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Bengali writes...
My guess for the the 8 arthurian survivors.
1.Arthur
2.Merlin
3.Banchefluer
4.Lancelot
5.Lady of the Lake
6.Sir percival
7.Galahad
8.Morgan le fay
Greg responds...
tyca
Todd Jensen writes...
You mentioned a while ago your having rather liked Goodrich's notion that Lancelot's name was really a French distortion of "Angus". If you had done the "Pendragon" spin-off and brought Lancelot into it somewhere (presumably via flashback since I get the impression that he's not one of the eight survivors), would you have used this concept?
Greg responds...
Maybe, maybe not. For starters, it's HER concept. I'm not sure legally if I could. I'd have had to look into that.
And of course, by now, you know that Lance wasn't one of the survivors, so I'm not sure how much of him we'd have ever seen.
Still, I might have used a more traditional Lance as a starting point.
Todd Jensen writes...
In a post related to (though not actually part of) the "Arthurian Survivors" contest: I thought that I'd raise the question about the three famous Arthurian artifacts, Excalibur, the Holy Grail, and the Round Table. Now, we definitely know that Excalibur still exists in the Gargoyles Universe. It seems more than likely that the Holy Grail's still around, given that you were going to send Arthur and Griff after it once they had found Merlin, and Duval's Fisher King role. But how about the Round Table? Is it still extant in the Gargoyles Universe, or has it been destroyed?
Greg responds...
It would have to be extent. Because what fun would it be if it wasn't?
And you left out the stone.
And I left out the anvil. Which I'm still considering.
Kayless writes...
Hail Mr. Weisman. Or do you prefer Greg? In any case, here are my questions...
1. Just what are Arthur's powers? He can sense the Stone of Destiny when he nears it in London and is capable of defeating MacBeth in single combat (no small feet considering the latter's centuries of experience). As I recall, Arthur, though a good warrior, was never the strongest in Camelot. A master strategist and tactician yes, but Lancelot was his combat better (at least when Excalibur is taken out of the equation). Plus the Weird Sisters once said in Avalon "beware the sleeping king, his power is great" or something to that effect. So just what are his abilities? Simply heightened awareness and battle prowess or something more, as befits the once and future king?
2. I assume Arthur was born with these talents but did Merlin have a hand in helping him improve them? (I'm probably going to get a response like: 'Merlin helped him with everything' but I'm asking anyway.)
P.S. Thanks. It's always great when important T.V. folk such as yourself take time out of their busy schedule to talk to us yokels. Bob Skir who (as I'm sure you know) wrote several episodes of Gargoyles like 'Future Tense', has a similar site for Beast Machines. Thanks again for putting up with our fanboy crap. Though I suspect it does wonders for your ego. :)
Greg responds...
Greg's fine.
1. He's trained to be slightly more attuned to the mystic than most. (Sleeping for a few centuries on Avalon probably doesn't hurt.) And when you're comparing Arthur to his Knights, you need to think in terms of the equivalent to a Major League All-Star Team, with Arthur being the weary veteran catcher. Compared to Lance, he may not have been much of a swordsman, but that's like comparing Hank Aaron to, well, almost anyone. Arthur's got the stuff. And now he's had a lot of recuperative time. And, as you mentioned, he's got Excalibur. But he's human. Strictly human.
2. Merlin was a good teacher.
And, yeah, I enjoy this. (95% of the time, anyway.)
The Gatekeeper writes...
Hi Greg,
First off I would like to say that I think it is great that you take the time to interact with all of us.
I'm was just reading your latest responses on Arthur and got to thinking about your Pendragon spinoff. I was just wondering if you have tried to sell the idea to any of the other networks?
Of all the spinoffs you have thought of, Pendragon would probably be the easiest to reshape into something that would not resemble Gargs and still catch the flavor of your vision and writing. (Just don't make his knights some silly robot ala Sherlock Holmes, UGH!!) Or does Disney hold the rights to Pendragon as well?
Just some thoughts, thanks for listening.
Greg responds...
My Pendragon spin-off comes directly out of Gargoyles. Disney owns it. I could start from scratch with other Arthur ideas I have, but it wouldn't be what we've discussed here at ASK GREG.
Kayless writes...
The Arthurian Survivors:
1. King Arthur
2. Merlin
3. The Lady of the Lake
4. Nimue
5. Percival
6. Morgan Le Fay
7. Blanchfleur
8. The Fisher King
Greg responds...
tyca
Nathan Sheaffer writes...
