Avalon 04 - Priestess of Avalon PDF
Preview Avalon 04 - Priestess of Avalon
Priestess of Avalon Marion Zimmer Bradley CONTENTS PEOPLE IN THE STORY · PLACES · PROLOGUE · Part One—THE WAY TO LOVE · Part One—THE WAY TO POWER · Part Three— THE WAY TO WISDOM · To our grandchildren ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This is the story of a legend. The provable facts about Helena are few in comparison with the wealth of stories that have attached themselves to her name. We know that she was the consort of Constantius and the honoured mother of Constantine the Great, and that she had some association with the town of Drepanum. We know that she owned property in Rome and that she made a visit to Palestine, and that is all. But wherever she went, myths sprang up behind her. She is honoured in Germany and Israel and Rome, where she is hailed as a saint in the churches that bear her name. Medieval hagiography makes her the great discoverer of relics, who brought the heads of the three Wise Men to Cologne, the Robe Jesus wore to Trier, and the True Cross to Rome. But she holds a special place in the legends of Britian, where it is said that she was a British princess who married an emperor. She is believed to have lived in York and in London, and to have established roads in Wales. Some even identify her with the goddess Nehalennia. Did these stories arise because Constantius and Constantine both had such strong connections with Britain, or could she have originally come from that isle? If so, perhaps it is not so great a stretch to link her with the mythology of Avalon, and add one more legend to the rest. Marion Zimmer Bradley and I began this work together, as we have worked together before, but it was left to me to complete it. At the end of her life Marion attended a Christian church, and yet she was my first high priestess in the ancient mysteries. In telling the story of Helena, who also walked between the Christian and the pagan worlds, I have tried to remain faithful to Marion's teachings. In the creation of this book, Marion's was the inspiration and origin. The historical legwork was mine. Among the many sources which were useful I should list: Fry's Roman Britain; Gibbon's classic Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, which includes all the gossip; The Later Roman Empire, by A.H.M. Jones; Robin Lane Fox's fascinating Pagans and Christians; and The Aquarian Guide to Legendary London, edited by John Matthews and Chesca Potter, particularly the chapter on the Goddesses of London by Caroline Wise of the Atlantis Bookstore. More specifically, I relied on Constantine the Great, by Michael Grant, and Jan Willem Drijvers' classic, Helena Augusta; and for Helena's journey and the reinvention of the Holy Land, Holy City, Holy Places?, by P.W.L. Walker. The hymn in chapter thirteen was written by St Ambrose in the fourth century. I would like to express my gratitude to Karen Anderson for working out the astronomical configurations in the third century skies, and to Charline Palmtag for helping me with their astrological interpretation. My thanks also to Jennifer Tifft, for enabling me to make an extra trip to England and find the chapel of St Helena in York, to Bernhard Hennen, for taking me to Trier, and to Jack and Kira Gillespie for showing me Cumae and Pozzuoli. Diana L. Paxson Feast of Brigid, 2000 PEOPLE IN THE STORY ^ » = historical figure * = dead before story begins () Aurelian —Emperor, 270-275 * Aelia—a young priestess, trained with Helena Allectus—Finance Minister to Carausius, later Emperor of Britannia, 293-6 * Arganax—Arch-Druid during Helena's youth Asclepiodotus—Constantius's Praetorian Prefect * Atticus—Constantine's Greek tutor Carausius—Emperor of Britannia, 287-293 * Carus—Emperor, 282-3 * Carinus—older son of Carus, emperor, 283—284 * Ceridachos—Arch Druid when Dierna becomes High Priestess Cigfolla—a priestess of Avalon Claudius II—Emperor, 