The Mists of Avalon

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The Mists of Avalon (. English title The Mists of Avalon ) is a fantasy - novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley , who at first 1982 , Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York City was moved.

The bestseller is an interpretation of the Arthurian legend and is told from the point of view of Morgaine , Arthur's half-sister. Because of this perspective and the content, a strong feminist - esoteric discussion of the novel took place. The story was continued in four further volumes, two of which were published posthumously, the last was completed by Diana L. Paxson .

content

theme

The main theme of the book is the fall of Avalon, which is described as the sacred island of the Celtic priestesses , megaliths and the apple blossoms , "a sacred place between the worlds of gods and mortals". Marion Zimmer Bradley describes the decline in the importance of this center of Celtic religion as "sliding away into the mists of time", from which the title is derived.

people

Main female characters:

  • Viviane - mistress of the lake ; Mother: Ana von Avalon; Igraines and Morgause's half-sister; Aunt of Morgaine and Arthur; Mother of three sons (one of whom is Lancelot ); murdered by Balin, the foster brother of her own son Balan;
  • Igraine - daughter of Ana and Taliesin; as Gorlois' wife, Duchess of Cornwall, after her second marriage to Uther Pendragon, Great Queen of Britain, Viviane's half-sister and Morgause's sister; Mother of Morgaine and Arthur; went to the monastery in despair after the death of her second husband Uther;
  • Morgause - Queen of the Scottish Isles from Orkney ; Lot's wife; Viviane's half-sister and Igraine's sister; Aunt of Morgaine and Arthur; takes away the child from Morgaine and is not also Mordred's foster mother at Morgaine’s request; four sons, Gawain , Gaheris, Agravaine and Gareth (the so-called Orkney brothers)
  • Morgaine - priestess of Avalon ; should actually also become the future mistress ( high priestess of Avalon); fled however (in the end she shares the office with Niniane ); Daughter of Igraine and Duke Gorlois of Cornwall on Tintagel ; Arthur's half-sister; Mordred's mother; later married to Urien , King of Rheged , at the same time she begins an affair with his son Accolon;
  • Gwenhwyfar - daughter of the English king Leodegraunce; Brother: Meliagraunce; Arthur's wife and Great Queen of Britain, childless; Lancelot's secret lover; spends the last years of her life in the monastery;

Male main characters:

  • Arthur , his first name: Gwydyon - Great King of Britain and half-brother of Morgaine; married to Gwenhwyfar, daughter of King Leodegraunce ; Igraines and Uther's son;
  • Gorlois - Duke of Cornwall; Igraines first husband and father of Morgaine; betrayed the great king Uther after he was appointed as future king by the dying King Ambrosius ;
  • Gwydyon , called Mordred by the Saxons - Morgaines and Arthur's son; grew up with Morgause at Lot's court; a controversial personality;

Knights of the Round Table:

  • Lancelot ("elf arrow") a name he got from the Saxons , earlier he was called Galahad ; Son of Viviane von Avalon, but disagreed with her plans for him - noble knight; second man in the empire; Arthur's best and most loyal friend and Gwenhwyfar's lover;
  • Gawain - Morgaus and Lot's eldest son; most famous knight at Arthur's court after Lancelot; the legendary story of the Green Knight has to do with himself (cf. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight );
  • Gareth - Morgaus and Lot's youngest son; ardent admirer of Lancelot, but is killed by his hand; Mordred's older foster brother and greatest idol;

Counselor:

Other:

  • Uther Pendragon - Great King of Britain; Igraines' second husband; Arthur's father;
  • Lot of Orkney - King of the Scottish Isles; Morgause's husband; always looking for the greatest possible benefit for yourself; would like to establish one of his sons as the successor of Arthur as Great King.
  • King Uriens of North Wales - Morgaine's husband; has three sons (including Accolon) from a previous marriage;
  • Accolon - Uriens' son; Morgaine's lover;
  • Balan - Viviane's son, Balin's foster brother;
  • Balin - Balan's foster brother and Viviane's killer;
  • Niniane - one of Taliesin's daughters and, after Viviane, mistress of the lake;
  • Nimue - eldest daughter of Lancelot and Elaine; trained in Avalon; Mistress of Kevin's; avenges Kevin's betrayal of Avalon;

action

The novel is told from different perspectives and is divided into four parts:

