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32 Five Star reviews on Amazon.com ~ hear what readers are saying about The Du Lac Chronicles…

“Riveting tale of England in the post-Arthur period…”

“Fantastic Read - Highly Recommend this Book”

 “A wonderful escape into Ancient Briton.”

“Captivating & page turning - The Du Lac Chronicles has it all!”

A generation after Arthur Pendragon ruled, Briton lies fragmented into warring kingdoms and principalities.

Eighteen-year-old Alden du Lac ruled the tiny kingdom of Cerniw. Now he half-hangs from a wooden pole, his back lashed into a mass of bloody welts exposed to the cold of a cruel winter night. He’s to be executed come daybreak—should he survive that long. 

When Alden notices the shadowy figure approaching, he assumes death has come to end his pain. Instead, the daughter of his enemy, Cerdic of Wessex, frees and hides him, her motives unclear.

Annis has loved Alden since his ill-fated marriage to her Saxon cousin—a marriage that ended in blood and guilt—and she would give anything to protect him. Annis’s rescue of Alden traps them between a brutal Saxon king and Alden’s remaining allies. Meanwhile, unknown forces are carefully manipulating the ruins of Arthur’s legacy.

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About the author

Born in Bath, England, Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury--the fabled Isle of Avalon--was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood.

At nineteen, Yarde married her childhood sweetheart and began a bachelor of arts in history at Cardiff University, only to have her studies interrupted by the arrival of her first child. She would later return to higher education, studying equine science at Warwickshire College. Horses and history remain two of her major passions.

Yarde keeps busy raising four children and helping run a successful family business. She has many skills but has never mastered cooking--so if you ever drop by, she (and her family) would appreciate some tasty treats or a meal out!

 

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Friday Knights - The Fisher King and Arthurian Legend

  "[he]....was wounded in a battle and completely crippled, so that he's helpless now, for he was struck by a javelin through both his thighs; and he still suffers from it so much that he can't mount a horse. But when he wants to engage in some pleasure and sport he has himself placed in a boat and goes fishing with a hook" 

Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval

Ouch! I am not surprised The Fisher King could not mount a horse with this injury. However, there is more to The Fisher King than a fishing boat and an awful war wound.

The 12^th Century, French poet, Chrétien de Troyes, was the first to introduce The Fisher King to the Arthurian Legend, in his great work Percival. It is suggested that de Troyes was influenced by an earlier Celtic story about Brân the Blessed. There are similarities between the two characters. Bran is injured in the foot - The Fisher King is injured in the leg. Bran has a magic cauldron that can restore life - The Fisher King is the keeper of the Holy Grail, a magical cup that can sustain life. 

Back to the story...unfortunately, The Fisher King, thanks to his injury, can not sire a child - his kingdom reflects his injury, it becomes a waste land....barren.

But, there is hope for the Fisher King - he is not destined to spend the rest of his days fishing. One day a knight will heal him - it has been foretold.

Percival stumbles upon an old man fishing and, being a nice sort of chap, he strikes up a conversation with the elderly man. The fisherman directs Percival to a beautiful castle. To his surprise, Percival is welcomes by the fisherman - The Fisher King.  The Fisher King is the most hospitable host. He presents Percival with a sword and he announces that a huge feast is to be held in Percival’s honour.

Now, Percival has spent his entire life in the woods - his mother having shunned the world after the death of Percival’s father. Percival has never been to a feast before and he is on his best behaviour. His mother has installed in him good manners, so when he is shown a candelabrum, a bleeding lance and a grail, he bites his tongue to stop asking any questions about these mysterious set of objects.

Of course, in a bitter twist of irony, the Fisher King’s only hope of being healed was for Percival to ask him questions about these objects. One can only imagine what The Fisher King must have been thinking!

The feast comes to an end and Percival toddles off to bed. But where he awakes in the morning, he finds the castle in ruins and he is alone.

Unfortunately for us, Chrétien de Troyes died before he could complete his great work.

Some forty years later, Wolfram von Eschenbach takes up the story in his work, Parzival. This story keeps to the original, with a few subtle differences. Firstly, he gives The Fisher King a name - Anfortas. We learn how The Fisher King received his wound - he is a Grail Keeper and therefore is not allowed a wife, but he marries her anyway and this is his punishment - intolerable pain. Percival rights the wrong and later cures The Fisher King.

Around the end of the 13th Century, Robert de Boron, continued The Fisher Kings story. The Fisher King - who now goes by the name of Bron -  is the brother-in-law of Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph entrusts the sacred Grail to Bron. Bron becomes the first Grail Keeper - eventually the title of keeper of the Grail is passed on to Percival.

And then things really become complicated...!

In Lancelot-Grail, there are two Fisher kings  - or should I say one wounded king called Pellam and a Fisher King called Pelles. It is Pelles who tricks Lancelot into begetting a child with Elaine - there is a prophesy that states Galahad will retrieve the Grail and heal the land.

