"My life flows through all waters, as it flows through your veins. I am the River of Time and the Sea of Space. Through many lives, you have been Mine. Adsartha, my daughter, when will you fulfill your vows to Me?"
"Eilan!" As Dieda spoke, Eilan blinked, and the face looking back at her from the water was her own once more. Her kinswoman was shivering, and suddenly Eilan felt cold as well. Hastily, they pulled on their clothes. Then Dieda reached for the basket of cakes, and her voice soared rich and true, in the song -
"Lady of the sacred spring,
To thee these offerings I bring;
For life, and luck, and love, I pray,
Goddess, accept these gifts today".
In the Forest House, thought Eilan, there would be a chorus of priestesses to sing the song. Her own voice, thin and a little wavering blended with Dieda's in an oddly pleasing harmony.
"Bless now the forest and the field,
That they, their bounty to us, yield;
May kin and kine be hale and whole,
Safeguard the body and the soul"…
Eilan poured mead from the flask into the water, while Dieda crumbled the cakes and cast them into the pool. The current swirled them away, and for a moment it seemed to Eilan that its sound had grown louder. The two girls leaned over the water, letting drop the coins they had brought. As the ripples stilled, Eilan saw their two faces, so alike, mirrored together. She stiffened, fearing to see the stranger there once more, but as her sight darkened, this time there was only one face, with eyes that shone in the water like stars in the dark sea of heaven.
"Lady, are you the spirit of the pool? What do you want from me?" her heart asked. And it seemed to her that words came in reply:
"My life flows through all waters, as it flows through your veins. I am the River of Time and the Sea of Space. Through many lives, you have been Mine. Adsartha, my daughter, when will you fulfill your vows to Me?"
It seemed to her then that from the Lady's eyes flashed brightness that illuminated her soul, or perhaps it was sunlight, for when she came to herself she was blinking into the radiance that flared through the trees.
"Eilan!" Dieda said in the tone of one who is repeating a summons for the second time. "What is wrong with you today??"
"Dieda!" Eilan exclaimed. "Didn't you see Her? Didn't you see the Lady? in the pool?"
Dieda shook her head. "You sound like one of those holy bitches at Vernemeton, babbling of visions!"
"How can you say that? You're the Arch-Druid's daughter - at Forest House you could be trained as a bard!"
Dieda frowned. "A female bard? Ardanos would never allow it, nor would I want to spend my life mewed up with a gaggle of women. I'd rather join the Ravens with your foster brother Cynric, and fight Rome!"
~ Excerpt from The Forests of Avalon ~
Greetings again :o), Continuing on in the series of the Avalon books, Written by Marion Zimmer Bradley, this month, I am reviewing The Forests of Avalon, which comes before The Mists of Avalon, in the 4 part series. This book is not divided into sections as was in the previous review, but there clearly are timelines to be followed, so I will devise a way of presenting this in a manner which makes this easier to follow.
In the beginning of this book, we are presented with the first two characters of Eilan, and Dieda, who is the older of the two girls. Dieda is the daughter of the Arch-Druid, Ardanos, and Eilan the daughter of Bendeigid the Druid. In the above excerpt, we come across the girls performing a monthly ritual performed by girls who have already reached puberty, and during that time, they make gifts to the Great Mother, to ask Her blessing in their lives, and to bless their wombs eventually, with the continuity of life. Shortly after they completed their ritual, Dieda heard a sound of someone in great pain, and assumed it was an animal fallen into one of the hunting traps, and exclaimed "if something has fallen in, the men will have to come and put it out of its misery".
It turns out that the 'animal' was none other than young Gaius Macellius Severus Siluricus, or Gaius (Gawen in Silurian tribes) for short. This young man was born of Roman and Silurian descent, Silure being one of the old British-Celtic tribes originally being from around the summer country, or near Wales. As near as I can make out, the timeline this story is set in, is roughly 61 A.D., or around the time of Queen Boadicea, and Gaius Julius Caesar, or the deified Julius, and ends roughly around 96 A.D. during the rule of Titus Flavius Domitianus, or Emperor Domitian. He was pulled out by the men, and taken to the home of Bendeigid, and there he was nursed back to health by the women of Bendeigid's house. Because he fell into a spike-lined pit, he had to be carefully hauled out, and according to Bendeigid, "some God must love you, stranger; a few inches lower and that stake would have gone into your lungs".