  • First book: The high priestess
  • Second book: the queen
  • Third book: The Stag King
  • Fourth book: the traitor

The narrating people are always directly involved in the action. Through the representation of thoughts, doubts and human weaknesses such as jealousy or vanity, the distance to the people is bridged, who are mostly only known from mythologies or medieval traditions, they appear more human and more tangible. Mythological content that is difficult to understand, the conflict between religions that are being replaced, and the transition from matriarchy to patriarchy are shown in the novel in a tangible way based on the emotional reactions of the people involved. Again and again the plot briefly changes into the first-person narration, in which the events are described from Morgaine's point of view.

The high priestess

Igraine, who lives with her younger sister Morgause in Tintagel, for the first time in a long time foresaw with her face that Viviane, the mistress of the lake , she and her husband Gorlois, who is not currently in Tintagel Castle, will visit. Viviane and Taliesin, the Merlin of Britain , tell Igraine that she must have a child from Uther Pendragon. This child would one day be the high king of Britain who could be both Christians and followers of Avalon. Igraine, who was married to the much older Christian Gorlois by Viviane for the good of Avalon, is at first appalled by the idea of ​​cheating on him. Viviane manages to persuade Igraine to travel to Londinium with Gorlois and meet Uther.

A short time after Viviane's departure, Gorlois returns and takes Igraine with him to Londinium , where the election of the new great king is to take place, since great king Ambrosius Aurelianus is dying. Igraine meets Uther Pendragon and immediately feels familiar. Her love is reciprocated, but Igraine does not cheat on her husband. When Ambrosius Aurelianus dies, it takes a while to agree on the new great king. Lot, a young power-hungry upstart from the Kingdom of Lothian, wants the title for himself. When it became clear that no one would trust Lot, let alone vote for the Great King, he left the Londinium, threatened by the Saxons, and withdrew with his armed forces to his homeland. Shortly after Uther Pendragon is elected Great King, the jealous Gorlois notices the feelings of Igraine and Uther and then fails to remain faithful to Uther in an argument. After Lot had already withdrawn, the Uthers forces against the Saxons additionally weakened, as Gorlois takes his with him, with the intention of wanting to hold Cornwall and Tintagel alone against the Saxons. He explains to Uther that they are now enemies and that he should never cross the border into his kingdom. Igraine and Gorlois secretly leave Londinium and return to Tintagel, Cornwall, to live with their three-year-old daughter Morgaine.

Finally, after a victory over the invading Saxons, there is a fight between Gorlois, the traitor, and the great king Uther, in the course of which Gorlois is killed. Then Uther immediately travels to Tintagel to explain everything to Igraine. Since Gorlois's death had not yet reached the castle, he has to resort to a ruse to be alone with Igraine. The Merlin helps Uther keep up appearances and makes Uther appear like Gorlois when he arrives, even if Igraine is not fooled. That night the child Viviane announced on behalf of Avalon is conceived and Igraine swears off her face afterwards. Uther marries Igraine and takes her and Morgaine to the Great King's castle in Caerleon. Igraine gives birth to Uther a son named Gwydyon, who later receives the Christian name Arthur.

Years later, Viviane foresaw danger to the child and, after being injured in a mysterious riding accident, decides that it must grow up far from the court. In a conversation with Morgaine she learns that it was not the first time that Gwydyon's life had been put in danger. Viviane convinces Uther that the child should grow up in seclusion and Uther agrees. Gwydyon is secretly sent to Uthers vassal Ectorius, while Morgaine, now eleven years old, is brought to the island of Avalon, where she is to be trained as Viviane's successor as mistress of the lake .

Avalon is an island in a lake. The island is constantly covered with fog, as it has been raptured from the world by druids in the course of spreading Christianity. The one who does not have the power to part the Mists reaches Glastonbury Abbey and not the Holy Isle. However, Avalon continues to vanish from the real world as people lose faith in the goddess and Avalon.

