The problem with Mists of Avalon

I’m horrified that there are still people defending Marion Zimmer Bradley. I just read a post from Kelle Bandea on Substack about how she posted about the abuse and people were attacking her for “cancelling” MZB’s books.

I get it if people don’t know about the abuse, but once you do know about it, it should be a massive dealbreaker. 

Christine Hoff Kraemer and I edited this entire anthology, Pagan Consent Culture, which talks about creating a culture of consent within Paganism and one of the contributions talks about the issues around The Mists of Avalon, and the abusive incidents described in the novel.

There were also a lot of people talking about this online when Moira Greyland first stated what had happened. And there was another discussion about it all recently because of someone else who was a friend of MZB.

People should read and subscribe to The Wild Hunt Pagan News: it exists so that we can all be informed about the issues that matter.

There are also many better books based on or about the Arthurian myth. 

• The Mabinogion—the oldest stories about Arthur 
• Le Morte d’Arthur — Thomas Malory
• The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment — Mary Stewart
• Morgan is my Name — Sophie Keetch 

Pagan Consent Culture on YouTube

 

Pagan Consent Culture

Building Communities of Empathy and Autonomy

cover by Shauna Aura Knight

An Anthology from Asphodel Press

Christine Hoff Kraemer & Yvonne Aburrow, editors

For many Pagans, sexuality and the body are sacred. Unfortunately, this conviction is not enough to prevent sexual harassment, assault, and abuse. Like the mainstream communities they are immersed in, Pagan communities struggle with consent issues, especially around sexual touch.

Increasingly, Pagans realize that good consent practices must be embraced by communities, not just by individuals—and that consent is about more than sexuality. Consent culture begins with the idea of autonomy, with recognizing our right to control our bodies and selves in all areas of life; and it is sustained by empathy, the ability to understand and share the emotional states of others.

This collection grounds consent culture in contemporary Pagan values, stories, and practices:

• a Druid explores the concept of sovereignty
• Wiccans analyze “The Charge of the Goddess”
• a Heathen explicates medieval Icelandic lore
• a modern Polytheist draws on philosophies of difference
• ...and much more

Additionally, contributors provide nuts-and-bolts guides to building consent culture:

• responding to the needs of survivors of sexual abuse and assault
• setting consent-based policies for rituals and events
• training children and adults in consent practices
• sacralizing pleasurable touch on an everyday basis
• ethically teaching sacred sexuality and sex magick

For Pagan leaders, teachers, and organizers, Pagan Consent Culture is an essential resource.

Published February 2016.

Buy now:

• Paperback - $20 / £14.97
• eBook - $5 / £3.41
• PDF - $5 / £3.37
• Kindle - $4.99 / £4.14