Book Review: The Mist of Avalon

Morgaine, known as Morgaine Le Fay or Morgaine of the Fairies, is King Arthur’s half sister and a high priestess of Avalon. She is a proponent of the Old Religion in Avalon. It is kind of natural religion in which women are more important than men. The main purposes of all rituals in Morgaine’s Old Religion are for bles

Moreover, the selfishness and absurdness of Christians in propagating their Christianity is also expressed plainly when queen Gwenhwyfar contrives to force King Arthur give up a Pendragon banner and raise a Christian banner during the war against Saxon in Mount Badon. First, she verbally fights with Kevin about Christianity ideal. Because Kevin’s eloquence is excellent, Gwenhwyfar who is pregnant at that time perceives that she cannot convince him to accept her religious ideal. She gets really angry and acts crazily that result in miscarrying her son. “Ignore the gushing of water and blood that now she would feel drenching in her thighs, she dragged herself to the banner she had woven, signing herself with the cross again and again in a frenzy.” (p. 391). Ironically, she did not think she miscarries her son because of her fault; a pregnant woman should rest, avoid hard work, and care for her fetus. In contrast, when King Arthur visits her, she blames that to pagan, “But you still raise that pagan banner of serpent over your men.” “Arthur, if you wish for God to send us another child! Do you not see how he has punished us by taking our son to himself?” (p. 392) Finally, King Arthur has to follow her will and forswears the pagan who puts him on the throne. However, since then, they still don’t have any child because queen Gwenhwyfar is a barren woman; it is not because of pagan sorcery.

Here, we can clearly know Christianity is an “religious enemy” of the Old Religion of Avalon. In “The Mists of Avalon”, the most prominent character that represents for Christianity is Gwenhwyfar, known as a pious Christian princess and later queen of Camelot, King Arthur’s wife. According to Christian bible, sexual contacts between siblings, adultery, using “magical stuff” or sorcery to harm people are great sin and immediately need a sincere penance. Christians strongly believe that the Old Religion of Avalon is nothing else but the religion of evil or pagan that is needed to eradicate as soon as possible. Therefore, it is not hard to find out there is a heated conflict between those two religions in this Arthurian period of time. In my opinion, Christianity is right about showing people how to live as moral life. However, in this novel, the ways the Christian people try to convince the pagan folks to renounce their Old Religion are not so nice, somehow rude, selfish and absurd. Right at the beginning of this story, I can see why Igrain, Vivian’s sister and Morgaine’s mother, execrates Father Columba with all her heart. When Igrain tries to explain to Morgaine, 4 year-old girl at that time, the reason she does not have a son, Father Columba quickly interrupts her, “You should not talk to the child of Goddesses and superstition. Gorlois wishes her to be reared as a good Christian maiden. Morgaine, your mother did not have a son because your father was angry with her, and God withheld a son to punish her for her sinful will.” (p. 79) How do you feel when a priest insults your mother right in front of you? It does not matter he is right or wrong. He is a priest who represents for benevolence and forgiveness. He does not have any right to yell and speak ill of anyb

Some topics in this essay:
King Arthur, Religion Avalon, Father Columba, Elaine Gwenhwyfar, Arthur Sin, Kevin Christianity, Arthur Lancelet, Morgaine’s Religion, Beltane Fire, Nevertheless Christians, king arthur, religion avalon, beltane fire, “the mists avalon”, priestess avalon, “the mists, mists avalon”, queen gwenhwyfar, clash religions, father columba, feels ashamed, feels ashamed angry, half king arthur, related perspective women, “the mist avalon”,