#Loire lore

[zakifairer]

You know that moment where you tell your friend that you want to date their brother

They laughed this off and arranged a date later.

[loireejinn]

Okay I'm gonna do it.

I'm going to buckle down and write Loire's backstory fic.

[loireejinn]

Loire got adopted by the Manderville household around age 9 because he thought he was helping rescue a grown man in a dangerous area in Thanalan--

--but it turned out to be Hildibrand (age 6).

Loire didn't realize he was special with his echo, heroic strength, and durability for a long time because he believed everyone was just built like that because he lived with Hildibrand, Godbert, and Julyan for so long.

I've had a bad few days. So! Reblog & tell me a silly/fun fact about your WoLs!

(& if you really wanna make me happy, spin my wheel and ask me for a fact about whoever it lands on!)

[ffviiibingo]

[STORY] Amaranth, by AlessiaHeartilly

Title: Amaranth Author: @aleheartilly

Judge my words, if you may, my fair reader; I only ask for you to remember our names, and our stories. We only wish to be free. I am Elysia, the Sorceress, and before dying, please let me tell you the story of my adored Knight, Eryndor, and how his brothers Loriam and Eamon became the Guardians of our secrets. [or; how the Guardian Force Brothers came to be]

Characters: Rinoa Heartilly, Squall Leonhart, Selphie Tilmitt, Irvine Kinneas, Odine (Final Fantasy VIII), Laguna Loire, Fury Caraway, Original Characters Pairings: Rinoa Heartilly/Squall Leonhart, Irvine Kinneas/Selphie Tilmitt Additional tags: none so far Chapters: 1/11; I. Wraith

Card: Lore Prompts: "You are quite the powerful ones to have defeated the two Brothers" Challenge word used: Ethereal Team: Island Closest To Heaven Total Points Earned: 6405

Read on AO3 and FF.net

[spikrock]

some mtp drawings i did while on vacation; i did most of these on an airplane or in a moving car, so

[cry-ptidd]

Could I tell me about Laura's background? Family, ethnicity, etc? What her her skills, if she has any?

More Laura lore (lau-re lol)

Laura is French and her ethnicity is European. She was born on December 24th 1735 in La Besseyre-Saint-Mary (in the department of Haute-Loire in central France) and baptized three days after. (Her lightly tanned skin comes from her peasant family adapted working in the sun in the fields.)

Her parents’ names are Jean Chastel and Anne Charbonnier. She was the oldest of 9 siblings (although they will be born a few years after her). They were both peasants, but they made enough of a living to not worry much about money.

She was her father’s favorite child (even though she was a daughter and not a son), mostly due to the circumstances of her birth. Her mother had extreme complications during the birth, and Laura herself was pronounced dead a few minutes after birth, but then suddenly regained consciousness in the arms of her mother. That and the fact that her mother miraculously survived the difficult birth, made her father believe she was blessed by God and named her Laura (meaning ‘Laurel’, a tree associated with victory). Her mother recovered fully and was able to bear 9 additional children a few years after.

Her father was literate and taught her how to read and write. She was a devout Christian and attended church regularly.

Her early life was pretty calm, and she got along very well with her father, although her mother prioritized her siblings over her due to the favorable treatment of her father. She asked to remain celibate as a result of her faith, which both of her parents accepted. Her younger sisters were thus wed before her.

She was sometimes teased for her rather androgynous behavior, working ‘men’s jobs’ and being her father’s preferred child rather than his sons. Some people teased her saying she would play the man’s role and get with a woman due to her disinterest in men and behavior. (Which is true as she is a lesbian, but didn’t accept it until much later). She didn’t let the teasing get to her though and was known for being peaceful and just.

She was extremely diligent and always got her work efficiently on time, and sometimes helped her father at the inn he owned.

Her father wasn’t the most well-liked man, and some people said Laura and her mother were into witchcraft. (Those were just rumors, and Laura didn’t let the insults go to her head and made sure to protect her family’s honor.)

One day however, on March 31 1760, she was out herding cattle in a clearing, where a werewolf attacked her. She was bitten on the forearm and her lower stomach was scratched. Some of the villagers heard her cries and drove the beast away, and tended to her the best they could. No one believed her story of the werewolf, believing it to be just a very agressive wolf. It was all downhill from there to be fair.

(I will divulge her full backstory in a later post.)

Skills

By skills I’ll assume you mean both powers and everyday skills ?

Werewolf skills:

Immortality

Superhuman Senses

Superhuman Strength

Superhuman Durability

Superhuman Speed

Superhuman Reflexes

Regeneration

Impenetrable skin (at the exception of silver)

Transformation (into a werewolf)

Invulnerability

Intangibility

Self-Disintegration

Extreme pain tolerance

Her skills are about the same as Hans’, at the exception of her greater durability and truly gigantic wolf form.