Morgaine, now eighteen years old and ordained priestess, meets Lancelot on Avalon. Lancelot is her cousin, a son of Viviane and King Ban of Brittany, a child of the "Great Marriage". This is the name given to the ritual in which a king connects with his country, symbolized by a priestess. Lancelot, formerly Galahad, was supposed to be raised to be a druid, but he refused and went out to become a warrior. Viviane had already tied him emotionally to Avalon as a little boy, so he kept feeling the urge to return. Again he rejects Viviane's request to finish his training on Avalon. Viviane is angry, but lets him have his own way. He has a wonderful day with Morgaine and she falls in love with him. At first he seems to reciprocate her affection, but the mists unexpectedly part and Gwenhwyfar, a Christian girl of delightful beauty from Glastonbury Convent, strays for Avalon. The two help her back, but Lancelot shows feelings for Gwenhwyfar, which hurts Morgaine. When the girl called her "small and ugly as a fairy" several times, Morgaine suffered her whole life.

Access to the island is becoming increasingly difficult. Viviane and Taliesin try through long-term plans and intrigues to bring the old religion back into a position of power and thus to let Avalon return to the real world. The first part of the plan was the conception of the child Gwydyon. When Uther dies, the time has come to tackle the next part. It is decided to subject the sixteen-year-old Gwydyon, who is now called Arthur, to a test, namely to run with the deer, to challenge the king deer and to defeat it. If he succeeds, the tribes of Britain would recognize him as the Great King, the Pendragon, and swear allegiance to him. Viviane also sends Morgaine to the ceremony. Her role is that of the virgin huntress, while Arthur is the stag king. Morgaine's job is to support Arthur. However, they do not recognize each other. After the successful examination, the ceremony provides for the sexual act between the huntress and the stag king. When they finally recognize each other afterwards, it's too late. Morgaine, beside herself with anger, wants to confront Viviane as soon as she is back in Avalon. But she only lets her call days later to give her u. a. to introduce the druid Kevin. Kevin is also a bard, the best of his time, and Morgaine is impressed with his gifts, even though she notices that Kevin had a disfigured and crippled body from an accident in his childhood. Taliesin is also present. In the course of the conversation, Viviane Morgaine referred to as the future mistress of Avalon. When they are alone, Morgaine demands answers from Viviane. But she is adamant and says she did what she had to do to keep the royal line at all costs.

A little later Viviane informs her that she has a job for Morgaine: she should make a sword scabbard and put magic on it to protect the wearer from fatal injuries. As she works, Morgaine guesses who the vagina is for. And in fact Arthur was brought to Avalon shortly afterwards to receive the legendary Excalibur sword. However, he must take an oath. The oath is to respect all peoples and religions equally and never to address one alone. Arthur agrees. He is alone with Morgaine for a short time and he swears to her that he will love her forever, no matter whoever comes after her. Morgaine is desperate. He invites her to his coronation and Morgaine accepts his invitation. During the festivities, Morgaine realizes with horror that she is pregnant. Determined to reject the child, as soon as she is back in Avalon, she goes to a forest early in the morning to collect the necessary herbs. But somehow she gets caught in the mist and reaches the fairy realm. There she meets an enigmatic woman, a fairy. Fairies have second eyes and can see the future. She advises her to keep the child as it will be the only one she will have. Morgaine flees back to Avalon. When Viviane calls her and asks whether the Stag King has 'blessed her body', the situation escalates. Morgaine leaves her possessions behind after a last violent argument, leaves Avalon without permission and travels to her aunt Morgause and her husband, King Lot.

The Queen

Morgaine spends the time leading up to the birth of her child in Lothian with her aunt Morgause. Morgause is now the mother of four children herself. Morgaine kept the father's identity secret until she was born. Only during the weakness that follows the extremely difficult birth (Morgause even feared losing Morgaine) does Morgause succeed in coaxing the secret from her niece. Knowing about the incestuous connection, she plans to use Arthur's son as a political trump card and persuades Morgaine to leave the child to her upbringing, since her niece could never make friends with the idea of ​​being a mother anyway. Morgaine complies and stays at Lothian's court for another two years. Her son Gwydyon (later Mordred) is raised by Morgause. A little later she returns to Arthur's court on a special occasion, namely to attend his wedding to Leodegranz's daughter Gwenhwyfar.

