The Cycle of Avalon

the Cycle of Avalon is a cycle of Fantasy writes by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and continued by Diana L. Paxson, which proposes a rewriting of the Légende arthurienne from the female point of view. The topic overflows then of this framework, since the series recovers the history of Brittany since the Roman conquest, and even since the mythical immersion of the Atlantis. In this series of novel, the women are in the foreground.

The cycle is composed of six works whose writing order does not reflect the order of the reported fictitious events:

The last two novels do only one in the original version which is named: The mists off Avalon . It is acted in fact of an adaptation of original work rather than of a translation, certain political aspects of the intrigue having been omitted in the French version.

Ancestors of Avalon

Approximately 2000 years before JC, the Atlantis saw its last moments. It is divided into ten kingdoms, of which that of Alkonath and that of Ahtarrath. The seisms multiply and the evacuation of the populations is organized. But the end precipitates, and panic settles, disorganizing the exodus. Micail and Tiriki, princes d' Ahtarrath are found separate.

Micail is found with his/her Tjalan cousin, prince d' Alkonath, and take refuge in the south of the Island of the Brave men (future Great Britain) in the town of Belsairath, to try to rebuild civilization telamon. With this intention, they begins the construction of a stone circle (Stonehenge) intended to channel and use the telluric forces.

Tiriki is found in the same island but more in north, and lives among alive people in the marshes around the Tor. It gives rise to Damisa and becomes priestess of the Goddess, whom it associates with one of the divinity of Atlantis.

At the end of several years of the two groups of Telamones renew contact, but measure the ditch which grew hollow between them: those of Belsairath want to live with the manner of the old telamones to the costs of the local population, while those of Tor live integrated in of symbiosis with the people of the marshes. Tjalan tries to subject the group of Tor by means of the telluric forces, but the confrontation shows its death and the startup of the stone circle. Micail, dchiré between the two camps is wounded, but ends up recovering and joined his wife in Tor, to create the bases of the tradition to be transmitted to the posterity.

the Hill of the last Good-bye (80 - 96)

The history occurs in Brittany, under the reigns of the emperors Titus and Domitien. The author even admits it being himself inspired of the topic of the Norma, after having placed the intrigue to Brittany and to have changed the characters.

Brittany is conquered since 43, but the population does not accept the Roman occupation, especially since enrôlement of Breton men who are sent to work the tin mines and there work under deplorable conditions, with a strong mortality. Ardanos, the Large Druid, however negotiated agreements with the Romans making it possible Breton to practice their rites and their religion and to the priestesses to have a sanctuary with Vernemeton.

Following an accident, a young Roman, Gaius Marcellius Severus Siluricus, wire of the prefect Gaius Marcellius Severus Senior and his wife Silure, are collected and looked after, by the son-in-law of Ardanos, Benedig, savage opposing to the Romans. A friendship is tied however between Gaius, which is made name Gavain, and Kerrig, the adoptive son of Benedig, and a idille starts between Elane and Gaius. Restored, Gaius joined his/her father and persuades it, in spite of the reserves of this last, to ask for him the hand of Swallow hawk. Benedig refuses the marriage. The two lovers find themselves with fires of Beltane, but must separate, Elane having joined the house of the virgins to become priestess of the Goddess. During this meeting was designed their son, Gavain, which was born secretly.

Gaius Marie with Julia the girl of Martius Julius Licinius, governor of Brittany, and begins the traditional career of a young Roman knight, while Elane is selected for devenit the Large Priestess. Under the influence of Ardanos, she preaches peace with the Romans, and encourages the Kellen priestess to found an inviolable sanctuary in the island of Avallon, around Tor.

To died of Ardanos, the druids, led by Berenig, want to launch a revolt against the Romans, while benefitting from the consecutive disorders to the assassination of Domitien. Learning that Elane is the mother of Gavain, he condemns it to roughing-hew, made captive Gaius, and the fact of burning with roughing-hew.

the Secrecy of Avalon

This book is divided into three parts, and recalls the history of Avallon between the preceding volume and avênement of Uther Pendragon.

The Sibyl (96 - 118)

This history begins immediately after the preceding one. After the death of Gaius and Elena, Caillean (Kellen) collects Gawen (Gavain) and the enmmene in the island of Avallon. A little later the Queen of the Fairies entrusts to Caillen her Sianna daughter, so that it becomes priestess. Gawen, learns to him is educated by the Druide S and also learns the toothing-stone. He also attends a community of Christians, founded by Joseph d' Arimathie, which, having ammené of Judaea a gourd containing the blood of Christ, the dissumule in Avalon.

The tolerance and the respect which reigned between the two communities fly in glare after the death of Joseph, when its disciple, the Paulus fanatic, takes the succession of Joseph. Gawen, refusing to be a stake enters the two communities, leaves Avalon and joined its Roman grandfather, Gaius Marcellius Severus Senior.

