Dave Hahn
Premium
Major Spoilers, be warned!
At the very end of the film, Perceval returns after throwing Excalibur into the water. He finds Arthur is gone, he looks to the west and sees King Arthur's body laid in state on the stern of a boat, attended to by three ladies.
In the Director's Commentary, John Boorman refers to these three ladies as "the three queens" and states that the boat is sailing west, towards "Avalon, the land of the apple."
Now, I was able to find the following on Avalon:
At the very end of the film, Perceval returns after throwing Excalibur into the water. He finds Arthur is gone, he looks to the west and sees King Arthur's body laid in state on the stern of a boat, attended to by three ladies.
In the Director's Commentary, John Boorman refers to these three ladies as "the three queens" and states that the boat is sailing west, towards "Avalon, the land of the apple."
Now, I was able to find the following on Avalon:
Avalon, also known as Avallach, the Isle of Apples or the Island of the Mists is the mythical island where Merlin is said to have taken the mortally wounded Arthur after the Battle of Camlan.
Called “Ynisvitrin” or “Isle of Glass” by the Celts, the island was said to have been shrouded in mists which could only be raised by true believers such as Merlin or the High Priestess of the Island, Morgan la Fey.
Although no official record of Arthur’s death has been found, it is believed that he was buried at Glastonbury Abby. Glastonbury Tor (mount) was once an island surrounded by shallow wetlands. In the twelfth century the Cistercian monks uncovered the grave of a tall man, together with a lead cross, inscribed “HIC IACET SEPULTUS INCULYTUS REX ARTURIUS IN INSULA AVALONIA”. “Here in the Isle of Avalon the famous King Arthur lies buried”.
We like the "Island of the Mists" imagery: Legend has it that the as the Druid sects were usurped by the Saxons, no one was left who could raise the mists and so the island disappeared forever.The latter was found here: http://monet.trident.tec.sc.us/cocor...ct/legend.html
What's bothering me is I can't find anything that refers to "the three queens." Does anyone know who they were or what they symbolized?
Thanks!
Dave