I'll take a stab at the 8 Arthurian survivors:
1. King Arthur
2. Merlin
3. Percival
4. The Lady of the Lake
5. Nimue
6. The Fisher King
7. Lohengrin
8. Morgan le Fay
Greg responds...
tyca
Christal Miller millertime@ghcc.net writes...
8 Servivors
Ihav no clue if this contest is over but here is my try
1.Author
2.Merlyn
3.Lady of the lake
4.Perceval
5.Blanchfleur
6.Morgana La Fay
7.Nimue
8.Lancelot
Greg responds...
day late and a point short...
sorry
Puck40 writes...
Okay! Second question! Macbeth!!! He's got to be one of my favorite antagonists, because he's not truly evil at heart and such.
1) Would King Arthur and Macbeth ever crossed paths again? I'm like positive this answers yes so onto the next question.
2) I'm pretty much guessing that King Arthur isn't immortal. He's always captured my fancy because he was a regular man, who accomplished so much. With help from others and such but hey.... now to my question so its not off topic. Would Macbeth of ever inherited Excalibur?
(10 to 1 you don't give the answer to that. heheh)
Greg responds...
1. Sure.
2. Inherited? No. Not the word I'd use.
Pyro X writes...
Hey Greg!
Some Questions About MacBeth:
1) In "A light house in the sea of time," MacBeth says "The Scrolls of Merlin, Seeld by my own hand." Did he mean the He (MacBeth) seeled the scrolls?
2) If that is the case, then did MacBeth know Arthur and
Merlin, or were they before his time? In pendragon, he did seem kinda shocked that that was King Arthur, so it make for a conflict.
the Next two also relate to MacBeth...
3. Did Macbeth Know that a play was being written about him by Shakespear and did he ever "see" the play?
4. Did Demona ever see MacBeth, because she knew it was about Macbeth?
5. Did MacBeth MEET Shakespear?
Thanks man!
Greg responds...
1. No. (Admit it, no one ever reads the archives.) Macbeth was reading that. Meaning, he read that Merlin sealed it with HIS own hand.
2. So, no, they were before his time.
3. Yes. And yes.
4. I'm sure she's seen it.
5. Yes. (Yeah, no one ever reads the archives.)
Todd Jensen writes...
After reading your answer to ExoLex, I thought that I'd weigh in with my two cents. I wasn't at all bothered by the fantasy elements in the series (partly because I like myths and legends), and I did think that you did a good job of balancing it. I might add that what I really liked about it was that you actually got in a sense of the significance of the legends that you were drawing on.
Take your use of Merlin in "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time", one of my favorite episodes. Lots of animated series out there bring King Arthur and Merlin in at some point ("The New Batman/Superman Adventures" did it with an episode pitting Batman against a pet demon of Merlin's named Etrigan, for example). But the episode actually tackled - successfully, IMHO - the meaning that the Arthurian legend has to us. Macbeth got that very eloquent and moving speech about the importance of Arthur and Merlin's achievements that so impressed Broadway, all about Arthur as "a king who ruled with justice and compassion". Merlin's scrolls turn out to contain, not his magical secrets, but something even more valuable - his eyewitness account of King Arthur's time. (I can't help wondering what impact the Scrolls of Merlin must have had on Arthurian scholarship in the Gargoyles Universe - finally, another eyewitness account to "Arthurian" Britain besides Gildas's "De Excidio Britanniae"! Hudson and Broadway were right to urge Goliath not to burn those scrolls!) And Merlin, in a sense, plays his role as tutor, from beyond the Crystal Cave, to Hudson and Broadway, just as he did to the young Arthur 1500 years ago, by teaching the two gargoyles the worth of reading (although Jeffrey Robbins should get part of the credit in Hudson's case, of course).
I did think, as well, that while more "fantastic" in some ways than the average animated action/adventure series set in the modern world (such as "Batman"), "Gargoyles" did feel in other ways more realistic. The New York of "Gargoyles" felt much more like a real modern-day city than do, say, Gotham City or Metropolis, even in the crime scene (the leading criminal figure in Manhattan being Tony Dracon, an "ordinary" mob boss, rather than somebody like the Joker).
Greg responds...
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Of course, all that Arthur stuff meant a lot to me too. I wanted to really evoke Arthur and Merlin in "Lighthouse". Who better to do it than Macbeth?
