By the Gods!

Guinevere

She was the wife and queen of Arthur, but the lover of Lancelot. You all know the story, and it’s a sad one. If you don’t know the details, (and indeed the details differ in the many tellings of the story) all you need to know is that any time, in any Arthurian tale, that both Guinevere and Lancelot are present, they’re gonna get busy, and it’s gonna get nasty. Her Welsh name, Gwenhwyfar, meant “white spirit,” though as with the story of Arthur, the Christian interpretation of the myth (which we will discuss here) is the popular one, growing in fame since middle-age retellings set western Europe aflame between the 11th and 16th centuries. 

Guinevere was the daughter of Leodegrance, a Scottish lord that Arthur aided in his wars against the Irish. As compensation for the help, ol’ Leo gave Arthur the beautiful Guinevere in marriage. They were happy for a while, but Guinevere couldn’t take her eyes off of Lancelot, the most handsome and mighty of Arthur’s knights. They began a secret affair, and when it was discovered by Arthur, Guinevere was sentenced to death. Lancelot saved her in heroic fashion at the eleventh hour, and slew many of Arthur’s knights in the process. Arthur was rightly pissed, and Lancelot fled to Brittany (the northwestern coast of France) and was there besieged by Arthur. While these shenanigans were going on, Guinevere, at home in Britain, was forced to marry the wicked Mordred, who would eventually be the opponent in Arthur’s last battle, the result of which was the death of chivalry in Britain forever after. 

Some compare Guinevere to Helen of Troy, which is a pretty apt comparison, if you ask me. They were both renowned for their beauty, and the lust of powerful men over them tore nations apart.