Not to be outdone, Malory, has four possible Fisher Kings in his famous story, Le Morte d'Arthur.

1. King Pellam

2. King Pelles

3. King Pescheour - Lord of the Grail Castle

4. A bed ridden nameless king who Galahad heals.

Of course with the passage of time the story has been retold until, it became just another part of the story...a part of the legend.

Meeting the King - Merlin

So there we have it, a brief outline of The Fisher King.

 

The Du Lac Chronicles - a Labour of Love.

  Those of you who are regular readers to my blog will know that on a Wednesday I open the blog up to other historical / mythological writers to discuss their inspiration behind their books. I have just realised, that I have never done this for my book!! So today, I thought I would rectify this situation and tell you about my inspirations behind my YA novel, The Du Lac Chronicles. Enjoy...

If all you had left was your heart, would you give it to your enemy?

A generation after Arthur Pendragon ruled, Briton lies fragmented into warring kingdoms. The powerful Saxon King, Cerdic of Wessex, spent the last twenty years hunting down Arthur’s noble knights. Alden du Lac, the once king of Cerniw and son of Lancelot, has nothing. Betrayed by Cerdic, Alden’s kingdom lies in rubble. Annis, daughter of King Cerdic of Wessex, has been secretly in love with Alden for what seems like forever. She will not stand by and see him die. She defies father, king, and country to save the man she loves from her father’s dungeons. Alden and Annis flee Wessex together.

 ***

There is something very appealing about chivalry and honour. It is no surprise that the stories of King Arthur and his knights have etched their way into the hearts of a nation. They certainly found their way into my heart at a very early age. Their stories were part of my childhood – growing up very near Glastonbury, I guess that is not really surprising.

Glastonbury Tor

However, I always felt slightly deflated by the ending of Arthur’s story. There is a terrible battle at Camlann where Arthur is mortally wounded. He is whisked away to Avalon and that is the last that we hear of him. Likewise, his knights if they have not already been killed, tend to end their days as hermits. I never really bought into that ending. It was just too final and far too vague.

I started to research the era and was fascinated with what I learnt. In particular I became very interested in a Saxon called Cerdic.  In AD 519, Cerdic of Wessex - according to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles – became the first West-Saxon King of Britain. His journey to being crowned is quite extraordinary. He landed in Hampshire at the end of the fifth Century. He and his son, raged war across the Southern kingdoms of England – conquered most of them, and brought a sort of unity to the south that had not been seen since the Roman era.

But here is where it got interesting for me. Cerdic’s exploits and Arthur’s legendary legacy became entwined. Some say the their armies once met at Badon Hill. I wanted to explore this possibility some more, and this is where my inspiration for The Du Lac Chronicles came from.

The Du Lac Chronicles is set a generation after the fall of King Arthur and I wanted to create a story where the knights did not end up in monasteries and then disappeared into the shadows of history. I wanted to write about what happened after Arthur died. In particular, I wanted to write about the changing ‘Saxon’ world that these knights now found themselves in.

 The Du Lac Chronicles follows - through the eyes of Lancelot du Lac’s sons - Cerdic of Wessex’s campaign to become High King. The world the du Lac’s had known was to be changed forever by this one man’s determination to enslave the kingdoms under the Saxon yolk. In my story these men, these knights, do not die easily and they certainly do not become hermits!

 Where can I buy this knightly book?

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Be sure to pop over to...

Facebook and say hello! https://www.facebook.com/maryanneyarde/

You can find me on Twitter too! @maryanneyarde

The Du Lac Chronicles - a Labour of Love.

  Those of you who are regular readers to my blog will know that on a Wednesday I open the blog up to other historical / mythological writers to discuss their inspiration behind their books. I have just realised, that I have never done this for my book!! So today, I thought I would rectify this situation and tell you about my inspirations behind my YA novel, The Du Lac Chronicles. Enjoy...

If all you had left was your heart, would you give it to your enemy?

A generation after Arthur Pendragon ruled, Briton lies fragmented into warring kingdoms. The powerful Saxon King, Cerdic of Wessex, spent the last twenty years hunting down Arthur’s noble knights. Alden du Lac, the once king of Cerniw and son of Lancelot, has nothing. Betrayed by Cerdic, Alden’s kingdom lies in rubble. Annis, daughter of King Cerdic of Wessex, has been secretly in love with Alden for what seems like forever. She will not stand by and see him die. She defies father, king, and country to save the man she loves from her father’s dungeons. Alden and Annis flee Wessex together.

 ***

There is something very appealing about chivalry and honour. It is no surprise that the stories of King Arthur and his knights have etched their way into the hearts of a nation. They certainly found their way into my heart at a very early age. Their stories were part of my childhood – growing up very near Glastonbury, I guess that is not really surprising.

Glastonbury Tor

However, I always felt slightly deflated by the ending of Arthur’s story. There is a terrible battle at Camlann where Arthur is mortally wounded. He is whisked away to Avalon and that is the last that we hear of him. Likewise, his knights if they have not already been killed, tend to end their days as hermits. I never really bought into that ending. It was just too final and far too vague.

