Arthurian Medievalism in "Cursed"

 Netflix's Cursed and it's Connection to King Arthur

The intro image for Cursed (1).

What even is Cursed, anyway? 

Cursed, a Netflix series that aired in 2020, aimed to accomplish the difficult task of reimagining the Arthurian World. It introduces audiences to a powerful female main character, Nimue.Those who have previous knowledge on the Arthurian World and its characters may be surprised to know that Nimue is a young girl with magical powers who eventually becomes the Lady of the Lake. Another worthy note is that these magical powers have resulted in Nimue surviving the massacre of her entire village. The story follows Nimue as she goes on a journey to deliver a powerful sword to another familiar character: legendary wizard, Merlin. He is not the only one- and audiences can expect to encounter many names they may know from the Arthurian world, like King Arthur and knights of the Round Table. 

So... here's why that's not a completely different story.

Netflix's Nimue holding the Excalibur,
parallel to a portrayal of Lady of the Lake (3).

While no one expects retellings, or "reimaginings" to be the same exact thing as the original, people also tend to look past the inspiration for these kinds of storytellings. Cursed explores many of the most important topics seen in different Arthurian stories, like magical and supernatural elements, destiny, and Arthurian mythology. It relies heavily on fantasy and adventure, while still sticking to some of the historical aspects about what is known of the Arthurian world. 

Let's Get Down to the Connections: 

For one thing, the sword that Nimue is desperately trying to deliver to Merlin is also known as the Excalibur, the sword that is so frequently mentioned in the tale "From the Marriage of King Arthur Unto King Arthur." In almost all Arthurian versions, this sword is used to foster the plot point of Nimue and Merlin's relationship, no matter Nimue's identity (she has also been named as Viviane, Vivien, and Ninianne) and no matter how their relationship varies. Still, though, Netflix undoubtedly gives Nimue's character much more depth by allowing her to take the center of the story with her journey to delivering the sword. This is opposite to Arthurian texts, where Lady of the Lake is more of a mysterious proxy for the sword rather than a character with her own story. With this modern take, she is portrayed as a warrior and essential figue to solving the conflict of the story; this is something very uncommon in Arthurian texts read thus far. 

A gathering of the Fey on Netflix's Cursed (2).

A mythical connection audiences can see both in the show and Arthurian texts is the magical/supernatural component within the characters. In Cursed, Nimue's family is connected to the "hidden," which also references the "Fey," a different race in this storyline, most notable for their magical abilities and red hair. Those associated with the Fey have the power to spellcast, shapeshift, and control nature. Many Arthurian texts include characters with similar magical abilities, like Merlin in the texts, the Lady of the Lake in the texts, along with magical/supernatural creatures like faeries, dragons, giants, and beasts. 

Finally, some of the more obvious elements seen in both this TV show and Arthurian texts include enchantments/spells, often performed by Merlin, enchanted objects like swords, and prophecies and quests. As we know, prophecies obviously end up shaping the course of destiny for characters and frequently lead to consequences if not followed. One can think of Lancelot and Guinevere being destined to each other causing their struggles in Arthurian texts. Audiences can see this play out in Cursed as well, as the main conflict of the story is caused by a prophecy in the antagonist group, The Red Paladins, where they were told their destiny is to eliminate the Fey and their magical powers. 

Final Thoughts: 

Cursed is a great, feminist take on some of the aspects of the Arthurian world that everyone has come to know and love. Experienced critics aren't too impressed, but like all pieces of Arthurian art, that is for audiences to decide. Unfortunately, Netflix decided not to renew the show for a second season, likely due to the expectations and comparisons to actual Arthurian texts. The trailer for the first season, though, is linked below for audiences' interests.

Works Cited

1. "Cursed (Netflix) Main Theme." YouTube, uploaded by Proper Music, 17 Jul 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=taQIUmGf9Cc.  

 

2. "Fey" Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 03 June 2021, https://cursed.fandom.com/wiki/Fey. 

 

3. Westenfeld, Adrienne. "How Netflix's Cursed Twists the Ancient Arthurian Stories of Nimue, The Lady of the Lake." Esquire, 17 Jul 2020, https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a33336609/who-is-nimue-cursed-netflix-lady-of-the-lake-legend/.