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Todd Jensen writes...
Did the two animated suits of armor that guarded Arthur's sleeping place on Avalon belong to anybody prior to their being put there (as in, say, having been worn by Arthur's knights), or were they specially constructed for the purpose of guarding him and used only for that purpose?
Greg responds...
Honestly, I haven't thought about it. But I'm sure there's a story behind how they got there.
Lexy writes...
Hello Greg:)
*checks out the latest Contest guesses* yup, just as I thought, I wouln't have said anything original;) But I _did_ happen to think up some more Q's at work. Exciting hey?
1) You said that there was a rather large gargoyle clan somewhere outside of London. That we just happened to only see Grif, Una, and Leo.
What is their purpose for staying at that store?
2) Do they keep in correspondence with the rest of the clan?
3) How often do they visit?
4) For question one. Was it the clans' idea for the shop or just Una, Grif, and Leo's?
5) When Grif vanshied with Goliath and was missing for all that time, did the clan try and search for him? Where they even informed? (duh but still)
6) Did Una and Leo continue to stay at that store in the hope that Grif would return someday? Or was it just some job that they were assigned and Grif or no they stayed??
7) About Grif and Una. I dont know if someone asked this or not before. I don't recall seeing it. So sorry in advance if this is old news:P But Una seemed to like him a lot. I guess I dont know if they were actually an item or not. Where they? Or was it just Una that felt that way? Or did I totally screw it up again like the whole Angela Gabe thing and she's alone or with Leo for crying out loud??
8) In the event that the answer was "Ya _duh_ they are an item. Haven't you been paying attention in here?". Then will the age differnce that they now have do any damage to the relationship?
Ok, thats enough on that topic. Thanks Greg!;)
Greg responds...
1. To earn money. To pay taxes on the land, etc.
2. Yes, constantly. By telephone and e-mail. Also it's not that far away, so I'm sure they glide out there all the time.
3. All the time.
4. The shop has been there for centuries.
5. Of course. You shouldn't look at this as if Leo & Una are some kind of separate entity from the rest of the clan. They're the breadwinners. (And no one said they're the only two who work at the store, they're simply the ones who do it most often.) They live at the estate most of the time, but when working late (or early at the store) have quarters upstairs where they can retire for a cup of tea or turn to stone or whatever.
6. The store belongs to the clan. I'm not saying they didn't occasionally wish that Griff would fly in a window one day, but basically they assumed that he and Goliath perished during the Battle of Britain.
7. No, you're right. Una was in love with Griff, and he cared for her. They weren't mates -- at least not yet -- but that's the direction they were heading. Now, of course, she and Leo are mates. But that partly resulted from shared grief over Griff's seeming death.
8. I think the fact that in the interum, she mated with Leo will have a larger effect than the age difference. That and the fact, that Griff is back off traveling the world with Arthur
Kayless writes...
About Merlin...
1. Does he use human magic or fae, or perhaps a combination of the two? If he does use human spells wouldn't that be mixing magics, given his half fae status? (The same applying if he uses a combination of spells)
2. Merlin's age various from source to source. About how much older than Arthur is he?
3. How would you describe Merlin's personality? Eccentric but wise and kindly like in T. H. White's story, or a wry, enigmatic codger like in the movie Excalibur?
Greg responds...
1. He can use either, but he has to be careful not to mix. Or if he does mix, to mix very carefully.
2. We talking chronilogically or biologically?
3. Neither.
Todd Jensen writes...
In your opinion, is much of Merlin's status as "the greatest wizard of all time" thanks (from the perspective of the Gargoyles Universe) to his being a biological son of Oberon's? Given how much magic Oberon must have in him, it does seem logical that an offspring of his, even a halfling, would have more magic to inherit than a halfling child of any other fay, or a fully-human wizard.
Greg responds...
Merlin was certainly born with a lot of magical potential. But potential can be squandered. (Just look at my life over the last four years.) Merlin worked to become a great wizard.
Matt writes...
Hello I'm a really big fan of Gargoyles, I watch the show all the time.
