Lancelot Of The Lake, a hero of British mythology, one of the knights of King Arthur's round table. He was brought up at the court of Vivien, the Lady of the Lake, whence his surname. He became Arthur's favorite knight; and when the king was about to marry, he was sent to conduct the royal bride, Guinevere, to the court. Afterward he is represented as carrying on an intrigue with the queen, which is the origin of most of his adventures. He is the subject of a celebrated romance by an unknown author, which was originally written in Latin, and was translated into Anglo-Norman by Walter Mapes in the latter part of the 12th century. Tennyson has used the character of Lancelot more than any other modern poet, making him the hero of two of the "Idyls of the King," viz., "Elaine" and "Guinevere." Elaine, " the lily maid of Astolat," preserves his shield in her chamber, which he had exchanged for her brother's when he went to tilt for the great diamond, dreaming over it, and finally dies broken-hearted because her love for Lancelot is not returned.