The Mists of Avalon

How do you write of the making of a priestess? What is not obvious is secret. Those who have walked that road will know, and those who have not will never know though I should write down all the forbidden things.

The story:
This is the story of King Arthur, or rather the women around him.

Viviane, Lady of the Lake.
Igraine, his mother, Queen of Cornwall. Sister of Viviane, and daughter of Avalon.
Morgaine, his half-sister, lover, priestess and wise-woman. And one of the most important women in his story, no matter what story you read. No story about King Arthur can be complete without her, Morgan le Fay.
Gwenhwyfar, his wife. Beloved by both Arthur and his most loyal knight, Lancelet.

This is the story of a legend, and of the women who surrounded him.

What is to say of the story itself?

Thoughts about the book:
This is one of my favourite stories about Arthur. It is a story of women most of all; and of wars between religions. For central in the story is the conflict between the old Druid religion and the new, Christian one.

Most of the story is told as seen by Morgaine. So, it is rather a story about Morgaine, where Arthur is an important character.

And Morgaine is not a cruel, cold witch. She loves Arthur dearly like a sister, and she loves others as well. She is a servant of the Goddess, and her side is much more justified than in most stories.

For a long time, I have been annoyed with all the stories picturing Morgaine as an evil sorceress. In this story, there are few evil people. Most are doing what they think is best, or just selfish.

About the author Marion Zimmer Bradley

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