Guinevere's Tale

by Nicole Evelina

  Also by Nicole Evelina:

  Daughter of Destiny (Guinevere’s Tale Book 1) (Arthurian historical fantasy)

  Camelot’s Queen (Guinevere’s Tale Book 2) (Arthurian historical fantasy)

  Mistress of Legend (Guinevere’s Tale Book 3) (Arthurian historical fantasy)

  Been Searching for You (contemporary romance/women’s fiction)

  Madame Presidentess (historical fiction)

  The Once and Future Queen: Guinevere in Arthurian Legend (non-fiction)

  Please visit me at nicoleevelina.com to learn more.

  I love interacting with my readers! Feel free to contact me on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, or by email. You can also send snail mail to: PO Box 2021, Maryland Heights, MO 63043.

  Author’s Notes

  BOOK 1: DAUGHTER OF DESTINY

  Guinevere came into my head in the fall of 1999, when I was a junior in college. I had read Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon the winter before and, though I loved the book, I really disliked her portrayal of Guinevere. So I sought out other books about her. This led me to Parke Godwin’s Beloved Exile, which made me wonder what happened to Guinevere before and after her life with Arthur.

  I can still remember the moment Guinevere first took up residence in my head. I was sitting in a quiet stone walkway on an otherwise unremarkable morning of the fall semester when she told me she had a story to tell, one different from anything anyone else has said. It was in that moment we struck up a bargain and I decided to write my own version. Or at least that’s what I tell myself. This never really was my story; it’s always been Guinevere’s. She’s been calling the shots from the very first word.

  Arthurian legend is a tough subject to write about because we don’t know what is true and what is not. The Dark Ages are so named for a reason. We really don’t have a lot of historical data to look at when trying to reconstruct them. What we do have, works from Ven. Bede and a Welsh monk called Nennius, are at best, a wild pottage of myth, history and legend. Separating fact from fiction is difficult, but that’s also what makes it enjoyable for the historical fiction author.

  Scholars and historians have been debating for years whether or not Arthur ever existed. If he did, he most certainly had at least one wife (Celtic law allowed for polygamy), and hence, some form of Guinevere would have existed as well. (Most other characters have been added over time as the stories evolved.) But in the end, does it really matter? Not to me. The legend that has arisen fromthe idea of Arthur has inspired countless generations, and I daresay will continue to do so. While I choose to believe that a real flesh and blood person inspired these stories, I do not ask you to believe the same, only to go with me on this fantastic voyage to the past, and I hope in so doing, learn a little about yourself. If you do, I have done my job well.

  I can only separate fact versus fiction for you in the confines of this book. It began with a strong female character and so that is where I will begin my apologetics. As you read this, please remember I am not a historian (nor do I play one on TV). I am a storyteller who uses history to shape the views and customs of the world in which my stories are set.

  The Picts and the Tribes of the North

  The Picts are a large group of tribes who lived in the highlands of Scotland. Corinna and Guinevere descend from the British tribes directly to the south of them, those who lived between Antonine Wall and Hadrian’s Wall – the Votadini, Selgovae, Novantae, and Damnonii (there were other, smaller tribes in the area, but I’m simplifying by confining the discussion to these main four).

  In the post-Roman period the kingdom began to be called the Gododdin and its inhabitants the Men of the North. Little is known of the culture of these tribes, so I have taken liberties in conflating what we know about the Picts with the ways of their southern neighbors.

  Corinna, Guinevere and Isolde are inspired by a matriarchal ideal that may or may not be fact. I’ll let the historians hash that one out. What is true is that the Picts passed tribal leadership on through a system of matrilineal succession, meaning that the noble bloodline was counted through the female line. So if a man and woman marry but have no heirs, when the man dies, the woman’s nephew (his sister’s son) would inherit. We see this in Daughter of Destiny in Lot’s eldest son Gawain being Arthur’s heir, after Lot. This is because Arthur and Ana are brother and sister. This is not the same as matrilineal primogeniture, in which titles are passed from mother to daughter to the exclusion of sons, which I have chosen to have Corinna and Isolde’s mother practice. There is some possibility that the Picts and the Irish (and perhaps the Celts at an earlier time in history) practiced this, but to-date evidence has not born this out.

  It is true, however, that the Picts allowed their women to fight in battle. How and to what extent is lost in the pages of history. But I have allowed this fact to color the personalities of my Votadini women and give them a strength, independence and vitality that I personally believe their historical counterparts would have possessed.

  Although the story of Leodgrance and Corinna is a product of my imagination, the kingdom of Gwynedd really was considered a safe haven for the Votadini tribe during this time period.

  Scholars debate who was responsible for such an unusual move, so I have chosen to have that role fall to Vortigern for purposes of my story.

  Corinna’s burial customs are based in Pictish lore and the wording of her headstone is consistent with Roman tradition.

  Britain

  The war-torn world in which Guinevere was raised is also based in fact. During the late fifth century, Britain was struggling to find its feet after the withdrawal of the Roman Empire. That old tribal infighting would resurface is not much of a stretch of the imagination. The influx of Saxon invaders and the raids of the western coast by the Irish are also painfully real, as was the event under Governor Paulinus that came to be known as the Rape of Mona. There is even some evidence that Vortigern could have been a historical figure.