And, yeah, I like to think that in the context of all our wierdness, that the series was grounded in a world that felt real.
Derek writes...
A response to your post on shocking moments in Gargoyles-
I was genuinely suprised by all three endings in the Hunter's Moon episodes. I saw PT 2 and figured the episode would be continued right as Robyn had her finger over the button, but then...SHE PRESSED IT!! The missile went off, the colck tower exploded! There was no going around that, they showed the explosion! I was in 8th grade at the time of it's original airing, and I remember sitting in my science class and wondering how they would ever get out of that situation? Where would they live now? With Elisa? I certainly NEVER would have guessed that Xantatos would show up and save them, but, it worked. I loved it. I was at the edge of my seat with my mouth open in awe, I couldn't wait until the GOLIATH CHRONICLES aired in January...
You did a great job, very dramatic story telling that took risks and still made sense. I loved it. Gargoyles is one of the finest television series ever. Because of you and Gargoyles, I have taken an interest in mythology, Shakespeare, Arthurian Legends, Animation. It covers EVERYTHING. I read T.H. Whites "Once and Future King" over the summer (while ASK YOU was down) just because I wanted to know more about these subjects that interested me in the show. I'm a Senior in High School and for my Senior Project, I'm Illustrating in comic book fashion 3 of shakespeare's plays...WHY? Because of Gargoyles. You have opened up so many doors to me, and I thank you.
Greg responds...
Thank you! You just made my night.
If the team and I introduced you to Shakespeare and White, then we really did something worthwhile. By the way, have you read White's "Book of Merlin". It's a wonderful final chapter to "Once and Future King". The scene with the hedgehog always breaks my heart.
Robin Wynn writes...
Ok..the Arthurian survivors:
1)Arthur
2)Merlin
3)Lady of the Lake
4)Percival
5)Galahad
6)Morgan le fey
7)Blanchfleur
8)Pelles (Fisher King)
hope that's them!!
Greg responds...
By now you know the correct answers. Thanks for playing.
Todd Jensen writes...
A fresh effort to do the eight Arthurian survivors correctly.
1. King Arthur
2. Merlin
3. The Lady of the Lake
4. Sir Percival
5. Blanchfleur
6. Morgan le Fay
7. Nimue
8. The Green Knight (the one whom Gawain had that encounter with)
Greg responds...
Eight points.
Thank you. Come again.
No, wait! Eight points. Eight out of eight. FINALLY, A WINNER! And Todd, I have to admit, I'm kinda glad it's you, since you've been the most dedicated to exploring the Arthurian angle here in ASK GREG.
As to the speculation of how they survived, well, I was gonna make another contest out of it, but I realized it would violate my NO IDEAS policy, so...
1. King Arthur Pendragon. Slept under a spell in the Hollow Hill.
2. Merlin. Son of Oberon by a mortal woman. Imprisoned in the Crystal Cave.
3. The Lady of the Lake. One of the Oberati.
4. Sir Percival. The Fisher King. Mr. Duval. Founder of the Illuminati. Spends a lot of time in Castle Carbonek, a sort of mini-traveling-Avalon, where time passes differently. Also uses the Holy Grail to maintain his youth, though at a very real physical cost, due to his, shall we say, sins.
5. Lady Blanchefleur. Percival's wife. Queen of Castle Carbonek. She lives there and uses the Grail. The only cost being her estrangement from Percival.
6. Morgana le Fay. A changling in the old-fashioned sense.
7. Nimue. A sorceress with connections to Merlin, the Oberati and Morgana. (Think about it.)
8. The Green Knight. An Oberati.
Anyway, the above revelations are a gift I'm giving all of you on Todd's behalf. Thank him. Todd, to claim your prize, have Gore or DemonaCrzy forward your e-mail address to me.
Todd Jensen writes...
Just read your response to my "Arthurian writers" queries, and thanks. I've read all the ones on the list myself, and have copies of their books (except for Berger's "Arthur Rex", and I've read that one via a library copy).