She is a very powerful foe, and that is why Alucard decided to recruit her. He sometimes tries to pick fights with her due to her being very powerful but she turns him down, as she isn’t interested in the thrill of battle like Alucard is.

Everyday skills:

Excellent cooking

Organisation and cleaning

Knowledge in literature, theology and psychology

Sharpshooting skills

First-aid and basic construction

Basic sewing and darning

Driving

Unbreakable will and determination

Most of these (aside from the cooking, cleaning, and ‘book’ knowledge) were taught after she was recruited into Hellsing as part of her maid training (as well as being polite enough to be hospitable)

Despite her general grumpiness and disdain for being alive, she is pretty well-mannered and still maintains some old-timey language.

[goldenworldsabound]

Eyes and magic and Emperor Locke

[harelan]

i love that like. ok in oblivion you’re actually IN PRISON so it makes sense you’d be in rags. but in skyrim all the soldiers are still in uniform and ulfric is still dressed, did the imperials just strip down you and lokir? “these traitor soldiers can die in uniform but you, dumbshit we’re wrongfully executing, you gotta be in a burlap sack.”

[mariaslozak]

If you’re familiar with French fairy tale lore or feminist literary history, the name of author Henriette-Julie de Castelnau, Comtesse de Murat (1668-1716), may ring a bell. In 1702 she was arrested and banished to the Château de Loches, where she was placed under the stringent supervision of the king’s lieutenant for reasons that have been debated among scholars since the eighteenth century.

Until shortly before, she had been a celebrated presence in the highest eschelons of Paris and Versailles, with her writing earning international renown. Traditionally her exile has been attributed to Louis XIV and his entourage finding something libellous in her writings, but recent scholarship has shown that these theories don’t fit the timeline of events. Instead, documents from the late 1690s reveal allegations of disruptive conduct linked to refusing to conform with societal expectations placed on women. Above all, her bisexuality became the subject of public scandal-mongering and official reports. In her stories she was critical of arranged marriages—her own was unhappy and she attempted to separate from her husband—and she dedicated her memoir to the defense of women.

For a short but more precise and up-to-date biography than most, see The Teller's Tale: Lives of the Classic Fairy Tale Writers edited by Sophie Raynard. For a longer discussion of the Comtesse de Murat’s literary output see, for example, Allison Stedman’s introduction in A Trip to the Country, a translation of one of the Comtesse’s major works, Le Voyage de Campagne, a novel that experiments with the genre of ghost stories. It was first published in 1699.

Image: vintage railway travel poster (1928) advertising the medieval Château de Loches and other castles reachable by automobile from the company’s stations in the Loire Valley. Artwork by Constant Duval (1877-1956).

[zakifairer]

Logging into ffxiv and I see this art and I'm like "Where am I??? Where IS THIS???" I accidently logged out and left Loire at Zenos' grave for SEVERAL DAYS.

I came back and he's like this

Like are you okay, buddy???

[loireejinn]

this isn't enough for you the words creep into your head in the dead of night one night and you cannot get rid of them. 'this isn't enough for me anymore'. you thought this was enough for you at some point, or maybe you hoped that it would be, but it isn't, and it hurts. you need to change something, or die trying. this - life like this - does not make life worth living. there is a lump in your throat that demands attention every waking moment of the day. there is pain in your body like a cavernous maw you cannot keep balance over. this is not what you wanted. you need to change. you can't stay here. it is not a character flaw you want more.

tagged by @shroudkeeper tagging: @yloiseconeillants | @wingedasarath | @goth-catte | @tokki-yue | & anyone else who wants to give it a go!

Link to the character quiz "why do you hurt" here!!

[perfectirishgifts]

Giving Cinderella Her Due: A Look At Cabernet Franc

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/giving-cinderella-her-due-a-look-at-cabernet-franc-2/

Giving Cinderella Her Due: A Look At Cabernet Franc

Tenute Argentiera’s iconic Ventaglio Cabernet Franc vineyard in Bolgheri

“Cab Franc is the ultimate Cinderella grape,” exclaims Leah Jørgensen, owner and winemaker of Jørgensen Cellars in Willamette Valley. “Historically, in Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot got all the attention, while Cab Franc was the one who did all the work. The truth is she’s the belle of the ball.”

While its hard to imagine the parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carménère being underappreciated, Cabernet Franc is often overlooked by wine lovers. Yet, it remains a secret weapon of wine makers. It’s time to start pay attention to Cabernet Franc.

