The weird thing (to me) is that I had completely forgotten the plots. I p
robably first read these in sixth grade and then again when I was sick in college, so it likely has been 16 years since I read them. Still, considering I found them great then and great now, I'm surprised that I while I was reading I couldn't even tell you which characters were important enough to reappear in other books (all of them, by the way).
robably first read these in sixth grade and then again when I was sick in college, so it likely has been 16 years since I read them. Still, considering I found them great then and great now, I'm surprised that I while I was reading I couldn't even tell you which characters were important enough to reappear in other books (all of them, by the way).In any case, parallels between the Pyrdain Chronicles, The Lord of the Rings and The Blue Sword have started me questioning how much of fantasy is universal story, how much is based on traditional Welsh folklore and how much is homage. Angharad, heroine of The Blue Sword, named for Eilonowy's headstrong mother, a queen of Welsh folklore, or just given a name that looks like it sounds awful? Luthe = Melynlas = Tom Bombadil: mere coincidence? How is it that elvish is so like Welsh?
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It's kind of interesting to try to trace the origins of various concepts, creatures, names, and story arcs in fantasy novels. It does seem like the majority of its roots lie in British Isles folklore, with some borrowings from Norse mythology as well. Tolkien's elves clearly come from the Celtic tales of the Fair Folk; his dwarves are drawn from Norse myth. I'veDragons seem to have evolved somehow from snakes, starting as far back as Ancient Greece, although I'm not sure at what point they grew wings.
I have read only a fantasy novels that draw on the folklore of cultures other than Western European. One is The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson, which comes from Japanese folk tales of foxes that can assume human form. Another is Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" which features Norse, Vodoun, Hindu, and assorted other gods.
I think in some other life, maybe I was an English professor writing treatises on the foundations of modern fantasy literature.
An example of an interesting concept I've run across several times is the idea of a magical/symbolic connection between a king or queen, and the land they rule (not the people, but the land itself).
One particular folktale from Scotland that keeps popping up in fantasy novels I've read is the story of Tam Lin - it's a key part of "Blood and Iron" by Elizabeth Bear, an inspiration for "Winter Rose" by Patricia McKillip, and it gets retold in "Son of the Shadows" by Juliet Marillier and in "The Lady of the Sorrows" by Cecilia Dart-Thornton.
And then there's Arthurian legend - which probably was no small part of Tolkien's inspiration. I've only read a few books based on that lore (need to read more) and the differences between them have been fascinating. For example, in both The Dragon Queen and The Mists of Avalon, Guinevere loves Lancelot. But in the one, she's a kickass pagan warrior queen, and in the other, she's a wimpy fluffheaded Christian. You can probably guess which depiction I preferred! :-)
I love reading your commentary, Irene. I mainly read fantasy (very sporadically) for escapism, but I have a high respect for people who understand the landscape of fantasy in terms of historical and cultural influences. I find your ideas fascinating.
By the way, I know a cool song about Tam Lin, but very little else... Fairport Convention's rendition is where I learned it. A very intriguing story!
'--None who go by Carter hall but they leave him a pledge...either their kirtle of green or else their maidenhead! --'
Thanks for the thoughts Irene and TT.
Irene- Robyn McKinley's newest, Chalice, is all about the connection between the rulers and the land, and is fascinating. Actually, lots of McKinley is about that, but Chalice explictly so.
I would like to look at Tolkein's linguistics history a little more closely. I've read he was really just looking for a place to use his elvish, because the links to Welsh are really strong. I also need to look at the history of Welsh-- as a langauge I have no idea what it is really related to.
What's your favorite Arthurian version? The Mister is reading Once and Future King at the moment, which I remember liking but don't remember, which usually means it was unremarkable (except for the Pyrdain chronicles, which were definitely great but somehow forgotten).
I think I need to read more Arthurian stuff before I pick a favorite. I really loved The Dragon Queen and its sequel The Raven Warrior, but they take place before Arthur actually forms his court. It's an incomplete series; the author (Alice Borchardt) passed away in 2007.
Mists of Avalon was also very good; it tells the story from the viewpoint of the women, which is nice.
But those are the only two I've read that are explicitly about King Arthur. The Once and Future King is on my reading list though.
I'm several months behind the conversation, having popped over here from your recent post on GBKD. I cannot contribute much to the conversation about influences upon fantasy literature, but did want to share what I know about the Welsh language (putting that Welsh history class to use is rare these days):
- Welsh is closely related to Cornish, and both evolved from Brittonic/Brythonic, a form of Celtic, and the oldest language in what is now called the British Isles. I think Irish and Scottish Gaelic are on the next branch over from the branch that became Cornish and Welsh.
- Welsh became distinctly Welsh about 1500 years ago.
- The word "Welsh" came from the Germanic people that invaded what is now England. It means something like foreigner. A big dyke had been built to separate the Welsh tribes from the Anglo-Saxons, and apparently the wall did such a good job that people in Wales today are still genetically distinct from the English.
On another note, physical ties to Arthurian legends are abundant in Wales, mostly in North Wales, but there is also rock near Swansea in the south that is connected to a tale.
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