The Fionavar Tapestry
Encyclopedia
The Fionavar Tapestry is a trilogy
of fantasy
novels by Guy Gavriel Kay
, set partly in our own contemporary world, but mostly in the fictional world of Fionavar. It is the story of five University of Toronto
senior law and medical students, who are drawn into the 'first world of the Tapestry' by the mage Loren Silvercloak. Once there, each discovers his or her own role and destiny in the framework of an epic conflict. The books are illustrated by Martin Springett
.
Galadan - Lord of the Andain (offspring of a mating between god and mortal), a shapechanger who can take the shape of a malevolent black wolf with a silver splash on its head; he works with Maugrim but for his own openly nihilistic ends.
Fordaetha of Ruk - ice queen of the Barrens in the far north; her touch freezes men to the bone.
Historically the Council of the Mages, headquartered in Brennin, may include up to seven mages, but at the time of the story there are only three: Loren Silvercloak, and his source Matt Sören, a dwarf; Metran, First Mage, and his source Denbarra; Teyrnon, and his source Barak. Each source is bound to the mage he serves by magical rituals and oaths, and provides from his own lifeforce the energy needed to power the mage's magical works. This link can be drawn upon even to the source's death, although this will then render the mage permanently powerless. The Book of Nilsom (a grimoire
belonging to a mad mage of the past) includes secret knowledge of an abominable method by which a mage may gain power from more than one source.
Other important Brennin folk include Ysanne, the Seer of Brennin; Jaelle, High Priestess of Dana at the temple in Brennin; Vae, Shahar, and their son Finn; Mabon, duke of Rhoden, who saves Dave from being killed by Avaia, the carnivorous black swan; and Leila, a 15-year old who calls Finn to "The Longest Road" via a game called the "takiena" and succeeds Jaelle as High Priestess.
The Dalrei, plains-dwelling tribes of nomadic hunters who both hunt and guard the vast herds of eltor in the northern part of Fionavar. Each tribe is led its own chieftain, helped by the tribe's shaman who is ritually blinded in youth the better to focus the sight of his inner eye. Of particular interest to the story is the Third Tribe, under the leadership of Ivor dan Bannor and their shaman, Gereint. Ivor's wife Leith, and their children Levon, Tabor and Cordeliane also play important parts.
The lios alfar or Light Elves, live in Daniloth, a beautiful land in the northwest corner of the land which they have of necessity wrapped in a confusing mist as protection from Maugrim and others who wish them evil. Notable lios alfar of the past include Lathen Mistweaver who wove the sheltering mist, and Ra-Termaine, killed by Maugrim at the Bael Rangat. Present-day light-elves include Brendel, a lord of his people, and Ra-Tenniel, their king. The lios alfar are Maugrim's bitterest foes, "most hated by the dark, for their name is light" (ST, p. 138).
The dwarves dwell in the mountains near the twin peaks of Banir Lök and Banir Tal. Fierce fighters, they have recently been led into questionable acts by Kaen and Blöd.
The Men of Eridu, a proud and independent race, have been wiped out by a mysterious poisonous rain. The only remaining man is Faebur, exiled by his father and thus not present when the deadly rain fell.
The Paraiko, the peaceful giants of the mountains. It was the ancient Paraiko who long ago bound Owein and the Wild Hunt to obey Connla's Horn. The Paraiko refuse violence even in self-defence; in exchange, they are protected by the curse of the Paraiko, drawn down on whoever sheds their blood.
A main thread of the story is the replaying of the legends of King Arthur
, Lancelot
and Guinevere
, all of whom appear in the story. Arthur is brought into Fionavar as The Warrior by Kimberley; Lancelot is revived in Cader Sedat in the second book, and Guinevere's life and memories awaken within Jennifer; the three reenact some (though not all) of their well-known tale as expiation for their sins.
The story emphasizes over and over the importance of free will
, as demonstrated in Jennifer's decisions to keep Darien and later to send Lancelot away, Finn's choice to follow his destiny with Owein and the Wild Hunt, Paul and Kevin's acceptance of the role of sacrifice (though in different ways), Diarmuid's decision to take the final battle with Uathach on himself enabling Arthur to survive the last battle, and of course the vital importance of Darien's ultimate choice of allegiance at the end. When the Baelroth demands that Kim call the Dragon into the struggle she refuses for moral reasons.