I liked Green myself, and remember particularly the fact that he did a good job of restoring Gawain to some of his earlier heroic role before the later medieval writers such as Malory tarnished him - in particular, how Green gave Gawain a partial success on the Grail Quest. (He does keep on the bit at the end where Gawain wants to avenge Gareth upon Lancelot, and helps bring about the disaster, but it's an integral part of the story, and in any case, Gawain really comes across as more of a "flawed but decent" person there. I see it as closer to Goliath's desire to avenge Angela and Elisa upon the Hunters in "Hunter's Moon" than to Demona's wanting revenge on humanity or Castaway's wanting revenge on gargoylity - Gawain had the wisdom to not seek revenge for Agravain's death at Lancelot's hands because Agravain brought it upon himself via his own envy of Lancelot, and has a legitimate complaint with Gareth's death - Gareth was the innocent one who was Lancelot's friend and wouldn't betray him, so Gawain was at least avenging the right person there, if you can avenge the right person at all).
I liked your comments on Stewart. Re Mordred in "The Wicked Day" - I will confess that I prefer to see Mordred as a villain myself, rather than as a maligned figure. But I did understand Stewart's decision. One thing that always bothered me about the traditional legend was Arthur putting Mordred in charge of his kingdom in his absence, in spite of the fact that Mordred's an open villain who's been doing all sorts of evil deeds (such as helping to murder Lamorak or expose Lancelot and Guinevere) for years - to me, it feels like Goliath making Thailog his second-in-command, aware all the while of Thailog's track record in "Double Jeopardy", "Sanctuary", and "The Reckoning". Stewart's version made Arthur's behavior less blatantly stupid there. (Of course, in Geoffrey of Monmouth, Mordred's record has been apparently blameless before Arthur puts him in charge of the kingdom, so again, it doesn't come across as such an unbelievable blunder there either).
Greg responds...
Gawaine is a particular favorite of mine. As I've mentioned, I have an affinity for BASTARDS. (I think I must have been one in a former life. No cracks please.) Arthurian legend is full of bastards, but most don't fit the THESEAN profile. (Sure Arthur and Theseus have a lot of superficial traits in common, but their personalities are night and day.) Gawaine does. I can't help wondering whether the archetypal bastard thought he was taking a vacation by reincarnating as a legitimate first born son. It made him particularly obssessed with family honor (compensating, you know) and otherwise didn't change his personality at all.
Green, I'm sure had an influence on me. And don't forget, Gawaine tried to repent his quest for vengeance against Lancelot. I like the guy.
As for Mordred, I have no problem with the notion of trying to humanize him. He was a human being after all. But doing it at the expense of other figures? It felt like cheating.
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
1.Arthur
2.Merlin
3.Lady of the Lake
4.Perceval
5.Garlon (the invisible knight from Le'Morte de Arthur)
6.Morgana
7.Blanchfleur
8.Nimue
Greg responds...
Seven.
tyca
Todd Jensen writes...
You said that King Arthur had some prior acquaintance with gargoyles during his reign. I imagine that you would have gone into greater detail with this had you done the "Pendragon" spin-off, but a couple of questions on this matter that I'd like to ask you anyway:
1. Was Arthur's contact with gargoyles fairly secret - like Elisa's for example, or was it some sort of public alliance, like that of Macbeth with Demona's clan or Prince Malcolm and Princess Katharine with the Wyvern clan?
2. How did Guinevere and the leading knights of the Round Table (such as Lancelot) feel about gargoyles - and about Arthur's familiarity with them (assuming that they were aware of the latter)?
Greg responds...
1. Some of each.
2. Too big a question, Todd. Think of all the characters the phrase: "Guinevere and the leading knights of the Round Table" includes.
Eric Lindberg writes...
I think I have solved the riddle of the Arthurian survivors:
1. King Arthur (Obviously)
2. Merlin (Imprisoned in the Crystal Cave)
3. Nimue (Trapped with Merlin)
4. The Lady of the Lake (A faerie)
5. Perceval (Heir of the Fisher King and thus preserved by the Grail)
6. Blanchefleur (Same extended to Perceval's wife)
7. Morgan le Fay (Preserved by her magic)
8. Queen Mab (Usurped by her son Oberon but imprisoned somewhere on Avalon)
The last is the uncertainty. You have already stated that she exists in the Gargoyles Universe but I have been wracking my brain to remember if she was an Arthurian character. I know she was a figure of British mythology and was in a great many poems (The Faerie Queene, Le Belle Dame Sans Merci) but her connection to Arthur is tenuous. So how about it? Have I guessed right?
Greg responds...
7
Though I won't comment on your parantheticals. Some are correct, some are not.
tyca
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
1. King Arthur
2. Merlin
3. Lady of the Lake
4. Perceval
5. Palamedes
6. Morgana
7. Blanchfleur
8. Nimue
Greg responds...
