History Literature / TheMistsOfAvalon

* DoomedByCanon: those who have read the Arthurian legends know several of the characters are in for a sad fate
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: Preparing a LovePotion for Lancelot, Morgaine wonders if it doesn't resemble rape for Elaine, despite the fact that she asked for that elixir (since Lancelot wouldn't be able to resist sex even if Elaine changed her mind). That's correct, but she doesn't sacrifice one though to how it would resemble rape for ''Lancelot''.

* AerithAndBob: Running the gamut from familiar - Arthur - to medieval and acceptable - Lancelot, Morgaine - to alternate spellings - Gwenhwyfar - and then ''Kevin.''

* ExactWords: Gwenhwyfar tells Morgaine that there's a man of the kingdom of North Wales who's a believer in the Old religion who wishes to marry her. Morgaine believes it's Accolon, a knight she has grown affectionate for. [[spoiler: It's actually his dad King Uriens]]

* ImAManIcantHelpIt: The standard even between heroic characters.

* SuetifulAllAlong: Morgaine starts as believably plain, but then she gains that Avalon's {{glamour}}, and she is so sexy with the harp, and her voyages to parallel worlds make her younger longer than her peers...

* TheVoiceless: Early in the book Morgaine meets Raven, a young seeress, who has taken a vow of silence and dedicated her voice to the Goddess.

Published in 1983, ''The Mists of Avalon'' is a novel by Creator/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.

* AuthorFilibuster: MarionZimmerBradley is quite clear on her pro-feminist stance. She's also pretty vocal about religion.

* PerspectiveFlip: The story of Myth/KingArthur from the viewpoint of the women.

* TwiceToldTale: While it is not strictly necessary to be familiar with Arthurian legend

** Lot tried to bed Morgaine, his wife's niece. Morgause tried to bed Lancelot, ''her own'' nephew. Lot and Morgause were truly BirdsOfFeather.

* KnightInShiningArmor: Lancelot. Could practically be a {{Trope Namer}}.

* ManipulativeBitch: Viviane has a very no-nonsense approach to fulfilling The Goddess' will, down to [[spoiler:manipulate Morgaine and Arthur to commit incest and conceive a child out of it.]]

* NeverMyFault: Mordred resents his biological parents because they abandoned him (despite the fact that Morgaine got him HappilyAdopted, and many other characters grew up in similar environments), and later Morgause who apparently "corrupted" him (we see them during his childhood and it appears like he is a cunning little brat whom she is trying to straighten out, ''and'' all of Morgause biological sons turned out fine), and finally it's all bad because of this damn Avalon and it's {{martiarchy}}!

* ToxicFriendInfluence: Gwen's constant jabbing about sin to Arthur really doesn't do anyone any good. Morgause is accused of being this to young Gwydion by the [[HolierThaThou tad judgmental]] Viviane and [[NeverMyFault Mordred himself]], but there isn't any proof. Morgaine is often accused of it as well, usually in regards to Arthur.
* TheUnchosenOne: While Igraine is horrified after learning that she has to marry for the second time and give a birth to TheChosenOne, and Morgaine is understandably even more horrified upon learning that her "destiny" was to [[spoiler:bang her brother and produce a child]], Morgause would love to pop up some destined children and even offers Igraine to marry Uther instead of her, but is shunned.
* TheUnfavorite: Morgause, to the point that Viviane kicks her out of their TheHecateSisters assemble, counting Morgaine instead, and mentions several times, that she doesn't really trust and love her despite feeding her like her own baby. Of course, Viviane had some insight about who Morgause would become, but is hinted it's a bit of a SelfFulfillingProphecy - Morgaine (the only family member who liked Morgause) theorizes that her youngest aunt might have grown to become such an [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]] AttentionWhore precisely because nobody paid attention to her in her youth.
* UnholyMatrimony: Lot and Morgause get along well. Sure, they are both philandering like there is no tomorrow, but they are both cool with the other one's cheating (Lot is about the only man in the book who doesn't invoke any kind of DoubleStandard here) and out of bed they ''like'' one another best. And they act as the RulingCouple in Lothien, with Lot admitting freely that his wife is as competent ruler as he is.

* HeManWomenHater: Gwen accuses ''[[RageAgainstHeavens the Christian God]]'' of being this.