Another important theme is that of forgiveness
: Arthur has long since forgiven Guinevere and Lancelot; Paul must learn to forgive himself for his girlfriend Rachel's death; Galadan at the end is forgiven his evil past and offered a second chance; Darien at the end understands his mother's treatment of him and forgives her; and more.
One of the more prominent themes is that of power, and the price that one pays for it. Often in the book, the price for power lies with someone else, as witnessed by the sources to the mages; as well as Kim's own summoning power, the price is often paid by whatever or whomever was summoned.
figures in the second book. The ancient caves of Dun Maura bring to mind the caves of the Oracle at Delphi as well as prehistoric caves such as Lascaux
. The association of blood with magic (Kevin/Liadon, the avarlith) has roots that go back hundreds of thousands of years.
, and seems to be directly influenced by it (perhaps not surprising, since Kay worked with Christopher Tolkien
to edit The Silmarillion
and prepare it for publication). The map of Fionavar shows the northwestern part of the continent and its western coasts, bordered by an ocean, like most of the Middle-earth maps drawn by Tolkien, especially of Beleriand
. Beyond the western sea lies a place where the Lios Alfar (Elves) go when they want to abandon the world, similar to Tolkien's Valinor
.
The east of the map is bordered by great mountain masses, where the dwarves live around and under the twin peaks of Banir Tal and Banir Lök, similar to the eastern part of Beleriand with the Ered Luin and the two dwarf mansions built on them.
To the north is the mountain mass of Starkadh, dominated by Rangat mountain where Raukoth Maugrim is trapped, reminiscent of Ered Engrin and the Thangorodrim.
The Council of Mages in Brennin is noted as having a formal limit of seven members (technically fourteen, including the mages' sources); Tolkien's Heren Istarion, the Order of the Wizards, had five known members.
Dalrei have some similarities to the Rohirrim, though they are nomadic and less warlike. Pendaran, a wood of the Lios Alfar that has now become perilous, echoes Mirkwood
which, with the return of the Necromancer, becomes dark and sinister.
," and the story of Elaine
.
The incorporation of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere both as story and as real characters echo the mythagos (incarnations of mythic figures) in the novels of Robert Holdstock
, e.g. Mythago Wood
.
Lios alfar and svart alfar (see below) also appear in The Weirdstone of Brisingamen
by Alan Garner
.
, with Arthur, Lancelot
and Guinevere
/Jennifer working out their love triangle
and atoning for their sins. Kay uses a lesser-known fragment of the Arthurian cycle, that of the May Babies, as the explanation for Arthur's punishment of repeated rebirth/death in battle against evil. "[T]he Weaver had marked him down for a long unwinding doom. A cycle of war and expiation under many names, and in many worlds, that redress be made for the children and for love" (WF, p. 40) The grey dog who fights Galadan to protect Paul is recognized by Arthur as Cavall, his faithful companion. Lancelot's encounter with Leyse of the lios alfar, her hopeless love for him and subsequent departure by boat for the lios alfar's home in the West is a retelling of the tale of Lancelot and Elaine
.
The powerful oak as the Summer Tree is similar to Yggdrasil
, the World Ash Tree of Norse mythology
. Norse elements also appear in Mörnir who with his two ravens, Thought and Memory (Odin's Huginn and Muninn), and the epithet "of the Thunderer," is a combination of Thor
/Odin
. The lios alfar (light elves) and svart alfar
(dark elves) come from the Scandinavian Álfar
(see also elves).
The Cauldron
of Khath Meigol and its powers of resurrection hark back to Welsh mythology
's tale of the Cauldron of Annwn
, and a number of the deities seem to have Celtic or Welsh roots: Paul is known as Pwyll after his sacrifice, while Macha
and Nemain
come straight from Irish mythology
. The wild boar that attacks Kevin, marking him as Liadon, closely resembles the Twrch Trwyth
. Cader Sedat, the island where the renegade mage Metran works his dark magic in The Wandering Fire
, is the analogue of Caer Sidi from the poem Preiddeu Annwfn
, a poem that is, in the trilogy, ascribed to Taliesin
, one of the names used by Flidais.
