The Advice of Gwenhwyfar "Elle Igraine, Arthur's mother could do nothing but wait. It was a woman's destiny to stay at home, in a castle or in a cradle – it had been this way since the arrival of the Romans. Before that, the Celtic tribes had followed the advice of their women and, far to the north, there was an island of warrior women. who made weapons and taught warlords the use of weapons” (Bradley 265). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley was published in 1983 and presents a retelling of the legend of King Arthur through the eyes of the female characters. In the quote above is the only explicit use of the word "Celtic" in the entire novel, the total length of which is 876 pages. In the novel, sources from Arthurian legend and elements of history are combined to tell the story of the women surrounding Arthur. The novel focuses heavily on the friction between Christianity and paganism, made narratively visible by the struggle for women in a male-dominated world. In the aforementioned quote, Igraine reflects on her "destiny" as a "do-nothing" woman, as opposed to the women of the "Celtic tribes" who played an active role in society, both military and political. The Mists of Avalon is a novel and is therefore exempt from the requirement for historical accuracy. However, the elaborate use of Arthurian legend and historical context nevertheless make it interesting to test its accuracies or inaccuracies. Additionally, the explicit mention of the word Celtic, which is a problematic term, invites further investigation. The premise of this Robben 1 article is therefore simple; Are the assumptions made by the character Igraine true for the source material, both historical and fictional? The Mists of Avalon is a retelling of Arthurian legend, it presents the story of King Arthur, his court and his family. Some of the earliest prose records of these Arthurian legends are found in the Mabinogion I, a collection of 11 stories now often published and read together, although they were not originally intended to be grouped as such. The stories featuring King Arthur are called the Three. The novels are called Lady of the Fountain, Peredur and Gereint. Although perhaps not directly, Marion Zimmer Bradley's novel is part of the Nachleben of these medieval prose texts and their French relatives written by Chrétien de Troyes. His account of the Arthurian legend therefore does not exist in isolation but is part of a cultural and historical discourse. In the context of literary theory and cultural materialism, this means that "all readings, whether radical or traditional, of all kinds of texts, are at some point ideologically motivated and constructed in the interest of 'a specific literary and cultural agenda' (Brooker 10). ). It could be argued that Bradley's novel is an adaptation but also a reading of the Arthurian legend with a distinct ideological and literary agenda. Her Arthurian quotes then provide the backdrop for the ideological points she tries to convey to the reader. In the quote, at the beginning, there are three points. The first is that women are meant to be at home. The second is that women do not participate in fighting or forging weapons and, third, women are not allowed to give advice and as such have no political influence. The ultimate contrast between all of the above concerns the societal structure of the Celtic tribes, where theWomen were actually allowed to do all of these things. The implications of the social structure observed by the character Igraine in the novel are best felt in the character Gwenhwyfar. Especially in comparison to the Gwenhwyfar presented in all three novels. In the Mists of Avalon, Gwenhwyfar is married to Arthur and crowned High Queen. She is in love with Lancelot and her entire interior monologue consists of her adherence to the stereotypical role of woman as described by Igraine. For example: “Poor Arthur,” thought Gwenhwyfar, “this marriage is more of a test for him than for me – at least I have nothing to do but obey the will of my father and my king! (Bradley 775). Gwenhwyfar has nothing to do but obey the men in her life. Gwenhwyfar's role in Mists of Avalon is to live out the prophecy made by Igraine about a woman's life. The “strong” women in the novel are those who are not part of the traditional structure at all. The only positive and strong women who appear in the novel are part of a distinct class of pagan religious priestesses. In a way, this retelling of Arthurian legend needed a whole other world to create strong, empowered women. In short: “In these feminist stories, the femininity of the characters is embodied at the intersection of their military (or strategic) and spiritual leadership. » (Pugh 76). This manifests as a negative representation of femininity instead of a powerful one. In the Arthurian sources found in all three novels, Gwenhwyfar is Arthur's queen. A closer look at Geraint Vab Erbin's story will perhaps shed light on some of the differences between medieval sources and the Mists of Avalon. Geraint and Enid is one of the three Welsh novels. In this story, Geraint marries Enid after winning a falcon. Shortly after their marriage, he neglected his military duties. One