Well here's my Q.
Is there anywhere on the web that your spin-offs are in print, or are they only at the gatherings?
Greg responds...
Pretty much only at the Gathering. But you can get a lot of info on them by checking the following ASK GREG archives...
Bad Guys
Dark Ages
Gargoyles 2158
New Olympians
Pendragon
TimeDancer
Todd Jensen writes...
Re your answer to my "Round Table" question:
You're right; I'd forgotten about the Stone of Destiny in its "Sword in the Stone" phase. Well, since your answer reminded me of that, I thought I'd ask a couple of Stone of Destiny questions now:
1. You mentioned having planned to include an episode reflecting the Stone's real-life return to Scotland in the "Pendragon" spin-off. Would the episode have been set during the actual return itself, or afterwards with the Stone already back in Scotland at the beginning of the story?
2. If you had done the episode, would you have explained in it how the Stone of Destiny got to be wherever the young Arthur pulled the sword out of it to become King the first time around (given that in actual history, it would have been in either Ireland or Dalriada at the time, rather than, say, London - where the traditional stories locate the Sword in the Stone)?
Greg responds...
1. The former for sure. The latter if I came up with something.
2. Eventually all would be explained. But I'm not sure how much room for flashbacks I'd have in any one given episode.
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
What is Morgana la Fay's current relationship with Arthur? Does she still hate him?
Greg responds...
Hasn't seen him in awhile. A long while.
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
What would have Duval's physical cost to using the Grail have been?
Greg responds...
I don't want to say now.
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
1. Did you ever have a love-interest planned for Arthur?
2. If so, care to talk about her?
Greg responds...
1. Perhaps more than one.
2. Not at this time.
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
Which of the eight Arthurian survivors would have been the female acquantance that would have accompanied Arthur on his quests?
Greg responds...
Blanchefleur.
Aris Katsaris writes...
I'm also glad the prize went to Todd... He's the Arthurian expert over here after all, and if it was not for him *noone* would have guessed Blanchefleur... :-)
Anyway, here's another question concerning Morgana: Changelings were traditionally swapped for mortal children. Is this also the case here? And have you thought about what happened to the mortal child she replaced? (My thoughts on the subject, would most probably represent a story idea...)
Btw.. something else I've thought for a while now... Most modern versions of the Arthur legend have combined a number of characters in one: In "Excalibur" the characters of Nimue, Morgana, Morgause are combined in Morgana. The Merlin mini-series also had Morgana combined with Morgause (even though Nimue was separate). I know that other tales combine the characters of Morgana and/or Nimue with that of the Lady of the Lake.
You seem to be the exception and I'm rather glad of that... (in fact one of the reasons I hesitated early on to place Nimue in my guesses was that I was always combining her with either Morgana or the Lady of the Lake in my mind, rather than a separate character) Anyway, here's a question... I now know that atleast these three characters (Morgana, Nimue, Lady of the Lake) would be separate individuals... How about Morgause? Would you also keep her separate, or would you combine her with Morgana as others have done?
Greg responds...
BENNY SAYS:
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GREG SAYS:
I know exactly who Morgana was traded for. I pretty much gave it away in my post where I confirmed Todd's guess for the eight survivors.
And yes, Morgause exists as a completely separate character in the GARG-UNIVERSE.
Todd Jensen writes...
Thanks in advance for the prize for winning the "Arthurian survivors" contest, Greg. Now, a couple of questions I'd like to ask about one particular survivor, Morgana:
1. You mentioned in your account of how the "Arthurian Eight" survived that Morgana is a changeling in the original sense (a faerie baby swapped for a human one). Does this mean that, in your Masterplan, she's not actually Arthur's *biological* half-sister or related to him by blood, but instead "adopted"?
2. I also noticed that you spelt her name "Morgana" rather than "Morgan". Were you planning to take this "different form of name" for the character, in the event that she showed up in "Gargoyles" or the "Pendragon" spin-off, in order to avoid getting her confused with Officer Morgan?
Greg responds...
