an Arthurian island;
a terrestroid planet jointly colonized by human beings and Ythrians in Poul Anderson's History of Technic Civilization;
a terrestroid planet colonized by human beings in Julian May's Galactic Milieu.
I saw a reference to "Avalon" somewhere in the Galactic Milieu Trilogy but now cannot find it so would welcome any information from blog readers. However, there is probably no direct connection or cross-reference between Anderson's and May's Avalons.
12 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
We did see Uncle Rogi grumbling about his failure to buy a mint quality copy of the PLANET STORIES issue featuring Poul Anderson's "Captive Of The Centaurianess," which I thought a neat way for one SF writer to mention a fellow colleague. Perhaps this "Avalon" in May's GALACTIC MILIEU books will be another allusion to Anderson.
Sean
Paul:
Let's also point out that "Afallon" is the name for North America in the Time Patrol story "Delenda Est."
David,
We should indeed!
Paul.
Kaor, DAVID!
Dang! I wish I had thought of that, what you said about "Afallon"!
Sean
Paul:
Additionally, Jack Vance's Lyonesse Trilogy speaks of Avallon as a city in the land called Dahaut, while Ys is in the nearby country South Ulfland. Lyonesse borders on both these nations. From the "Preliminary" to the first book, Suldrun's Garden:
"The Elder Isles, now sunk beneath the Atlantic, in olden times were located across the Cantabrian Gulf (now the Bay of Biscay) from Old Gaul.
"Christian chroniclers have little to say regarding the Elder Isles. Gildas and Nennius both make references to Hybras, though Bede is silent. Geoffrey of Monmouth alludes both to Lyonesse and Avallon, and perhaps other places and events which can less certainly be identified. Chrétien of Troyes rhapsodizes upon Ys and its pleasures...."
Moreover, J.R.R. Tolkien mentioned "Avallónë" in some of his work. It is an Eldar "Haven" built on Tol Eressëa, the "Lonely Isle," just off the shores of Valinor, abode of the Valar in the Far West. The New Tolkien Companion, a concordance by J.E.A. Tyler, remarks on points of resemblance to the Arthurian tale, and muses, "Is [the Arthur legend] a dim memory of a far older tradition? Or does Arthur of Britain live still in Tol Eressëa within sight of Valinor?"
Kaor, DAVID!
Very good, very interesting! And I'm chagrined not to have thought of Tolkien's use of "Avallone." After all, I should have remembered Tolkien would have known of the Arthurian mythos and been affected by it.
Sean
Sean and David,
CS Lewis' Ransom refers to "'...the cup-shaped land of Abhalljin, beyond the seas of Lur in Perelandra [Venus].'" (THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH, Chapter 13, p. 635)
- and I think that Lewis has another creative respelling somewhere.
Paul.
In Chapter 17, p. 738, Dimble refers to the "distant island" of "Aphalljin."
"bh" is pronounced like "v" in Irish/Gaelic.
Kaor, Paul!
I dunno, "Abhalljin" is different enough, at least in spelling, from "Avalon" or even "Afallon" that I don't think many people would think of the Arthurian "Avalon."
And I recall how C.S. Lewis sometimes used "Numinor" for Tolkien's "Numenore." But I'm inclined to think that was a misspelling because he plainly meant Tolkien's Numenore more DIRECTLY.
Sean
Sean,
But, in THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH, Abhalljin/Aphalljin is where Arthur has gone so the connection is clear enough.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Understood! It's been a long time since I read THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH.
Sean
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