268-270, Constantius's great-uncle * Corinthius the Elder—Helena's tutor Corinthius the Younger—master of a school in Londinium Julius Coelius—[King Coel] Prince of Camulodunum, father of Helena Constantia (I)—daughter of Constantius and Theodora, married to Licinius * Constantia (II)—daughter of Constantine and Fausta * Constans—third son of Constantine and Fausta * Constantine [Flavius Valerius Constantinus]—son of Helena, Emperor, 306-337 * * Constantine (II)—eldest son of Constantine and Fausta * Constantius Chlorus [Flavius Constantius]—consort of Helena, Caesar and later Augustus, 293- * 306 Julius Constantius—second son of Constantius and Theodora * Constantius (II)—second son of Constantine and Fausta * Crispus—Constantine's illegitimate son by Minervina * Cunoarda—Helena's Alban slave Dalmatius—son of Constantius and Theodora Dierna—Helena's second cousin, later Lady of * Avalon Diocletian—Senior Augustus, Emperor, 284-305 * Brasilia—cook in Helena and Constantius's household Bishop Eusebius of Caesaria—Metropolitan Bishop of Palestine, a major writer of church * history and later the biographer of Constantine. Fausta—daughter of Maximian, wife of Constantine and mother of his legitimate children * Flavius Pollio—a kinsman of Constantius Galerius—Caesar, 293-305, Augustus, 305-311 * Gallienus—Emperor, 253-268 * Ganeda—Helena's aunt, Lady of Avalon Gwenna—a maiden being trained on Avalon Haggaia—Arch Druid when Helena returns to Avalon Julia Coelia Helena, later, Flavia Helena Augusta—(Eilan) daughter of Prince Coelius, consort * of Constantius, mother of Constantine and priestess of Avalon Helena the Younger ('Lena')—a noblewoman of Treveri, wife of Crispus * Heron—a maiden being trained on Avalon Hrodlind—Helena's German maid Joseph of Arimathea—founder of the Christian community on the Tor) (* Katiya—a priestess of Bast in Rome Lactantius—a rhetorician and Christian apologist, tutor to Crispus Licinius—Caesar appointed by Galerius to replace Severus, later Augustus in the East, 313-324 Lucius Viducius—a pottery merchant trading between Gallia and Eburacum * Macarius—Bishop of Jerusalem * Marcia—midwife who delivers Constantine Martha—a Syrian slave, healed by Helena Maximian—Augustus of the West, 285-305 * Maximus Daia—Caesar appointed by Galerius * Maxentius—son of Maximian, Augustus in Italy and North Africa, 306-312 * Minervina—Constantine's Syrian concubine, mother of Crispus * Numerian—younger son of Carus, Emperor, 283—84 * Philip—Constantius's servant Postumus—rebel Emperor of the West, 259-68 * Probus—Emperor, 276-282 * Quintillus—brother of the Emperor Claudius II, Constantius's great-uncle * Rian—High Priestess of Avalon, Helena's mother) ( Roud—a maiden being trained on Avalon Severus—Caesar appointed by Galerius, executed by Maximian * Sian—daughter of Ganeda, mother of Dierna and Becca Suona—a young priestess of Avalon Teleri—wife of Carausius and then of Allectus, later, High Priestess of Avalon Tetricus & Marius—rebel co-emperors of the West, 271 * Tulia—a maiden being trained on Avalon Victorina Augusta—mother of Victorinus and virtual ruler * * Victorinus—rebel Emperor in the West, 268-270 * Vitellia—a Christian matron living in Londinium Wren—a maiden being trained on Avalon Helena's dogs: Eldri, Hylas, Favonius and Boreas, Leviyah PLACES « ^ » BRITANNIA Aquae Sulis—Bath Avalon—Glastonbury Calleva—Silchester Gamulodunum—Colchester Cantium—Kent Corinium—Cirencester Eburacum—York Inis Witrin—Glastonbury Isurium Brigantum—Aldborough, Yorkshire Lindinis—Ilchester Lindum—Lincoln Londinium—London Sabrina estuary—the Severn the Summer Country—Somerset Trinovante lands—Essex Tamesis—the Thames Tanatus Insula—Isle of Thanet, Kent THE WESTERN EMPIRE Alpes—the Alps Aquitanica—southern France, Aquitaine Arelate—Arles, France Argentoratum—Strasburg, Germany Augusta Treverorum (Treveri)—Trier, Germany Baiae—Baia, Italy Belgica Prima—eastern France Belgica Secunda—the Low Countries