7tyca
niner writes...
Hello again Mr.Weisman, I thought I would take one more stab at this Arthurian contest:
1)Arthur
2)The Lady of the Lake
3)Merlin
4)Percival
5)Morgana Le Fey
6)Nimue
7)Galahad
8)Cundry
Thankyou very much.
Greg responds...
6
tyca
Kar -kwannon@yahoo.com writes...
Arthurian Survivors:
1. King Arthur
2. Merlin
3. Lady of the lake
4. Morgana le Fey
5. Percival
6. Nimue
7. Galahad
8. Pelles
Greg responds...
six points
TYCA (Thank you. Come again.)
Vashkoda writes...
Hi again. By the time you see this question, the last Arthurian survivor will probably have been identified and a lot more about Pendragon be known, possibly making this question irrelevant, but just in case: 1) Does Duval share the immortality granted by the Grail with anyone else? 2) Have any of the other survivors made it to the present day through time-traveling? 3) If the answer to #2 is yes, was the Pheonix Gate involved?
Greg responds...
1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Yes. (You figure it out.)
Tana writes...
Arthurian Survivors:
1. Arthur Pendragon
2. Lady of the Lake
3. Merlin
4. Nimue
5. Galahad
6. Percival
7. Morgana le Fae
8. Lord Oberon
Reason for #8 Um, can we say Loop hole? You said yourself that Oberon is Merlin's father, therefore he's from the Arthurian period. And we can clearly see he's still alive. :)
And YES, I'm a goober.
Greg responds...
Six points. (See my previous answers and forty lashes for you, since you didn't check the archives which long ago ruled out Oberon, Puck, Titania and Mab as contest-answer survivors.)
Tana writes...
Arthurian Survivors:
1. Arthur Pendragon
2. Lady of the Lake
3. Merlin
4. Nimue
5. Galahad
6. Percival
7. Morgana le Fae
8. Queen Maeb
Reason for #8 well, Maeb did figure into some of the Arthurian legends...even in the NBC miniseries "Merlin." And you've talked about possible inclusion of her in the series, that Oberon merely imprissoned her...She's still alive.
Greg responds...
Well, as I mentioned once before, I wasn't counting Mab as particularly Arthurian. Frankly, before the "Merlin" mini-series, I had never encountered that character in an Arthurian context. So yes, Mab survives. But she doesn't count in my book. By the same token, Merlin's father could be considered an "Arthurian Character" and thus Oberon could be considered a survivor too. But that's not the kind of thing I had in mind for the contest.
Having said all that, you scored six.
Thank you. Come again.
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
1. King Arthur
2. Merlin
3. Lady of the Lake
4. Percival
5. Blanchefleur
6. Morgana la Fay
7. Nimue
8. Lancelot
Greg responds...
Seven points.
(This is a cheezy strategy, Greg. But it's working.)
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
1. King Arthur
2. Merlin
3. Lady of the Lake
4. Percival
5. Blanchefleur
6. Morgana la Fay
7. Nimue
8. Bedivere
Greg responds...
Seven points. (Didn't someone guess this combo already?)
Thank you. Come again.
DougJoe writes...
Third shot at the Arthurian Survivors...
1. Arthur
2. Merlin
3. Lady of the Lake
4. Morgana
5. Nimue
6. Sir Percival
7. Sir Galahad
8. Pelles
Greg responds...
Six points.
You're backsliding.
Thank you. Come again.
DougJoe writes...
Second shot at the Arthurian Survivors...
1. King Arthur
2. Lady of the Lake
3. Merlin
4. Morgana
5. Nimue
6. Sir Percival
7. Blanchfleur
8. Pelles
Greg responds...
Seven points.
A new plateau.
Thank you. Come again.
Blaise writes...
Me again, Greg! Just trying my hand at the Arthurian survivors.
1) Arthur
2) Merlin
3) Lady of the Lake
4) Parcival (Percival, however you spell it)
5) Morgan Le Fey (Morgana)
6) Nimue
7) Blanchfleur
8) (alright, this is the one I DON'T know, so I'm just going to take an [egotistical] shot in the dark with what limited Arthurian knowledge I have) Blaise
Just let me know the score!
Greg responds...
Seven points.
Whew. Someone finally got over the six point barrier.
Good work. (Just not quite good enough.)
And of course...
Thank you. Come again.
Kalara of the Land of Athiria writes...