As a blending grape, Cabernet Franc plays well with others. It delivers high acidity, smooth tannins, and notes of spice and herbs, making it more than capable of taking the lead in blends from Napa Valley and Bordeaux’s Right Bank, most notably in Château Cheval Blanc. Recently, it is making a name for itself as a single variety wine.

Cabernet Franc grape close up. Saumur, France

Uco Valley is home to Argentina’s top Malbec. However, Gualtallary, within the Tupungato GI, has an ace up its sleeve—Cabernet Franc. “The potential power of Cabernet Franc illustrated through our terroir is best expressed here,” shares Gonzalo Fernandez Gregorat, winemaker of Rutini Wines, who has been producing Cabernet Franc in the region for 20 years. Rodrigo Serrano, winemaker of Domaine Bousquet, attributes the wine’s soft expressions in the mouth to the region’s elevation and alluvial soil. In the hands of the region’s top producers, the grape transforms into the sexy elegance of the Argentine Tango.

Under the Tuscan Sun, Tenuta Argentiera’s Ventaglio Vineyard, on their Bolgheri estate, signals a new awakening for the property. Ventaglio, meaning fan, represents the winery’s cru, or best, vineyard. And, it’s all planted with one grape: Cabernet Franc. “Ventaglio is my heart and blood—the place I find a new beginning,” shares owner Stanislaus Turnauer. Produced in small amounts in the best vintages, Ventaglio represents the flagship of Argentiera’s portfolio, taking expectations and understanding of the grape to new heights—a Cru Super Tuscan comprised mainly of Cabernet Franc.  

Napa Valley wineries such as Gamble Family Vineyards, Ehler’s Estate, and Cliff Lede Vineyards produce rich, robust expressions of Cabernet Franc. Chris Tynan, winemaker of Cliff Lede Vineyards, believes Napa hosts the ideal conditions for the grape to ripen “to perfection.” 

Inspired by Right Bank Bordeaux, the Cliff Lede High Fidelity “spotlights the playful symbiosis of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, accentuating their individual layers of complexity.” Jason Lede, hospitality manager of Cliff Lede Vineyards “loves it for its plush, fruit-forward qualities.” Adding, “It’s approachable yet still has incredible concentration.”

Both Leah Jørgensen as well as Alison and Eric Smith Story, owners of Smith Story Wine Cellars in Anderson Valley, find their Cabernet Franc inspiration in France’s Loire Valley. And, both believe the trick to an exceptional glass starts in the vineyard.

To limit the grape’s natural “greenness,” Smith Story carefully monitors the grape, harvesting once a perfectly ripe mid-core is achieved. “Resulting in a vibrancy and a nice lift of acidity at the end is a truly magical sip found in our Smith Story Cabernet Franc,” shares Alison Smith Story.

Adding to this, Jørgensen maintains the timing of leaf removal and irrigation of the vine is key in limiting the wine’s greenness while it ripens. This allows the fruit to shine as the green notes become tertiary, creating a pleasant herbal expression. She also contends, in order to coax out the grape’s fruitiness, new oak should never be used in aging.

Jørgensen Cellars offers a variety of expressions of Southern Oregon Cabernet Franc.

Jørgensen sources her Cabernet Franc from Applegate and Rouge Valleys, areas of Southern Oregon containing limestone soil with ancient marine sediments similar to the Loire Valley. Crater View Ranch Vineyards, the source for some of her fruit and a vineyard she believes grows some of the best Cabernet Franc in the world, contains a high concentration of this soil. Because Loire Valley is revered for its expressions of the grape, these soil similarities offer Oregon growers guidance in cultivating the fruit.  

Cabernet Franc’s acidity and tannin structure allows Jørgensen to craft a unique expression—a blanc wine, inspired by former Anne Amie winemaker Thomas Houseman’s L’Iris white Pinot Noir as well as Crémant de Loire sparkling wines. However, she is not making an arbitrary white wine from red grapes. Rather, building on the grape’s structure for intentional symmetry between the white and red wines.  

Lori and Mike Budd, owners of Draceana Wines in Paso Robles, feel in love with Cabernet Franc at first taste many years ago. In 2013, the couple launched their own label with one wine. “After hunting California, we realized there was not a lot of Cab Franc out there. So, we decided to form our own niche with the foundation of the wine we really, really love,” explains Lori Budd.

Today they craft two styles.  A classic multi-site clonal cuvee, and single site and clone reserve expression. “The reserve is mother nature in a glass,” shares Budd. “There are so many different expressions of the grape—there’s a Cab Franc for everyone,” believes Lori Budd.

Surprised a grape with Cabernet Franc’s pedigree did not have its own celebration day, Budd says the “Jersey girl in her” took up the charge to correct this oversight. In 2015, she single-handedly established December 4 as #CabFrancDay.