  Avalon

  Avalon has long been associated with Arthurian legend. Geoffrey of Monmouth was one of the first to refer to Avallo in his Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136) and he called Avalon the Isle of Apples in the Vita Merlini (c. 1150). Not long after, in 1191, a group of monks on Glastonbury Tor “discovered” a grave and headstone that supposedly marked the final resting place of the great King Arthur and his wife, Guinevere. While that story has largely been discredited, it cemented the association of Glastonbury with the legendary isle of Avalon to which Arthur was taken after the battle of Camlann.

  The Tor exists much as I have described it and the mist really does rise at dawn and dusk, but the details of Avalon’s appearance are fiction, born out of inspiration begun by Marion Zimmer

  Bradley and continued through my own meditation and study. Another strong source of inspiration was The Isle of Avalon by Nicholas R. Mann, as well as conversations in Glastonbury with Arthurian scholar Geoffrey Ashe and Jamie George, the man who helped Ms. Bradley research for her famous novel.

  The Kingmaker comet is a tradition in Arthurian legend, but I can find no factual equivalent.

  The treasures of Avalon are based in the legendary 13 treasures of Britain, but again there is no proof of their existence.

  I have fabricated the game/divination tool of Holy Stones. It is loosely based on a combination of chess, Chinese checkers and bird’s eye view role playing games. But Druids were often consulted in matters of battle and diplomacy, so the spirit behind it is true.

  The herbs which the priestesses use and the goddesses on which they call are based in historical research.

  Many of the rituals and beliefs in this book were taken from modern neo-pagan and Druidic practices, which seek to recreate the beliefs of the Celts, which are largely unknown. Hence,

  Aggrivane’s knowledge of the stars, Guinevere and Morgan’s practices of divination,
the story of the Oak King and Holly King, the Beltane enactment of the Great Marriage, and Avalon’s consecration and full moon rituals have some basis in fact. I have, however, chosen to put my own spin on these rituals to suit my story. Ironically, the salute which the priestesses give the Lady of the Lake is loosely based on the Catholic tradition of touching one’s thumb to the forehead, lips and heart before the pronouncement of the Gospel during Mass. The Candlemas ritual that comes later in the book is of my own making, based on a mixture of neo-pagan Imbolc and Catholic Candlemas customs.

  One of the biggest questions about Avalon remains how it became associated with the Christians. Tradition holds that Joseph of Arimathea, sometimes known as a tin trader, either visited the isle with his nephew, Jesus, in Jesus’ youth, and/or returned there after Jesus’ death, bearing vessels containing His blood and water from His side. Some say one of these vessels was the Holy Grail, while others argue it really originated with cauldron of the pagan goddess Cerridwen. Pellinor’s family prophecy involving the Grail is entirely a product of my imagination. Regardless of Joseph’s involvement or lack thereof, Christians did settle on the Tor somewhere between 600 – 800 AD (although I have moved their presence back to approximately 450 AD to suit my story) and remained there until King Henry VIII dissolved its monastery in 1539.

  King Arthur

  Arthur’s lineage is based on strongly debated tradition. Read any of the dozens of books attempting to uncover his real identity and you will see how many theories there are, as well as his hundreds of supposed familial connections.

  The story of Arthur’s coronation, is of course, fictional, but I have based the inauguration stone on the Stone of Scone, which the Scottish used for generations in crowning their kings. The title given to Arthur, “Dux Britannium” was a real Roman title meaning “Duke or military leader of Britain” that likely would have been known to the elders during the time of my story. The title of “Arddurex” comes from Frank D. Reno’s book Historic Figures of the Arthurian Era: Authenticating the Enemies and Allies of Britain’s Post-Roman King. The other factual element of Arthur’s coronation is the geis, or limitation, laid on him by the Lady of the Lake. A geis or geisa (plural) was common in Celtic custom and even more so in legend, and as is the case in this story, often led to the ruler’s undoing or even death.

  The hunt for the stag, portrayed at the end of the story, is also based in Arthurian tradition.

  BOOK 2: CAMELOT’S QUEEN

  Whereas the first book in this series was Guinevere’s early life, this story is the one everyone thinks of when they call to mind Arthurian legend. And because of that, it was written with no small amount of trepidation. I knew no matter how I chose to spin the story, I would alienate or offend someone who is a purist of a tradition I didn’t follow. That’s one of the perils of retelling a legend like that of Guinevere and Arthur; everyone has their own image of what the story should be, of what are the essential truths and elements that cannot change.

  Not only that, this story delves into a few controversial and dark issues, including rape, physical and mental abuse, and PTSD. Guinevere’s kidnapping and rape by Malegant (or sometimes other characters) is part of the canon of Arthurian legend. Sometimes she goes with her captor willingly, but more often than not, she is the victim of his lust and desire for power. Just how badly she was abused (if at all) varies by the telling, but to leave this event out simply because it is distasteful would be disingenuous to both the tradition and to readers.

