M A R I O N Z I M M E R B R A D L E Y ’ S
RAVENS
ofAVALON
Other books in this series
Ancestors of Avalon
Priestess of Avalon
Lady of Avalon
The Forest House
The Mists of Avalon
M A R I O N Z I M M E R B R A D L E Y ’ S
RAVENS
ofAVALON
D i ana L . Pax s on
V I K I N G
vi k i ng
Published by the Penguin Group
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First published in 2007 by Viking Penguin,
a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Copyright © The Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Trust and Diana L. Paxson, 2007
All rights reserved
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
l i b rary of cong re s s catalog i ng i n p ubl i cati on data
Paxson, Diana L.
Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Ravens of Avalon / Diana L. Paxson.
p. cm.
ISBN: 1-4295-4202-0
1. Boadicea, Queen, d. 62—Fiction. 2. Druids and Druidism—Fiction. 3.
Great
Britain—History—Roman
period, 55 B.C.–449 A.D.—Fiction. 4. Great Britain—History, Military—55 B.C.–449 A.D.—Fiction.
5. Romans—Great Britain—Fiction. 6. Britons—Fiction. 7. Avalon (Legendary place)—Fiction.
I. Bradley, Marion Zimmer. II. Title. III. Title: Ravens of Avalon.
PS3566.A897M34 2007
813'.54—dc22
2007003307
Set in Bembo
Designed by Spring Hoteling
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To Sarah Rachel, who fought long and hard . . .
N A M E S I N T H E S T O RY
CAPITALS = major character
+ = historical fi gure
(
) = dead before story begins
[
] = alternate or later form of name
P E O P L E
B riton s
(Note: Most of these names are attested from written documents of the
period; however, I have left the British nominative ending “os” on some
but not on others to provide variety and lessen confusion for the reader.)
+Adminios—middle son of Cunobelin, exiled king of the Cantiaci
Anaveistl—mother of Boudica
Antebrogios—Durotrige chieftain defending the Hill of Stones
+Antedios—High King of the Iceni
Argantilla—Boudica’s younger daughter
Aurodil—an Iceni maiden
Beric—son of Segovax, a young warrior in the rebellion
Bethoc—an old woman from a fishing village on Mona
Bituitos—bodyguard to Prasutagos
viii
Nam e s i n th e Story
+Bodovoc—king of the Northern Dobunni, subject to Togodumnos
+BOUDICA—daughter of Dubrac, later wife of Prasutagos and queen of
the Iceni
Bracios [Braci]—Boudica’s youngest brother
Brocagnos—an Iceni farmer
Calgac—a warrior in Boudica’s service
+CARATAC [Caratacus]—third son of Cunobelin, king of the Cantiaci
and leader of the fight against Rome
+Cartimandua—queen of the Brigantes
Carvilios—a warrior in the rebellion
Caw—a freedman in the service of Boudica’s daughters
Cingetor—king of the Silures
+Cogidubnos—grandson of Verica, later, king of the Atrebates and
Regni
+Corio—king of the Southern Dobunni
Crispus—a Gaulish freedman in Boudica’s service
(+Cunobelin [Cunobelinos])—king of the Trinovantes and Catuvellauni,
overlord of southeast Britannia)
Drostac of Ash Hill—a chieftain of the Iceni
Dubnocoveros—eldest son of Dubrac and brother of Boudica
Dubrac—father of Boudica, a prince of the Southern Iceni
Eoc Mor—bodyguard to Prasutagos
Epilios—youngest son of Cunobelin, foster brother of Braci
Nam e s i n th e Story
ix
+Esico—goldsmith minting coins for Prasutagos
Kitto—the son of a farmer near Manduessedum
Leucu—an Iceni warrior in the service of Dubrac
Maglorios—overking of the Belgae
Mandos—an Iceni warrior
Morigenos—an Iceni clan chieftain
Nessa—an old servant in Boudica’s family
Palos—owner of the farm near the Horse Shrine, husband of Shanda
+PRASUTAGOS—son of Domarotagos, High King of the Iceni, Boudi-
ca’s husband
Rigana—Boudica’s older daughter
Rosic—a farmer near Eponadunon, father of Temella
Segovax—an Iceni clan leader
Shanda—wife of Palos, of the farm near the Horse Shrine
Tabanus—a Trinovante slave in Colonia
Tancoric—king of the Durotriges
Tascio—son of Segovax, a young warrior in the rebellion
Taximagulos—an Iceni farmer
Temella—Boudica’s maid
Tingetorix—a war leader in the rebellion
