and original characters are added to the office's history. Bradley takes a similar approach to the character of Merlin, here cast as a series of Arch-Druids. The central figure of Avalon's religion is the Mother Goddess, a name Bradley associates with several Celtic deities. The author was influenced by traditions of neo-paganism (which Bradley herself once practiced) that conflate or associate similar pagan deities and emphasize a matriarchal religious structure. Connection to other works The Avalon series is set in the same universe as Bradley's first novel, The Fall of Atlantis, originally published as the novellas Web of Light and Web of Darkness. The pagan religious order of priests and priestesses in this novel influences the later conception of Avalon. Several characters in the story, including the sisters Domaris and Deoris and their children Micail and Tiriki, are implied to have been reincarnated as later characters in the Avalon series. More overt connections are established by Diana L. Paxson, who continued the history of the surviving Atlanteans in Ancestors of Avalon and referenced their deities in Sword of Avalon. Novels The Mists of Avalon The original novel which inspired the series, The Mists of Avalon (1983) is set in Sub-Roman Britain. It focuses primarily on Morgaine, half-sister to King Arthur and priestess of Avalon. Morgaine's desire to preserve the matriarchal pagan religion of her people leads her to develop an enmity for Christianity, a newly rising power in Britain, and to come into conflict with her brother. In addition to Morgaine's story, the novel focuses on other Arthurian women, including Arthur's mother Igraine, Viviane, the High Priestess of Avalon, and Arthur's queen, Gwenhwyfar, whose Christian piety leads to further conflict with Morgaine. The Forest House Set in the first century CE during Roman occupation of Britain, The Forest House (1993) focuses on the pagan religious order which predated the founding of Avalon. Based on the opera Norma, it tells of the romance between Eilan, a British priestess, and Gaius, a Roman soldier. The Forest House was co-written by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson, with the latter uncredited. Lady of Avalon Structured as a series of short stories, Lady of Avalon (1997) features several distinct episodes in the history of Avalon and the women who have served as its High Priestess. Among these are the stories of Caillean, the High Priestess who casts the spell that conceals Avalon in