Camelot's Queen (Guinevere's Tale Book 2), page 36
Lancelot’s views on training horses may seem very modern, but they actually have ancient origins. The Greek writer Xenophon (430-354 BC) advocated the kind treatment of horses in his book On Horsemanship. “The golden rule in dealing with a horse is never approach him angrily…When a horse is shy of some object and refuses to approach it, you must teach him that there is nothing to be alarmed at… or, failing that, touch the formidable object to yourself and then gently lead the horse up to it. The opposite plan of forcing the creature by blows only intensifies its fear, the horse mentally associating the pain he suffers at such a moment with the object of suspicion” (28).
Like Lancelot, Xenophon also emphasizes the importance of the relationship between horse and master. “It is best that the stable be placed in a quarter of the establishment where the master will see the horse as often as possible” (20). And again, “If you would have a horse learn to perform his duty, your best plan will be, whenever he does as you wish, to show him some kindness in return, and when he is disobedient, to chastise him” (39). He emphatically states, “Far the best method of instruction is to let the horse feel that whatever he does in obedience to the rider’s wishes will be followed by some rest and relaxation” (50).
THE FAMOUS BATTLES OF KING ARTHUR
The battles I’ve chosen to show are only a few attributed to King Arthur by the Welsh historian Nennius, who records twelve great victories during Arthur’s reign as Dux Bellorum. There is much debate among scholars over their true dates, locations, and even who fought whom. As a fiction writer, I have picked what best fit my story and will leave it to the historians to hash out the rest.
The name Caw is closely associated with Arthurian legend. There are likely a number of men by this name. A Pictish chief named Caw really did live somewhere near Strathclyde around the years 493-570 and may even have been father of Arthurian “historian” Gildas. I have chosen to make him a rebel and conflate the details with what Nennius tells us of the battles of Arthur, “The seventh battle was in the Caledonian Forest, that is, the Battle of Celidon Coit.” I have chosen to interpret that to mean the Caledonian Forest was in modern Scotland. The details of the battle are all from my own imagination, but legend has it that Arthur was victorious.
One of the two battles most people are likely to be familiar with is the Battle of Mount Badon (the other being Camlann, which takes place in next book in this series). Nennius writes, “The twelfth battle was on Badon Hill and in it nine hundred and sixty men fell in one day, from a single charge of Arthur’s, and no-one lay them low save he alone.” While the name comes from the book De Excidio Britanniae (The Ruin of Britain) written by the monk Gildas in the mid-500s, the battle itself is likely to have been real. Someone led a decisive battle against the Saxons sometime between 490 and 530 AD that resulted in a period of peace. That someone has come to be known in myth as Arthur and the battle called Badon. The location is a matter of much speculation, but I’ve chosen to go with the popular theory of it being at a hill fort near Bath, which the Romans called Aque Sullis.
The use of battering rams by the Saxons is also historical. In his book Britannia antiquea, Or Ancient Britain brought within the limits of authentic history, Beale Poste, a nineteenth century historian writes, “We find by the History of Gildas that the Saxons had plenty of battering rams, in the use of which, they were very liberal (234).”
CELTIC VIEWS ON DEATH AND BURIAL PRACTICES
The Celts believed in reincarnation. In mythology, the Cauldron of Rebirth was able to revive the dead. Pre-Christian Celts also believed in an after-death Otherworld (Annwn in Welsh mythology), a resting place between incarnations that was a heaven-like paradise.
Graves were oriented west-east. West was the direction of the Otherworld, and Christians believed that this positioning allowed the dead to face Christ when he raised them on Resurrection Day. Single-person burials were the norm, with the dead person’s head facing west. Sometimes a mother and child were buried together. Bodies may have been laid in the bare earth, in a stone coffin, or in a hollowed-out log, but coffins as we think of them were rare.
OGHAM
Chances are you’ve heard that the Celts passed all of their knowledge on orally, which is one of the reasons why we know so little for certain about their beliefs. This is true, but the Celts did have a system of written language called Ogham. The earliest inscriptions we have in this language date to somewhere in the fourth century, mostly in Ireland, Wales, and Southern Britain. But some historians and archeologists, such as Lloyd and Jenny Laing, believe it dates back much further than that—even as far back as the Sycthians, who may have been the Gaelic Celts’ ancestors dating to about 1300 BC. Ogham is mentioned often in ancient Irish myth, where it is said to have been used for poetry, Druidic spells, and even political challenges. The main source of written knowledge about Ogham is a fourteenth century manuscript called The Book of Ballymote, now housed in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy.
When written, Ogham appears to the modern eye like a series of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines, the number and shape of which indicate the letters. The alphabet had twenty characters arranged in series of four. Later, five additional characters were added.
The use of Ogham as sign language, which Imogen employs, is very controversial and certainly not accepted by all historians. John Matthews explains in his Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom that the fingers of the hand and certain locations on the palm represent letters or phrases. A person signing this way would use the placement of fingers across the shinbone, nose, thigh, foot, or on the palm or fingers of the opposite hand to indicate a letter, word, or phrase.