day, Enide tells Geraint about some of the criticism she hears from the courtiers. Geraint thinks that Enide is unfaithful to him and decides to punish her. Through a series of challenges, Enide convinces him of her love for him. They return to court and Geraint fights a warrior from the other world of the Mist and breaks his curse. Although Gwenhwyfar and Arthur are minor characters in this story. They are king and queen and interact with Geraint and Enide. Additionally, they are important to the issue of honor that is so important in tales of chivalry and romance. This is also described in A Companion to Arthurian Literature: “traditionally, Arthurian literature foregrounds the masculine ideology of chivalry. Heng postulates that the masculine thus “inhabits” textual consciousness. The feminine register, on the other hand, is found in the repressions of the text; in “alternative discourses” or “competing voices and claims” which, if not contained – masked, smoothed out, supplemented – would threaten the stability and unity of the text. The feminine register therefore traditionally inhabits the textual unconscious” (Fulton 466). Another point regarding the position of women in the three Welsh novels is that women are in positions of power but it is second-hand power (Winward 103). In other words: they must join the system to defeat the system. However, that doesn't mean they don't give advice. In Geraint for example, Gwenhwyfar gives Arthur advice on what to do with the stag's head: Gwenhwyfar said to Arthur: "Lord," she said, "this is my advice concerning the stag's head: do not give it away before as Geraint, son of Erbin. returns from the quest he went on”––and Gwenhwyfar explained to Arthur the purpose of the quest. “May it be done, with pleasure,” said Arthur. Theyagreed on this. (Davies 150) And so Gwenhwyfar advises Arthur on what to do next and he accepts it. And even when Gwenhwyfar seems to submit to Arthur, she makes sure to inform him again of how an insult to her is also an insult to him: "Whatever mercy you wish, I will show him, lord ,” she said, “for it is a great shame to you, Lord, that I should be insulted as to you yourself. (Davies 152). Helen Fulton has argued that Gwenhwyfar makes an object of herself and that her sole function is to enhance her prestige. I would say that this is not the case, Gwenhwyfar only reinforces a social code. By reminding Arthur that their status is so closely linked, she reminds him of the responsibility he has to her but also to himself to maintain his reputation. It is obvious that in Welsh sources Gwenhwyfar is not supposed to do anything and stay at home in her castle. In Geraint she joins the hunt (Davies 140) she gives advice on armor without Geraint explicitly asking her (Davies 143) Gwenhwyfar welcomes Geraint to court (Davies 153). So in the source material it is clear that women, although queens, in this case, are not meant to remain silent or passive. It's a very strange development then to see a character transformed into a passive and oppressed role. The Gwenhwyfar in Welsh sources is strong but not in a military role, she advises and counsels but not in matters of war. In the Mists of Avalon Igraine claims that before the arrival of the Romans, women had a stronger military position. Since there are no written sources for this period, there is no possibility of actually proving this. Welsh laws on the position of women are codified in the Hywel Dda but this was not written until the second half of the 10th century. (Ellis 5). In Welsh tribal law codes, which perhaps derive from oral tradition. The following entries are of interest for the queen's position: the Welsh Celtic law code, for example, granted a queen the right to move freely throughout the country (Ellis 31). Additionally, daughters could inherit an estate if there were no direct male descendants or fourth-degree collaterals (Ellis 389). She could acquire and hold her own lands in her own right by purchase or inheritance and these lands did not come under the control of her husband (Ellis 436). Regarding queens, the code makes it clear that they have no power in state affairs except that which they might exercise through their personal influence over the king (Ellis 31). Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized essay from our expert writers now.Get a personalized essayGeraint's Gwenhwyfar is a far cry from The Mists of Avalon's Gwenhwyfar. Bradley's retelling of the Arthurian legend references a fictionalized Celtic past where women had more agency because they were more engaged in military affairs. In Welsh Arthurian sources, Gwenhwyfar is active and gives advice to the king and his knights. Gwenhwyfar comes out to watch the hunt and gives advice on armor. The romanticized Celtic past that Bradley refers to probably does not exist. Queens enjoying the outdoors, however, are just a few stories away. The Welsh legal codes also do not prescribe a passive role, but this is only relevant if the Welsh laws are older than the manuscripts in which they appear, and unfortunately we cannot ask them for advice.BibliographyBeer, Gillian, 'Representing Women: Representing the Past', in The Feminist Reader, ed. 34 (1997, 77-106)