+Togodumnos—son of Cunobelin, king of the Trinovantes and Catuvellauni
x Nam e s i n th e Story
+Venutios—king of the Brigantes
+Veric [Verica]—king of the Atrebates expelled by Caratac
D ru i d s
Albi—a boy in training with the Druids
Ambios—Druid attached to the household of King Caratac
ARDANOS—a Druid priest
Belina—a niece of Cunobelin and a priestess
Bendeigid—a Cornovian boy in training with the Druids, later husband
of Rheis
<
br /> Brangenos—a Druid bard from Gallia
Brenna—a Brigante girl in training with the Druids
Brigomaglos—a Durotrige Druid
Caillean—an Irish girl fostered by Lhiannon
(Catuera—a legendary priestess)
Cloto [Lucius Cloto]—an Atrebate boy in training with the Druids
Coventa—a Brigante girl in training with the Druids, later a priestess
Cunitor—a Druid priest
Elin—an old priestess
Divitiac—chief Druid of the Durotrige tribe
Helve—a se nior priestess, later High Priestess
Kea—a girl in training with the Druids
Nam e s i n th e Story
xi
LHIANNON—a young priestess
Lugovalos—Arch- Druid at Lys Deru
Mandua—an Atrebate girl in training with the Druids
Mearan—High Priestess when Boudica arrives on Mona
Nan—an old priestess living at Avalon
Nodona—a young priestess, Helve’s second protegée
Rheis—daughter of Ardanos, later wife of Bendeigid
Rianor—a Trinovante boy in training with the Druids, later a priest
Sciovana—wife of Ardanos
Senora—a girl in training with the Druids
Roman s
Calvus [ Junius Antonius Calvus]—a Roman lawyer
+Catus [Decianus Catus]—Roman procurator in charge of collecting debts
+Claudius [Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus]—emperor
41 CE to 54 CE
Crispus—a Gallo-Roman freedman in the household of Boudica
+(Gaius Julius Caesar, imperator and leader of a successful campaign in
Britannia in 54 BCE)
+Gaius Nero “Caligula”—emperor 54 CE to 68 CE
+Gallus [Aulus Didius Gallus]—governor of Britannia 52 CE to 57 CE
+Narcissus—a freedman and secretary of state to Claudius
+Nero [Nero Claudius Caesar]—emperor 54 CE to 68 CE
xii
Nam e s i n th e Story
+Petilius Cerialis—commander of Legio IX in 60 CE
+Paulinus [Gaius Suetonius Paulinus]—governor of Britannia 58 CE
to 61 CE
+Plautius [Aulus Plautius]—commander of the invasion force, military
governor of Britannia 43 CE to 47 CE
+Poenius Postumus—commander of Legio II Augusta, the legion that
failed to come to Paulinus’s aid
Pollio [Lucius Junius Pollio]—a tax collector in Britannia
+Scapuola [Publius Ostorius Scapuola]—governor of Britannia 48 CE
to 52 CE
+Seneca [Lucius Annaeus Seneca]—senator and playwright, one of the
regents for the emperor Nero
+Silanus [Lucius Junius Silanus
Torquatus]—senator, son-in-law of
Claudius
+Vespasian [Titus Flavius Vespasianus]—legionary legate in command of
Legio II Augusta during the invasion (emperor, 69 CE to 79 CE)
A N I M A L S
Bogle—pack leader of Boudica’s white, red-eared hounds
Roud—Boudica’s red mare
Branwen—Boudica’s white mare
D E I T I E S
Andraste—battle goddess of the Iceni
Argantorota [Arianrhod]—Lady of the Silver Wheel
Arimanes [Arawn]—ruler of the Underworld (or Arihausnos)
Nam e s i n th e Story
xiii
Belutacadros, Cocidios, Coroticos, Lenos, Olloudios, Teutates—war gods
Brigantia—goddess of inspiration, smithcraft, and healing, also territorial
goddess of the Brigantes
Cathubodva—“Battle Raven,” see Morrigan
Dagdevos [the Dagda]—the Good God, a god of fertility, mate of the Morrigan
Epona—the Horse Goddess, patroness of the Iceni
Lugos [Lugh]—the many-skilled, honored at the harvest
Morrigan—“Great Queen,” a title for the battle goddess, also called
Cathubodva (“Battle Raven”) and Nantosuelta (“Winding-One”)
Sucellos—“the Striker,” a Gaulish equivalent to Dagdevos, mate of the
Morrigan
Taranis—god of thunder
P L AC E S
An-Dubnion [Annwyn]—the Underworld
Briga/the Brigante lands—Yorkshire and Lancashire
River Brigant—the Braint, in Anglesey
River Brue—near Glastonbury
Camadunon [Cadbury Castle]—a hillfort at the edge of Somerset that in
the sixth century was to be refortifi ed as King Arthur’s Camelot.
