There are eighty-million names for this
infamous lady. Such an important part of the
Arthurian legend, where there is so much
speculation over whether or not there was an
Arthur Pendragon to build so many stories around, she is one of the four key players in the history.
Morgaine,
Morgana La Fey,
Morgan of the Faeries,
Lady of the Lake and any number of combinations of those are her names that have been passed down over the ages. There is also a very thin line between her story and the legend of the
Morrigan. Perhaps that is why she was given this name. Also, it is possible she was the
Lady of the Lake, who gave
King Arthur the sword
Excalibur, his magic
scabbard, and led him to the
Otherworld when his time in this land was finished.
Whatever name you choose to give her, her place in the legend changes very little. Daughter of Gorlois and Igraine, she was supposedly raised between the castle of Tintagel and the fairytale island of Avalon. She was to be raised with her aunt Morgause(the names are easily confused), her mother's sister. A small dark child, she was quick-witted and began training to be a priestess under her mother's much older sister, Viviane.
As the old goddess-based faith was trying to stand their ground in Briton against the new-fangled Christianity, there was a lot of manipulation on the side of Merlin and Viviane. Through whatever means, they pushed Gorlois aside aand made it possible for the newly made king, Uther, to seduce, impregnate, and marry Igraine. From them came the child Gwydion, who we know now as Arthur. Thus, Morgan and Arthur were siblings.
Fostering was a very big deal back then, most hierarchy had their children raised in homes of their higher officials. So at an earliy age, Morgan and Arthur were separated, her going to the Isle of Avalon, and him being sent to Lot to be raised alongside Kay. They forgot one another's existance, not recognizing each other many years later while performing a fertility rite. At least this is the story according to Bradley. From this came the child Mordred, an evil character from the moment of his incestual birth.
Through their lives, there would always be power plays between the two siblings, but what was at stake was the whole of Briton. So I leave it to those like Malory to tell the rest of the tales.
The family line of Morgan Le Fey, as I have it, is daughter of Igraine and Gorlois, grandaughter of Merlin, niece of Morgause and Viviane, sister to Arthur, mother of Mordred, cousin to Lancelot, Gareth, Gawaine, Gaheris, and Agravaine. See, you need to read the tales for yourself.