It engages in the Roman army and takes part in a battle against the Brigantes in revolts, supported by the Novantae and the Selgovae. After the Roman defeat, understanding that the Roman combat is not it his, it deserted and joined Avallon, where he agrees to pass the druidic tests. It becomes the Pendragon and marries Sianna.

A little later Paulus decides to put an end to the Paganisme in Avallon and leading a Roman troop, undertakes to destroy the Stone Circle. The Roman soldiers are overcome and killed, but Gawen is mortally wounded in the engagements, and the monks in escape threatens to return with another Roman army. At this point in time the Queen of the Fairies learns in Caillean that it is possible to protect Avallon, by separating it from the rest of the world, tries which will succeed only with the assistance of dying Gawen, which left its ultimate forces there.

From now on Avallon will be masked with human by fogs and the uninitiated person who will try to cross them will find on an island where only the Christian community saw. Despaired, Sianna will live only for the child whom it has of Gawen.

The empress (285 - 293)

More than one century and half ran out, during which Avallon formed the Breton nobility and exerted a discrete influence on the political matters of the island.

But a new danger watches for Brittany, in the form of the incursions of the pirates Saxons. The Romans, in hillock with internal struggles within the Empire, cannot protect the island effectively. In visit at Eiddin Mynoc, prince of the Durotriges, Dierna, the current lady of Avallon, deals with Teleri, the young girl of the prince, who wishes to become priestess. Ghost with Avallon, they miss being taken and violated by the Saxon ones.

Dierna, by its gifts of clairvoyance, helps navarque the Carausius to push back the Saxon ones and makes him marry Teleri. But the emperor shows Carausius to divert the money of the taxes and convenes it for judgment in Rome. He refuses, proclaims emperor of Brittany, pushes back a Roman fleet, but having to fight against the Pictes, must conclude an alliance with the Saxon ones so that those defend the Breton coasts.

Anarchy in the Roman empire ends and the emperor Dioclétien founds the Tétrarchie. One of new the césars, Constance Chlorinates, share to reconquer Brittany. Carausius is betrayed and seriously wounded by its second Al and dies near Avallon. Dierna calls upon the curse on its assassins and Al, which took again the fight against the Romans is overcome and killed. Teleri, which had took the Al party, takes refuge in Avallon.

The girl of Avallon (440 - 452)

Forty years later, the Romans, threatened of any share by the Cruel , gave up Brittany by leaving Ambrosius Aurelianus to defend the island. The Breton ones elected Large King Vortigern. These two chiefs are in competition without fighting itself, but Vortigern had to call upon Saxon the Hengist and Horsa, to fight Pictes.

The lady of Avallon, Anna, had then three girls, Idris, married to a son of Vortigern and died in layer, Anara, formed to succeed to him and Viviane, which it had placed in a family of the island of Mona. Died Anara, it recalls near it Viviane, but the two women, from strong personality, begin a hostile cohabitation.

Vortigern breaks its association with the Saxon ones, which plunders the Breton campaigns. Vortimer, its last wire, undertakes the fight against the Saxon ones. A band Saxon attack the other island (Christian) of Avallon, but Viviane, become the guardian of Graal, uses it to destroy them. Anna gives rise to a fourth girl, Igraine. Taliesin, the chief of the druids, and the supposed father of Viviane, and this one, are sent at Vortigern and of Ambrosius in order to convince them to make peace and to coordinate to fight against the invader. Viviane marries Vortimer, which gains in Kent a great victory against Hengest, but dies shortly after of her wounds.

Viviane returns in Avallon and is confined of a girl, Eilantha, which dies a little later and Anna dies while being confined of Morgause. The druids choose Vivienne to succeed Anna and Taliesin, not to achieve the rite of dedication of the Large Priestess, whom he regards as incestueux, calls upon the spirit of Merlin to replace it.

the Priestess of Avalon (259 - 329)

This book takes as a starting point the life by Eilan or Helene, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantin I {{er}}. The author tells in the foreword which one has only little information history on this princess, but notices that it occupies a place privileged in the legends of England, and in fact a priestess of Avalon. The history is comteporaine of that told in the empress , included in preceding volume.

In 259, Rian, lady of Avalon, die by giving rise to Eilan, which it had of Coelius, prince of Camulodunon. Ganeda succeeds Rian like rams of Avalon, and sends his/her niece at Coelius. Ten years later, Eilan returns in Avalon there to be educated and become pretress. She runs up against the resentment of Ganeda, but binds friendship with Dierna, the grand-daughter of Ganeda. A vision of one of the pretress shows the arrival of a " Restorer of Lumière" , which is identified with the Roman Constance Chlorinates. Aelia, the priestess charged to attach Constance to the cause of Avalon takes fear, and Eilan takes its place, but attracts itself the ire of Ganeda which drives out it of Avalon.

