The mistress of Avalon

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The Mistress of Avalon is a fantasy novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley from 1996. Its original English title is Lady of Avalon . Along with several other novels, it deals with part of the prehistory of the bestseller The Mists of Avalon , in which the Arthurian legend is retold. This novel was not as successful as the rest of the novels in the series.

theme

This Avalon novel is the link between the novels The Forests of Albion and The Mists of Avalon . It consists of three episodes, one each from the first, third and fifth centuries AD. The first part is a direct continuation of The Forests of Albion and describes the further fate of Gawen and the high priestess Caillean. Among other things, it explains how and why the apple island Avalon was veiled in the mists of space and time in order to separate it from the outside world. The conflict between Christians and pagans comes to the fore and you can clearly feel the inner conflict between the individual figures. The second part describes the attempts of the high priestess Dierna, with the help of the Roman naval admiral Carausius, to protect Britain from the invading hordes of the Saxons . The third and last part is about Viviane and other characters from The Mists of Avalon and is therefore the direct prehistory to this book.

action

The story takes place in the period from AD 96 to 452 in ancient Britain . The novel tells the stories of the three high priestesses Caillean, Dierna and Viviane, and consists of three parts, with the stories being dealt with independently of one another but in chronological order.

Part 1: The High Priestess (AD 96–118):

In AD 96, Avalon is the last refuge of the ancient Celtic beliefs , while Roman rule extends over the rest of Britain . The druids and priestesses of Avalon still live in harmony with the first Christians on the island, and their sanctuary is also initially respected by the Romans. However, this changes over time.

The narrative begins exactly where the previous novel The Forests of Albion ends. After Eilan, Gawen's mother, dies in a bloody conflict with the Romans, the high priestess Caillean decides to bring young Gawen to the island of Avalon. Gawen is trained as a bard by old bard Branno.

With Gawen's arrival on the island of Avalon, a mysterious, unknown woman, simply called “fairy”, appears, who greets him with the words “Son of the Hundred Kings, be welcome to us and to Avalon” and thus raises questions about his future destiny . In exchange for her daughter Sienna being trained to be a priestess on Avalon, she initiates Gawen in the arts that are necessary to survive and gives him mysterious clues about his future. Gawen and Sienna grow up together on Avalon and a deep friendship develops between the two.

But shortly before Gawen is to be ordained a priest, he fled Avalon to join his grandfather Marcellius Severus in Deva and to serve as a soldier in the Roman army. However, he returns to Avalon a few months later. After his experiences in Rome it became clear to him that his destiny lies in Avalon. Shortly after his return, Gawen is ordained a priest after several tests. At the following Beltane celebration , he married Sienna, who had been ordained a priestess a year earlier.

After the Romans find their way to Avalon with the help of Christian monks in order to bring back the deserter Gawen, fighting ensues. Gawen is seriously wounded while trying to protect the island's sanctuary from desecration. In order to protect the island of Avalon from further attacks by the Romans and Christians, the high priestess Caillean and the "fairy" decide to summon the powers of the gods and with their help to shift the island far enough in time and space and to cover it in fog, to detach them from the human world. In the rapture of the island of Avalon, Gawen invested his last strength, dies and is buried on Avalon.

Gawen and Sienna have a daughter together. Sienna becomes the direct successor of Caillean.

Part 2: The ruler (285–293 AD):

The high priestess Dierna rides with some followers to Durnovaria to bring the youngest daughter of Prince Eiddin Mynoc, Teleri, to Avalon. On the journey home to Avalon, the high priestess Dierna, Teleri and their followers are attacked by Saxon pirates , with the majority of the followers being killed. Dierna and Teleri are initially captured as hostages, but escape when a pirate tries to rape Teleri and arrive safely in Avalon.

As the pirates make the seas of Britain more and more unsafe and more and more brazenly attack the merchants' ships, the high priestess Dierna, accompanied by Teleri, meets with Carausius, a Roman naval admiral , to discuss the situation and how to proceed. Before that, Carausius is miraculously saved by Dierna in a severe storm and then becomes her ally.

After Carausius and Teleri are married, Carausius calls together a large fleet to defend the cities of Britain from the invading hordes of the Saxons . But the Romans get ahead of him when they are looking for him to judge him because he has turned away from the Roman emperor to instead fight the Saxons. After initial victories, Carausius fails, dies after being betrayed from his own ranks to the Romans and is buried on Avalon next to Gawen.