Mr. Weisman,
In your mind do you think dragons are evil or good? In the course of the show there are several references to these fantasy creatures. In the Gargoyles world are there any good dragons or only evil ones. Because in the episode "Pendragon" the stone dragon seems to be bad. It was only a stone dragon. However, is there a race of dragons like gargoyle or are they only a species of fantasty creatures?
Greg responds...
The stone dragon in "Pendragon" was a magical construct. Or at any rate it was brought to a semblance of life by magic. It wasn't truly alive. And I don't consider it a true dragon. Nor do I consider it evil. It was "programmed" to perform a specific function. To test for the one true king.
I'm not going to confirm or deny the existance of real dragons in the gargoyles universe, but if you've watched the series, you'll know thematically that I would never define an entire species, gargoyle, fae, human or dragons (if there are dragons) as either good or evil. To quote Goliath, "There is good and evil in all of us, human and gargoyle alike."
Nothing is one thing. Let alone an entire species.
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
1.Arthur 2.Merlin 3.Lady of the Lake 4.Perceval 5.Galahad 6.Morgana 7.Bedivere 8.Nimue
Greg responds...
Six points.
Thank you, come again.
(I feel like this guess came in already.)
Todd Jensen writes...
Thanks for answering my "religion" question. Actually, there are two human characters in the series that you left out whom I'm curious about:
a) Macbeth
b) King Arthur
What (in your opinion) are their current religions? In particular, do you see the King Arthur of the Gargoyles Universe as a Christian (as per the traditional legends) or something else?
Greg responds...
I think Macbeth has been many things over the years. Obviously, he started as a Catholic. Now, I figure he's fairly omnireligious.
As for Arthur, I think he's a Christian. Officially, something of a Catholic... He probably hasn't had cause or opportunity to change.
Greg Bishansky writes...
Which of the seven series was Queen Mab supposed to appear in?
Greg responds...
Gargoyles. Maybe TimeDancer, though I had no specific plans for that. Possibly Pendragon too.
But mostly Gargoyles.
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
Here I go again
1. Arthur
2. Merlin
3. Lady of the Lake
4. Percival
5. Morgana la Fay
6. Galahad
7. Nimue
8. Mordred
Greg responds...
six points
Thank you. Come again.
(This is getting scary.)
Anonymous writes...
Sorry to be back so soon with another line up for the Arthurian survivors but this one I just came up with seems more likely than the previous one (boy am I going to look stupid when this one turns out to be wrong too).
1)Arthur
2)Lady of the Lake
3)Merlin
4)Morgana Le Fey
5)Percival
6)Galahad
7)Bedivere
8)Nimue
Thankyou again.
Greg responds...
six points
Thank you. Come again.
(I should have a function key, that just types that up.)
niner writes...
Hello Mr. Weisman,
First of all, thank you for answering my questions.
Here are my guesses for the Arthurain survivors:
1)Arthur
2)Merlin
3)Lady of the Lake
4)Percival
5)Morgana Le Fey
6)Bedivere
7)Galahad
8)The Green Knight
Thank you very much.
Greg responds...
six points
Thank you. Come again.
(This is getting a bit repetitive.)
Aris Katsaris writes...
An earlier guess of mine but with a different Grail Damsel :).
1.Arthur 2.Merlin 3.Lady of the Lake 4.Perceval 5.Galahad 6.Morgana 7.Nimue 8.Cundry
Greg responds...
six points
Thank you. Come again.
Greg Bishansky writes...
Another shot at the Arthurian Survivors
1. Arthur
2. Merlin
3. Lady of the Lake
4. Percival
5. Morgana la Fay
6. Lancelot
7. Bedivere
8. Nimue
Greg responds...
six points
Thank you. Come again.
Todd Jensen writes...
In your opinion, what's Titania's attitude towards Merlin? (I hope for Merlin's sake that it's nothing along the lines of Hera's attitude towards Zeus's illegitimate offspring such as Heracles).
Greg responds...
Her attitude when?
Todd Jensen writes...
In both "Avalon Part Three" and "Pendragon", it was made clear that King Arthur had been awakened "ahead of schedule", well before the time of Britain's greatest hour of need when he was meant to return from Avalon: Arthur admits it in "Avalon Part Three" and the Stone of Destiny and the Lady of the Lake both say as much in "Pendragon". If you had made the "Pendragon" spin-off, would this element have been addressed in it, that Arthur had been awakened by Elisa before the appointed time - and what the possible consequences for it could be for Britain when it reached the point that it needed Arthur's return?
