Nov 16, 2009

The Mists of Avalon | Characters

In traditional retellings of the Arthurian legend, Merlin is a much more powerful magician/wizard than Morgan le Fay. In The Mists of Avalon, however, Merlin takes orders from the Lady of the Lake and cannot make decisions without consulting her. When Kevin (Merlin of Britain after Taleisin) steals the holy regalia and acts without the permission of Avalon, he is punished—Nimue imprisons him in the oak. Thus, while Merlin is traditionally the male figure of magic who is accepted by society and Morgaine is the female embodiment of evil witchcraft, in Bradley's text these gender...