GREG SAYS:
1. "Adopted" suggests her human-parents (Igraine & Gorlois) knew she wasn't theirs and took her in anyway. But see, Morgana's a CHANGEling and there was an exCHANGE. (As I understand it, that's how it was supposed to work.) So no, in my opinion Morgana is not a blood relation to Arthur. Though he doesn't know it. That does NOT mean that Arthur's actual sister isn't part of the tapestry.
2. Yeah, more or less. But frankly, I won't be held to that. Name similarities actually interest me a lot. Coyote Trickster and the Coyote robot. Peter Maza and Petros Xanatos. Carlos Maza and Charles Canmore. These were and were not accidents.
ERIN SAYS:
Me and my daddy were at a party today, and I lost my tooth. On your two questions, the part where you said "the faerie baby swapped", I thought that the word was very amusing for me. It was very vaporizick.
BENNY SAYS:
I love you Mommy and Daddy and Erin and Benny and Norman and Bigtime and Iggy.
Todd Jensen writes...
What sort of antagonist do you picture Duval as being? Do you see him as a very malevolent figure, like Thailog and the Archmage, or a more "greyish" enemy, like Macbeth?
Greg responds...
Both. (And that's not meant to be a smart-ass response.)
Todd Jensen writes...
I'm revising one of my earlier questions here, since you had (correctly) pointed out that I had made it cover way too much ground.
1. How did Guinevere feel about Arthur's alliance with gargoyles - and about gargoyles in general?
2. How did Lancelot feel about them?
Greg responds...
1. Haven't definitively worked that out in my head yet.
2. Ditto.
Todd Jensen writes...
Is there any connection between Duval's Fisher King role (guardian of the Holy Grail) and those rejuvenation drugs that they give the older members of the Illuminati such as Mace Malone?
Greg responds...
Yep.
Anonymous writes...
We know that Nimue, Blanchefleur,Morgana le Fay and Lady of the Lake are the female Arthurian survivors.
You said that one of them would be traveling with Griff and Arthur. I know it can't be Morgana or Lady of the Lake. So it must be Nimue or Blanchefleur and I am guessing it is Nimue. Can you please tell me if I am right ?
Greg responds...
No.
Todd Jensen writes...
You mentioned once that one of the places that you would have sent King Arthur and Griff during their quest for Merlin was Tintagel. If you had gotten to do that episode, would you have been likely to include in it some fictionalized form or other of your near-religious experiences that you had there?
Greg responds...
I don't know. Maybe. I'd have to think on that.
Todd Jensen writes...
Speaking of Percival, some time ago, I was reading a book about the Grail legends which mentioned a medieval German Grail romance where the knights who guarded the Holy Grail for the Fisher King were sometimes sent out in secret to rule kingdoms whose thrones had become vacant, although under strict orders not to reveal that they came from the Grail Castle. Was this where you got the idea for the Fisher King heading the Illuminati? That behavior certainly sounds very proto-Illuminati-ish.
Greg responds...
Ben responds:
bbb 333333 eeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
Erin responds:
I think the question that you sent was very close.
Greg responds:
I don't think so.
Todd Jensen writes...
I've been meaning to ask you about this ever since your little "Bastards" ramble, but never got around to it until now. You gave a list of Arthurian figures who fit this archetype: Arthur himself, Merlin, Mordred, Galahad, and Percival.
Now, Merlin, Mordred and Galahad are all definitely illegitimate in the traditional legends, and the circumstances of Uther's visit to Igraine at Tintagel would make Arthur's legitimacy a matter of controversy, so all four of them can indeed be fitted into that archetype. (I'd hesitate at calling Galahad a bastard, mind, but that's another story :)
What puzzles me, though, is your inclusion of Percival in the list. I don't recall anything in any version of the Arthurian legend that I've read about him being illegitimate. The closest that I can think of is his secret rearing by his mother away in the woods after the death of his father and older brothers to keep him from finding out about knights. Is this what led to your classification of him as a "bastard"?
Greg responds...
Erin responds:
I liked the questions because they were very animated.