Greg responds...
Absolutely. Believe me, I wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to point it out if it wasn't for a reason. I'm not really that subtle a guy, am I?
Aris Katsaris writes...
Is there a special story behind the flute of Puck that was seen in "Gathering, Part I"? Or the harp seen in "Lighthouse in the Sea of Time"? Were you planning to do stories on either or both of the two?
Greg responds...
I had planned on using the flute in THE GATHERING, PART TWO -- and it's probably a mistake that I didn't. I wanted Puck to use it to temporarily subdue Oberon, but it got away from me somehow.
But yes, the flute definitely interested me, and I would have done something with it eventually.
The harp, I hadn't given any real thought to. But it could probably come into play down the road in Pendragon.
Alaxk writes...
When the your envolvement with the series ended, where you happy with the character of Arthur.
Greg responds...
Huh?
I was happy with him up to that point...
As many of you know, I had hoped to spin him off into his own show, PENDRAGON. And I'm sorry I didn't get to tell those stories, but I'm happy enough with the two stories we did tell with him.
Todd Jensen writes...
You gave a list here once of Arthurian writers that you've read: Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sir Thomas Malory, T. H. White, Mary Stewart, Roger Lancelyn Green, John Steinbeck, Thomas Berger, and Norma Lorre Goodrich, as I recall. I was wondering if you might be interested in giving your opinions (in brief, of course) on their Arthurian writings - and Goodrich, in particular. Having read her Arthurian books myself, I'm curious as to what you thought of them. (My own response to them was that the author had an engaging style, but a lot of her notions struck me as improbable - such as her effort to substantially revise Arthurian geography by putting everything up in Scotland - and I even detected a number of factual errors and slip-ups in them).
Greg responds...
Believe it or not, I've never read Malory from cover to cover. I've read huge chunks of it. And I've skimmed the whole thing. But he doesn't really engage me as a writer. I'm not sure why.
Thus, it is Roger Lanelyn Green who almost acts as my so-called primary source. God, I loved that little book.
Geoffrey was endlessly fascinating.
Steinbeck didn't finish, which was frustrating. It wasn't the best read.
Berger was a lot of fun. Though I don't personally "believe" many of his interpretations of the legends, it was a great read.
I loved Stewart's THE CRYSTAL CAVE. But with each successive book, I found less and less to connect with Stewart's interpretations. And her Mordred book really bummed me out. It seemed like she felt a need to turn Mordred into a real hero at the expense of just about anyone else. Bugged me.
T.H. White's ONCE AND FUTURE KING. I love this book. And I love his "Book of Merlyn." Beautiful writing. Human and fanciful. Irresistable to me.
As for Goodrich, well, I don't have the background to argue her facts. I found much of the material unconvincing and flat-out dull. But I thought she had one real insight. Lancelot has always been viewed as a late addition to the mythology. As a character who was probably NOT historical. (Whereas Arthur likely was.) Her linguistic explanation, connecting Malory's Lancelot with Monmouth's Angus was very convincing. I'll try and duplicate it here...
ANGUS latinized becomes something like ANGUSELUS.
But Anguselus was a title that could properly be rendered as THE ANGUSELUS.
Frenchifying this would make it L'ANGUSELOS. With the last letter silent.
Over time, it would not be unlikely for the name to be simplified. If a syllable got dropped it could very easily become L'ANSELOS.
And if the last S is silent (as it likely would be in French) then it could easilty become an equally silent "T". Thus L'ANSELOT.
Or LANCELOT once it was anglicized again.
This may sound like a stretch. And I may not be doing it justice above. But early Celtic accounts include the character of Angus. Lancelot was assumed to be a later and fictional French addition to the legend. (And thus a character from France.) If Lancelot is in fact Angus, then that lends a certain credence to the entire legend. And I just love that idea.
Todd Jensen writes...
A new guess for the 8 Arthurian survivors:
1. King Arthur
2. The Lady of the Lake
3. Merlin
4. Sir Percival
5. Blanchefleur (Percival's wife in Roger Lancelyn Green)
6. Lohengrin (he's Percival's son in the legends about him, so he probably counts as Arthurian)
7. Morgan le Fay
8. Nimue
Greg responds...
Seven points.
Todd Jensen writes...