Borbetomagus—Wurms, Germany Colonia Agrippinensis—Cologne, Germany Cumaea—Cumae, Italy Gallia—France Ganuenta—formerly an island where the River Schelde joins the Rhine in the Netherlands Germania Prima—lands just west of the Rhine, Koblenz to Basle Germania Secunda—lands just west of the Rhine, North Sea to Koblenz Gesoriacum—Boulogne, France Lugdunum—Lyons Mediolanum—Milan, Italy Moenus fluvius—the River Main, Germany Mosella fluvius—the River Moselle, France, Germany Nicer fluvius—the River Neckar, Germany Noricum—Austria south of the Danube Rhaetia—Southern Germany and Switzerland Rhenus fluvius—the Rhine Rhodanus fluvius—the Rhone Rothomagus—Rouen, France Treveri (Augusta Treverorum)—Trier, Germany Ulpia Traiana—Xanten, Germany Vindobona—Vienna, Austria THE EASTERN EMPIRE Aegeum—the Aegean Aelia Capitolina—Jerusalem Aquincum—Pest (Budapest), Hungary Asia—Western Turkey Bithynia et Pontus—northern Turkey Byzantium (later, Constantinople)—Istanbul Caesarea—a port city south of Haifa, Israel Carpatus Mountains—the Carpathians Chalcedon—Kadikoy, Turkey Dacia—Romania Dalmatia—Albania Danu, Danuvius—the Danube Drepanum (Helenopolis)—Hersek in northern Turkey Galatia and Cappadocia—Eastern Turkey the Haemus—Balkans Heracleia Pontica—Eregli, Turkey Hierosolyma—Jerusalem Illyria—Yugoslavia Moesia—Bulgaria Naissus—Nis in Romania Nicaea—Iznik, Turkey Nicomedia—Izmit, Turkey Pannonia—Hungary Rhipaean Mountains—the Caucausus Scythia—lands above the Black Sea Singidunum—Belgrade, Yugoslavia Sirmium—Mitrovica or Sabac on the Save, Serbia Thracia—southern Bulgaria PROLOGUE « ^ » 249 AD With sunset, a brisk wind had blown in from the sea. It was the season when farmers burn the stubble from their fields, but wind had swept away the haze that had veiled the heavens, and the Milky Way blazed a white road across the sky. The Merlin of Britannia sat on the Watcher's Stone at the top of the Tor, his eyes fixed on the stars. But though the glory of the heavens commanded his vision, it did not hold his entire attention. His ears strained to catch any sound that might come from the dwelling of the High Priestess on the slopes below. Since dawn she had been in labour. This would be Rian's fifth child, and her earlier babes had come easily. The birthing should not be taking so long. The midwives guarded their mysteries, but at sunset, when he had prepared for this vigil, he had seen the worry in their eyes. King Coelius of Camulodunum, who had called Rian to the Great Rite for the sake of his flooded fields, was a big man, fair- haired and massively built in the way of the Belgic tribes who had settled in the eastern lands of Britannia, and Rian was a little dark woman with the look of the faerie people who had been the first to dwell in these hills. It should be no surprise that the child Coelius had begotten was too large to come easily from the womb. When Rian found that he had got her with child, some of the older priestesses had urged her to cast it from her. But to do so would have negated the magic, and Rian told them she had served the Goddess too long not to trust in Her purposes. What purpose was there in this child's birth? The Merlin's old eyes scanned the heavens, seeking to comprehend the secrets written in the stars. The sun stood now in the sign of the Virgin, and the old moon, passing him, had been visible in the sky that morning. Now she hid her face, leaving the night to the glory of the stars. The old man huddled into the thick folds of his grey cloak, feeling the chill of the autumn night in his bones. As he watched the great wain wheel ever further across the sky and no word came, he knew that he was shivering not with cold, but with fear. Slow as grazing sheep, the stars moved across the heavens. Saturn gleamed in the south-west, in the Sign of Balance. As the hours drew on, the resolution of the labouring woman was wearing away. Now,
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