Avalon High Yearbook

Name: Marco Campbell
Nickname:Mordred
Interests: sailing, being angsty, hating his halfbrother, being jealous of what he doesn't have, and believing that he is the darkness in the world

 Name: Lance Reynolds
Nickname:Lancelot
Interests: Football, sailing, Jennifer, protecting Will, being strong, helping fight the darkness

Name: Jennifer Gold
Nickname: Guinevere
Interests: Lance, Will, cheerleading, and being dramatic

 Name: Elaine Harrison
Nickname: Lady of the Lake
Interests: reading (NOT the The Lady of Shalott), Will Wagner, floating, and running

Name: A. William Wagner
Nickname: The Bear, Your Highness, King
Interests: Football, sailing, Medieval music, Elle Harrison, saving the world from the darkness, thinking, and being amazing

And Now The Weather...

I can’t say I didn’t enjoy myself.  I mean it’s been years since I’ve been able to have any sort of fun and believe me, I was going to enjoy myself.

So when I found out that the reincarnations, or what I believed to be, the reincarnations of the King Arthur legends was going to play out the story right in front of me, I mean come on? How could I not have fun! I needed to up the ante by at least a hundred.

I’ve been watching the same girl for a couple weeks now, Elaine Harrison, or Ellie as she likes it, Elle even more when it’s spoken by the magistical, blue eyed boy she’s fallen in love with. And I just so happened to overhear that he might by Arthur. The King Arthur. Of Camelot. The Once and Future King sworn to return! And there he is. On that stupid boulder of his, listening to medieval music as so he so often does. Looking dead. Wait. That could actually work to my advantage.

Time to up the ante. A little thunder here. Lightening there. Oh! And to really freak out Ellie I’ll turn the sky a nice bloody red color! Ha! Look at her face! She’s totally spooked! Okay, more lightening. A just to have a little more fun, let’s add some hail! Nice! Huh, I wonder what she’s holding? Can’t be that important. BLOOD RED SKY! Yes! Oh my god this is so fun. Oh she made it, lucky her. I bet she’s probably thinking ‘oh no, he’s dead! I can’t believe he’s dead! What am I going to do if I can’t swim in those crystal beautiful blue eyes!?’ Pfft. Pathetic. Shut up Ellie some people have real problems!

Wait.. Does his brother have a gun? HOLY CRAP! I have to add my own soundtrack to this! MORE LIGHTENING! MORE THUNDER! MORE BLOOD RED SKY!!!

Oh boy! This is the kicker! She doesn’t believe he’s King Arthur, pfft! I’ll show you Ellie. As soon as he touches that sword..wait for it...wait for it...CUE: ANGELICAL CHOIR! THE SKIES ARE CLEAR! EVERYTHING IS BRIGHTER! EVERYTHING IS MORE COLORFUL! THE EARTH IS MADE A NEW! KING ARTHUR HAS RETURNED!

...and I’m bored again.

Loyalty Loyalty Loyalty

Loyalty and forgiveness is a major theme in Avalon High. Many of the characters show loyalty in its many different forms.

Will is a great example of this. He is the personification of the devotion to duty that is found all throughout Arthurian literature. Will is a man who believes honor is important, he believes it is important to stand up for others and feels a responsibility toward maintaining peace and showing leadership. These are loyalties to duty and humanity. Will's actions also display the Arthurian ideal of chivalry, acts of honor, self-sacrifice, duty and loyalty against all odds. Will is loyal to his brother, his father, his team mates and his school mates. Even when Will finds out that Jennifer has been cheating with Lance behind his back he finds it in his heart to forgive them for this because he sees that they are truly happy with eachother (plus it doesn't hurt that Allie is way better). Even though the premise of this story was quite ridiculous it still held true to the themes that we've grown to be accustomed to seeing in Arthurian texts.  

Initiation Night

Okay……that was a lot weirder than I thought it was going to be, and I am kind of sick to my stomach. These people really took the whole bear thing too far, in my opinion. I got to the so called “Lodge” and the first thing I saw when I went in the front door were all the people and all the food. The selection was weird though……they had a lot of berries. Blue berries, red berries, gooseberries, they had bear claws, a pot of honey, and huge pot of porridge that was being bogarted by one of the blonde members of the Order. 

            After awhile came the ceremony. I can’t reveal the secrets of the Order but I can describe the ceremony somewhat. First they told me to get bare foot and to wear this bear cub costume. After a bunch of seemingly random movements and chanted phrases by the conductors of the ritual, I was put in the middle of the room on my knees and asked “Mr. Morton, are you ready to receive the secrets of the Order of the Bear”, I said “yes” but then someone behind me whispered in my ear. The person in front of me asked me the same question another time and then the person behind me whispered in my ear again. I think I was supposed to say what he whispered in my ear…..I then said in a confused manner....”does a bear shit in the woods?”. I then heard a loud VERY WELL! To which proceeded a costume battle between a bear and a wolf. It kinda looked like the marionette fight in Team America since all the members of the Order were so ancient. The ceremony ended with the death of the bear to which then I was forced to literally eat a piece of raw bear heart while everyone sang the bear necessities!…..I need to go throw up now. 