I started to research the era and was fascinated with what I learnt. In particular I became very interested in a Saxon called Cerdic.  In AD 519, Cerdic of Wessex - according to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles – became the first West-Saxon King of Britain. His journey to being crowned is quite extraordinary. He landed in Hampshire at the end of the fifth Century. He and his son, raged war across the Southern kingdoms of England – conquered most of them, and brought a sort of unity to the south that had not been seen since the Roman era.

But here is where it got interesting for me. Cerdic’s exploits and Arthur’s legendary legacy became entwined. Some say the their armies once met at Badon Hill. I wanted to explore this possibility some more, and this is where my inspiration for The Du Lac Chronicles came from.

The Du Lac Chronicles is set a generation after the fall of King Arthur and I wanted to create a story where the knights did not end up in monasteries and then disappeared into the shadows of history. I wanted to write about what happened after Arthur died. In particular, I wanted to write about the changing ‘Saxon’ world that these knights now found themselves in.

 The Du Lac Chronicles follows - through the eyes of Lancelot du Lac’s sons - Cerdic of Wessex’s campaign to become High King. The world the du Lac’s had known was to be changed forever by this one man’s determination to enslave the kingdoms under the Saxon yolk. In my story these men, these knights, do not die easily and they certainly do not become hermits!

 Where can I buy this knightly book?

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Be sure to pop over to...

Facebook and say hello! https://www.facebook.com/maryanneyarde/

You can find me on Twitter too! @maryanneyarde

Lancelot du Lac

Okay, you got me. I write about Lancelot ( well, his sons...Lancelot does get a mention now and then) in my forthcoming book The Du Lac Chronicles, out early 2016. I am very excited. But you are not here to hear me waffle on about my book...if you are...please correct me...I can blog about it all day, if you like! You are here to read my take on Lancelot, so let's begin.

Now, what do we know of Lancelot?

He was Arthur's best friend.
He was chivalrous.
Pretty good at the joust.
Even better at the sword.
Went on a quest to find the Holy Grail.
Bit of a ladies man.
Had an affair with Guinevere.
Fell out with Arthur...Unsurprisingly.
Caused a Civil War.
And was responsible for the downfall of Arthur, the knights, Camelot, and consequently the whole of Britain.

He had a really busy life!

Santiago Cabrera -played Lancelot in the BBC drama Merlin 

But surprisingly, until the 12th Century, Lancelot was virtually unknown. Chrétien de Troyes immortalised him in  Le Chevalier de la Charette. Here he is portrayed as Arthur's greatest knight, the most saintly of men, who so happens to have had an affair with the Queen.

I wonder if de Troyes had any idea how influential his work would become when he wrote it?

Lancelot tries so hard to be a good knight, but his world comes crashing down around him simply because he cannot help himself when it comes to love. 

But that doesn't seem to stop us all from loving him. I think if he had not had that affair he would probably make us all feel slightly queasy. You can't be that good - all of the time.

Now it is often said that there are no new stories -- all the stories have already been written...what do they know? It has been suggested that the love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere is a poor mans tale of Tristan and Isolde, and I think they are probably right, but that doesn't matter and I don't think we should become too hung up about it.

I cannot not (sorry for the double negative) talk about the Grail when it comes to Lancelot. We need to look at a 13th Century French text called Prose Lancelot which began this whole idea of an Arthurian quest for the Holy Grail and it expands on the love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere as well. Lancelot eventually finds the Grail, but he cannot look on it for very long, for he has sinned.

I am always intrigued by the fact that although we all love Arthur -- who is noble, worthy and everything a King should be -- we can't seem to help ourselves when it comes to Lancelot. He is just so likeable.

So let me give you a brief rundown of Lancelot's life.

He was the son of King Ban of Benwick. He end up in the care of the Lady of the Lake...hence his name du Lac..of the lake... The Lady of the Lake then sends him to Arthur's court where he becomes a knight, meets the Queen and falls in love. He battles twenty knights successfully -- is meant to battle the Copper Knight, but the Copper Knight flees from his home, Dolorous Guard. Lancelot takes the castle and renames it Joyous Guard.  Elaine of Corbenic pretends she is Guinevere, tricks Lancelot and he begets a child with her... they name the child Galahad. Guinevere banished Lancelot from court because she is so enraged by his betrayal?! Lancelot looses his mind for a bit, is eventually summoned back to court by Guinevere. Goes on the hunt for the Holy Grail, finds it. Arthur dies, the Queen wants nothing more to do with him. He becomes a hermit and finally becomes a priest.

Of course there are various different version of his tale. I very much doubt there is little truth in any of them...but like the stories of Arthur, there is something about the man that captures our attention and we cannot help ourselves. I know I will always have a kind of love affair with Lancelot. If it wasn't for him and his stories, I wouldn't be writing this.

See you soon

Mary xx