A little side-note. I happened to see the episode that you wrote for "Disney's Hercules" - I thought I'd mention it after noticing that somebody else on the list mentioned it. I quite enjoyed it - particularly the portrayal of Theseus as a sort of ancient Greek version of "Batman". I also noticed, as a side-note, that there was a certain thematic echo of "Hunter's Moon" in it (although I don't know if you'd intended it or not) where Hercules got so caught up in his efforts to wreak vengeance upon the Minotaur that he lost sight of what was really important, much the same way as Goliath in his pursuit of the Hunters.
Greg responds...
First off, Todd, thanks for the kind words.
There are certain themes that interest me, and so you'll see them revisited in my work (probably ad nauseum) over and over. The theme of, well, let's call it "What Profit Vengeance?" is one of my favorites. So I wasn't deliberately trying to echo "Hunter's Moon" so much as I was servicing a set of ideas that seemed apropos to both series.
As for the Theseus-as-Batman stuff. Well, that's a no-brainer. The Superman/Batman dynamic -- that is the teaming of a hero possessing superhuman abilities with a hero who merely makes the best possible use of his human abilities -- originated with Herakles and Theseus. (Or at any rate, it goes back that far.) So the notion of flipping that, and playing Herc/Theseus as Superman/Batman seemed wonderfully ironic and a fertile place to find comedy.
In high school, I acted in a play called THE WARRIOR'S HUSBAND. I played Theseus, and I've had a real affinity for the character ever since. In that play, Hercules was kind of a mope. (Very strong, but a mope.) The Greeks were waging war against the Amazons. Hercules was in charge, but Theseus was the real brains of the operation. Yet he's also the guy who really falls hard in love for Antiope, sister to Queen Hyppolyta. So instead of conquering -- as he had originally intended -- Theseus winds up manipulating everyone into a compromise. I like that in a hero.
Theseus is part of a sub-genre of archetypes, (an off-shoot of Trickster figures like Puck, Coyote or Odysseus/Ulysses). He's the primary example of the Archetype of "THE BASTARD", which includes such diverse characters as Shakespeare's Edmund from KING LEAR, Joan of Arc's ally Dunois and multiple characters from Arthurian legend (including Merlin, Arthur, Percival, Galahad and Mordred). There are so many parallels between Arthur and Theseus that reading Mary Stewart and Mary Renault seemed almost redundant. (Not really.)
In fact, Luach (or Lulach) is also a prime candidate for that archetype. When he was born, Gruoch was still married to Gillecomgain. But gossip around the castle hinted that the babe's true father was Macbeth. After Macbeth and Gruoch married, Macbeth adopted the boy as his own. At which point the gossip shifted to insist that Gillecomgain was the boy's father. (You can't win.) Pre-DNA testing, there would be no way for Luach to ever be certain of the truth. Maybe Macbeth didn't even know. Hell, Gruoch might not know.
Life's a bitch when you're a bastard.
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
Aside from the Illuminati, what did you have planned in the way of villains for PENDRAGON?
I have a few ideas, but I'm not going to list them here because of the rules.
Greg responds...
This'll have to wait 'til you know what is over.
Derek! writes...
Arthurian Survivors-
1. King Arthur
2. Merlin
3. the Lady of the Lake
4. Morgan Le Fay
5. Percival
6. Nimue
7. Lancelot
8. Gwenever
Greg responds...
Sorry.
Six points though.
(Anyone with a basic knowledge of Algebra should be damn close to solving this contest.)
lisa writes...
1.did goliath and co ever tell macbeth or demona of what happened on avalon and if so how did they react?
Greg responds...
My guess is that no one filled Macbeth in. If they had, then Macbeth would have reacted differently to Arthur in "Pendragon". It's possible that Angela told Demona about it during her "Reckoning" incarceration. But then again, maybe she didn't. I'm not sure that Angela would feel any value would come out of bringing that up.
Aris Katsaris writes...
And yet another survivors list:
1.Arthur 2.Merlin 3.Lady of the Lake 4.Perceval 5.Galahad 6.Morgana 7.Blanchfleur 8.Nimue
Greg responds...
Now we're getting somewhere.
You scored 7. (If this doesn't give it away, nothing will.)
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
Another shot at the Arthurian Survivors
1. Arthur
2. Merlin
3. Lady of the Lake
4. Percival
5. Morgana la Fay
6. Guinevere
7. Lancelot
8. Bedivere
Greg responds...
Nope.
You scored 5.
I think I'm giving out the points just to make the thing more interesting for me.
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