Arthur's advisors suggest that the Great King marry and get an heir. He also had to take care of feudal lords who supplied his army with goods. In the course of this, Arthur's cousin Lancelot, his best friend, military commander and riding colonel, who is said to have no horse can throw him, is sent to King Leodegranz, who has excellent horse breeding. Arthur and Lancelot want to raise an army with the help of the cavalry, which should defeat the enemy Saxons forever. During the visit to the old King Leodegranz it turns out that his beautiful daughter is the girl Gwenhwyfar, whom he and Morgaine saved a few years ago. They fall in love, but contrary to what they had hoped for, Leodegranz, a cunning and skilful diplomat, plans to marry his daughter to only one person: Great King Arthur himself. Only then would he make his horses available for Arthur's army. Arthur agrees. At Arthur's court, Morgaine becomes Gwenhwyfar's first lady-in-waiting, but the two do not get along very well because of their different religions. Gwenhwyfar also suffers from childlessness and is a very devout Christian. Lancelot, Arthur's best friend, still loves Gwenhwyfar, but he respects their marriage, even if he's constantly torn between his feelings. One evening Lancelot and Morgaine meet at night. Morgaine realizes that she still loves him and can't stand Lancelot being so obsessed with Gwenhwyfar. She wants to seduce him so that he will agree to a marriage afterwards, but Lancelot rejects her: "If only you weren't like my mother, Morgaine." For Morgaine, who had sworn to leave Avalon, never so calculating and ruthless to become like Viviane is a slap in the face. She left the court humiliated, not to return for many years.

Viviane travels to her longtime friend Priscilla to do her a difficult service of friendship. Priscilla had raised Viviane's son Balan with her own named Balin. Now she is marked by a serious illness and wishes to die. Viviane has come to grant her this wish. Before she gives her the drink with which she would fall asleep forever, the sons also return. While Balan knows why Viviane is here, the naive and Christian Balin believes she came to heal Priscilla. When he realizes that his mother is dead, died at Viviane's hand, he swears revenge.

When Arthur learns that his mother Igraine, who has retired to a monastery after Uther's death, is dying, he sends Gwenhwyfar to her, because war preparations are in full swing. The great and decisive battle against the Saxons lies ahead. Gwenhwyfar watches by the dying Igraine. When Arthur's mother tells her that she is finally expecting the son she wants so much, Gwenhwyfar is overjoyed. Igraine dies shortly afterwards and Gwenhwyfar wants to return to Caerleon as soon as possible to tell Arthur about it. Since the queen is reluctant to be outdoors, every trip is an ordeal for her. On the way back, her escort discovers that the Saxons are already raging in the country. As soon as she arrives in Caerleon, Arthur wants to send her with the other women to Camelot, where she is safe from the war. But Gwenhwyfar stubbornly refuses, she only wants to give birth to her son in Caerleon. Arthur gives in. Gwenhwyfar is allowed to stay and with her the young lady-in-waiting Elaine. She passes her time with weaving. The Christian Gwenhwyfar is appalled by the savage pagan peoples that Arthur is supposed to lead into battle. She urges him to take down the banner of the 'Pendragon', which he received from Avalon and which identifies him as king of all the tribes of Britain, and to use a Christian one so that “God may give him victory”. Arthur reminds her of his oath and refuses. She then begins to weave a banner. Weeks go by without anything happening and Gwenhwyfar feels miserable. One day Kevin, who is now the Merlin of Britain, comes to her to please her with his harp playing. He notices the banner, which is well advanced, and an argument ensues. Gwenhwyfar becomes more and more religious, insults the hunchbacked and crooked Merlin as the devil's face, she suffers from the obsession that he wants her child bad, and suffers a miscarriage. In the ensuing weakness, she finally succeeds in convincing Arthur to hoist a Christian banner, YOUR banner and to remove the pendragon banner. She believes that the miscarriage is God's punishment for bringing her child back to himself, and that her sterility will not end until Arthur is a Christian king. Arthur breaks his vow and betrays Avalon.