  I have done my best to treat these issues with respect and not use them simply as plot points but to show how they affected the characters’ lives and brought about change, as they do for victims in real life. Therefore, my version of Guinevere suffers both mentally and physically for a lengthy period of time after Malegant’s abuse, nearly losing her mind when it is coupled with Arthur’s betrayal. It is only after time and Avalon’s version of therapy that she can learn to move past her experiences.

  Similarly, the Battle of Mount Badon affects all of Arthur’s troops as well as the victims and their families, most notably Nimue, for whom loss of her mother was the trigger of a slow descent into madness. While her brother found strength and redemption in his faith, Nimue was unable to cope. I hope that if anyone reading this story has been affected by similar circumstances, you see the care with which I have tried to handle these delicate subjects, and if, God forbid, my writing triggered any negative memories, I am truly sorry.

  Celtic Marriage

  As this part of the book starts out with Guinevere and Arthur’s wedding, my notes begin with the history behind marriage in their time. Celtic marriage was very different from what we think of today. It was rarely done out of love, usually out of political gain for the families/tribes involved. It also was not a religious event but a contractual agreement. The laws governing marriage were set up to ensure children were protected (the stigma of illegitimacy did not exist even if a child was born out of wedlock), make clear the rights of the husband and wife, and protect the property rights of both parties.

  Under Brehon Law, there were ten forms of marriage, each diminishing in importance, legal rights, and desirability. Guinevere and Arthur could have had either a first and highest degree of marriage, which takes place between partners of equal rank and property, or a second-degree union in which the woman has less property than the man and is supported by him—it all depends on how you look at it.

  When Malegant kidnaps Guinevere, he is attempting to create a sixth-degree union in which a defeated enemy’s wife is abducted and the marriage is valid only as long as the man can keep the woman with him. There is also a ninth-degree union which was brought about by rape. This is why, in his mind, Guinevere is his legitimate wife.

  The Celts believed in polygamy, so second wives and concubines were not unknown, although how often this was practiced after the Roman withdrawal is unknown. Morgan and Arthur would have had a second-degree union because by the time he married her, she had married into a title and lands with Uriens but was not equal to Arthur. Luckily for Morgan, she was married to Arthur for a while before Guinevere returned because laws existed that stated a first wife could legally murder the second wife within the first three days of marriage. Still, Guinevere was not only Morgan’s competition for Arthur’s attention, she was a threat to Morgan’s livelihood. In the event of Arthur’s death, a chief wife had rights to her husband’s estate, while other wives were governed by informal contracts that often didn’t require the first wife to provide for them at all or for the husband to leave them anything. So Guinevere would have been within her rights to leave Morgan with nothing after the Battle of Camlann, but that’s another story for the notes to the third book in this series.

  The transactions around marriage depicted in this book are all based on Brehon Law. Dowries were very important as brides were purchased from their fathers by their husbands for what became known as a bride-price. Some of this was kept in reserve for the woman should her marriage end at the fault of her husband, so she would not be left destitute. There was also a virgin-price that guaranteed the wife’s purity, which Guinevere’s father falsely arranged with Malegant.

  Arthur’s Lineage

  The family lineage Arthur explains to Guinevere when she first comes to Camelot is one of many used throughout Arthurian legend.

  The ring he gave her is real. It’s called the Escrick Ring. It was found in March 2013 (while I was writing this book) near York and immediately linked to “fifth-century royalty.” So naturally, I tied it into my novel with fictitious symbolism relating to Arthur’s ancestors.

  The Combrogi and Arthur’s Military

  “Combrogi” is a real term found in Welsh literature that I chose to appropriate in place of the more modern Knights of the Round Table.

  Chain mail really was a Celtic invention, but whether or not the Combrogi’s saddles would have had stirrups is a matter of controversy. M
ost historians say they would not have, but at least one Arthurian scholar has put forth a hypothesis that the invention may have been carried to Britain by the Sarmatians, who were sent to Britain by the emperor Marcus Aurelius in 175 AD.

  As a fiction author, I have chosen to take this unlikely possibility and spin it into a partial explanation for the Combrogi’s unprecedented success in battle.

  Lancelot’s views on training horses may seem very modern, but they actually have ancient origins. The Greek writer Xenophon (430-354 BC) advocated the kind treatment of horses in his book On Horsemanship. “The golden rule in dealing with a horse is never approach him angrily. . .When a horse is shy of some object and refuses to approach it, you must teach him that there is nothing to be alarmed at. . . or, failing that, touch the formidable object to yourself and then gently lead the horse up to it. The opposite plan of forcing the creature by blows only intensifies its fear, the horse mentally associating the pain he suffers at such a moment with the object of suspicion” (28).

  Like Lancelot, Xenophon also emphasizes the importance of the relationship between horse and master. “It is best that the stable be placed in a quarter of the establishment where the master will see the horse as often as possible” (20). And again, “If you would have a horse learn to perform his duty, your best plan will be, whenever he does as you wish, to show him some kindness in return, and when he is disobedient, to chastise him” (39). He emphatically states, “Far the best method of instruction is to let the horse feel that whatever he does in obedience to the rider’s wishes will be followed by some rest and relaxation” (50).