Authors: Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Forest House
The setting evokes a fascinating time of changeâ¦. The mythic elements grow to hint satisfactorily at the Arthurian wonder to comeâ¦. The stuff of legend.”
â
Locus
"A historical novel with a mythic undertoneâ¦distinctive enough to achieve success in its own right [and] likely to appeal to a wide audience.”
â
Chronicle
"A seamless weave of history and myth.”
â
Library Journal
"The sure touch of one at ease in sketching out mystic travels.”
â
Kirkus Reviews
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ancestors of Avalon
"Magicalâ¦.[
The Mists of Avalon
] devotees won't feellet down by
Ancestors
â¦. Provides plenty of pleasurable reading hours.”
â
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"An elegant stylist, Paxson captures the awe, tragedy, and resounding mystery of ancient Britain and mist-enshrouded Atlantis.”
â
Publishers Weekly
"Paxson fashions an entirely new entry in the Avalon sagaâ¦. [Her] storytelling features the requisite veins of mysticism, but, like Bradley, she excels at bringing the vast sweep of imagined history to an accessible levelâ¦. A rich and respectful homage that will dazzle readers longing to revisit Bradley's sacred, storied isle.”
â
Booklist
"Once again, Diana L. Paxson has beautifully elaborated on Marion Zimmer Bradley's beloved Avalon saga with this dramatic new installmentâ¦. [An] extraordinary journey.”
âSFRevu
"Paxson is an excellent choice as successor to Bradley for this series. Her style and the details of the plot retain the sense of the mysterious past and the feminist awareness that was an underlying theme in the originals.”
â
Chronicle
"Ancestors of Avalon
may be the best of the Avalon tales. The story line stands alone due to the strength of the characterizationsâ¦yet also interconnects the myriad plots from the previously published books.”
â
Midwest Book Review
Priestess of Avalon
"The message that all religions call on the same higher power should go over well with fans of
Mists
[
of Avalon
]. Paxson's own skill at bringing historical characters and places to vivid life enriches Helena's story.”
â
Publishers Weekly
"Stunningâ¦this rich and moving novel merits its place beside Bradley's fantasy classic.”
â
Booklist
"A guilty pleasure for history buffs, and a sure hit for the goddess crowd.”
â
Kirkus Reviews
"Bradley creates a powerful tale of magic and faith that enlarges upon pagan and Christian traditions to express a deeper truth.”
â
Library Journal
Lady of Avalon
The National Bestseller
"Combines romance, rich historical detail, magical dazzlements, grand adventure, and feminist sentiments into the kind of novel her fans have been yearning for.”
â
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
"The prose is as smooth as those sacred stones on which so many interesting things take place.”
â
Kirkus Reviews
"Bradley's women are, as usual, strong and vibrant, but never before has she so effectively depicted the heroic maleâ¦. An immensely popular saga.”
â
Booklist
The Mists of Avalon
Lady of Avalon
Priestess of Avalon
Ancestors of Avalon
ROC
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2,
Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124,
Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park,
New Delhi-110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore,
Auckland 1311, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue,
Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Published by Roc, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Previously published in Viking hardcover and Roc trade paperback editions.
Copyright © Marion Zimmer Bradley, 1993
All rights reserved
ISBN: 978-1-1012-1272-1
REGISTERED TRADEMARKâMARCA REGISTRADA
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
For my mother, Evelyn Conklin Zimmer, who
has borne with my working on the book for
most of my adult life
To Diana Paxson, my sister and friend, who anchored
this book firmly in time and space and added Tacitus
to the cast of characters
Those who are familiar with Bellini's opera
Norma
will recognize the origins of this story. In homage to Bellini, the hymns in chapters five and twenty-two are adapted from the libretto of act I, scene i, and those in chapter thirty from act II, scene ii. The hymns to the moon in chapters seventeen and twenty-four are taken from the
Carmina Gadelica
, a collection of traditional Highland prayers collected in the late nineteenth century by the Reverend Alexander Carmichael.
