White Rose of Avalon

Legend

  • 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…

  • Orpheus and Eurydice

    The tragic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the great romantic myths of the Greco-Roman pantheon.   Orpheus was the best musician of the ancient world.  He was gifted his lyre by Apollo himself!   When Orpheus fell in love and married Eurydice their happiness was short lived. Eurydice would die not long…

  • 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…

  • Faerie Queen Maeve

    The Faerie Queen Maeve is an Irish goddess.   She is strong willed and glamorous deity!   Maeve is often described by other name such as Medb.    In poetry and plays she is often simply called Mab.    Percy Shelley and William Shakespeare have both utilized the name Mab for Faerie Queens.    Legends…

  • Lamia

    Lamia was a queen in ancient Greece who had an affair with Zeus, and was cursed by Hera.    Hera turned her into a half serpent woman.   Part of the curse included that Lamia killed her own children, and was tormented by this knowledge evermore! Lamia is also a species of monster that is…

  • 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…