White Rose of Avalon

Arthurian Legend

  • 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…

  • Morgan Le Fay

    Morgan Le Fay was the half-sister of King Arthur in many tellings of the Arthurian legends.   She was a faerie woman and sorceress, and is often depicted as an evil figure.   She is mostly depicted as the mother of Mordred, although sometimes Morgause is his mother.   In popular culture Morgan featured in…

  • Guinevere and Isolde

    The tales of legendary queens Guinevere and Isolde are very similar in many ways.    Both of these woman were in love triangles where they fell in love with knights that served their husbands.   Both were willing to risk their very lives for the love that consumed them.   Both were nearly burned at…