The Wild Hunt
was a folk myth prevalent in former times across Germany
, Britain
and also Scandinavia
. Seeing the Wild Hunt was thought to presage some catastrophe such as war or plague, or at best the death of the one who witnessed it. Mortals getting in the path of or following the Hunt could be kidnapped and brought to the land of the dead. The leader of the hunt varies from place to place, examples are King Arthur
in Britanny and Odin
in Scandinavia
. The fundamental premise of the hunt is usually the same, a group of phantasmal huntsmen in mad pursuit across the skies.
The entrapment of Rakoth Maugrim the Unraveller, as it was described in the beginning of the novel is extremely similar to one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
: the Journey to the West
. Here is a quote from Wikipedia's description of the punishment of the Monkey King, or Wukong
:
This bears remarkable similarity with the book of The Summer Tree where Rakoth Maugrim the Unraveller was bound by the five wardstones and placed under the Mount Rangat.
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
of fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novels by Guy Gavriel Kay
Guy Gavriel Kay
Guy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian author of fantasy fiction. Many of his novels are set in fictional realms that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Justinian I or Spain during the time of El Cid...
, set partly in our own contemporary world, but mostly in the fictional world of Fionavar. It is the story of five University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
senior law and medical students, who are drawn into the 'first world of the Tapestry' by the mage Loren Silvercloak. Once there, each discovers his or her own role and destiny in the framework of an epic conflict. The books are illustrated by Martin Springett
Martin Springett
A Canadian illustrator, Martin Springett is mostly noted for his illustrations of Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry series.Springett grew up in England, and moved to Canada in his late teens - where he was employed as a gardener, hospital porter and drove a forklift, while pursuing his interests...
.
The Five
Drawn by magic from our world and thus strangers to Fionavar, each of them finds a new role and a new destiny during their adventures in Fionavar.- Kevin Laine (Liadon) - witty, bright, outgoing. Fair of hair and of spirit. The act of love has a strangely deep and intense effect on him.
- Paul Schafer (Pwyll Twiceborn) - highly intelligent, musical, withdrawn—haunted by the death of his girlfriend in a car accident that he believes was his fault
- Dave MartyniukDave MartyniukDave Martyniuk is a fictional character in Guy Gavriel Kay's epic fantasy trilogy "The Fionavar Tapestry", also known as Davor amongst the Dalrei people of Fionavar. He is the star center of his university basketball team and a law student...
(Davor) - big, a star basketball player, he carries emotional scars from his Eastern European immigrant father's rough treatment of him as a child and has difficulty accepting or offering friendship. - Kimberly FordKimberly FordKimberly Ford is one of the main characters of Guy Gavriel Kay's epic fantasy trilogy "The Fionavar Tapestry"-Background:Kimberly is best friends with the only other female of The Five, Jennifer Lowell. Kimberly is quiet, kind and introspective but when pushed she diplays a will of iron and...
- (The Seer) brunette. Quiet, intelligent and sensitive, but with the strength to make difficult choices and do what must be done. - Jennifer Lowell (Guinevere) - blonde, green eyed, beautiful but cool and reserved. Former lover of Kevin's, still good friends.
The Dark
Rakoth Maugrim, the Unraveller, Sathain, The Hooded One - renegade god, the enemy of the Weaver and of all that is good. Jealous of the Weaver's creation, he broke into Fionavar just as the Weaver had completed his work, bringing fear, pain, distress, and great evil. Since he came from outside the Loom, has no thread on the Weaver's Loom and so cannot be destroyed. A thousand years ago the combined might of all the races of Fionavar came against him and, after a final tremendous battle they defeated him and chained him beneath the mountain Rangat. His escape sets in motion the events of the trilogy.Galadan - Lord of the Andain (offspring of a mating between god and mortal), a shapechanger who can take the shape of a malevolent black wolf with a silver splash on its head; he works with Maugrim but for his own openly nihilistic ends.
Fordaetha of Ruk - ice queen of the Barrens in the far north; her touch freezes men to the bone.
