The Mists of Avalon

Morgaine never intends for Arthur and Uriens to reach Tintagel. Her plan is to leave Arthur to languish in the fairy world while Accolon takes his throne. Even if Arthur can escape by calling to his God, he will have a fairy-crafted dupe of Excalibur and his enchanted scabbard. Morgaine refuses to kill him herself but will let Accolon do it in her place.

Accolon steals Excalibur while Arthur is asleep in the fair country. Morgaine prepares Accolon for his own kingmaking. She belts Excalibur around his waist, hearing Arthur trying to escape his enchantments. Now out of the fairy world, she goes back to Uriens and then returns to Camelot. She knows that Accolon and Arthur are fighting in a world where she cannot reach them.

However, visions of Accolon and Arthur dueling plague Morgaine. Accolon strikes a dangerous blow to Arthur, who begins to bleed. His false Excalibur also snaps in two. During these visions, Morgaine begins to miscarry. Once Arthur reaches Excalibur and the scabbard, his wounds transfer to Accolon. At this point, Morgaine’s visions end and she is cared for by the various women of Camelot. Though she is in pain, she is content thinking of what she will do when Accolon is on the throne.

To Morgaine’s surprise, Arthur returns unharmed: “[A]ll the strength in her body [runs] out like water” as she “[sees] Accolon’s sightless eyes staring at the sky” (743). In his grief, Uriens realizes Morgaine’s true intentions: She took advantage of his kindness to hone her sorcery and used Accolon for her own gain. Morgaine, unable to respond, journeys to Avalon. When she arrives, she sees Arthur’s scabbard on the shores of the Lake and throws it into the waters.

Humiliated at her failure and ashamed at her part in Accolon’s death, Morgaine goes to Tintagel and locks herself inside, planning to let herself waste away. However, she receives a visit from Kevin, who encourages her to take her rightful place as Lady of the Lake. He reminds her that her true purpose is in Avalon. Once in Avalon, she realizes “what madness [her plans] had been” and that she is “priestess of Avalon, not Queen” (757).

When Raven prophesies about a storm that could threaten Camelot, Nimue looks in the mirror for answers. They see Kevin taking a sacred spear, cup, and dish to reunite them with Excalibur in Avalon. Morgaine tells them this is likely because of his belief that Avalon is not long for this world. Morgaine resolves that Nimue should play a role in punishing Kevin since he will not know she is a priestess. She tells her to beg Gwenhwyfar to let her live amongst her women under the pretense that she has adopted Christianity. Then she must enchant Kevin to do her bidding. Morgaine explains that the key to doing this is to treat him like a man and ignore his injuries. Niniane will then arrange for him to be cast inside an oak tree in Avalon. Morgaine and Raven will accompany her in disguise.

When they arrive at Camelot, they learn that Arthur is preparing for a great feast and will feed all peasants. He intends to hold a special mass to re-christen “all those things which once were devoted to false Gods before mankind had the knowledge of truth” (770). Morgaine realizes that they intend to invoke the presence of the One God in the name of Jesus Christ, going against the core principles of Druidism. Morgaine invokes the Goddess and takes the cup to the bishop, taking on the guise of the Presence. She passes the cup around for everyone to drink from. Invisible, Morgaine takes the chalice, the dish, and the spear from the altar, intent on returning them to Avalon. The court notices the Grail has disappeared and descends into chaos. At this point, Raven collapses, dead from fear and exhaustion. Arthur offers Raven a burial place in Camelot, and as Morgaine refuses, their eyes meet. She can’t tell if he recognized her and swears to return to Avalon alone.

Inspired by his vision of the chalice, Gawaine leads a quest of knights to retrieve the Holy Grail. Mordred asks for Arthur’s permission to stay in Camelot and protect him, and he obliges. A nervous Gwenhwyfar begins worrying that the vision was evil; she recalls Morgaine telling her that Joseph of Arimathea once studied alongside the Druids. When Arthur confesses that he saw Morgaine in disguise, it confirms her fears. He also tells her that Morgaine incited Accolon to rebel and that he misses the closeness they once shared.

Gwenhwyfar bonds with Nimue. Worried that the time Nimue spends with Kevin will corrupt her, Gwenhwyfar encourages Nimue to spend more time with the Christian counselors. Nimue says, “I do not think that fear of the priests, or of God’s wrath, or anything else, will ever keep mankind from committing sins” (783). Gwenhwyfar shudders at this blasphemous thought but eventually concedes to Nimue’s pleas to see Kevin, trusting that their relationship reflects a shared love of music.