Red Tree, White Tree

"The most important and challenging book on Arthurian and Grail tradition for many a long year." - Gareth Knight. The relationship between human and Faery lies at the very core of the Arthurian stories. In this radical re-evaluation of the Grail legends, Wendy Berg brings the ancient mythology of the British Isles into sharp focus centred around the marriage of King Arthur to the Faery Gwenevere and the origin and destiny of the Grail Hallows. Drawing upon numerous Arthurian sources and other related texts from the Book of Genesis to The Lord of the Rings, she explores the magical ritual underpinning of the legends and their connection to the ancient stellar deities of Britain. "When these stories are read with the additional level of understanding that they are for the most part a record of the lives and relationships of Faeries and humans working together about the Round Table, they immediately become not only a great deal more interesting, but also acquire a new and vivid relevance for the present day."