The date honors Cardinal Richelieu, who is credited with bringing cuttings of the grape to the Loire Valley in the 17th century. Lore holds he planted the vines at St Nicolas de Bourgueil where it grows to this day. From its humble beginnings, #CabFrancDay is now an international celebration.

While its increasingly easier to find wineries focusing on this grape, it remains underappreciated. “Cabernet Franc is an underdog—it needs to be fought for,” explains Budd. “It delivers so many different expressions. There is a Cab Franc out there for everybody.”

a selection of high-quality Cabernet Franc wines

2017 Cliff Lede Vineyards ‘High Fidelity’ Napa Valley ($95) is crafted of 48% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon in a nod to both Right Bank Bordeaux and classic rock n’ roll, in a “Smoke On The Water” sort of way. Notes of black currant, fig jam, black pepper, smoked charcuterie, and fresh tobacco dazzle the senses. Concentrated yet approachable, with a crushed velvet mouth-feel and a long, mouth-watering finish.

2018 Domaine Bousquet GAIA Cabernet Franc Gualtallary Estate Vineyard Uco Valley ($30) represents the first time the wine is produced as 100% varietal. It offers soft aromas of bright fruit, mint, pepper, warm baking spice, and floral notes. Firm, gripping tannins contrast its fruit-forward juiciness and mid-palate minerality. Its broad on the palate with a lingering freshness.

2018 Jørgensen Cellars Mae’s Vineyard Blanc de Cabernet Franc Applegate Valley Oregon ($30) is a stunning wine. Layers of lemon, apricot, and apple are joined by fresh picked savory herbs, fresh white flowers and blossom, white tea, and trailing toasted hazelnuts leap from the glass. Complexity follows through on the palate with rich texture balanced by firm acidity, offering an elegance and mid-palate lift. This wine is a must.

2018 Jørgensen Cellars Cabernet Franc Southern Oregon ($25) follows in the footsteps of the Blanc in that it is layered and complex. Aromas of a dried bouquet leap from the glass of this flagship red wine, followed by delicate berries, warm spice, savory dried herbs, and trailing smoke. Vibrant best describes the palate, its fresh with lots of energy and lift. A steal for the price.

2016 Jørgensen Cellars ‘Clos Rouge Valley’ Reserve Cabernet Franc Southern Oregon ($50) falls to the opposite end of the spectrum, word descriptors do no justice in this distinction. Elegant layers of red floral notes (fresh and dried) mingle with tea, savory herbs, cocoa bitters, and black pepper, but more than the sum of its part, the flavors weave together like a tapestry. With a crushed velvet mouth-feel and linear focus, this medium-bodied wine begs for food.

2018 Ravine Cellars Cabernet Franc Finger Lakes New York ($21.95) is a bold single variety wine. Dark fruit, olive tapenade, dried herbs, fresh tobacco, and trailing pepper elicits the senses. Fine-grained tannins from large cask aging offer a smooth mouth-feel. A fruit-driven plate is juicy yet balanced with earthiness in a full-bodied wine with a long finish.

2016 Smith Story Cabernet Franc Sonoma Valley ($48) is a single variety wine intentionally crafted in an elegant, refined style. It offers bright notes of red and black fruit mingling with fresh herbs, violets, subtle spice, and black tea. The palate is fresh with nice lift and mouthwatering acidity. A food wine in a classic old-world style.

2015 Tenuta Argentiera Ventaglio Bolgheri IGT ($300) is the inaugural release. It is crafted of 85% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine stands out for its cru quality: Lush, sultry, layered, complex, and structured. It’s robe of dark fruit, crushed flowers, dried herbs, warm spice, and a cedar, tobacco, mineral earthiness goes on for days on the palate. Long age-ability but hard to resist now.

2018 Zuccardi ‘Poligonos’ San Pablo Cabernet Franc ($30) is located in the center of Uco Valley, in the heart of Tunuyán, a region defined by its close proximity to the Andes Mountains. Winemaker Sebastián Zuccardi vinifies this wine in concrete vats with indigenous yeast. The resulting 100% Cabernet Franc is fresh and lively, with layers of blue and red fruit, dried herbs, and graphite. The palate exhibits tension between its smooth tannins and bold mountain nature, walking a tight-rope between new and old-world styles.

More from Spirits in Perfectirishgifts

[zackoftrades]

What is your fondest memory from playing the games?

