Mist of Avalon (Video Script) Patreon Early Access

The Epic fantasy novel The Mist of Avalon takes place during a time of great change in Britain. It is a story of love, and treachery, magic, and betrayal. The novel is told from the perspective of Morgaine, a priestess of Avalon. The Story follows several different women through two generations, and their influences on the men around them. In this time the old pagan way of life is being threatened by the rise of Christianity and the gateway to the mystical land of Avalon is closing. In this world, the beliefs of men have a direct impact on the reality of the world. Because the old ways of the goddess are being forgotten, the bridge between the worlds are disintegrating and each journey to and from Avalon becomes longer and longer. 

“For, as I say, the world itself has changed. There was a time when a traveller, if he had the will and knew only a few of the secrets, could send his barge out into the Summer Sea and arrive not at Glastonbury of the monks, but at the Holy Isle of Avalon for at that time the gates between the worlds drifted within the mists, and were open, one to another, as the traveller thought and willed. For this is the great secret, which was known to all educated men in our day: that by what men think, we create the world around us, daily new.”

The conflict between the old Pagan ways and the rise of Christianity is at the very center of this story and drives the narrative forward. Britain is very much divided, between those who live under the one true god Christ and those who keep the old ways.

This epic tale is told in four parts, the first of which is called Mistress of magic. In Mistress of magic, Morgaine is the daughter Gorlois of Cornwall and Igraine of Avalon. When Morgaine is a toddler her mother is visited by the Lady of the Lake Vivian, and the Merlin, Taliesin, Igraine's father. Viviane tells her sister Igraine of the growing divide between the worlds and remarks that it is the same as what happened to the land of the fairies.

“This has happened before. There was the time when the fairy folk, the Shining Ones, withdrew from our world, going further and further into the mists, so that only an occasional wanderer now can spend a night within the elf-mounds, and if he should do so, time drifts on without him, and he may come out after a single night and find that his kinfolk are all dead and that a dozen years have gone by. And now, I tell you, Igraine, it is happening again. Our world-ruled by the Goddess and the Horned One, her consort, the world you know, the world of many truths-is being forced away from the mainstream course of time. Even now, Igraine, if a traveler sets out with no guide for the Isle of Avalon unless he knows the way very well, he cannot come there but will find only the Isle of the Priests. To most men, our world is now lost in the mists of the Summer Sea.”

Viviane and the Merlin tell Igraine that she must bear the heir to the throne of Britain, but that she will bear no sons for Gorlois. Instead, Uther Pendragon will be the child's father. This child will save the old Religion and heal the wounds of Britain.Viviane has seen this in a vision granted by the great goddess. Igraine is annoyed that her sister would demand such a thing from her.  Later Igraine has a vision and forsees Gorlois’ death. She only starts to appreciate him now that she knows that she must lose him. Gorlois is driven to treachery due to jealousy over the apparent affection between Igraine and Uther. He attempts an uprising against Uther who has now been crowned High King, Igraine uses her powers to warn Uther through an out of body experience. Gorlois is killed in the battle and Uther and Igraine are wed. Igraine has a son by Uther and names him Gwydion, he later becomes known as Arthur.

After Arthur, the future High King, is born, Morgaine is cast aside and ignored by her mother. When she is 11 years old and Arthur is 6 there is an attempt made on his life. Viviane, the Lady of The lake convinces Uther to allow the prince to be fostered someplace else for his own safety. Viviane during her visit also recognizes Morgaine's power.  She also takes the lonely and neglected Morgaine with her to Avalon to train her as a Priestess. 

“The boat began to glide through the mists. Swiftly and surely-for there were no other boats on this Lake-the boat poled through the thick, clinging damp; Viviane felt it on her hair and eyebrows, soaking through her woolen shawl. Morgaine was shivering with the sudden cold. Then, like a curtain being pulled back, the mist vanished, and before them lay a sunlit stretch of water and a green shore. The Tor was there, but Viviane heard the young girl in the boat catch her breath in shock and astonishment. Atop the Tor stood a circle of standing stones, brilliant in the sunlight. Toward it led the great processional way, winding upward in a spiral around the immense hill. At the foot of the Tor lay the buildings where the priests were housed, and on the slope, she could see the Sacred Well and the silver flash of the mirror pool below. Along the shore were groves of apple trees and beyond them great oaks, with the golden shoots of mistletoe clinging to their branches in midair. Morgaine whispered, "It is beautiful ... " and Viviane could hear the awe in her voice. "Lady, is it real?" "It is more real than any other place you have ever seen," Viviane told her, "and soon you will know it."

During her years in Avalon Morgaine learns to harness her powers, and also become infatuated with her cousin Lancelot, Viviane’s son, however, one evening when a lost Gwenyfar stumbles through the mist into Avalon Lancelot immediately falls in love with her. Morgaine marks this day as the day Gwenyfar stole Lancelot from her and she hates her for it. Gwenyfar is the daughter of King Loedengranz and views Morgaine and all the woman of Avalon as evil witches.