Darien
Son of Jennifer and Rakoth Maugrim, Darien is precisely balanced between Dark and Light, and his choice turns out to be the most difficult of all. He is able to take the form of a white owl.Other characters
Ailell dan Art is the High King of Brennin. He has two sons, the elder of whom, Aileron, is in exile. The younger, Diarmuid, although a fearless and elegant fighter is also (apparently) frivolous, impulsive, and shallow. Diarmuid falls in love with and is eventually betrothed to Sharra, also known as the Dark Rose of Cathal. Her father is Shalhassan whose title is Supreme Lord of Cathal.Historically the Council of the Mages, headquartered in Brennin, may include up to seven mages, but at the time of the story there are only three: Loren Silvercloak, and his source Matt Sören, a dwarf; Metran, First Mage, and his source Denbarra; Teyrnon, and his source Barak. Each source is bound to the mage he serves by magical rituals and oaths, and provides from his own lifeforce the energy needed to power the mage's magical works. This link can be drawn upon even to the source's death, although this will then render the mage permanently powerless. The Book of Nilsom (a grimoire
Grimoire
A grimoire is a textbook of magic. Such books typically include instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination and also how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, and demons...
belonging to a mad mage of the past) includes secret knowledge of an abominable method by which a mage may gain power from more than one source.
Other important Brennin folk include Ysanne, the Seer of Brennin; Jaelle, High Priestess of Dana at the temple in Brennin; Vae, Shahar, and their son Finn; Mabon, duke of Rhoden, who saves Dave from being killed by Avaia, the carnivorous black swan; and Leila, a 15-year old who calls Finn to "The Longest Road" via a game called the "takiena" and succeeds Jaelle as High Priestess.
The Dalrei, plains-dwelling tribes of nomadic hunters who both hunt and guard the vast herds of eltor in the northern part of Fionavar. Each tribe is led its own chieftain, helped by the tribe's shaman who is ritually blinded in youth the better to focus the sight of his inner eye. Of particular interest to the story is the Third Tribe, under the leadership of Ivor dan Bannor and their shaman, Gereint. Ivor's wife Leith, and their children Levon, Tabor and Cordeliane also play important parts.
The lios alfar or Light Elves, live in Daniloth, a beautiful land in the northwest corner of the land which they have of necessity wrapped in a confusing mist as protection from Maugrim and others who wish them evil. Notable lios alfar of the past include Lathen Mistweaver who wove the sheltering mist, and Ra-Termaine, killed by Maugrim at the Bael Rangat. Present-day light-elves include Brendel, a lord of his people, and Ra-Tenniel, their king. The lios alfar are Maugrim's bitterest foes, "most hated by the dark, for their name is light" (ST, p. 138).
The dwarves dwell in the mountains near the twin peaks of Banir Lök and Banir Tal. Fierce fighters, they have recently been led into questionable acts by Kaen and Blöd.
The Men of Eridu, a proud and independent race, have been wiped out by a mysterious poisonous rain. The only remaining man is Faebur, exiled by his father and thus not present when the deadly rain fell.
The Paraiko, the peaceful giants of the mountains. It was the ancient Paraiko who long ago bound Owein and the Wild Hunt to obey Connla's Horn. The Paraiko refuse violence even in self-defence; in exchange, they are protected by the curse of the Paraiko, drawn down on whoever sheds their blood.
A main thread of the story is the replaying of the legends of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, Lancelot
Lancelot
Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
and Guinevere
Guinevere
Guinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot...
, all of whom appear in the story. Arthur is brought into Fionavar as The Warrior by Kimberley; Lancelot is revived in Cader Sedat in the second book, and Guinevere's life and memories awaken within Jennifer; the three reenact some (though not all) of their well-known tale as expiation for their sins.
Creatures
- Avaia, a black swan with vicious teeth and an odor of corruption, servant of Maugrim
- Curdardh, "the Eldest," a metamorphosing earth-demon of rock and stone who dwells in and guards Pendaran Wood
- Imraith-Nimphais, a red unicorn capable of flight, a gift of Dana for the war against Maugrim
- Uathach, an "enhanced" urgach who, with Galadan, directs Maugrim's forces in battle
- hundreds of urgach, large powerful warriors of the dark
- thousands of svart alfar, small, loathsome, dispensable dark creatures that eat men and elves
Themes
Kay's central concept in the novels is that Fionavar is the first of worlds, particularly in a mythological sense; the sagas and tales of other worlds originate (or culminate) in this most primary of settings. Because of this, what happens in Fionavar ripples into other worlds—thus the victory or defeat of Rakoth Maugrim has not just immediate importance for Fionavar but also implications for our own world.The story emphasizes over and over the importance of free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
, as demonstrated in Jennifer's decisions to keep Darien and later to send Lancelot away, Finn's choice to follow his destiny with Owein and the Wild Hunt, Paul and Kevin's acceptance of the role of sacrifice (though in different ways), Diarmuid's decision to take the final battle with Uathach on himself enabling Arthur to survive the last battle, and of course the vital importance of Darien's ultimate choice of allegiance at the end. When the Baelroth demands that Kim call the Dragon into the struggle she refuses for moral reasons.