Final Fantasy Munday Meme:

So this story is going to start off messy.  It was Valentines day.  I’d just gotten stood up for the weekend.  No forward warning, nothing. My roommate at the time had also gotten stood up so her man could go to a con.  We still didn’t know each other super well but since we were roommates we went to the grocery store a lot together.  With nothing else to do on that long weekend, we decided to go out and buy food.Instead of buying the groceries we wanted, we purchased two of the largest boxes of chocolate we could find, several liters of soda, chips, and flowers.  (If you’re curious, I bought myself a red tea rose that I babied for 2 years straight before its horrible demise via open window). We sat on the floor of our room feeling bad and binging chocolate til I realized there was a sale on steam for FF7 and 8.  I bought them both.  Since I’d never played 8 before, I went straight into that and gifted her a copy as well.  She’d never played Final Fantasy before.  I was determined to change that.  

Honestly, it was one of the best weekends of my life.  We played FF8 without stopping.  We consistently ate junk the entire 3 day weekend: pizza, takeout, the works. (it snowed, I think, so we had more time off).  Once we both got to Laguna Loire, we were hooked. Laguna was everything.  To this day, she and I would both drop everything if that man were to suddenly materialize and appear on our respective doorsteps.  I know this as a fact.  

The following week was spent digging into FF7 next–the entire lore–from SOLDIER to Jenova Reunion Theory to President ShinRa’s scandal sex life.  I walked her through that game step by step.  I explained everything I knew down to crazy intricate details that really weren’t necessary.  I taught her how to win over Tifa and cackled with her when Cloud got in the bathtub at Honeybee Inn.  We played Crisis Core and watched ACC and Last Order and Gackt’s Redemption video.  

We covered the plot of two Final Fantasy games total in like–a little over a week or so.  I’m super fond of the memory.

This girl, who I really barely knew and had no idea what Final Fantasy was, is quite possibly one of the few people who I know in my daily life that I can now break into her house and just stand in her living room and go, “Fuck Genesis”  and she’ll come out of her kitchen to ask me what new thing I’ve realized and we can yell about it together.

[dealableofficiel-blog]

Châteaux de la Loire : 1 à 3 nuits avec petit-déjeuner buffet à l’hôtel L’Orée des Châteaux pour 2 ou 4 personnes

59.00€ au lieu de 85.40€Châteaux de la Loire : 1 à 3 nuits avec petit-déjeuner buffet L’hôtel L’Hôtel L’Orée des châteaux, situé dans le village de Bracieux parmi un décor de verdure, accueille les hôtes en toute quiétude dans ses 14 chambres spacieuses et ses 2 appartements à la décoration soignée. Les chambres de l’établissement sont équipées d’une télévision […] https://www.dealable.fr/deals/chateaux-de-la-loire-1-a-3-nuits-avec-petit-dejeuner-buffet-a-lhotel-loree-des-chateaux-pour-2-ou-4-personnes/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[viewtraveling]

10 French Attractions for True Fans of France

France, to be more exact, Paris is the dream holiday visit to a majority of the people in the U.S., Japan, and India. They are mostly lured by what they have read in history books during their school days. For them, Paris is all entertainment, fashion, and sophistication.

However, when they finally land in Paris, they have not much idea about what they wanted to see in France. Of course, they would have the following French sightseeing places in their two or three days of the itinerary.

Eiffel Tower

Champs Elysees

Notre Dame

Stroll by the river Seine

The Louvre museum

Luxembourg Palace

They will wind up their France travel after dining at a few roadside cafes, buy a bottle or two famous French wine and bid goodbye to Paris.

France offers something for everyone. Tourists have myriad tastes and preferences such as:

Historical monuments

Museums

Libraries

Beaches

Lakes, waterfalls, and rivers

Mountains and hills

Countryside sightseeing

Wildlife safaris

Shopping for cheese and perfumes

And more…

Well, France is all of these and much more so that no tourist ever regrets his trip to France.

In this blog post, I have listed about 10 places spread over the country that a first-time tourist will enjoy. These wonderful attractions in France include:

Museums

Ancient cities

Castles

Alps

Pyrenees

Great French landmarks

Chateaux

Chateau de Chenonceau, France

The 16thcentury Chateau de Chenonceau is a prime attraction of Loire Valley. It is built on the banks of river Cher. When you go to the Loire Valley to see the majestic Chateau de Chenonceau, you can also see some more chateaux namely Château de Amboise and Chateau de Villandry. Additionally, you can taste one of the best French wines in Lore Valley that are located at a distance of 207 km from the  capital, Paris.

Epernay Champagne

France without Champagne is Italy without pasta cafes-right? When you visit France, try to visit ‘Epernay’, the champagne capital of the world.

Epernay champagnes are world famous. This small town is the center of several champagnes. You ask for the way to go to the Avenue de Champagne, an exclusive street to drink big champagne brands that include De Castellane, Moët et Chandon, and Mercier.