After the episode with Lancelot, Morgaine has only one goal left: back to Avalon. But as has happened to her before, she arrives in the fairy realm, where she is welcomed to Chariot Castle. The following events are very vague in her memory. Morgaine seems to be trapped in a kind of intoxication where she experiences unimaginable pleasures. It drifts on for a while without noticing how time flies, and in the outer world one wonders at every court where it is. When she finds the skeleton of her horse, she wakes up from her intoxication and leaves the fairy realm. In the outside world a war seems to have raged, the country has been devastated. She herself is not in good condition either, her robe is faded and little more than rags, but she believes that she has not spent more than a few days in the fairy realm. She sets out on foot to Caerleon because she does not know that Arthur's court has meanwhile moved to Camelot. On the way she meets a rider, it's Kevin the Merlin. She joins him and they both spend the night in an abandoned farm. In a long conversation she learns that she has spent several years in the fairy land, that her mother Igraine has died and that the decisive battle against the Saxons has been victoriously fought. Morgaine bursts into tears when she learns of her mother's death. Kevin comforts her and there is tenderness. Together they go to Camelot and their relationship lasts for a few years.

Morgaine becomes Gwenhwyfar's lady-in-waiting again. The queen, meanwhile in despair, asks Morgaine to cast a spell against her sterility. Morgaine lets himself be spread and gives her an amulet after she has informed her that Arthur has a son he cannot acknowledge. However, she withholds her mother's identity. But instead of conceiving Arthur's child, there is an orgy. Arthur also reproaches himself and asks Gwenhwyfar for a son, even if he is not the father. Gwenhwyfar spends the night with Arthur and Lancelot, but she does not get pregnant.

The stag king

A little later, Gwenhwyfar receives the news that her father Leodegranz has died and that her half-brother Meleagrant is asking for an interview. Since Arthur is doing state affairs outside of Camelot, Gwenhwyfar decides to travel to her homeland himself and sets off with a small escort. Morgaine doesn't trust the whole thing and sends Lancelot after. As feared by Morgaine, Meleagrant's goal is to proclaim himself ruler according to old law by sleeping with the queen. Lancelot doesn't show up early enough to prevent the rape, but as soon as he gets there he kills Meleagrant and saves Gwenhwyfar. Then Lancelot spends the nights with Gwenhwyfar until Arthur is back at court. However, rumors of Gwenhwyfar's adultery with Lancelot begin to spread. Morgaine decides that something must be done before Arthur sinks in the respect of his followers and Lancelot, who would never leave willingly, to be removed from court. When the young lady-in-waiting Elaine confides in her that she absolutely wants to marry Lancelot, Morgaine uses a ruse. She lets Elaine in on her plans and, however, demands something from her: only if she is allowed to raise the eldest daughter in Avalon would she get her Lancelot as a husband. Elaine agrees. The plan succeeds, the two marry and move into their own property in order to start a family. Gwenhwyfar, however, is angry and desperate; she suspects that Morgaine had a hand in it. The friendship between them breaks down.

When Morgaine Gwenhwyfar reports that Arthur has a son to prove that he is not the problem, Gwenhwyfar considers the incest child to be a terrible sin and says that Arthur must repent to end her childlessness. Arthur should only be a Christian king and forget his oaths to Avalon. Arthur obeys, and from now on Morgaine and Arthur face each other as enemies. Viviane comes to court to dissuade Arthur from his current course, but she is killed. Before that, however, she had made up with Morgaine, who is now committed to Avalon again. Taliesin dies shortly afterwards and cedes his title of Merlin of Britain to the bard Kevin, who has a brief love affair with Morgaine.

Morgaine falls in love with Accolon, but through a mistake made by Gwenhwyfar she marries his father and moves from Arthur's court to his kingdom, where the old religion still prevails. With the help of Accolon, who still belongs to the Old Religion, Morgaine finds her way back to her religion and has plans to strengthen Avalon's position of power again.