Greg responds:
I like the question too. In my mind, Percival was the illegitimate son of Gawaine. (You need to reread your Lancelyn Green very carefully.) This interests me because, as I've mentioned before, I have this sense that the true Bastard archetype in Arthurian lore has not been filled by a true Bastard, but by Gawaine himself. The archetype trying to take a break from himself, and largely failing.
And now, my son Benny has woken up from his nap and is joining us.
Ben (age 3) responds:
Tales.
Bengali writes...
1.In Lighthouse in a Sea of Time, Macbeth said that Merlins magic was stronger than anything, exept the human heart. Was this a reference to the Lancelot/Guinevere affair or to Romeo and Juliet?
Greg responds...
Why would it be a reference to Romeo and Juliet?
It was mostly Lance and Gwen. Though other issues of the heart were also involved. Specifically, Arthur and Gwen.
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.
Aris Katsaris writes...
And yet another survivors list:
Arthur, Merlin, Lady of the Lake, Perceval, Bors, Galahad, Blanchfleur, Morgana
Greg responds...
No. Boy. I never thought this contest would be so hard. I mean I knew the clan contest would be impossible, but I figured this one would have been nailed ages agot. Should I start giving points here too?
You're answer scored 6.
Airwalker writes...
Do you have voice actors in mind for some of the characters in the unmade spinoffs? Do you have any in mind specifically for Katana, Nashville, Tachi, Duval, The Director, and Merlin?
Greg responds...
The Director was cast in our Animatic reel for Bad Guys. He was William Devane. And he was great as anyone who has attended a Gathering could attest to.
As for the others... No. Hadn't thought that far in advance.
DougJoe writes...
Greg,
Well, first of all, let me congratulate you on an _excellent_ series. It was very refreshing to see a daytime cartoon with such an extensive, intelligent, and well interwoven plot. The first episode I saw was at the end of an all-nighter with some friends who were helping keep me awake to study for a final exam during my 2nd semester of college. By some karmic irony, the episode was entitled _Long Way to Morning_, and it got me (and my friends) hooked. (Any time any of the gang gets to reminiscing, someone always says, in a bad Scottish accent, "Remeber the quest for the archmage...")
Anyway, on to my questions... (I don't think any of them have been asked yet...) Hopefully, I've caught you in the right mood today.
1. What is Mr. Duval's _first_ name?
2. You've told us that Mr. Duval is the Fisher King, but does his current alias give some clue as to his original identity? (For example, Fox's original name was Janine Renard. Renard is French, I believe, for fox.)
3. Somewheres in the archives you mentioned that Oberon & Titania had two children, a boy and a girl. Are they characters that we met during the course of the series (in some way or another)?
Well, I'll keep my number of questions short for now. Thanks again for your time and efforts!
Greg responds...
1. I've never given it any thought. Honest.
2. Why don't you just come out and ask who Duval is? Actually, I think this is the worst kept of all my secrets. Which should answer your question.
3. Sorry. Questions on separate topics, must be posted separately.
DougJoe writes...
A humble guess at the Arthurian survivors...
1. Arthur
2. Merlin
3. Lady of the Lake
4. Morgan le Fay
5. Sir Percival
6. Nimue
7. Blanchfleur
8. Sir Galahad
Greg responds...
So close and yet...
Try again...
David G. writes...
The Immortal Seven:
I'm not sure I have this completely right, but there's some sort of contest to guess which seven characters survived from the time of Arthur's Camelot to the present day. Here are my guesses. First of all, the definants. Arthur, obviously, and, supposedly The Fisher King (Pelles).
If the Fisher King is alive, that means you're probably using Wolfram's version of the Grail, so Pervivale the Welsh is the Grail Knight.
Now we have Arthur, Pelles, and Percival.
Nimue was supposed to be trapped forever with Merlin in the Crystal Cave, and was a nymph. We can probably include both of them.
Arthur, Pelles, Percival, Merlin, Nimue. That leaves 2.