Cannes, France

Who has not heard of Cannes where the annual film festival is held every year during the month of May? Cannes is located on the French Rivera, on the Mediterranean coast. Cannes is also world headquarters for fashion clothes and designer jewelry. The city is littered with high-end boutiques. It is an expensive city to stay and eat.

Val d’Isere, France

Ah, Val d’Isère is a ski resort written all over it. Wonderful skiing trails, verdant meadows attract mountain enthusiasts and winter sports buff from other parts of Europe. The mountain range is French Alps and the Val d’Isère is located on the Italian border.

French Rome

Do you fancy Roman fine arts & architecture, Italian cuisine, and perfumes? Then, include Nimes city in your France tour program. It is located in Southern France and is known for Roman architectural buildings, Roman monuments, all inside this small French town.

Camargue

If you are a birding enthusiast, then, go to Camargue, a natural bird sanctuary that is home to hundreds of migratory birds such as Flamingos.

A record 500 species of birds are spotted in Camargue, in Western France. Some of the birds you can identify in Camargue are:

White-stork.

Little Egret

Heron

Eurasian Spoonbill

Oddly, Camargue houses a large number of white horses also. Camargue is near the city of Aries, Southern France. This birds’ haven is situated on the banks of river Rhone.

Vieux Lyon, France

That looks like a typical French town-eh? I am sure you recognize it having seen in films and on web images. Vieux Lyon is often filmed or portrayed as a model town of French Renaissance. If you want to see the true French culture followed by original French people living in brightly painted townhomes, you should make it a point to visit Vieux Lyon.

Millau Bridge

The Millau Bridge is all steel cables and concrete and looks simply stunning. It is said to be the tallest bridge in the world situated at an elevation of over 1100 feet! The river flowing under this marvelous bridge is River Tarn, in Southern France.

Reims Cathedral

OMG! What an imposing looking church. During the monarchical times of France, the crowning ceremony of every monarch was performed in this ancient cathedral that was built in the 13th century. Do you know that the Reims cathedral attracts more than one million ardent Christians every year?

Annecy, France

Looks like a laid-back and peaceful place, this small city of canals. You can call it a French Venice. Located in the Southeastern part of France, one can enjoy a boat ride on many of the city’s winding canals. If you think you have had enough of water, take a long walk on the town’s cobbled streets that are lined with brilliantly colored houses.

The post 10 French Attractions for True Fans of France appeared first on View Traveling.

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[calmgrove]

Cover art Chris Lovegrove for Pendragon: Journal of the Pendragon Society XIV/3 1981

Geoffrey Ashe: “A Certain Very Ancient Book”; Traces of an Arthurian Source in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History. Speculum 56, 2: 1981

Geoffrey Ashe in association with Debrett’s Peerage The Discovery of King Arthur Debrett’s Peerage Limited 1985

A recent guest post by Katie Wilkins of Doing Dewey on Lory Hess’s blog Emerald City Book Review introduced a 1985 publication that stimulated some discussion. It prompted me to look up some reviews I penned of Geoffrey Ashe’s book at the time, plus one of the academic papers that preceded it.

Below is the slightly edited texts of those reviews with some linking commentary, for those who like to muse on the historical origins of the Arthurian legends. The Speculum review is from Pendragon XIV/3, summer 1981, and the book review appeared in Pendragon XVII/4, autumn 1984 (published February 1986). Of necessity the arguments are involved and rather complex — I hope it all has a little more than just historical curiosity!

ARTHUR continues to inspire further, sometimes original research. Far from being anchored firmly to the Battle of Badon (around 500 AD) he keeps drifting out of our grasp further back in time, a sort of “Doctor Who on horseback” as [a] television reporter said. Geoffrey Ashe’s paper for the Journal of the Medieval Academy of America involves a radical rethink of some conventional ideas of the historical Arthur, and we are grateful for a complimentary copy provided by Speculum which forms the basis for this summary.

Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History [of the Kings of Britain] (c 1136) gives the first full-blown account of King Arthur we possess, and appears to form the basis of most of the later medieval romances. Determined efforts have been made to discover his ultimate sources, and Ashe suggests where we might search to find the missing links. We start with some contemporary or near-contemporary Continental writers — Cassiodorus (c 531), Jordanes’ Gothic History (c 551), Gregory of Tours’ History of the Franks (c 591) and especially Sidonius Apollinaris’ Letters (c 470-80) — who collectively provide the following account as interpreted by Ashe:

467. Leo I, Emperor of the East (457-74), appoints a Byzantine noble, Anthemius, as Emperor of the West. Anthemius then seeks British aid against Euric (King of the Visigoths from 466) who has greedy eyes on northern Gaul — Armorica (Brittany) and the Kingdom of Soissons under the general Syagrius, ‘King of the Romans’ (see map).