Another important theme is that of forgiveness
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all...
: Arthur has long since forgiven Guinevere and Lancelot; Paul must learn to forgive himself for his girlfriend Rachel's death; Galadan at the end is forgiven his evil past and offered a second chance; Darien at the end understands his mother's treatment of him and forgives her; and more.
One of the more prominent themes is that of power, and the price that one pays for it. Often in the book, the price for power lies with someone else, as witnessed by the sources to the mages; as well as Kim's own summoning power, the price is often paid by whatever or whomever was summoned.
Ancient places
StonehengeStonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
figures in the second book. The ancient caves of Dun Maura bring to mind the caves of the Oracle at Delphi as well as prehistoric caves such as Lascaux
Lascaux
Lascaux is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. The original caves are located near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne. They contain some of the best-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be...
. The association of blood with magic (Kevin/Liadon, the avarlith) has roots that go back hundreds of thousands of years.
Tolkien
Fionavar has many similarities to Tolkien's Middle-earthMiddle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
, and seems to be directly influenced by it (perhaps not surprising, since Kay worked with Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Reuel Tolkien is the third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien , and is best known as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings, which he signed C. J. R. T. The J...
to edit The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
and prepare it for publication). The map of Fionavar shows the northwestern part of the continent and its western coasts, bordered by an ocean, like most of the Middle-earth maps drawn by Tolkien, especially of Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
. Beyond the western sea lies a place where the Lios Alfar (Elves) go when they want to abandon the world, similar to Tolkien's Valinor
Valinor
Valinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...
.
The east of the map is bordered by great mountain masses, where the dwarves live around and under the twin peaks of Banir Tal and Banir Lök, similar to the eastern part of Beleriand with the Ered Luin and the two dwarf mansions built on them.
To the north is the mountain mass of Starkadh, dominated by Rangat mountain where Raukoth Maugrim is trapped, reminiscent of Ered Engrin and the Thangorodrim.
The Council of Mages in Brennin is noted as having a formal limit of seven members (technically fourteen, including the mages' sources); Tolkien's Heren Istarion, the Order of the Wizards, had five known members.
Dalrei have some similarities to the Rohirrim, though they are nomadic and less warlike. Pendaran, a wood of the Lios Alfar that has now become perilous, echoes Mirkwood
Mirkwood
Mirkwood is a name used for two distinct fictional forests in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. In the First Age, the highlands of Dorthonion north of Beleriand were known as Mirkwood after falling under Morgoth's control. During the Third Age, the large forest in Rhovanion, east of the Anduin in ...
which, with the return of the Necromancer, becomes dark and sinister.
Other
When Leyse of the Swan Mark, a member of the lios alfar, gives up her life as a result of her hopeless love for Lancelot, she lies down in a boat and sails away in a clear echo of Tennyson's "The Lady of ShalottThe Lady of Shalott
"The Lady of Shalott" is a Victorian ballad by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson . Like his other early poems – "Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere" and "Galahad" – the poem recasts Arthurian subject matter loosely based on medieval sources.-Overview:Tennyson wrote two versions of the poem, one...
," and the story of Elaine
Elaine of Astolat
Elaine of Astolat or Ascolat is a figure in Arthurian legend who dies of her unrequited love for Lancelot. Also referred to as Elaine the White and Elaine the Fair, she is the daughter of Bernard of Astolat. Versions of her story appear in Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and Alfred Tennyson's...
.
The incorporation of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere both as story and as real characters echo the mythagos (incarnations of mythic figures) in the novels of Robert Holdstock
Robert Holdstock
Robert Paul Holdstock was an English novelist and author best known for his works of Celtic, Nordic, Gothic and Pictish fantasy literature, predominantly in the fantasy subgenre of mythic fiction....