Guinevere always was a Drama Queen

"It used to be all he cared about was sailing and football. Then he got into student council. Sometimes" -she threw me a horrified look- "he even wants to talk about politics. Politics!" (Cabot, Pg. 219)

"It would be so cool if you and Will started going out." Jennifer said, her eyes lighting up. "Because then people would get off my back about the whole Lance thing." (Cabot, Pg. 220)

I chose these quotes for analysis because I thought they established an amusing character for this interpretation of Guinevere. We've known for quite a while that Guinevere wasn't exactly a faithful wife to Arthur, and neither of them ever truly seemed to be particularly invested in each other, from what we've read. We saw far more romance between Guinevere and Lancelot than we did her and Arthur, and the same is true here. I was highly amused by the fact that Jennifer was only interested Will's more athletic and adventurous activities (the sort of thing Arthur and his knights were famous for) and completely 'horrified' by the political aspect of being a King, which provides an amusing background for why Guinevere was more attracted to Lancelot; once she realized being a King is rarely very macho and romantic, she lost interest. But it also establishes a slightly more cunning side to her; she's excited by the prospect of Will dating Ellie not only because it would make Will happy, but more importantly, because then everyone will leave her alone and stop scrutinizing her infidelity. This is funny in itself, because it's actually a very political move to make; distracting the public with some new spectacle, in this case a new popular couple, so that they forget about something bad that she has done- which is highly ironic when you consider her disgust towards politics. She's more of a queen than she thinks she is.

Avalon High School Musical

I picked this song because as I was reading the first part of the book, the first thing that came to my mind was "Man, this reads exactly like one of those Disney Channel tween movies." I still stand by that thought.

The Two Kings

The reporters had left some time ago to file their stories, and everyone in the room seemed concerned about what would be said. (Pg. 178) "Now, listen, Arthur," Elvis said, running a comb through his dark hair. "That press conference? Wonderful, my boy, just wonderful. You got me all shook up- you're a real dude, more honest than any politician I ever saw back in my day."

Arthur laughed. "Thank you kindly, Mr. Presley." He said, "I'm not sure they liked it as much as you did, though."
"Ah, nuts to them." The former singer replied with a wave of his hand, "They'll come around. But y'know... you could use a little more flair in your presentation."
"Oh really now?" Arthur asked, "What did you have in mind?"
"Nothin' major, nothin' major- but I could make a comeback to endorse you. Maybe give a little concert before your next big interview. I may've been outta the rock game for a while, but lemme tell you; they find out you got the real Elvis Presley on your side, and folks'll be all over you."
"They certainly would." Chimed in Merlin, arching an eyebrow, "In exactly the wrong sort of way. If I recall correctly, Mr. Presley, you too are a long dead King, are you not? People would ask questions. The kind of questions we don't want."
"Aw, don't be cruel, my little friend- I wouldn't worry about that." Elvis grinned, "True, them reporters've got suspicious minds, but they wouldn't put two and two together- after all, who'd be expecting the King of Rock 'n Roll to be hanging out with the King of Camelot?"
"Certainly not me." Merlin muttered, "And yet, here we are..."
"I mean," The King continued, "It's not like I'm askin' Artie here to come out and be all, 'I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago'..."
"Your offer is appreciated, Elvis." Arthur interrupted, "But Merlin is right. While I do want publicity, I probably don't want the publicity that a dead... 'rock star', right? ...would bring. Besides, showmanship is unnecessary- I'd rather the people get to know the real me, instead of getting distracted by our fame."
"Well, it's not like it's now or never." Elvis shrugged, "You just lemme know if you change your mind, man. I'm happy to go get my mojo working for you anytime."

Sibling Bonding

A particular seen in today's reading that was very jarring and captivating was the infamous scene of Arthur and Morgaine recognizing who each other were after making love. This scene is very powerful because it causes distress to both Arthur and Morgaine for obvious reasons.

Even though the deed was so dastardly, Morgaine is trying to make as much sense out of it as she can, ""Don't cry," she said, helplessly, "don't cry. We are in the hands of her who brought us here. It doesn't matter. We are not brother and sister here, we are man and woman before the Goddess, no more"" (181).

Morgaine is trying to comfort Arthur by saying that their affiliations outside of the ritual do not matter because this is supposedly the Goddess's will. However, this still doesn't make the situation not distressing to the both of them. No matter what a higher power's will may be, one will still have deep regret for having relations with their own sibling which is a normal human trait.

