Longevity and the Loathly Ladies in Three Medieval Romances

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The Arthurian loathly lady offers insight into varying effects of female longevity, including marriage between old women and young men. The power of old women is assumed, resisted, and used to interrogate dynastic issues in these three romances. Differing attitudes to unusually powerful female characters reflect distinct cultural concerns and values.