One day Viviane is visited by the Merlin Taliesin. Taliesin is respected by both Christians and pagans alike. He tells her that Uther Pendragon, Arthur's Father, is dying of a fatal battle wound, he is dying because Vivian refused to Allow the Merlin to use his healing magic on him. Vivian and Merlin both agreeing that it is time for Arthur's Kingmaking.

Viviane summons Morgaine to her and tells her that the time has come for her to lay down her maidenhead for the Goddess. She must participate in a fertility ritual on Dragon Island. Morgaine consents to this and Journeys to the Island. Morgaine is painted for the ritual, and so is A young man she notices who is also being adorned with antlers. She does not recognize him but sees that he is strongly built and has blonde hair. During the ritual the horned man goes out and slays a deer, Morgaine watches this using her power as a priestess of Avalon. Later that night Morgaine who represents the Virgin Huntress, and the young man who represents the Horned One are joined together to complete the ritual. In the morning when they awake together they recognize each other. He is her half-brother Arthur, future High King of Britain. They are both disgusted by what they’ve done. 

Morgaine realized that her Aunt Vivian Lady of the Lake had been manipulating her this entire time, she intended for this to happen. Morgaine is even more devastated when she realizes that she is with child, she knows that no one can ever know that her brother is the father. She is furious at Viviane for doing this to her.

Viviane comes to Morgaine and tells her that at a time will come when a sword must be raised in defense of the Holy Isle of Avalon. She tells Morgaine to make a scabbard for a magic. Morgaine learns through the sight that the sword is called Excalibur and that it will go to Arthur. The Sword is made meteorite iron and worth the price of a kingdom. Using her powers Morgaine goes into a trance and works for three days on the scabbard imbuing it with magic. This ritual is highly taxing and Morgaine is exhausted afterward.

Viviane, The Merlin, and Morgaine bring Excalibur and the scabbard to Arthur. They tell him that the sword has the power that whoever bears it shall not shed enough blood in battle as to die from their wounds. They bid him take an oath to Defend Avalon. Vivian tells him that Excalibur is not meant for a king who will only hear the counsel of the Christian priest. Arthur tells Vivian that he will not be ruled from Avalon but makes the oath still.

When Arthur is crowned people from many kingdoms come to witness it. It is at Arthur’s crowning that Morgaine see’s her mother Igraine again for the first time since she left for Avalon. Igraine has now fully converted to Christianity, she belittles her daughter’s position as a Priestess. During Arthur’s crowning, Morgaine has a vision of a Robed Priest raising the cup of mysteries before an altar of Christ. This foreshadows Arthur's eventual betrayal of Avalon.

Morgaine is convinced that she must abort her pregnancy, once she returns to Avalon she seeks out the necessary herbs, but she wanders too far and ends up someplace other than Avalon, she is surrounded by marsh instead of the forest. Somehow Morgaine has stumbled into the fairyland. A strange woman appears to Morgaine and tells her not to abort her child. She offers for Morgaine to stay in the Fairy Land and Raise her child. But Morgaine wishes to leave. A path appears before Morgaine and she follows it back to Avalon.

Viviane loves Morgaine more than any of her own children and she regrets the pain she has caused her but knows that Morgaine’s suffering is only beginning. Morgaine is still furious as Viviane and does not realize that all the Viviane does is for the goddess and the future of Avalon.

"Curse you-I thought not of it," Morgaine said quickly. "But I will no longer be your toy and plaything. As for this child which you moved Heaven and Earth to bring to the light, I will not bear him in Avalon for you to gloat at what you have done." "Morgaine-" Viviane said, holding out her hand to the younger woman, but Morgaine stepped back. She said into the silence, "May the Goddess deal with you as you have done with me, Lady." Without another word she turned and left the room, not waiting for dismissal. Viviane sat frozen as if Morgaine's parting words had been a curse indeed.

Morgaine vows to never be like her aunt Viviane, declaring that the day will never come where she does not give a reason for what she does. The irony of this is Morgaine become more and more like Viviane throughout the rest of the tale. The next day without a word Morgan Abandons Avalon. Morgaine deciding that she will go to her Aunt Morgause and have Arthur's child in her kingdom.

The entire story of Mist of Avalon is being recounted many years later my Morgaine, in the beginning, she remarks that there is no such thing as an entirely true tale. At the End of Mistress of magic Morgaine gives up her duty as high priestess this sews the seeds for tragedy later on in the story. Marion Bradley's retelling of Arthurian legends in Mist of Avalon is unlike most because it portrays Morgaine as a complicated character fighting to save her Celtic culture in a country where many seek to destroy the pagan way of life, rather than an unrelatable arbitrarily evil sorceress. 

The Second Part of the story is titled

The High Queen. It is Gwenyfar who becomes Arthur's wife is contrasted heavily against Morgana. They seem to be polar opposites, One and pious religious fanatic and the other a free-spirited wanderer.