Another key conflict that was brought to attention though was, why did Viviane allow this to happen? Viviane knew the Horned One was Arthur so why would she set this whole ritual up for the both of them to be together? Morgaine even questions this herself at the very end of the chapter when she's comforting her brother, "But even as she soothed him, despair beat at her. Why did you do this to us? Great Mother, Lady, why? And she did not know whether she was calling to Viviane, or to the Goddess" (181).

Morgaine is outraged that Viviane has done this knowing exactly what would happen. There's a lot of emotions and thoughts swarming through Morgaine's head, so much so that she doesn't even know what to believe anymore. The most she can do now is to stay strong for the both of them.

The Alignment Chart

Is Viviane chaotic neutral? Or lawful neutral? Where does she or any of the other characters fit into the alignment chart?

Anti-Feminist Themes in the Mists of Avalon

In my opinion, in our readings thus far, this is the most bizarre text. The Mists of Avalon dives head first into the magical aspects of the Legend of King Arthur. Today’s passages included a profound sex ritual and the creation of the King’s magical sword, Excalibur. But, the text also reinforces the theme of subjugated women throughout the collective King Arthur literature. There are some arguably feminist aspects sprinkled into The Legend, but what Morgaine had to go through is far cry from anything resembling humane treatment. First off, when she was being prepared for the ritual, the performers of the ritual needed to check if they were actually using a virgin or not. On page 173, “With her own hands, the woman began to prepare Morgaine for the ritual. Briefly, almost perfunctorily, she parted the girl’s legs and probed a little; Morgaine, beyond embarrassment”(p.173). The author chose the word ‘perfunctorily’ for the adjective of search suggesting that Morgaine is nothing but a prop for the ritual. What if she had not been a virgin? Next, during the feast leading to the ritual, after essentially starving her, they give her what sounds like some of the tastiest sounding meats one could eat. Then they get her drunk, “The old priestess who had painted and decked her this morning held a silver cup to her lips: she felt the strong liquor sting her throat and burn all the way down”(p.177). If Morgaine was willing why would the priestess need to hold the cup? Or, if Morgaine had sufficient strength to drink for herself why wouldn’t she? In either case it doesn’t seem like she would drink or even be able to drink. Moments leading up to the ritual, Morgaine was terrified “Morgaine clung for a moment to the old woman, hugging her in sudden terror, as if the woman’s sheltering arms were her mother’s own”(p. 178). Does any of this make it seem like Morgaine truly wanted any of it? In conclusion, Morgaine is raped. This, although a vulgar example, reinforces the theme of the subjugation of women throughout the King Arthur literature.  

First Impressions

What does our first impression of Merlyn tell us about his character in this story? And why is it so different than other tales of/ with Merlin?

Wart the Fish

*This fanfiction story takes place during the events of chapter 5 in "The Sword in the Stone" and is from the perspective of Arthur/Wart*

Dear diary,

Today was a rather intriguing start to my training with this old Merlyn fellow. I don't know what exactly I'm getting myself into but I think I am caught up in some type of hippy psychedelic coup. Just looking at this man gives me the feeling he's ready to rip a bong at any minute but that's besides the point. I am very concerned for my health for I believe Meryln somehow slipped drugs into my system without my knowledge. One minute I'm in class bored out of my mind thinking of random things I could be doing right now like being a fish (I'm weird don't ask why). So I just decided to yell out loud that I wanted to be a fish and POOF all I remember after that is being an actual fish! Did Merlyn have me take acid before my training? It's funny because I remember seeing a fish Meryln. It was the spitting image of him I can't make this up. It was so wrinkly and had a long gray beard just like him. Anyways that's besides the point we ended up meeting a freaking fish king! His name was Black Peter which I find odd because he looked more like a John to me but I'm getting off track. This man was crazy as balls. Who's decision was it to make this guy king because he was the most selfish, egotistical fish I've ever met. He was going on this hour long rant about how "Power of the body is the ultimate thing. Might is right". Which seemed like some good advice, I thought we were making good progress until he threatened to eat me and Merlyn fish. Everything after that was a blur, the only thing I remember happening afterwards was me and Merlyn lying on the drawbridge. I don't know what kind of drugs this old man is taking... but I think I like it.

