The Lady of the Lake's guise as a water fay also makes her somewhat similar to Melusine.Р”Р„ number of locations in Great Britain are traditionally associated with the Lady of the Lake's abode. The Greek theme may have influenced or originated the tradition the epic poem Iliad which features Thetis was popular both with the Romans, who occupied and colonized Great Britain and Brittany, and with the medieval scholars who wrote down the Celtic Mythology and oral traditions. Thetis uses magic to make her son invulnerable to harm and later gives him a shield and armor forged by the god Hephaestus, while the Arthurian character gives Lancelot a ring that protects him from all magic and delivers Excalibur to King Arthur. Thetis' husband is Peleus, while the Lady of the Lake takes the knight Pelleas as her lover in some versions. Like the Lady of the Lake, Thetis is an aquatic spirit who raises the greatest warrior of her time (in this case, her son Achilles). The character has some similarities to the sea nymph Thetis of Greek mythology. It has been suggested that these three works are derived from a lost tradition of Lancelot, which is perhaps best preserved in Ulrich's version. There, the Lady of the Lake fosters the infant Lancelot after his father Ban has been killed fighting against his enemy Claudas. Lancelot's life with the Lady of the Lake is detailed in the German Lanzelet by Ulrich von Zatzikhoven and the Prose Lancelot Proper, which was later expanded into the Lancelot-Grail Cycle. The first mention of Avalon, a magical island with which the Lady and Morgan are frequently associated, is in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae Geoffrey says Arthur's sword Caliburn was forged there, and says Arthur was taken to the isle after his battle with Mordred to have his wounds healed.Р”В¬hrР“В©tien de Troyes mentions in his romance Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart that Lancelot had been raised by a water fay who gave him a magic-resisting ring.

The Lady of the Lake's origins are probably ancient and modern, like Morgan le Fay's, and she and Morgan may have ultimately derived from the same tradition. The character appears in many other episodes of Malory's work.

Sir Thomas Malory also uses both Ladies of the Lake in his Le Morte d'Arthur he leaves the first one unnamed and calls the second one Nimue. The Post-Vulgate's second Lady of the Lake is called 'Ninianne', and her story is nearly identical to the one in the Lancelot-Grail. Instead, Balin chops off her head, and is banished from court. Some time later, she shows up at court and demands Arthur put the knight Sir Balin to death, explaining her family has had an ongoing blood feud with his.

The first of these gives Arthur his sword Excalibur after he breaks his first one, but she demands he repay the favor at the time of her choosing. The Post-Vulgate Cycle omits the entire account of Lancelot's early adventures found in the Lancelot-Grail, and splits the Lady of the Lake's character in two. Because he could see the future, he knew this would happen, but was powerless to avoid it. She refuses to give him her love until he has taught her all his secrets, but when he does, she uses her power to trap him either in the trunk of a tree or beneath a stone, depending on the version. There, Viviane learns her magic from Merlin, who becomes enamored of her. The Lancelot-Grail Cycle provides a backstory for the Lady of the Lake, 'Viviane', in the Prose Merlin section, which takes place before the Lancelot Proper, though it was written later.

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