History Literature / TheMistsOfAvalon

Several books came after this, all of them prequels. Near the end of her life, Bradley began collaborating on them with Diana Paxson, who took over the series after her death. The novels which they wrote together include: 'The Forest House'', ''Literature/{{Lady of Avalon}}'', and ''Literature/{{Priestess of Avalon}}''.

Several books came after this, all of them prequels. Near the end of her life, Bradley began collaborating on them with Diana Paxson, who took over the series after her death. The novels which they wrote together include: ''Literature/{{Forest House}}'', ''Literature/{{Lady of Avalon}}'', and ''Literature/{{Priestess of Avalon}}''.

* LineageComesFromTheFather: Both averted and played striaght; Arthur is considered the heir to the throne by most people through his father, but those who follow Avalon count him as king through his mother's royal blood of Avalon, a lineage whihc is traited through the mother.

* DivineParentage: While not exactly divine, the queen of the fairy folk reveals that Morgan, and assumingly all of the royal line of Avalon, are descended from the same lineage.

* TheFairFolk: Present, and more than happy to either help after extracting a huge promise, or generally fuck things up to get what they want. Presented as powerful, manipulative, and not to be trusted.

* HoYay: Lancelet and Arthur. Gwenhwyfar calls them out on it and Lancelet admits that he's attracted to Arthur.

* AuthorFilibuster: MarionZimmerBradley is quite clear on her pro-feminist stance.

* TheVoiceless: Raven, a young seeress, has taken a vow of silence and dedicated her voice to the Goddess.
** Young when we first see her anyway. By the end of the novel, everyone who was young is now old and everyone who is now young wasn't born when the novel began.

* {{Matriarchy}}: The way things are run in Avalon where girls are forced to sleep with men they don't know or care about for ritual reasons, bear or abort children according to the dictates of the High Priestess and used their sexuality to lure and betray men they love.... This is Feminism?

This was made into a miniseries in 2001, starring Julianna Margulies (''Series/{{ER}}'', ''Series/TheGoodWife'') as Morgaine, AnjelicaHuston (''Series/TheAddamsFamily'') as Viviane, and Joan Allen (''Film/{{Pleasantville}}'') as Morgause.

* PlayingAgainstType: You'd think AnjelicaHuston would play the evil sister and Joan Allen would play the good one, instead of vice versa!

This was made into a miniseries in 2001, starring Julianna Margulies (''Series/{{ER}}'', ''Series/TheGoodWife) as Morgaine, AnjelicaHuston (''Series/TheAddamsFamily'') as Viviane, and Joan Allen (''Film/{{Pleasantville}}'') as Morgause.

This was made into a miniseries in 2001, starring Julianna Margulies (''Series/{{ER}}'') as Morgaine, AnjelicaHuston (''Series/TheAddamsFamily'') as Viviane, and Joan Allen (''Film/{{Pleasantville}}'') as Morgause.

* LawOfInverseFertility: [[spoiler:Morgaine]] sleeps with Arthur once, and conceives. Gwenhwyfar does everything she can for years to conceive, down to betraying her Christianity and asking Morgaine for a magical charm, and cannot. [[spoiler:Subverted; Gwenhwyfar's infertility is not natural. Morgause has cursed her to have no children, and the curse is not broken until Gwenhwyfar hits menopause.]]
** [[spoiler: And by "cursed", they mean she planted goons in the castle to mix contraceptive/abortion herbs into her meals.]]

Several books came after this, all of them prequels. Near the end of her life, Bradley began collaborating on them with Diana Paxson, who took over the series after her death. The novels which they wrote together include: ''Literature/{{Forest House}}'', ''{{Lady of Avalon}}'', and ''Literature/{{Priestess of Avalon}}''.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BinaryCacheServlet.jpg
[[caption-width:300:Holy shit, that was my ''brother''?]]

Published in 1983, ''The Mists of Avalon'' is a novel by MarionZimmerBradley. It is notable among the [[MemeticMutation many, many variants]] in [[KingArthur Arthurian legend]] due to its approach - the story is told not only through the eyes of a woman, but through the eyes of one of the biggest villains in the legends. The narrator is Morgaine (Morgan le Fay or Morgan of the Fairies), who tells Arthur's tale (and her own) against the backdrop of approaching war with Rome and the Saxons, as well as religious war as Christianity threatens to destroy Avalon and Goddess worship in Britain.

Several books came after this, all of them prequels. Near the end of her life, Bradley began collaborating on them with Diana Paxson, who took over the series after her death. The novels which they wrote together include: ''{{Forest House}}'', ''{{Lady Of Avalon}}'', and ''{{Priestess Of Avalon}}''.

This was made into a miniseries in 2001, starring Julianna Margulies (''{{ER}}'') as Morgaine, AnjelicaHuston (''Series/TheAddamsFamily'') as Viviane, and Joan Allen (''{{Pleasantville}}'') as Morgause.

* LesYay: Viviane and Raven.

* HoYay: Arthur and Lancelot. Adds quite a different spin to the traditional love triangle...

* LawOfInverseFertility: [[spoiler:Morgaine]] sleeps with Arthur once, and conceives. Gwenhwyfar does everything she can for years to conceive, down to betraying her Christianity and asking Morgaine for a magical charm, and cannot. [[spoiler:Subverted a little; Gwenhwyfar's infertility is not natural. Morgause has cursed her to have no children, and the curse is not broken until Gwenhwyfar hits menopause.]]

* AnachronismStew: Assuming that this story happened during the historical Patricius (AKA St. Patrick was alive), it would have taken place in the 5th century AD. Yet the story talks about Moorish Spain. Muhammad (the founder of Islam) would not even be born till 597 AD. Islam was not founded till the 7th century AD. And Spain was not invaded by the Muslims till the 8th century AD!