Merlyn the Timelord and Arthur his Companion

"There is a thing about Time and Space
which the philosopher Einstein is going to find out.
Some people call it Destiny." Pg.286

I believe no other story we have read thus far has gone as in depth into the friendship and teachings of Merlyn and Arthur. Even when Arthur has become king he still looks to Merlyn for guidance, especially on page 247 when Arthur believes he knows why Might isn’t Right and how Might can be Right. In this scene I believe Arthur to going back to being a child and looking up to his tutor/teacher for guidance hoping he has the right answer. Merlyn not responding to this moment shows that he no longer wants Arthur to look for him for anything else because he won’t always be there, he only praises Arthur when he starts thinking for himself and doesn’t rely on Merlyn anymore. But I believe the real reason why Merlyn doesn’t look at Arthur during his speech is because Merlyn doesn’t actually know whether his teachings are right or not. He goes in time backwards but knows that any decision he makes can affect the future which he has already lived, which is why he keeps telling Arthur what happens just in case things don’t work out completely the way it’s supposed to. Merlyn knows any sort of mistake he make affects the future, he has to make sure the lessons he teaches Arthur are the right ones. Arthur’s big speech is the result of everything Merlyn has taught him and it seems like the beginning of Arthur’s legacy. It’s like The Doctor from Doctor Who letting go of his companions in the hopes that they will be better off without him and they will do greater things because they knew him.

Virtue of Knowledge and Freedom

            

It is in my opinion that today’s reading underlined some of the main virtues King Arthur must embody or learn in order to be a great and successful leader. Throughout the different texts, Merlyn is guiding and teaching Arthur in various ways. But, Merlyn cares only to impart a certain kind of wisdom to Arthur.  Merlyn doesn’t think that just because one can fight or joust well that that person is educated or wise. I think that Merlyn wants Arthur to actually learn morality, individuality and freedom. At first Arthurs thoughts and actions are childish. I think that Merlyn changed Arthur into a fish to show him that life wouldn’t be very much different if he were actually a fish. I think this encourages young Arthur to be more comfortable with who he is or more accepting of life in general. Then Merlyn showed Arthur his favorite knight King Pellinore. Arthur seemingly idolized his knighthood skills and I think Merlyn was attempting to show him that just because someone is a great knight does not mean that they are a great person. King Pellinore cheated during the fight which seems counter intuitive to a pure character. Then as the reading continued Arthur learned that Might isn’t Right and that things should be done because it is right for it to be done. At one point Merlyn gets annoyed by Arthur for asking him a question and emphasized the importance of being able to think all on your own. In order for Arthur to quell rebellion and to achieve peace, he must defeat ignorance in thought and ignorance in the old ways of life. Once Arthur matures more in wisdom he is able to turn the tides of the rebellion to end the fight. I think this is also an allegory for the rebellion that takes place within our own minds. Think about the times you wish things were different for yourself, or how our actions stemming from ignorant thoughts have caused injury to ourselves or to others. Think about the  fight between good and evil in ourselves. Merlyn wants peace, wisdom and virtue to reign. This is something he wants to instill in Arthur so that Arthur could then instill in his kingdom. Wisdom frees us from ignorance and grants us individual freedom. Ignorance enslaves our minds and actions. 

Merlin is Jesus Christ

Merlin has many different disguises and seems that he can’t die from anything else but love, why not make a rumor so large that maybe he might be Jesus Christ. The Bible doesn’t speak of magic it only speaks of miracles. But yet in the tales of King Arthur magic is something that is so easily to come by. One quote that stood to me the most, and also yet so simple, was when Sir Balin and King Pellam were fighting with the spear that had pierced Jesus Christ on the cross and “Merlin appeared three days later and roused Sir Ballin from his trance.” (pg.36) 3 days being the key on most of the Bible stories but mostly in Jesus rising in 3 days, it can be assumed that Merlin knew this was going to happen but it just so happens that he comes three days later. Merlin states the tales of many prophecies and they all seem to come true aka Jesus Christ. I'm sure there are many other examples of Merlin being Jesus Christ but this quote stood out to me the most.

Excalibur and the Master Sword

There seems to be a parallel between the story of Arthur pulling out Excalibur from the rock and the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda. The Master Sword from Zelda is also stuck in a rock for Link to pull out. The Master Sword is basically Link's Excalibur. It's a badass sword that Link must procure at the beginning of his adventures to use against every foe of the game.

Act First, Think Never: The Balin Story

Having read through the assigned section of The Knight of the Two Swords (and a little more beyond that, admittedly), my discussion question for the day is ‘Why do you think Balin gets himself into so much trouble?’ The man disgraces himself quite a bit in the story, and trouble seems drawn to him like a magnet. Do you think maybe if he weren’t so impulsive- as demonstrated when he beheads the Lady of the Lake, for example- he wouldn’t get himself into so many bad situations?

Gawain rambling on to his fate...

Led Zeppelin: Ramble On

     

Sir Gawain the Chivalrous Pimp

Throughout the whole exchange between Gawain and the host's wife I couldn't help but think how much of a pimp Gawain was. The wife constantly wished how much she picked Gawain over her own husband and how she's heard many stories of him and how he would never allow a woman to leave his chamber without lusting for a kiss. I SEE YOU GAWAIN!

Just a Scratch

Gawain when he realized that he would only leave with a scratch in the end and received the girdle for being such a good sport.