Acrasia: The Antagonist of Book 2 in The Faerie Queene

Jason

July 7, 2022

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Acrasia is the driving force behind the narrative in book 2 of The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser. She is an evil sorceress who lures men through sexual seduction away from their wives and families.

It was Acrasia who killed Sir Mordant, causing his wife Amavia to kill herself, and leaving their baby and orphan.

It is Sir Guyon, after hearing this story, who makes it his quest to stop Acrasia.

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Acrasia lives in a location called the Bower of Bliss, which is an idyllic paradise, but not one that is ultimately a pleasant place to stay. In fact, many of the men she seduces eventually turn into beasts on this island, harkening back to Homer’s Odyssey.

Acrasia’s name means “giving into desire” and “badly mixed”, which is ironic since her name is kind of a mixture of Latin and Greek.

See our complete list of Arthurian characters for more entries like this one.

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Author

Jason is a huge storytelling nerd devoted to cataloguing storytelling in all its forms. He loves mythology, history, and geek culture. When he's not writing books (see his work at MythHQ.com), his favorite hobbies include hiking, spending time with his wife and daughters, and traveling.