Map in Pendragon for Speculum review, 1981

Map by Ty Grey in The Discovery of King Arthur 1985

468. As Simplicius succeeds to the papal throne, a certain Riotimus or Riothamus, King of the Britons, comes over to Gaul with a reported 12,000 men in response to Anthemius’ appeal. Around this time marauding Saxons under a chieftain Corsoldus are routed by ‘Romans’ (Syagrius and the Britons?) with some Frankish Allies, and are expelled from the area around the lower Loire.

The Britons, however, are about to be betrayed by Arvandus, imperial prefect of Gaul and Anthemius’ deputy. [Arvandus] advises Euric, King of the Visigoths, to attack the Britons north of the Loire and then partition Gaul with the Burgundians.

469. Arvandus is rumbled, and subsequently impeached by the Roman Senate. But Euric has already acted …

470. After Riothamus enters the state of the Bituriges (modern Berry) he is himself routed after a lengthy battle by the Visigoths, before the Romans of Soissons can aid him, at Bourg-de-Déols near Châteauroux. Euric then expels the Britons from Bourges and Riothamus flees to the Burgundians, allies of the Romans. Riothamus disappears from history in the area around Avallon (Gaulish: ‘place of the apples’).

Does this story sound familiar? A king of the Britons — defeating the Saxons, betrayed by a deputy while fighting in Gaul, disappearing mysteriously near Avallon — is suspiciously like the continental campaigns of Arthur described by Geoffrey of Monmouth, taking up half the story of Arthur’s reign in the History. Geoffrey’s earlier Prophecies [which he ascribes to Merlin] have it thus:

The Boar of Cornwall shall lord it over the forests of Gaul. The House of Romulus shall dread his savagery and his end will be shrouded in mystery.

There are several obvious objections to the equation Arthur = Riothamus:

1. “The name is different.” Riothamus [Ashe suggests] is Celtic *Rigotamus, meaning ‘king’ with a superlative suffix (ie ‘Great King’). This could be a title like Vortigern ‘high chief’ or Augustus ‘the august one’, and Riothamus could be short for Artorius Rigotamus, ‘the Great King Arthur’.

2. “The dates are different.” Riothamus disappears in 470, Geoffrey [of Monmouth]’s Arthur in 542. Where did Geoffrey get 542? Ashe argues, persuasively, that Geoffrey saw a date 442 and could not square it with a post-500 date for Badon, which was not originally associated with “Artorius Rigotamus”. Not realizing that this date 442 was calculated from the Passion (not the Incarnation as accepted now — though the computations are incorrectly devised) he adjusted it to 542. (A later Arthurian writer, Wace, even adjusted this further to 642!)

3. “Arthur’s enemies are different.” Having adjusted dates, Geoffrey is not averse to reworking details to suit his purpose of glorifying Arthur above all others, Romans included. He forgets however to omit other details which confirm an earlier dating: he mentions the Emperor Leo (d 474) and Pope Sulpicius (= Simplicius? d 483), and sends Arthur to a place southwest of Langres, not far away from the Burgundian Avallon.

4. “Arthur is nowhere mentioned in earlier references as being in Gaul.” One of Ashe’s star witnesses is a Latin Legend of St Goeznovius, dated 1019 and given third-hand in a 15th-century MS (formerly at Nantes Cathedral). This places “the great Arthur King of the Britons” in the period immediately after Vortigern, in the mid-5th century. The Saxons are subdued in Britain AND IN GAUL before the King is “summoned at last from human activity”, whereupon the Saxons return to the Island […]. The Legend is independent of Geoffrey of Monmouth, placing Arthur’s heyday more than half a century before.

There are other objections of course, like Arthur’s connection with the Battle of Badon and the list of Arthurian battles given in [the 9th-century Historia Brittonum attributed to] Nennius (did they actually take place in Brittany?).

But enough has been presented of Ashe’s case to show it merits consideration. Not only will adherents of an “historical” Arthur have to do some rethinking, but more credence will have to be given to Geoffrey’s claim that he translated into Latin “a certain very ancient book written in the British [ie Breton] language” and which in particular gave him details of the final dim battle of Camlann. Did this ancient treatise also supply details for the Legend of Goeznovius, and are these the traces of a “missing link” in a chain of Arthurian sources leading to Geoffrey of Monmouth?

These were my thoughts back in 1981 when I first read Ashe’s paper. When the book came out in 1985 I was given a chance to see if his central thesis had changed and if my cautious acceptance had altered in any way. There is some repetition here now but the critical emphasis has slightly shifted.