Camulodunon [Camulodunum, Colonia Victricensis, Colchester]—chief
dun of the Trinovante territories, capital for Cunobelin, and later admin-
istrative center for Britannia Superiore
Carn Ava [Avebury]—a stone circle north of Stonehenge
xiv
Nam e s i n th e Story
Danatobrigos, the Hill of the Sheep [Sedgeford, Norfolk]—Boudica’s farm
Deva [Chester]—home fort for Legio XX and IV
Dun Garo [Venta Icenorum, Caistor St. Edmunds, Norfolk]—Iceni capi-
tal, just south of present-day Norwich
Dun of Stones [Hod Hill, Dorset]—hillfort defended by the Durotriges
Durovernon [Durovernum Cantiacorum, Canterbury]—dun of Caratac,
the Cantiaci capital
Durovigutum [Godmanchester]—a Roman fort at the edge of the Iceni
country
Earth-ring—Arminghall Henge, south of Norwich
Eponadunon [Warham Camp, Norfolk]—King Prasutagos’s dun
Eriu [Ireland]
Garo—river Yare, Norfolk
Gesoriacum [Boulogne]—Roman port in Gallia
Great Road [Watling Street]—an early Roman road bisecting Britannia
from London to Wroxeter
Horse Shrine [Sedgeford, Norfolk]—local off ering place near Danatobrigos
House of the Hare (near Teutodunon)—home of Boudica’s parents
Isca Road [Fosse Way]—Roman road from Exeter to Lincoln
Isle of Vectis [Isle of Wight]
Laigin [Leinster, Ireland]
Lake of Little Stones—Llyn Cerrig Bach, Anglesey
Lead Hills [Mendip Hills, Somerset]
Nam e s i n th e Story
xv
Letocetum [Wall]—a Roman fort on Watling Street in the Midlands
Limes—the border between the pacified and unpacified lands, running
roughly from present-day York to Usk in Wales
Londinium [London]—administrative center and trading town on the Tamesa
Lys Deru (Oakhalls) [near Brynsiencyn, Anglesey]—the Druid commu-
nity on Mona.
Lys Udra [near Aldborough, Yorkshire]—Queen Cartimandua’s home
Medu [the Medway]—in Kent
Mona [Anglesey]—an island off the northwest tip of Wales, the Druid
sanctuary
Manduessedum [Mancetter, near Nuneaton]—site of Boudica’s last battle
Narrow Sea [English Channel]
Noviomagus—Chichester, Sussex
Rigodunon—Venutios’s hillfort at Stanwix, near Carlisle
Sabrina [Severn River]
Sacred Spring—Holy Well at Walsingham, Norfolk
Salmaes Firth [the Solway]
Tamesa [River Thames]
Teutodunon [Thetford, Gallows Hill]—dun of the Iceni clan of the Hare,
home of Boudica’s family and site of Prasutagos’s great hall
Verlamion [Verulamium, St. Albans]—Catuvellauni capital
Vernemeton, the Forest House (near Chester)—sanctuary to which the
surviving Druid priestesses are moved after the fall of Mona
xvi
Nam e s i n th e Story
Tri bal Te rri tori e s
( B o rd e r s A p p r ox i m a t e a n d S h i f t i n g )
Atrebates—Hampshire, Berkshire
Belgae—Wiltshire, Hampshire
Brigantes—York, Lancaster
Cantiaci—Kent
Catuvellauni—Oxfordshire, Hertshire
Deceangli—Flintshire (north coast of Wales)
Demetae—Pembrokeshire (southwest Wales)
Dobunni—Gloucestershire
Durotriges—Dorset, Somerset
Iceni—Norfolk
Ordovices—western Wales to Anglesey
Regni—Sussex, Surrey
Silures—Glamorgan and Monmouthshire (southern Wales)
Trinovantes—Essex, Suff olk
M A R I O N Z I M M E R B R A D L E Y ’ S
RAVENS
ofAVALON
P R O L O G U E
Lhiannon Speaks
At Samhain, we open our doors to the spirits of those who are
gone. These days I find it easier to remember the dead than the living. I
recall the most insignificant details of dress and habits of the women
who were priestesses when I was young, and forget the names of the
girls who serve me now. Even at this season of chill winds and falling
leaves the house they have made for me beneath the trees of Vernemeton
is comfortable, but when I remember our sanctuary on the Isle of Mona,
it is all one golden afternoon, for Lys Deru was a place of magic.
These girls have grown up in the shadow of Rome. How can I show
them the glory of that world in which we lived before the Legions
came? I suppose it was no more perfect than any other society of hu-
mans, but it was our own. The Druids of Lys Deru preserved a noble
tradition which we can practice only in pale imitation here.
Ardanos says that to survive we must bow our heads, conceal our
powers, compromise. I do not gainsay him—what use would it be? But
sometimes I wish that we could make these young ones understand why
we fought to stay free. They say that the Society of Ravens is rising again.
Will they call upon the Lady of Ravens to lead them? Boudica did, and
nearly brought Rome to her knees.
In those days we loved deeply and dared greatly. Now all we can do
is endure. It is the turn of Ardanos’s granddaughter Eilan to serve me.
Perhaps this evening, when we wait for the pro cession of spirits to come
to my door, I will try to tell her the tale . . .
O N E
They had come to the Druids’ Isle just before sunset, Boudica sitting