So out he was pulled, and his wounds tended to by young Eilan whom our boy Gaius took a shining to. They came to know one another rather well over a short period of time that Gaius had spent recovering - long enough to fall in love with Eilan, and know he could never have her. Eilan was drawn to Vernemeton, and the servicxe of the Great Mother. The Lady of that place was the high priestess Lhiannon, and each year she chose new maidens, (rather, they were chosen for her to choose), and Eilan expressed a wish to be among those chosen. Take note that those who serve are virgins and never marry; they are not allowed marriage or children. Because of the way he was beginning to feel about Eilan, he said to her, "that would be a shameful waste. is there no man you wish to marry?" And Eilan looked up at him and was silent a moment before speaking, then she said slowly, "none to whom my parents would be likely to give me. And life in the Forest House can be very rewarding. The holy women learn all manner of wisdom and healing arts".
Over time, it became apparent that feelings were strong both ways, but there was nothing to be done about it. Gaius asked Eilan to marry him, saying she would not be displeased, but doubted that her family would allow it to happen. Here she was, face to face with the very man she had loved in more than one life, and in this one, it was not meant to be, it seemed. They spent Beltane together, witnessing the Oracle of the Goddess, and the next day, Gaius said his farewells and departed.
"Upon these holy ancient trees
Now cast Your lovely silver light;
Uncloud Your face, that we might see,
Unveiled its shining in the night"..
Over the years, Gaius's father set him on the path of his career as a Roman soldier, eventually going very high up the ranks, and of course, wanted his son to make a good marriage alliance. Of course, Gaius would have none but Eilan, and his father argued incessantly that he should instead, make a marriage with Julia Licinia, daughter of Martius Julius Licinius, the Procurator. And so it happened that Macellius wrote to Bendeigid on behalf of his son, and asked about a marriage contract between Gaius and Eilan. Old Ardanos, the Arch-Druid was all for it, saying that peace would come as a result of the union, but Bendeigid would not because though he was half British, he was born a bastard of an ill-gotten unuion between a Silurian woman and a Roman prefect.
"You will marry no Roman while I am above ground; no, nor after it either if I have my way. And if you tell me that things had so gone with you that you must marry this son of half - Roman traitors, or give me a bastard to call me grandsire, no man in all the length and breadth of Britain would blame me if I drowned you with my own hands. Spare me that blush of modesty, daughter, you had none a moment ago!"
And so it was that he sent Eilan forth to her sister Mairi, for she was soon to be delivered of her child, and with her husband Rhodri gone, she needed help. Three days after she arrived, the priestess Caillean arrived to assist as a midwife and generally help protect and care for the household. Soon Mairi had her child, a girl, and was then told of the murder of her husband.
Later, Eilan travelled back and entered the priestess hood in Vernemeton, alongside her kinswoman, Dieda. Eventually, the Romans began to be more than a mere encumbrance within the land, and though anyone was reluctant to strike out. Their houses had been burned and they themselves driven out, but the women of Vernemeton were still spared. It was time to engage the Ravens. Just for some quick background into whom the Ravens were, they were the male offspring of a group of holy priestesses that were living in a remote area, much like Vernemeton, and a group of Roman soldiers thought to make sport with them, and raped them all. Some of the priestesses killed themselves and their unborn when they knew themselves pregnant, and some chose to bear their children in spite of it all. These women were the daughters of the Goddess Cathubodva, the Blood Raven, She who delights in wading in the blood of the slain and fallen in the battle. She whose ravens are seen flying over the field where the battle is to commence. And so, these children became known as The Ravens, partially being from the priestesses, and partially of Rome.
It was the will of old Ardanos, the Arch-Druid, that Dieda, because she was closest to Cynric, the foster brother of Eilan, that she should summon him.
Ardanos began. "So then, we are gathered here in this place that is already protected and purified to summon Cynric, the foster son of Bendeigid. All of you, who are of all the living the nearest he has to kindred, must hold his image in memory, and add the calling of your hearts to mine". He struck the floor with his staff, and Eilan heard the sweet jangle of silver bells. "Cynric, Cynric! Now do we call you!" his strong bard - trained voice rang out suddenly, and Eilan blinked, for suddenly the room suddenly seemed to have become darker, and Ardanos - his whole body, not just his white robes - seemed to glow. "Strong son, belov餠boy, your kindred call you. Warrior, Raven - Son, we summon you by the powers of earth, and oak, and fire!"