, e.g. Mythago Wood
Mythago Wood
Mythago Wood is a fantasy novel written by Robert Holdstock that was published in the United Kingdom in 1984. The conception began as a short story written for the 1979 Milford Writer's Workshop; next a novella of the same name appeared in the September 1981 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy &...
.
Lios alfar and svart alfar (see below) also appear in The Weirdstone of Brisingamen
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is a children's fantasy novel by English author Alan Garner, first published in 1960. The novel is set in and around Macclesfield and Alderley Edge in Cheshire, and tells the story of two children, Colin and Susan, who are staying with some old friends of their mother...
by Alan Garner
Alan Garner
With his first book published, Garner abandoned his work as a labourer and gained a job as a freelance television reporter, living a "hand to mouth" lifestyle on a "shoestring" budget...
.
Myths and legends
The stories incorporate, either directly or indirectly, a number of other myths. The most obvious is that of King ArthurKing Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, with Arthur, Lancelot
Lancelot
Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
and Guinevere
Guinevere
Guinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot...
/Jennifer working out their love triangle
Love triangle
A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...
and atoning for their sins. Kay uses a lesser-known fragment of the Arthurian cycle, that of the May Babies, as the explanation for Arthur's punishment of repeated rebirth/death in battle against evil. "[T]he Weaver had marked him down for a long unwinding doom. A cycle of war and expiation under many names, and in many worlds, that redress be made for the children and for love" (WF, p. 40) The grey dog who fights Galadan to protect Paul is recognized by Arthur as Cavall, his faithful companion. Lancelot's encounter with Leyse of the lios alfar, her hopeless love for him and subsequent departure by boat for the lios alfar's home in the West is a retelling of the tale of Lancelot and Elaine
Elaine (legend)
Elaine is a name shared by several different female characters in Arthurian legend.-Elaine of Astolat:Elaine of Astolat, also known in some texts as Elaine the Fair or the Fair Maid of Astolat and as The Lady of Shalott in Lord Alfred Tennyson's same-titled poem, is a maiden who falls in unrequited...
.
The powerful oak as the Summer Tree is similar to Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil
In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. It was said to be the world tree around which the nine worlds existed...
, the World Ash Tree of Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
. Norse elements also appear in Mörnir who with his two ravens, Thought and Memory (Odin's Huginn and Muninn), and the epithet "of the Thunderer," is a combination of Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
/Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
. The lios alfar (light elves) and svart alfar
Svartálfar
In Norse mythology, svartálfar are beings who dwell in Svartálfaheimr . Both the svartálfar and Svartálfaheimr are solely attested in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
(dark elves) come from the Scandinavian Álfar
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
(see also elves).
The Cauldron
Cauldron
A cauldron or caldron is a large metal pot for cooking and/or boiling over an open fire, with a large mouth and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger.- Etymology :...
of Khath Meigol and its powers of resurrection hark back to Welsh mythology
Welsh mythology
Welsh mythology, the remnants of the mythology of the pre-Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts such as the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin....
's tale of the Cauldron of Annwn
Annwn
Annwn or Annwfn was the Otherworld in Welsh mythology. Ruled by Arawn, or much later by Gwyn ap Nudd, it was essentially a world of delights and eternal youth where disease is absent and food is ever-abundant. It later became Christianised and identified with the land of souls that had departed...
, and a number of the deities seem to have Celtic or Welsh roots: Paul is known as Pwyll after his sacrifice, while Macha
Macha (Irish mythology)
Macha is a goddess of ancient Ireland, associated with war, horses, sovereignty, and the sites of Armagh and Emain Macha in County Armagh, which are named after her...
and Nemain
Nemain
In Irish mythology, Nemain is the fairy spirit of the frenzied havoc of war, and possibly an aspect of the Morrígan. The name is sometimes spelt Nemon or Neman.-Representation in literature:...
come straight from Irish mythology
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
. The wild boar that attacks Kevin, marking him as Liadon, closely resembles the Twrch Trwyth
Twrch Trwyth
Twrch Trwyth is an enchanted wild boar in the Arthurian legend. The hunt for Twrch Trwyth by King Arthur was the subject of a popular stock narrative in medieval Welsh literature...
