Here’s the Real Legend Behind Nimue, the Lady of the Lake in Netflix’s 'Cursed' (2024)

This article contains spoilers from the first season of 'Cursed.'

For fans looking something to fill the Witcher-sized hole in their hearts, Netflix has come in clutch, granting the release of the first season of Cursed. Based on the graphic novel by Tom Wheeler and Frank Miller, the story follows Nimue (Katherine Langford), a young woman with mysterious magic who is tasked with bringing an ancient magical sword to the legendary wizard Merlin. With some assistance from those she meets along the way (including a young mercenary named Arthur), she eventually becomes the Lady of the Lake, destined for greatness and tragedy.

As you binge the series, you might be asking yourself a few questions. Who is Nimue? Was she real? How come I’ve never heard of her? Well, you might not know much about her, but she does have roots in the Arthurian legends. Except… her story is slightly different than what you see on TV.

Here are some tidbits about Nimue and her journey to becoming the Lady of the Lake, according to the world of King Arthur:

The Lady of the Lake is famous for giving a magical sword to King Arthur.

At the end of the first episode, viewers see Nimue accept a quest from her dying mother to deliver an ancient magical sword to Merlin. As the series goes on, viewers discover she is the one destined to wield the sword and save her people from being eradicated. Although it’s not explicitly mentioned, Arthurian legends dictate there to be only one magical sword—and it’s one that the Lady of the Lake gives to King Arthur.

Sir Thomas Malory’s 1485 anthology The History of the Knights of the Round Table (more commonly known as Le Morte d'Arthur) explains that the Lady of the Lake holds a sword called Excalibur in the water and offers to give it to Arthur in exchange for fulfilling a request at a different point. She later comes to the Royal court and asks Arthur to kill Sir Balin, whom she blames for the death of her brother, which he refuses. The Lady of the Lake ends up being killed with the magical sword, and after Arthur gives her a funeral, allows one of his knights to go after her murderer to avenge her death.

In another version of the legend, Nimue ends up reclaiming Excalibur in King Arthur’s final battle after Sir Bedivere threw it in the water. She eventually takes Arthur (who is severely wounded at this point) and brings him to the island of Avalon to help him recover from battle.

Nimue and Merlin have a very different relationship in the legend.

When Nimue and Merlin meet in the fifth episode, she asks the wizard why her mother instructed her to bring him the sword. By the end, viewers learn that not only did he and her mother have a relationship, but Nimue is actually Merlin’s daughter.

Although it’s somewhat of a tender moment in the midst of all the grit, it doesn’t match up to the legend. In Malory’s anthology, he writes that Nimue trapped Merlin under a rock after realizing he fell in love with her. As she was done with him constantly making sexual moves, she eventually gets rid of him and becomes Arthur’s new magical adviser at the court.

Nimue only appears when there are significant changes.

As one can see from the show, Nimue came to be the Lady of the Lake when the Fey people are about to become extinct. And while she eventually dies trying to save them, the fact that she showed up when they were in need of change is not that far off from the legend. Anytime Nimue shows up in Malory’s anthology, she comes at a pivotal moment, with the hint that something is about to change, whether it be Arthur’s wedding to Guinevere or helping Arthur and his knights to achieve their quests. She is also seen at one point being able to sway the court on the “right” path.