting more of their own kind to join them. Vortigern
attempted to arrange a peaceful meeting between the Saxons and Britons at
Stonehenge, but the Saxons brought hidden weapons into the council and, at a
signal, rose up and massacred the unarmed Britons. Vortigern was spared and
fled to Wales where he attempted to build a tower, which would not stand
however. Merlin Emrys explained that it was because of the warring dragons,
one red and one white, which lay beneath the foundations. They represented the
warring nations of Britons and Saxons. A poor king, Vortigern fled again and
was displaced for a while by his son, Vortimer. He was finally caught and
killed by the rightful king Ambrosius and his brother, Uther. In one version
Vortigern is thought to have perished in a fire in his tower or of a broken
heart. He is possibly identical with the unnamed proud tyrant mentioned by
Gildas. # 156 - 242 - 243 - 454 - 484 - 589 - 630 - 697 VORTIMER The son of Vortigern, he replaced his father for a while. He opposed the
Saxons and said that, when he died, he should be buried in the place at which
the Saxons most frequently landed and a statue of him be erected to frighten
them off. According to Geoffrey, Vortimer's countrymen did not comply. TRIAD
37, however, avers that his bones were buried in the chief British ports.
Other traditions suggests that a statue of him was put up at Dover.
Commentators such as Brodeur regard Vortimer as a purely fictional character.
# 104 - 156 - 243 - 697 VOYAGE OF MAELDUIN See: MAELDUIN.