You're probalby drawing mostly from Malory, so we can make some very quick eliminations. Lancelot died as a monk. Gwenivere died as a nun. Galahad died when he saw the Grail, but that's not certain, since Percival and the Fisher King have the grail. However, Galahad only exists as a character in Malory, and only exists to find the Grail. I'm willing to leave him dead. Mordred died at the Last Battle. That kills off most of the sentimental guesses.
Now I'm on my own. Morganna Le Fey is a likely survivor, as her magicks might extend her life. So, we have only one to go. The Lady of the Lake was a character, but I'm not sure she counts, since she's a Fey. I'm going to go with Palamedes, being kept immortal to pursue the Questing Beast.
Thus, the final list is Arthur, Pelles, Percival, Merlin, Nimue, Morganna, and either the Lady of the Lake, or Palamedes. (I lean toward the Lady)
Greg responds...
Well, it's a contest, so you have to decide.
But since their are eight survivors, not seven, you could include both. Or would that change your thinking?
Repost and let me know.
HEATHER "HUDSON" writes...
heyya? OOOOPPPPPSSS!!!!!
8, HUNH? WELL,
1)KING ARTHUR
2)THE LADY OF THE LAKE
3)MERLIN
4)GUINEVERE
5)LANCELOT
6)MORGAN LE FEY
7)GALAHAD
8)PERCIVAL
Greg responds...
Well. Eight names. But some are incorrect.
Better luck next time.
Heather "HUDSON" writes...
heyya!
here's my first try, at this thing...
THE ARTHURIAN SURVIVORS:
1.)KING ARTHUR
2.)THE LADY OF THE LAKE
3.)MERLIN
4.)LANCELOT
5.)GUENIVERE
6.)LANCELOT
7.)MORGAN LE FEY
I hope these are them ?
Greg responds...
Did you mean to list Lancelot twice? Or do we have a clone thing happening?
Anyway, there are eight survivors, so at mimumum, you are short two.
Better luck next time.
lizzigoyle writes...
heyya, i've been looking at those "arthurian survivors" lists; isn't the name for "the lady of the lake" nimue ?
i thought, that i read that, in one of my many arthurian legends books
Greg responds...
Not in any of the versions I'm familiar with, though it wouldn't surprise me to see an author conflate the two characters.
Jenna writes...
Greg, in the Gargoyles universe, what ever happened to Lancelot of Camelot? Did the imfamous love affair with the
Queen take place? Did he meet his demise?
Greg responds...
I'd rather not go into too many details here. For one thing it could influence the contest we're holding. But Lancelot did exist in the Gargoyles Universe. The tragic affair with Guenevere did take place. Ask me "Did he meet his demise?" again, after the contest is over.
Lawrence Stone writes...
Hello Greg here are some more quistions
1) Would Demona and her new mate in the future ever have a child or childern together?
2) If Gargoyles was not canceled or it was brought back in the futuer would there be crossovers between Gargoyles and Pendragon?
3) By the time 2058 when all of Demonas grandchildren are still young will she be complety reformed?
4) How long do female gargoyles carry their eggs?
5) Could a female Gargoyle ever have twins?
6) Could a female gargoyle ever have a miscarriage while they were pregnent for their egg. Or if their egg dose not hatch is that considered a miscarrige?
Greg responds...
1. Can't reveal that.
2. This really is a separate topic, but it's short, so the answer is yes.
3. Completely?
4 - 6. Sorry, by the new rules, questions on separate topics must be submitted on separate posts. I invite you to submit these questions again. (These three can all be in one post.
Tas Burrfoot writes...
Hi again Greg. Here's an Arthurian survivors list:
1. King Arthur Pendragon.
2. Merlin.
3. The Lady of the Lake.
4. Pelles, the Fisher King.
5. Morgana le Fay.
6. Sir Galahad.
7. Sir Bors.
8. Sir Percival.
Greg responds...
Nope. But nice specificity.
Aris Katsaris writes...
Yet another survivors list:
1.Arthur 2.Lady of the Lake 3.Merlin 4.Perceval 5.Cundry 6.Blaise 7.Morgana 8.Nimue
Greg responds...
Nope. Try again.
