I read and listened to omnibus versions of this group of four books. Bradley is clearly more fascinated with Morgaine and her life, including internal dialogue and far more detail about it. And, she also finds herself in Avalon and even Fairy lands. She travels between her aunt and uncle’s court in Lothian and Arthur’s court at Carleon and Camelot. Gwenhwyfar and Lancelet pine for each other over the decades.Īnd Morgaine has secrets of her own, including a religious rite through which she becomes pregnant with her son. But her father pledges her to Arthur, hoping the High King will favor his minor King status. By chance, Gwenhwyfar meets Lancelet early in her teens. In addition, Bradley gives us the various love triangles in the life of the royal court. But she’s still more Goddess worshipper than Christian. She lives at court, tries to fit in with Gwenhwyfar and her ladies.

But Morgaine is fighting a losing battle, and she even gives in for a time. And Gwenhwyfar is deeply Christian, having been schooled at the convent in Glastonbury, practically next door.īoth women are dedicated to their beliefs, and to encouraging King Arthur and his court to adopt or maintain them. She was taught the old religion, which worships the Goddess.

Morgaine was raised on the mystical (and misty) island of Avalon. Gwenhwyfar and Morgaine are two sides of a battle without swords. Her main characters are Arthur’s wife Gwenhwyfar, sister Morgaine, his mother Igraine, and a variety of aunts and great-aunts. Instead of focusing on the men-Arthur, Lancelet, the various Knights-she uses the perspectives of the women in their lives. Marion Zimmer Bradley creates King Arthur’s story from a female-centric viewpoint in The Mists of Avalon.

The mists of avalon series books