Recalled by the emperor Aurélien, Constance follows a military career. Eilan, become Helene follows it, and gives rise to Constantin. But problems of pleasing imperial succession to the capacity Dioclétien, which founds the Tétrarchie: two Majestic and two Césars share the capacity, and Constancy Chlorine is named césar, but must separate from Helene to marry Théodora, girl of the Auguste Maximien. Twenty years later, the Majestic ones abdicate and Césars, whose Constance Chlorinates, become Auguste. But this last dies one year later and Constantin proclaims césar.

However the system of Tétrarchie bursts and the civil war devastates the empire. The large winner of this war is Constantin, who authorizes then the Christians to practice their worship. Helene becomes the empress-mother and raises Crispus, wire illegitimate of Constantin and Minerniva. Fausta, the new wife of Constantin, gives rise to several wire. When Crispus becomes adult and is named césar, Fausta plots for the évincer and Constantin makes it carry out. Horrified, Helene moves away from Constantin, but is sent to Jerusalem for identifer the holy places. On its return to Rome, it decides to be made pass for dead and withdraws in Avalon, with another Helene, widow of Crispus, and Contracted, the girl of the latter.

Ladies of the Lake

A few years were passed since the end of the Girl of Avallon . Igraine or Ygerne married Gorlois, duke of Cornouailles, and has just given rise to Morgane, and Viviane in Balan, which she conceived during Fires of Beltane. Viviane returns visit to her Ygerne sister to Tintagel and him annoce which it must be the mother of the future Grand King de Bretagne. Understanding that Uther Pendragon will not be the father of this king and not Gorlois, it starts by refusing its destiny. large King Ambrosius Aurelianus have just died and Gorlois and Ygerne go to Londinium for the crowning of its successor Uther Pendragon. While meeting this last, it realizes that they were very dependant in a preceding incarnation and accepts its destiny. Gorlois, in prey with the jealousy, gives up Uther and turns over in Cornouailles, margré its homage. Uther attacks Gorlois, benefits from a trick to meet Ygerne with the one night old necks when they conceive Arthur, and during which Gorlois is killed.

Uther marries Ygerne and Arthur is entrusted to Ectorius which raises it with his/her son Cai. To consolidate its capacity, Uther Marie her sister-in-law Morgause with the king Batch of Orcanie. Morgane joined Avallon to become priestess there. Several years are passed, and Uther declines and dies. Arthur must succeed to him, gràce with the actions of Viviane, who devotes it according to the old rite of King Cornu. Morgane, which took part in this rite, gives rise to the son of Arthur, named Gwydion, which is raised by Morgause. It receives Excalibur, in pledge of its fidelity to the Goddess. Furious to be thus handled, Morgane leaves Avallon. Arthur marries Guenièvre, girl of the king Léodagan. This one high in the Christian religion, will not have of cease to draw aside Arthur d' Avallon to impose Christianity. The day before the battles of the Mount Badon, Arthur gives up the banner of Pendragon and adopts to it that of Christianity like single banner. Kevin, the bard which succeeded Merlin, tries several conciliations between Arthur and Avallon, but Arthur refuses to return to the old religion.

Fogs of Avalon

Gwydion is sent to Avallon so that it there is educated in the religion of the Goddess and is prepared with becoming next the High King. Viviane goes to Camelot to recall to Arthur her engagement towards the Goddess, and to take again to him Excalibur in the event of refusal, but is assassinated. Morgane marries Urien, king of Wales of North, and supports the worship of the Goddess there. She becomes also the amante of Accolon. She also plots the marriage of Lancelot and Elaine, to move away this last from the court. With the assistance of Accolon, it tries to take again Excalibur with Arthur, but the plot fails and Accolon is killed.

Gwydion arrives at Camelot where it east accepted among the Knights of the Roundtable and takes the name of Mordred. Kevin betrays and conceals the crowned objects of Avallon, of which cut of Graal to give them to the Patricius bishop. Morgane takes them again during the mass having to devote them to Camelot, and its appearance lasting this mass is regarded as an appearance of the Virgin. The knights of the kingdom launch out in the search of cut of Graal, weakening the kingdom. Galaad, the son of Lancelot and Helene dies during this search. Mordred intrigues to sow the disorder at the court, benefitting from the love between Lancelot and Guenièvre, to weaken Arthur and to seize the throne, but both are entretuent. The kingdom starts to be again invades by the Saxon ones.

However, Morgane, by discovering a statue of Holy Brigitte, understands that the Goddess did not lose the part and survives within Christianity, and includes/understands the vanity of its attempts to maintain the worship of the goddess.

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