Most people think of the Lady of the Lake as being the woman who's hand comes out of the water and delivers the sword in that one cool scene. While this is generally true, several women, who are often blurred in the legends, all carry this title. Some names include Viviane, Eviene, Viviene, Nimue, and Nina. In Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur she is the woman who gives Arthur Excalibur and later takes it back when it is thrown into the water. In some works she is responsible for raising Lancelot, and sometimes curing his madness. She is also Merlin's downfall in Le Morte D'Arthur, the Vulgate Cycle and other various forms of the legend. She enchants Merlin with the magic he taught her. In Malory, she is killed in Arthur's court by Balin, but later reappears, which leads to the speculation that the Lady of the Lake is a sort of title. Marion Zimmer Bradley uses this idea to its full advantage in her feminist revision of the tales, THE MISTS OF AVALON (a must read!!!). The Lady of the Lake plays a crucial role in this text.