Ygraine

Igraine
Matter of Britain character
Merlin taking away the infant Arthur from Igraine. An illustration by N. C. Wyeth for The Boy's King Arthur (1922): "So the child was delivered unto Merlin, and so he bare it forth."
Information
Aliases	Igerna
Gender	Female
Spouse(s)	Uther Pendragon, Gorlois
Children	King Arthur
Nationality	British

In the Matter of Britain, Igraine /ɪˈɡreɪnˌ iːˈɡreɪn/ is the mother of King Arthur. She is also known in Latin as Igerna, in Welsh as Eigyr, in French as Igerne, in Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur as Ygrayne— often modernized as Igraine—and in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival as Arnive. She becomes the wife of Uther Pendragon, but her first husband was Gorlois; her daughters by Gorlois are Elaine, Morgause and Morgan le Fay.

In medieval Welsh literature and genealogical tracts Eigyr is one of several children of Amlawdd Wledig. Her siblings include Gwyar, the mother of Gwalchmai (Gawain), who is mentioned in Culhwch and Olwen. The same source mentions Gormant son of Rica, half-brother to Arthur on his Mother's side, his father the chief elder of Cornwall.

In the Historia Regum Britanniae, Igerna enters the story as the wife of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall. King Uther Pendragon falls in love with her and attempts to force his attentions on her at his court. She informs her husband, who departs with her to Cornwall without asking leave. This sudden departure gives Uther Pendragon an excuse to make war on Gorlois. Gorlois conducts the war from the castle of Dimilioc but places his wife in safety in the castle of Tintagel.