* BrotherSisterIncest: [[spoiler:Morgaine]] conceives a child by Arthur, a boy named Gwydion ("bright one"). [[spoiler: This is subverted somewhat in that Morgaine and Arthur did not know they were having sex with each other at the time. Morgaine hadn't seen her half-brother since he was 3, both were masked, and both were playing parts in a Sacred Marriage rite.]]

** EvenTheGuysWantHim: And the nature of the men's admiration for him either is implied to, or explicitly stated to be homoerotic.
* TheChosenOne: Guess who. No, really! Guess!

** SparedByAdaptation: and yet, a few characters, such as Morgause, escape their canonical fates.

* KingArthur: See TheChosenOne.

* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Take a guess.

* SexAsARiteOfPassage: The Sacred Marriage ritual, watch out your partner might be your sibling.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Despite her back-stabbing ways, Morgause is shown to genuinely care for Igraine, Morgaine, Lot and her sons to the point where [[spoiler: Gareth's death and Mordred's ReasonYouSuck speech leaves her shocked and broken.]]

* AnachronismStew: Assuming that this story happened during the time the historical Patricius (AKA St. Patrick) was alive, it would have taken place in the 5th century. However:

** The Catholic priests profess belief in witchcraft. Up until the 14th century, however, the Catholic Church actually taught that witchcraft did not exist and that believing that human beings could have supernatural powers was itself heretical.

* AnachronismStew: Assuming that this story happened during the time 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!
** Minor example- but the book also talks about praying to Mary with a string of beads. In other words, a rosary. Which was invented by St. Dominic in the 13th century AD!

* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn: The three sisters/maternal figures.
** Beauty: Morgause
** Brains: Viviane
** Brawn: Igraine

* DistressedDamsel: Gwenhwyfar

* DressHitsFloor: (Miniseries version) Gwenhwyfar

* DrunkOnTheDarkSide: Mordred
* TheDutifulSon: Arthur

* MrFanservice: In the miniseries, for sure: Accolon, Arthur, Lancelot
* EvilMatriarch: Morgause

* ForegoneConclusion: Since the entire story is, of course, based on Arthurian legend, anyone who has read them through will already know how several things will happen beforehand. even though they are told in a slightly different way

* HolierThanThou: Gwenhwyfar's general attitude against anything Avalon-related. Balin and basically any priest with a speaking role as well. Viviane sometimes fulfills this role for the other side of the conflict.

* GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave: Morgause stays hot well into her forties, which wouldn't be that impressive in modern world, but she lives in the reality, when a 20 years old woman is "not that young" and a woman in her thirties is treated like an old lady.

* VillainProtagonist: Morgaine is usually the villain of Arthurian stories.

* BigFun: Gareth, of the muscular and height variety, once he grows up

* TheChessmaster: Viviane

* HolierThanThou: Gwenhwyfar's general attitude against anything Avalon-related.

* TheUnfavorite: Morgause, to the point that Viviane kicks her out of their HecateSisters assemble, counting Morgaine instead, and mentions several times, that she doesn't really trust and love her despite feeding her like her own baby. Of course, Viviane had some insight about who Morgause would become, but is hinted it's a bit of a SelfFulfillingProphecy - Morgaine (the only family member who liked Morgause) theorizes that her youngest aunt might have grown to become such an [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]] AttentionWhore precisely because nobody paid attention to her in her youth.

* AnnoyingYongerSibling: Neither Igraine, nor Vivane has much patience for Morgause. Also Morgaine sees Arthur this way, until realizing that their mother didn't abandon her for him - she abandoned them both for Uther.

* LawfulStupid: Arthur, sometimes.
* IronLady: Viviane
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Morgaine mostly gets over her crush on Lancelot and helps him to find a suitable bride

* TwiceToldTale: While it is not strictly necessary to be familiar with Arthurian legend to enjoy the book, it makes a lot more sense if you know the basics of the legends.
* ValuesDissonance: Apparently religious prostitution is oh so much more enlightened than those awful Christians.

Bradley was critically lauded for taking the Arthurian saga and making the characters three-dimensional. Up to this point, women were the biggest evils in the many variants - Morgan le Fay was an evil enchantress, as was Nimue, and Guinevere generally shouldered most of the blame for her extramarital tryst with Lancelot. This book attempts to [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap rescue]] or [[HeelFaceTurn make the women real]], and not just one-note evil characters. In fact, none of the women mentioned in this paragraph have any wish to do harm to Camelot or Arthur.

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}}''.