Aris Katsaris writes...
What would Oberon and Titania's son and daughter (thanks for providing that tidbit by the way!) feel about their half-siblings, Fox and Merlin? Indifference, annoyance, affection?
Greg responds...
Aris, I luv ya guy, but you ask HUGE questions as if they can be answered with a single word like "Indifference".
How does A relate to B?
How does A relate to Fox?
How does A relate to Merlin?
How does B relate to Fox?
How does B relate to Merlin?
And that assumes that A & B even know about Fox and Merlin. That A & B are even among the living?
When questions are that huge, I tend to give no useful information at all.
Maybe you've noticed.
Todd Jensen writes...
Earlier remarks of yours about "Pendragon" implied that when Arthur and Griff finally did find Merlin, he'd join up with them as some sort of regular. Did you have any plans to keep Merlin's magic from making things too easy for Arthur and Griff in that case - i.e., making sure that Merlin wouldn't become a "deus ex machina" - or in this case, a "magus ex machina". We are talking about a wizard whose very name has become a synonym for "magic", after all. (I won't ask about the details of those plans; I'm just curious as to whether you'd found a way to address the problem).
Greg responds...
As with most things, I'd deal with them on a case-by-case basis. But I also had a few ideas about how I'd play my version of the character (and his 20th/21st century persona) that would have made life a bit more interesting.
I hate Deus ex Machina. I wouldn't have made you suffer through it either.
Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...
Sorry, I didn't read the rules for the Pendragon Contest. Here are my guesses again.
1. Arthur
2. Merlin
3. Lady of the Lake
4. Percival
5. Morgana la Fay
6. Nimue
7. Igraine
8. Guinevere
Greg responds...
Ooh, sorry Greg, try again.
Todd Jensen writes...
You mentioned once that Merlin is currently in his Crystal Cave. This is probably a question that can't be answered outside of getting to do "Pendragon", but in the Gargoyles Universe, did this start during Arthur's reign (as per Malory), or after he was taken away to Avalon?
Greg responds...
The former.
Derek writes...
Greg- Okay, I just re read (skimmed actually) my copy of Mallory's King Arthur. So, if someone hasn't beaten me to it, here are my guesses-
1. KING ARTHUR
2. THE LADY OF THE LAKE
3. BORS
4. MORGAN LE FAY
5. MERLIN
6. GWENEVER
7. SIR KAY
8. LANCELOT.
Greg responds...
Sorry, Derek. Nope.
But try again soon.
Airwalker writes...
1. Who created the stone Dragon that appeared in PENDRAGON?
2. Can you give us some information on Demona's two great loves? From what part of the world will these two loves come from?
3. In LIGHTHOUSE IN THE SEAS OF TIME, when those two explorers entered Merlin's cave, in the background a cauldron can be seen. Is that the Cauldron of Life?
4. What would Titania's response be to Renard's death?
5. Just how long was Talon planning on keeping Fang in a cell?
6. How does Talon feel about raising a Gargoyle/Human hybrid who looks and sounds exactly like his big sister?
7. Once you stated that as late as 2158 Puck would still be around and stuck as Owen in the mortal world. You also stated that the way Owen avoids the effects of aging is that he basically resets himself whenever he transforms from Puck to Owen. If he is stuck as Owen in 2158, then how does he avoid aging?
8. Would we have seen more of the Golem?
9. Did Angela inherit her father's stubborness and her mother's temper or her father's temper and her mother's stubborness?
Greg responds...
1. It was done by committee.
As per the new rules, you are invited to submit the rest of your questions as multiple separate posts.
Stephen R. Sobotka, Jr. writes...
Greetings Greg! (Thanks for signing my Guest book on my site!)
Hmm... First a question, then the contests:
If the purpose of the Hill of the Sleeping King was to maintain Arthur Pendragon's health and age until the time of Britain's greatest need (esentially a "stasis chamber" of some sort), wouldn't the hill also be working on the Magus, since he fell on the cairn there after defeating the Weird Sisters?
