Lyonesse Trilogy
| Elder Isles | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Lyonesse Trilogy location | |
| Created by | Jack Vance |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Type | Islands |
| Notable locations | Lyonesse, Dahaut, Ys |
| Notable characters | King Aillas, King Casmir, Murgen, Shimrod, Madouc, Suldrun |
The Lyonesse Trilogy is a group of three fantasy novels by Jack Vance, set in the European Dark Ages, in the mythical Elder Isles west of France and southwest of Britain, a generation or two before the birth of King Arthur. An Atlantis theme haunts the story, as do numerous references to Arthurian mythology.
Some place names and concepts, such as references to sandestins as magical creatures that do the actual work of carrying out a magician's spells, are shared between Lyonesse and Vance's Dying Earth series, suggesting that the two worlds may be linked.
Vance makes no pretence of historical accuracy. The society depicted is in general of the later Middle Ages, with trading cogs plying the seas, knights engaged in jousting and following the fully developed Code of Chivalry, and royal courts dancing the pavane and cotillon – all of which would be gross anachronisms when assumed to take place in the 5th Century. In this Vance in fact followed the conventions of the original Arthurian tales, which depicted the society of their own time rather than that of the historical King Arthur.
The three volumes were published in order of their fictional chronology:
The Elder Isles, situated southwest of Cornwall and west of Brittany, consist of a large island Hybras (the Hy-Brasil of ancient Irish legend), about the size of Ireland itself, surrounded by numerous smaller islands of various sizes.
The Elder Isles have through constant migration and invasion become populated by a people formed from a melting pot of many races - and also by some powerful magicians, and assorted magical beings (who were presumably always there). The great port cities of Avallon, Domreis and Bulmer Skeme were all founded by foreign traders over the years. Only in three areas do local ethnic groups remain strong: the city state of Ys (an ancient city inhabited by the Trevanna), Skaghane (inhabited by the Ska, original inhabitants of Norway), and Godelia (inhabited by Celts from Britain and Ireland).
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