THE GRAIL
No explanation of an Arthurian legend story would be complete without talking about the Holy Grail. So many books have been written about it that I’m not going to go into theories, only explain how I came to the idea you see in this book.
I chose to have a party of knights find the Grail because tradition varies as to which one did the finding. The most popular are Galahad, Perceval (Peredur), and Bors. In my version, Bors is not included because he’s not a nice person. Traditionally, though he is involved in the quest, Lancelot doesn’t ever see the Grail because he isn’t pure. I have chosen to force him to make a choice between Guinevere (as representative of the Goddess) or the Grail. Of course, he chooses Guinevere.
Because there are so many possibilities of what the Grail could be (chalice, cup, cauldron, etc.) and they mean so much to people who believe in them, I didn’t want to alienate anyone by picking one over the other. My Grail changes because I really do believe it is whatever you wish it to be. The seals Guinevere sees on the sides were inspired by those on a small chalice I purchased years ago from a New Age store. I’m not even sure what faith it is an implement for. (If you’re ever at one of my book signings, I’ll have it with me, so maybe you can tell me.)
The Grail Maiden is a title usually given to Elaine of Corbenic because she bore the man who finds the Grail. However, in many of the legends, a woman or angel is guarding it when it is discovered. I have chosen to extend this idea into a kind of special sub-order of the Avalonian priestesshood. The stone circle they pass as Guinevere is tracking their progress (called this book the Sanctuary of the Stars) is Avebury.
The Grail Castle can be found in the Vulgate Cycle of Arthurian legend as well as Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. It is usually associated with Corbenic, Elaine’s home, but I have chosen to make it a place that housed the Grail after the knights find it. I placed it on a fictitious island off the coast of Camelot to keep it well within reach of Arthur and Father Marius.
There are many other topics I could cover here, but I think these are the most important, and this is an already-long book. If you would like to know more about the sources I consulted in writing this book, please visit my website, nicoleevelina.com, and click on the “Research” tab under the section for Camelot’s Queen. You may also which to search my blog, located on the same site, for additional information on many of these topics.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to my wonderful editor, Cassie Cox, who challenged me to dig deeper in my reasoning behind the character’s actions and helped make this book what it is today, and to Jen K. for her early feedback that took this book from a hulking 160,000 word mess to something streamlined and intelligible. Thanks also to Jenny Q. for the beautiful cover and to The Editorial Department for the elegant layout.
Thanks to my beta readers: my mom, Courtney Marquez, Amy White, Tyler Thomas, and Nancy Corbett. I appreciate your candor more than you could know. You are the eyes that can see what I cannot, and I am blessed to know you. Thanks also to my parents for their unwavering support and love as well as for the home-cooked meals and reminders to sleep.
This was my first National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) book. The section from when Guinevere is kidnapped through her return to Camelot is what I focused on in November 2012. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the Office of Letters and Light for producing this wonderful event every year and the St. Louis municipal liaisons, Jen Sights and Jennifer Shaw. Thanks to all my fellow STLNaNo writers who supported me in my first year, especially Robert Guthrie, Jen Sights, Jay Noel, and Kim Miner Litton. Your laughter and encouragement (as well as word wars, candy, and pizza) are fond memories always.
As with the first book in the series, I owe thanks to Jamie George and Geoffrey Ashe for kindly and patiently listening to me prattle on in England and for answering my million questions. I would also like to thank the St. Louis County Library for use of their research facilities, books, and help with interlibrary loan materials.
And last but not least, thank you to everyone who bought, downloaded, or borrowed a copy of this book. I may have been its creator, but you are its caretakers from now on. I hope you will hold this story as close to your heart as I do.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NICOLE EVELINA is St. Louis-born historical fiction and romantic comedy writer. A self-professed armchair historian, she spent 15 years researching Arthurian legend, Celtic Britain and the various peoples, cultures and religious practices that shaped the country after the withdrawal of Rome. Nicole has traveled to England twice to research the Guinevere trilogy, where she consulted with internationally acclaimed author and historian Geoffrey Ashe, as well as Arthurian/Glastonbury expert Jaime George, the man who helped Marion Zimmer Bradley research The Mists of Avalon.
Her mission as a historical fiction writer is to rescue little-known women from being lost in the pages of history. While other writers may choose to write about the famous, she tells the stories of those who are in danger of being forgotten so that their memories may live on for at least another generation. She also tells the female point of view when it is the male who has been given more attention in history.
Nicole is one of only six authors who completed the first week-long writing intensive taught by #1 New York Times bestselling author Deborah Harkness in 2014. She is a member of and book reviewer for the Historical Novel Society, and Sirens, a group supporting female fantasy authors, as well as a member of the Romance Writers of America, Women Fiction Writers Association, the St. Louis Writer’s Guild and Women Writing the West.
When she’s not writing, she can be found reading, playing with her spoiled twin Burmese cats, cooking, researching and dreaming of living in Chicago or the English countryside.
Nicole Evelina, Camelot's Queen (Guinevere's Tale Book 2)
