# The Lady — Phantastes character guide > The Lady in Phantastes by George MacDonald. **Role:** major **Also known as:** herself, thou, thee, thy, The lady, Thou **First appearance:** 0003-phantastes ## Snapshot A woman of haunting beauty who appears within the mirror's depths and draws the beholder into a love that may be his undoing. ## Who they are She exists at the boundary between reflection and reality, seen but not easily reached, and her beauty carries a warning that other men have already failed to heed. Her power lies in her elusiveness: she is desired, sought, and never quite possessed, and those who love her are changed or destroyed by the wanting. She is the still center of the early and middle story, the object of the quest that gives the wanderer's journey its shape and its peril. ## Relationships ### [Cosmo von Wehrstahl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters/cosmo_von_wehrstahl) _romantic_ Cosmo is deeply infatuated with the Lady, pursuing her with intense romantic longing and magical obsession. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _psychological_ The Lady appears as a haunting, ethereal figure who captivates and unsettles the narrator. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters/v) _social_ The Lady and V have a distant, formal acquaintance, with V showing deference to her mysterious presence. ### [The Woman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters/the_woman) _rivalry_ The Lady and the Woman are antithetical figures, representing light and dark femininity in conflict. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _psychological_ The Lady appears as a haunting, ethereal figure who captivates and unsettles the narrator. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _psychological_ The Lady appears as a haunting, ethereal figure who captivates and unsettles the narrator. ### [Cosmo von Wehrstahl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters/cosmo_von_wehrstahl) _romantic_ Cosmo is deeply infatuated with the Lady, pursuing her with intense romantic longing and magical obsession. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters/v) _social_ The Lady and V have a distant, formal acquaintance, with V showing deference to her mysterious presence. ### [Cosmo von Wehrstahl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters/cosmo_von_wehrstahl) _romantic_ Cosmo is deeply infatuated with the Lady, pursuing her with intense romantic longing and magical obsession. ### [The Woman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters/the_woman) _rivalry_ The Lady and the Woman are antithetical figures, representing light and dark femininity in conflict. ## In the story ### [Phantastes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/phantastes) The fairy lady who appears from the secretary and guides the narrator into Fairy Land. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/i) A tiny woman who emerges from the secretary, transforms into a tall, beautiful lady, and promises Anodos entry into Fairy Land. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/v) The hostess from the previous night, remembered with compunction and hope of future meeting. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/vi) The white lady of the marble, who appears in the wood and leads Anodos to a cave. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/xiii) Appears in the mirror as a beautiful, sorrowful figure lying on the couch, seemingly trapped and suffering. ### [The Hall of Statues](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/xiv) The marble beauty from the cave, seen in a dream standing on a black pedestal in the tenth hall. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/xv) Referred to as 'Isis' and the unseen presence; her form is gradually revealed through the narrator's song. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/xvi) The statue that comes to life during the song, then flees after being touched, crying reproachfully. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/xviii) The white lady is remembered with deep longing and tenderness; she is the object of the narrator's thoughts. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/xix) The knight's beloved, who was awakened by the narrator's songs and expresses gratitude and love. ### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/xxii) The child whose globe was broken is now a woman who sings and delivers people through her songs; she frees Anodos and forgives him. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/xxiv) The lady weeps over the narrator's coffin and later kisses the primrose into which the narrator has transformed. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters/the_lady - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/phantastes_se/characters