The historical documentation for Arthur is very sparse. These are the folktales contained in Nennius’ History of the Britons from the 9th century. And there are the entries for the “Arthurian” battles of Badon and Camlann in the Welsh Annals of the 10th century. The folklore throws more light on human psychology, however, and the Annals are rather too late to be reliable. All rigorous scholars of the period have been troubled by the apparent lack of contemporary allusions to Arthur in documents or inscriptions: in a relatively literate age a man of his supposed stature had escaped notice.

Discovery argues that Arthurian scholarship in Britain is too insular. If it wasn’t, it would have taken more account of the Gaulish episodes contained in the 12th-century so-called History of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Arthur’s forays on the continent, which take up a considerable part of the narrative, are usually regarded as unhistorical and an embarrassment. But later continental chronicles place Arthur firmly in the late 5th century rather than the early 6th. Geoffrey of Monmouth, it is clear, is also working with irreconcilable dates. Arthur dies in 542, but flourishes in the time of Pope Leo (died 461). His heyday is quite obviously thought of as the 460s.

[…] Arthur, by these accounts, matches up with Riothamus, a king of Britain whose existence is in no doubt. With 12,000 troops he is reported to have fought Saxons successfully in the Loire valley, though his army was later decimated by the Visigoths. Ashe argues strongly for the equation of Riothamus with Arthur.

This is a very attractive hypothesis. It is Ashe’s fourth essay on the subject, refined and expanded since “A Certain Ancient Book” first argued the case in Speculum. It certainly answers many questions, and solves many problems of chronology.

There are, of course, difficulties. Riothamus is never specifically identified with Arthur in any of the chronicles between the 5th and 12th centuries. Ashe has put less emphasis on the two names being near anagrams of each other but continues to argue, against the opinions of some philologists, that Riothamus is not a name but a title: “Supreme King”. He points out that many leaders were better known by their cognomen or nickname (eg Caligula) or title (Augustus) and that some we know only by their titles (eg Vortigern, “Overlord”). These are useful analogies, though for Arthur-Riothamus no more than that. The two separate bodies of lore about Arthur in Britain and Riothamus in Gaul prior to the 11th/12th century is still worrying, though if we resorted to analogies we would note the recognisable correspondences between the native Macsen legend and the continental history of Magnus Maximus.

Despite these doubts Ashe has, I think, proved his case that Geoffrey’s fictional European adventures of Arthur are based on Riothamus’ expedition as detailed in continental histories no longer available to us. This does not prove there was no Arthur in the “traditional” period ascribed to him either side of 500 AD, and we may still believe that the richness of Arthurian lore need not owe its diversity to the exploits of a single [individual].

What it does prove is that, before Geoffrey of Monmouth, an implicit identification was made: that Riothamus and Arthur were one and the same. For sceptics the question is, how far back can we trace this implicit identification before the matter is beyond doubt?

While scholarship has expanded in the three decades since the above was written I’ve not come across any new revelations concerning historical documents validating Ashe’s identification (though that’s not to say that there hasn’t been any). So, what I think it boils down to is this: Geoffrey of Monmouth writes a bestselling pseudohistory of Britain which includes Arthur invading mainland Europe to challenge a claim that he owes tribute. It’s possible that he drew on histories that told how another post-Roman British king, Riothamus, also sailed “by way of Ocean” to engage in battle in Gaul. But that may be it.

What about the themes of betrayal and disappearance which appear to support the Arthur/Riothamus identification? These don’t really bear up, I suggest. Betrayal is a common thread in political and military history, and that it occurs in both instances is no proof of the two rulers being one and the same. And the same applies to the disappearance motif: Riothamus simply drops out of the story, with no associated details that even make his end similar to Arthur’s.

As for Riothamus being last heard of somewhere in the vicinity of Avallon in Burgundy, this is clutching at straws; Avallon is about 150 miles from Bourg-de-Déols where Riothamus’ forces were finally defeated, and around 100 miles from Bourges from where the remnant of the Britons were subsequently expelled. Even if Avallon (Aballo in Roman times) resembles the name of the spot where in legend Arthur went to heal his wounds, it’s far from conclusive — for example, the Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall at Burgh by Sands was anciently Aballava, which similarly derives from the Celtic word for ‘apple’.

Anyway, pity poor Arthur. He challenges the Romans who are demanding back payment of tribute they say is owed to them. Though he comes within a hair’s breadth of defeating them he is called back to Britain to deal with insurrection. I’m reminded of certain parallels with an island nation disputing its payments to Europe and which is similarly having to deal with turmoil within its own governing party. Plus ça change …

Parallels Geoffrey Ashe: "A Certain Very Ancient Book"; Traces of an Arthurian Source in Geoffrey of Monmouth's…