Dieda stifled a cry; then said quietly but clearly, as if she spoke to someone a long way off, "Cynric, you must come. This time it is not a Roman outrage, but the people of the north have burned your house, and have killed your mother and sister. Return to the Ordovici lands. Your foster - father is alive and has need of you".
Some long while later, though it seemed like chance, Eilan and Gaius met again, this time within a crowd, and this time, Fate had her way with them, and made the time right, against the odds. Eilan made him her Year King, and from that union, came a son, Gawen, who never should have been born, due to her vows, and because his father was a Roman, and his mother was not. There was no choice of course, but that they two went back to what they both knew as "life" though it could hardly be called life when they were separated from one another. Eventually, Gaius did his father's bidding, and rose right up in the ranks of the Roman legion, and eventually married Julia Licinia and had children with her, though he never loved her. The marriage was one of a necessary arrangement to cement allies. And Eilan had her child in secret, which flew in the face of her family, and of her position. Eventually, she took up the position of Oracle of the Goddess.
All the women helped in the raising of Gawen, against the odds. Gaius came and saw his son almost as soon as he had been born, and it was to be the only son he would ever father.
Many years passed, and with each year, Eilan's heart grew more bitter at not being able to have the life she should have had, with the man she loved, and she came to despise Gaius for this. He decided to divorce his wife some years later, because she had taken vows as a Christian, and sex was no longer on the menu, married or no, and by the Roman rule, he could put her away for refusing to do her wifely duties. Eventually, he fell in lust with one of the young ladies residing within the Forest House, who was not under vows, and was a relative of a friend of his. She decided to leave with Gaius and marry him, if he could gain permission from her uncle. One day, he came to collect her, and there Eilan found out, and it all came out in the wash. From that point onward, Eilan truly hated him.
Ardanos was dead, and Bendeigid took his place as Arch - Druid, which bode ill for most, because Bendeigid gave in easily to his anger, and had had more than enough years of being told not to strike out against the Romans, whom had killed most of his family and friends, and burnt his house, now he was finding out that Eilan had forsaken her vows, and had lain with Gaius, and borne him a child, which was not lawful for a priestess of the holy order to do. This outraged him, and this time, something would be done about it. Both confessed, and both signed their death warrant, then and there.
"You have called him a Sacred King, and as such he shall die".
Both Eilan and Gaius were killed - he by the druids, stabbed through and offered bleeding to the fire, and her by the Goddess, and also given to the fire. Vernemeton was no more; chaos was set upon them all. And Caillean had gone, taken Gawen with her, and began a new sisterhood on the holy isle of Avalon...
For those who don't yet know, this book was set in the times before Avalon had a sisterhood upon it. Caillean left Vernemeton after all the chaos and killing that occurred there and started a new place, one in which eventually Viviane would come to be Lady of, and after her Morgaine. I beg you all to take up these books and read them. The story, which is based upon the Arthurian legends, has new life in the way, in which Marion Zimmer Bradley tells the tales, and adding historical figures from certain time periods gives the stories more flavor and character, and these truly take on a life of their own. One fervently hopes you have enjoyed this review, and that it will inspire you to want to read the series.
"The mighty lay in the battlefield
No more to fight the foe
The day ended in tragedy
Their lives the subject of woe…
The clash of steel was thund'rous
As swords met blow for blow
The cry of the ravens, cacophonous
As blood soaked the fields below…
The Great Raven circled o'er the field
Where dead men had fought brave for a need
Down She swooped to wade in their blood
On human flesh She would feed…
Great Cathubodva wields Her sword
Triumphant smile upon Her face
The ground made holy by the blood of the slain
The calls of the ravens end their disgrace…
Splendour'd tales we sing of kings and knights
In shadowed lands the tales unfold
Of battle gore and bloody fights
Gone to their graves, those men of old…
This tale is told by the bards of old
Dark subject of many a night
Brings to the mind those of the Roman - kind
And the Raven who circled the field in Her flight"...
© Silver ~2001~
Darkest Blessings to all…
Silver ~