. Cader Sedat, the island where the renegade mage Metran works his dark magic in The Wandering Fire
The Wandering Fire
The Wandering Fire is the second novel of The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay. The Summer Tree is the first.-Plot summary:...
, is the analogue of Caer Sidi from the poem Preiddeu Annwfn
Preiddeu Annwfn
Preiddeu Annwfn or Preiddeu Annwn is a cryptic early medieval Welsh poem of sixty lines found in the Book of Taliesin. The text recounts an expedition with King Arthur to Annwfn or Annwn, a Welsh otherworld...
, a poem that is, in the trilogy, ascribed to Taliesin
Taliesin
Taliesin was an early British poet of the post-Roman period whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the Book of Taliesin...
, one of the names used by Flidais.
The Wild Hunt
Wild Hunt
The Wild Hunt is an ancient folk myth prevalent across Northern, Western and Central Europe. The fundamental premise in all instances is the same: a phantasmal, spectral group of huntsmen with the accoutrements of hunting, horses, hounds, etc., in mad pursuit across the skies or along the ground,...
was a folk myth prevalent in former times across Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Britain
Sub-Roman Britain
Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an archaeological label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity: the term "Sub-Roman" was invented to describe the potsherds in sites of the 5th century and the 6th century, initially with an implication of decay of locally-made wares from a...
and also Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. Seeing the Wild Hunt was thought to presage some catastrophe such as war or plague, or at best the death of the one who witnessed it. Mortals getting in the path of or following the Hunt could be kidnapped and brought to the land of the dead. The leader of the hunt varies from place to place, examples are King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
in Britanny and Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. The fundamental premise of the hunt is usually the same, a group of phantasmal huntsmen in mad pursuit across the skies.
The entrapment of Rakoth Maugrim the Unraveller, as it was described in the beginning of the novel is extremely similar to one of the Four Great Classical Novels
Four Great Classical Novels
The Four Great Classical Novels, or the Four Major Classical Novels of Chinese literature, are the four novels commonly regarded by scholars to be the greatest and most influential of pre-modern Chinese fiction. Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are well known to most Chinese readers...
of Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
: the Journey to the West
Journey to the West
Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley...
. Here is a quote from Wikipedia's description of the punishment of the Monkey King, or Wukong
Sun Wukong
Sun Wukong , also known as the Monkey King is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West . In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices...
:
With all of their options exhausted, the Jade Emperor and the authorities of Heaven appealed to the BuddhaGautama BuddhaSiddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
, who arrived in an instant from his temple in the West. The Buddha made a bet with Wukong that he could not jump out of his palm. Wukong, knowing that he could cover 108,000 li in one leap, smugly agreed. He took a great leap and then flew to the end of the world in seconds. Nothing was visible except for five pillars ... When Wukong tried to escape, Buddha turned his hand into a mountain. Before Wukong could shrug it off, Buddha added another magical seal. There, Wukong remained imprisoned for five centuries.
This bears remarkable similarity with the book of The Summer Tree where Rakoth Maugrim the Unraveller was bound by the five wardstones and placed under the Mount Rangat.
Real world echoes
- The Dalrei share many aspects of Native AmericanNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
lifestyle, beliefs and ritual, including being a mobile people without permanent settlements; relying on wild hoof stock for most of their resources; the use of totems, dream quests, shamans; etc.
Books in the series
The three books are:- The Summer TreeThe Summer TreeThe Summer Tree is the first novel of The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay.-Plot summary:The books opens in our own world, at the University of Toronto, where the five main characters are all fellow students...
- The Wandering FireThe Wandering FireThe Wandering Fire is the second novel of The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay. The Summer Tree is the first.-Plot summary:...
- The Darkest RoadThe Darkest RoadThe Darkest Road is the third novel of The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay. The Summer Tree and The Wandering Fire are the first two books.-Plot summary:...
Awards for the Fionavar Tapestry
- The Wandering Fire won the 1987 Aurora AwardAurora AwardThe Prix Aurora Awards are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French...
in the English category. - The Wandering Fire won the 1987 Casper Award for best speculative fiction.
- Kay was nominated for a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature in 1985 for The Summer Tree.