White Rose of Avalon

Arthurian Legend

  • Symbolism of the Color White in Tales of the Supernatural

    Since ancient times colors have had deep symbolism.   Today I want to look at the symbolism of the color white, and its association with the supernatural!   In ancient Celtic tales white was a symbol of faeries.    This symbolism of white with faeries and the Faery realm carried over into Arthurian legends.  …

  • Blodeuwedd and Flower Brides

    Blodeuwedd is a faerie bride, and Celtic goddess, who appeared in the fourth branch of the Welsh Mabinogion.   She was also known as “Flower Face” (the meaning of her name), “May Queen”, and “May Bride.”   Since I will soon be a May bride myself, I could not resist doing a post on this…

  • Camelot: The Musical

    In 1960 Lerner and Loewe premiered a new musical entitled Camelot.   The musical was based on the successful Arthurian novel Once and Future King by T.H. White.   On stage the role of Arthur was originated by the great Richard Burton, and the role of Guinevere was originated by Julie Andrews.  On an interesting…

  • Excalibur

    Excalibur is the mystical sword of Arthur.    Gifted to him by the Lady of the Lake, the sword helped Arthur win many a battle.   The television show Once Upon a Time took a unique look at this sword.   In that series Excalibur was part of the blade of the dark one, the…

  • Gwragedd Annwn

    The Gwragedd Annwn (pronounced Gareth Anoon~w in Welsh is a vowel pronounced “oo”, and “dd” in Welsh is pronounced “th”) were Welsh lake maidens.   Their name literally meant “wives of the Underworld.”    They were said to inhabit a watery realm of Annwn, the Celtic Underworld, or Otherworld, not like our modern conception of…

  • Idylls of the King

    In the nineteenth century Tennyson wrote Idylls of the King, a cycle of poetry based on the Arthurian legends.    He took inspiration from the medieval poets that wrote about the legends several centuries earlier.   Tennyson’s poetry was part of a nineteenth century obsession with medievalism and Arthurian legends. The poems would inspire much…

  • My Top Five Guinevere Re-Imaginings!

    Number 5: Guinevere Trilogy by Persia Woolley  ~This trilogy of books featured Guinevere in a new light, and is one of the first to show her as a heroine. Number 4: Camelot Rising Trilogy (the first two books are out so far) by Kiersten White ~In this new YA series Guinevere is really a Faerie…

  • Sovereignty

    The definition of sovereignty is the right to rule.   This is something that played a huge role in both Arthurian legend and royal history!   In ancient times sovereignty was represented as a goddess of the land, and many early myths and legends feature a marriage between kings and goddesses of sovereignty. Within the…

  • My First Poll

  • My Top Ten Magical Romance Poems

    Romantic and magical themes in poetry have been important parts of literature for millennia.   In the medieval period these themes became even more popular, and this was especially so due to the popularity of  Arthurian legends!    Number 10: Erec and Enide by Chretien de Troyes ~This is the earliest Arthurian poem by Chretien…