The traitor

Morgaine returns with Accolon to Arthur to bring him in an intrigue about the sword of Avalon, Excalibur, and the magical scabbard that she made herself and to have him killed. Under a pretext, she leads him into the fairy realm. Arthur wins the fatal duel, however, and Morgaine flees. During the escape, however, the magical sword scabbard is thrown by her into the lake around Avalon. Arthur is therefore vulnerable.

Kevin, the Merlin of Britain , is now in his turn a traitor to Avalon. He kidnaps the holy chalice from Avalon and brings it to Arthur's court, where it is to be used by the Christian bishop. Kevin says it shouldn't be hidden in the dwindling Avalon, but rather a gift to the world, while Avalon is horrified by this planned desecration of the sacred object. Morgaine can rapture the goblet of the world in disguise and is now finally returning to Avalon as Viviane's successor. Kevin is killed for his betrayal, which costs the life of Morgaine's foster daughter Nimue, the daughter of Elaine and Lancelot. The miraculous disappearance of the chalice for almost all present leads to the beginning of the search for the Holy Grail, on which most of Arthur's companions embark and of which only a few return.

Meanwhile, Mordred, the child of Morgaine and Arthur, has grown up under Morgause's care, trained on Avalon and later fought among the Saxons. He earns a seat at Arthur's Round Table and becomes his heir to the throne. However, he later abuses the position and, with the help of Morgause, reveals the relationship between Lancelot and Gwenhwyfar. Lancelot and Gwenhwyfar flee. Mordred begins to intrigue against Arthur and in the end father and son face each other. Both inflict fatal wounds on each other. Despite Arthur's betrayal, Morgaine cannot bring himself to leave him alone and brings him personally to Avalon, which now finally disappears into the mists.

Mordred, Arthur's heir to the throne, is dead and Avalon's plans have failed. People forget the old religion and Christianity takes over. Avalon is almost inaccessible and depopulated, and on the island itself the few remaining priestesses are now getting lost in the penetrating mists. Morgaine has failed and lives as an old woman on Avalon. Gwenhwyfar returns to Glastonbury Monastery, to which Igraine had also retired and where she died. The Round Table is scattered and wars ravage Britain again. Morgaine realizes that despite the failure of Avalon and the seizure of power by Christianity, the goddess is still worshiped - but now in the form of Mary of Nazareth .

background

Marion Zimmer Bradley has been interested in the Arthurian legend since she was a child. Sidney Lanier's Tales of Arthur and the weekly Prince Ironheart Comics are her early sources of inspiration. At the age of 15, the author became enthusiastic about James Frazer's twelve-volume work The Golden Branch on comparative religious history, which also contains explanations about the religion of the Druids and Celts. The direct preparatory work for the work included studying the books by Geoffrey Ashe and many other, sometimes very rare and privately owned writings. The author also traveled to the places where the story was told and made contacts with neo-pagan groups who refer to the religion of the Celts .

expenditure

reception

Awards

filming

In 2001 , Uli Edel directed a two-part TV film based on motifs from Zimmer Bradley's novel entitled Die Nebel von Avalon . Anjelica Huston played the role of Viviane the mistress of the lake, Julianna Margulies that of the Morgaine .

Audio book

  • Marion Zimmer Bradley: The Mists of Avalon. Staged reading with Anna and Katharina Thalbach. In the translation by Manfred Ohl and Hans Sartorius . Random House Audio, [Cologne] 2004, ISBN 3-89830-769-7 (abridged, staged audio book version, 12 CDs).

Satirical adaptation

  • Magerion Zimmer Bradwurst: Avalon's Beaks. To deconstruct a myth. Report of the results of the project group "Deconstructive Analysis of Trivial Contemporary Literature" . T. Barth, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-8311-1647-4 (fantasy satire).

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Marion Zimmer Bradley: The Fog of Avalon, S. Fischer Verlag Frankfurt / Main, 2000, 25th edition, ISBN 3-596-28222-5 , pp. 1117-1118.
  2. ↑ 1984 Locus Awards ( Memento of the original from July 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.locusmag.com
  3. ↑ Mythopoeic Awards - Fantasy ( Memento of the original from October 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mythsoc.org
  4. ↑ In the State and University Library Hamburg .
  5. ^ In the Kiel University Library .