A brief article on the Lady of the Lake and the other Gods of the Old World, based on what Games Workshop have said both in the Army Book and in White Dwarf (in particular, the article on Relgion in the Old World from WD 279).

The Lady of the Lake

It is undeniable that the worship of the Lady of the Lake, led by the mysterious figure of the Fey Enchantress and by the Grail Knights, is the dominant religion of Bretonnia.  This worship is all-pervasive throughout the cities and the countryside and from the meanest peasants to the greatest nobles.

The worship of the Lady has many aspects - ponds and groves of trees are sacred to her, and the early Bretonni worshipped her as an earth-goddess, but she is most please by chivalric behaviour and will bless those knights who follow the Commands of Chivalry.  Alone among the deities of the Old World, the Lady of the Lake actually appears corporeally to her most devoted followers - those Questing Knights who have proved brave enough and honourable enough to meet with her and drink from the Grail that she is said to bear.

Before embarking on the Quest for the Grail, and sometimes before other adventures, a knight will be "Shriven and Housled".  Being shriven involves a confession of their sins to a Grail Knight, after which they receive an assurance of the Lady's forgiveness - they have been shriven of their sins. Being housled means receiving the Sacrament of the Lady.  This is a translucent wafer that has been blessed by the Lady and which is carried by her Damsels and Prophetesses.  Eating it is said to bring on ecstatic visions of Grail Knights of the past, and in particular of Gilles the Uniter and the Companions of the Grail.  This Sacrament is also sometimes carried into battle by the Damsels and Prophetesses, where it enables the Bretonnians to call upon the Power of the Lady in casting their spells.

Another mystery surrounds the figure of the Green Knight. This figure appears in places such as groves or pools that are sacred to the Lay when they are threatened by evil. Some say that he is be Gilles the Uniter, send back by the Lady to continue protecting the land, while others say that he is a true spirit, and of supernatural origin. The Green Knight serves a second purpose as well - he issues the final challenge, "None Shall Pass!" to those who seek the Grail. They must defeat him - although killing him is impossible - before they can drink from the sacred chalice.

The Lady of the Lake does not fit into the normal pantheon of the human races of the Old World, any more than does Sigmar of the Empire, but where Sigmar was a man who was elevated to godhead, the origins of the Lady are unknown. Some have theorised that she may be an aspect of the Elven goddess Isha, others that she is a manifestation of Myrmidia - but while she has aspects of both of these goddesses, neither matches her nature and, moreover, they would not explain the geographical link between her and the land of Bretonnia.

Yet the 'land of Bretonnia' has been taken on occasion to encompass both the realm of that name and the elven forest of Athel Loren that lies within the same mountarin borders.  Could the Lady be linked to the wood elves?  Indeed the early Bretonnians believed her to be the queen of a race of earth-spirits - could these be similar to the forest-spirits that share the forest with the elves?  It has also often been said that the Fey Enchantress has some of the appearance of an elf - could she be one sent forth into Bretonnia by the Lady? Whatever the truth of this speculation, it is certainly the case that the wood elves know no more of it than the Bretonnians and that unless the Lady chooses to reveal more, then none shall be able to discover it.

2. The Gods of the Old World

Another interesting aspect of Bretonnian religion is the extent to which the other traditional Gods of the Old World - such as Taal and Ulric - have been displaced by the Lady of the Lake.  Before battles, the Bretonnians will pray neither to Ulric nor to Myrmidia, but to the Lady of the Lake.  Natural places such as groves and pools are sacred not to Taal, but to the Lady of the Lake. Peasants may be buried by the priests of Morr, but when a noble dies they will be entombed in the crypt of a Grail Chapel consecrated to the Lady of the Lake. The Lady of the Lake is not considered an equal to the other gods but rather, within the borders of Bretonnia, to be the supreme deity.

But this is not to say that the other gods have no place within Bretonnia.  The sea-god Manann is worshipped in the coastal areas without this being seen to conflict with the worship of the Lady.  The greatest temple to him is in Bordeleaux, Bretonnia's greatest port, and the duke of that city bears his symbol of a trident upon his shield.  Indeed, it is said here that he appeared corporally and fought alongside the first Duke of Bordeleaux against raiders from across the seas - a claim, needless to say, that is not believed by followers of Manaan outside of Bretonnia!  He is also worshipped in the other port cities of L'Anguille and Brionne - but it is always clear that his realm is the sea and that the land is the Lady's, and a good Bretonnian will make prayers to both before venturing aboard ship.

Another god worshipped by some in Bretonnia is Ranald, the trickster god.  In particular, he is seen as the patron of jongleurs and other entertainers - along with other, shadier professions.  The worship of Verena is uncommon but not unknown, for learning is not prized greatly in Bretonnia and justice is normally dispensed by the local lords rather than by independant magistrates, but those few that do persue learning will sometimes look to this goddess rather than to the Lady.