* = historical figure
( )= dead before story begins
Â
R
OMANS
Gaius Macellius Severus Siluricus (called Gaius, native name Gawen), a young officer, born of a British mother
Gaius Macellius Severus, senior (called Macellius), father of Gaius, Prefectus Castrorum of the II Adiutrix Legion at Deva, Equestrian rank
(Moruadh, Royal Woman of the Silures, mother of Gaius) Manlius, physician at Deva
Capellus, Macellius's orderly
Philo, Gaius's Greek slave
Valerius, secretary to Macellius
Valeria (later called Senara), half-Briton niece of Valerius
Martius Julius Licinius, Procurator (financial officer) of Britannia
Julia Licinia, his daughter
Charis, her Greek maid
Lydia, nurse to her children
Licinius Corax, the Procurator's cousin in Rome
Marcellus Clodius Malleus, senator, Gaius's patron
Lucius Domitius Brutus, Commander of the XX Valeria Victrix Legion after its move to Deva
Father Petros, a Christian hermit
Â
B
RITONS
Bendeigid, a Druid living near Vernemeton
Rheis, a daughter of Ardanos and wife of Bendeigid
Mairi, their eldest daughter, wife of Rhodri
Vran, her young son
Eilan, their middle daughter
Senara, their youngest daughter
Gawen, Eilan's son by Gaius
Cynric, foster son of Bendeigid
Ardanos, Arch-Druid of Britannia
Dieda, his younger daughter
Clotinus Albus (Caradac), a Romanized Briton Gwenna, his daughter
Red Rian, an Irish raider
Hadron, one of the Ravens, father of Valeria (later called Senara)
Â
P
EOPLE OF THE
F
OREST
H
OUSE
Lhiannon, Priestess of the Oracle, High Priestess of Vernemeton (the Forest House)
Huw, her bodyguard
(Helve, High Priestess before Lhiannon)
Caillean, a senior priestess assisting Lhiannon
Latis, the herb mistress
Celimon, instructor in ritual
Annis, an old deaf woman who serves Eilan during her pregnancy
Lia, nurse to Eilan's son Gawen
Â
D
EITIES
Tanarus, British thunder god, equated with Jupiter
The Horned (or Antlered) One, archetypal god of beasts and woodlands with many local variations
Don, mythic mother of the gods, and by extension, the British people
Cathubodva, Lady of Ravens, a war goddess similar to the Morrigan
Arianhrod, Lady of the Silver Wheel, maiden goddess associated with magic, the sea, and the moon
Ceres, Roman goddess of grain, agriculture
Venus, Roman goddess of love
Mars, Roman war god
Bona Dea, the Good Goddess
Vesta, goddess of the sacred hearthfire of Rome, served by virgins
Mithras, a Persian hero-god worshipped by soldiers
Jupiter, king of the gods
Juno, queen of the gods, his wife, patroness of marriage
Isis, an Egyptian goddess worshipped in Rome as protectress of commerce on the sea
Â
P
LACES
Britannia Superiorâsouthern England
Monaâthe island of Anglesey
Segontiumâa fort near Caernarvon
Vernemeton (most holy grove)âthe Forest House
Hill of the MaidensâMaiden Castle, Bickerton
DevaâChester
GlevumâGloucester
Viroconium CornoviiarumâWroxeter
Venta SilurumâCaerwent
Isca SilurumâCaerleon
Aquae SulisâBath
The TorâGlastonbury
The Summer CountryâSomerset
Isca DumnoniorumâExeter
LindumâLincoln
LondiniumâLondon
Â
Britannia Inferiorânorthern England
EburacumâYork
LuguvaliumâCarlisle
Â
CaledoniaâScotland
Bodotria estuaryâFirth of Forth
Firth of the TavaâRiver Tay
Sabrina FirthâSolway
TrimontiumâNewstead
Pinnata CastraâInchtuthil
Mons Graupiusâlocation uncertain, perhaps near Inverness
Â
HiberniaâIreland
TemairâTara
Druim CliadhâKildare
Â
Germania Inferiorâupper western Germany
Colonia AgrippensisâCologne
the Rhenusâthe Rhine