Part 3: The Daughter (A.D. 440–452):

Christianity is now radically represented in England, and many heretics are stoned. The priestesses have withdrawn to their sanctuary on Avalon more than ever before. Britain is being attacked again and again by the strengthened Germanic tribes (Saxons).

The main character Viviane grows up with foster parents until the bard Taliesin brings her to Avalon on behalf of her mother, the high priestess Ana, because she is needed by her mother after her sister Anara has died. As the only survivor of Ana's three daughters, only Viviane can now be considered as heir.

The high priestess Ana gives birth to another daughter, Igraine, whom she fathered with Taliesin. Viviane is then ordained a priestess after several tests.

The country itself is shattered and urgently needs a new ruler to unite it. Vortigern's son, Vortimer, turns to the high priestess Ana and asks her for a prediction and her support. Ana makes sure that Vortimer connects with her daughter Viviane. After Vortimer fought a decisive battle against the Teutons, he too dies and leaves Viviane pregnant. Almost at the same time, the high priestess Ana also becomes pregnant. Viviane gives birth to a daughter, Eilantha, who dies three months later. The high priestess Ana gives birth to another daughter, Morgause, and dies in this birth. Viviane takes care of her mother's child. This drives Ana's beloved lover, Taliesin, to offer his body as the vessel for the Merlin of Britain. Together with Viviane, Merlin swears to keep the way clear for the coming king, Arthur.

Viviane succeeds her mother and becomes the new high priestess of Avalon.

The last words of this book clarify the meaning of Avalon: “The light of one soul is the light of all souls. It shall not be lost to humanity as long as you, who are looking for ancient knowledge, find the island called Avalon. "

people

  • Caillean: A high priestess of Avalon, her real name is Lon dub, black bird. She comes from Eriu ( Ireland ), where she was one of many children. She later meets Eilan and develops a close bond with her. They had been sisters and knowledgeable people from Atlantis in previous lives. Caillean's name was Isarma. After Eilan's death, she takes her son Gawen to the island of Avalon as an adopted son.
  • Gawen: Son of Eilan and Gaius and the only survivor of a bloody confrontation with the Romans in The Forests of Albion . He is brought to the island of Avalon by the high priestess Caillean, who takes him in as a foster son, and trained there as a merlin. When the Nazarenes destroy the holy gate and at the same time the Romans come to Avalon to take Gawen, he is badly wounded. He invests his last strength in rapturing Avalon from the human world and is buried on Avalon.
  • Fee: She appears as an unknown and mysterious woman when Gawen arrives on Avalon Island. She instructs Gawen in the wisdom one needs for everyday survival. The fairy was there before the first knowing came from Atlantis. She has seen and experienced more than anyone. The fairy once comforted Caillean after she was raped by singing her to the sleep of oblivion with the song of Lon-Dub, the little blackbird.
  • Sienna: The daughter of the fairy and a mortal, is trained to be a priestess on the island of Avalon and is married to Gawen. She is the direct successor to Caillean.
  • Dierna: High Priestess of Avalon. When considering how to protect Britain from the Saxons, she meets Carausius.
  • Teleri: The youngest daughter of Lord Eiddin Mynoc is trained on Avalon. But instead of ordaining her priestess, she is married to Carausius in order to establish a connection between Avalon and Rome.
  • Carausius : Roman naval admiral who miraculously rescued by Dierna during a severe storm and then becomes her ally. He is married to Teleri and dies in heavy fighting after being betrayed to the Romans. He is buried on Avalon next to Gawen.
  • Viviane: Mistress of the lake and the direct successor of her mother Ana, the high priestess of Avalon. Growing up with foster parents until Taliesin picks her up on her mother's behalf because she needs her there after her two older sisters have died.
  • Ana: the high priestess of Avalon and mother of Viviane, dies giving birth to her last daughter.
  • Taliesin : singer and seer, lover of Ana. He is the father of Ana's youngest two daughters.
  • Vortimer : son of Vortigern, is married to Viviane and dies in the fight against the Saxons.
  • Igraine : daughter of the high priestess Ana and later mother of Morgaine and King Arthur.
  • Morgause : The last daughter of the high priestess Ana, at whose birth Ana dies. Morgause is raised by Viviane. She is the future aunt of Morgaine.

Composition and narrative style

It becomes clear how the rites of the priests and priestesses, their relationship to the Romans and that to the Christians change over time. The stories often tell of battles against the Saxons, Angles and Romans, with the respective war heroes perishing. Social and cultural issues are also addressed, including: a. rape of women is mentioned several times. It is an omniscient narrative form .

expenditure