费奥纳瓦织锦 (1984)

The Fionavar Tapestry is a book series of fantasy novels by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay, published between 1984 and 1986. The novels are set in both contemporary Toronto and the secondary world of Fionavar.

Premise

Five University of Toronto senior law and medical students who are drawn into the 'first world of the Tapestry' by the mage Loren Silvercloak. Once there, each character discovers their own role and destiny in the framework of an ancient conflict.

Books in the series

Primary

The Summer Tree

The Wandering Fire

The Darkest Road

Secondary

Ysabel, while not part of The Fionavar Tapestry proper, features two of the same characters and often refers to the events of the trilogy.

Characters

University of Toronto students

Kevin Laine (Liadon) is described as witty, bright, outgoing, and spirited. He has fair-coloured hair, and is characterized to be often intensely and deeply affected by acts of love.

Paul Schafer (Pwyll Twiceborn) is described to be highly intelligent and withdrawn. At the beginning of the story, he is haunted by the death of his girlfriend in a car accident that he believes was his fault.

Dave Martyniuk (Davor) is a star basketball player who carries emotional scars from his Eastern European immigrant father's rough treatment of him as a child. Throughout the story, he has difficulty accepting or offering friendship.

Kimberly Ford (The Seer) is portrayed to be quiet, intelligent, sensitive, but decisive.

Jennifer Lowell (Guinevere) is described as cool and reserved. She is considered beautiful, and has green eyes. In the backstory, she is a former lover of Kevin's, but they remain good friends.

Arthurian characters

The story borrows elements of medieval literature, particularly King Arthur, who is known to the characters in the books as "The Warrior". Other notable inclusions are Lancelot and Guinevere. Parts of the story focuses on reenactment of the Arthurian stories.

The Deities

The Weaver is the creator of the tapestry, the fabric of time, causality and existence, and all the worlds within the trilogy. They are described by the inhabitants of Fionavar as a "hands-off" deity, who acts only to bring about events required by fate (the "weave of the Tapestry") and who otherwise does not interfere with free will. It is mentioned that The Weaver's only law is that the gods cannot act directly upon the Tapestry without being summoned and bound by mortals. To do so always requires sacrifice, a rule which is enforced by other gods if it is violated. The gods can, however, act indirectly by choosing mortal champions and bestowing gifts and powers upon them.

Mörnir is the lord of the summer tree, the patron god of the royal house of the High Kingdom of Brennin. He is described to be a sky god who is connected with ravens and oak trees.

Dana is the goddess of the earth and the moon and written as the "mother, sister, daughter, bride of the God". She is stated to be an earth mother deity worshipped by the Priestesses of Gwen Ystrat, the ruler of blood magic and the avarlith, the power derived from the earth. Her name is directly inspired by the Irish goddess Danu.

Ceinwen is a goddess of the wood and the hunt who is revered by the Dalrei, a tribal people of the plains of Fionavar. She is seen to kill all men of Fionavar who witness her hunting.

Cernan of the Beasts is the god of animals and wild things who is also revered by the Dalrei. He is characterized to be crowned with the antlers of a stag. His name is derived from the Celtic deity Cernunnos.

Macha and Nemain are twin goddesses of war who are directly inspired by the Irish mythological figures associated with The Morrigan.

Liranan is the god of the sea, whose name is derived from the Celtic deity Manannan mac Lir.

Owein and the Wild Hunt is a group of once-mortal kings who together comprise a cosmic force of randomness and wildness; their existence is said to be necessary for mortals to have free will. In the books, they are described to be bound to the Cave of the Sleepers and can be woken and summoned by the artifact Owein's Horn but must be led by a mortal child who becomes one of them and rides with them. The group is inspired by the Wild Hunt of European folklore.

Rakoth Maugrim is the renegade god, characterized as the enemy of the Weaver. In the series, he is seen being jealous of the Weaver's creation, and breaks into Fionavar just as the Weaver completes his work. Since he came from outside the Weaver's Loom, he has no thread in the Tapestry and cannot be destroyed. A thousand years ago before the trilogy is set, the combined might of all the races of Fionavar fought against him, and after a tremendous battle, they defeated him and chained him beneath the mountain Rangat. His eventual escape begins the events of the trilogy.

Galadan is the lord of the Andain, which is defined as an offspring of a mating between god and mortal. He is seen to be a shapechanger who can take the form of a malevolent black wolf with a silver splash on its head. He is described to be nihilistic.

Flidais is another Andain who lives in Pendaran Wood who claims to have lived as the legendary bard Taliesin in the trilogy's version of Earth.

Fordaetha of Ruk is the ice queen of the Barrens in the far north. She is seen to be able to freeze men by touching them.

Other characters

Darien is the son of Jennifer and Rakoth Maugrim, Darien is described to be precisely balanced between Dark and Light. He is seen to take the form of a white owl.

Ailell dan Art is the High King of Brennin. He has two sons, the elder Aileron, who is in exile. The younger Diarmuid is described to be a fearless and elegant fighter, but also frivolous, impulsive, and shallow. Diarmuid falls in love with and is eventually betrothed to Sharra in the series, who is known as the Dark Rose of Cathal.