Now, the contests:
Arthurian Survivors:
1. King Arthur
2. The Lady of The Lake
3. Merlin
4. Morgana le Fay
5. Lancelot
6. Galahad
7. Gwenyvere
8. Nimue
The 14 Clans
1. Scotland
2. England
3. Ishimura/Japan
4. Guatemala Rain Forest
5. Isle of Avalon
6. Manhattan/New York
7. New Olympus Island
8. India
9. Egypt/Africa
10. Amazon Rain Forest
11. Ireland
12. Ozark Mountain Range
13. Orbital Colony/Earth
14. Australia
Hope I get at least some of them right. :) Thanks for talking to us Greg! See you in the CR!
Maintain and Check Six!
Greg responds...
Hey Stephen.
As to the Arthurian survivors -- Sorry, try again.
As to the clans, you need to submit them on a SEPARATE POST to even get a response. (I gave that admonition on the first day -- so NO SLACK.)
Arianna writes...
Hi, Greg. I think I'll take a shot at the Arthurian survivors.
1.Arthur
2.Lady of the Lake
3.Merlin
4.Percival
5.Morgana le Fay
6.Nimue
7.Galahad
8.Gwenyvere
Greg responds...
Sorry, Arianna, try again.
Airwalker writes...
Arthurian Survivor Guesses:
King Arthur
Merlin
Duval/Percival
Lady of the Lake
Morgana Le Fey
Gwenyvere
The Green Knight
Blanchefleur (Percival's Wife)
Greg responds...
Sorry, Airwalker try again.
Todd Jensen writes...
Yipes! *Eight* Arthurian survivors? This guessing game just got a little harder! :) But here are my eight guesses (and sorry for not including my original guesses from yesterday in a separate post; that was before you laid down the new rules for the guessing game).
1. King Arthur
2. The Lady of the Lake
3. Merlin
4. Sir Percival
5. Morgan le Fay
6. Guinevere
7. Nimue
8. The Grail Damsel
Greg responds...
Sorry, Todd try again.
And by the way, AND THIS GOES FOR EVERYONE -- Don't hedge your bets. Be specific or your answer won't count.
Aris Katsaris writes...
The eight Arthurian survivors list:
1. Arthur 2.Lady of the Lake 3.Merlin 4.Perceval 5.Blanchfleur 6.Morgana 7.Green Knight 8.Blaise
Greg responds...
Sorry, Aris. Try again.
The Arthurian Contest...
Officially restarting the contest...
In the Gargoyles Universe, there are eight survivors from the days of King Arthur. (I know I once said seven, but I forgot someone. Which isn't like me.)
Here are the rules. You have to name all eight correctly. Partially correct answers will receive no partial credit. I won't say you got three right and five wrong or whatever. I won't provide any hints at all beyond the following two names:
1. King Arthur
2. The Lady of the Lake
You have six more to guess. Remember, I'm looking for their Arthurian names. Yes, I've mentioned that Duval is one of the survivors, but listing him doesn't count, i.e. it doesn't count as a guess as to who Duval is, who the survivor is.
The winner will get a prize, I think. Nothing of any worth, but something. (Maybe a xerox of my recording script for Pendragon, complete with all my scribblings. That sort of thing seems to go over fairly well.)
You can guess as many times as you like. But always post it as a separate "question" to ASK GREG. Don't lump it in with other questions. And don't make multiple guesses on the same post. Just eight names. First to give me all eight correct in one post, wins.
Lawrence Stome writes...
Hello greg this is my first time I been in asked you quistions so here they are
1) If the Timedancer series was ever made what would Brooklyn's mate look like?
2) If Pendragon was made would Author and Griff find any other Gargoyle Clans when they were looking for Merlin? And also would would Griff ever get a mate. Would she be in Griff's Clan or another?
3) Would Coldstone and Coldfire ever find out thst they have a son on Avolon?
4) In the episode Awakning part 2 Owen said that the locile claim that casle Wyvern is haunted. Was it haunted by the Massacreed Clan members?
Greg responds...
Hey Lawrence, welcome...
1. I'm not an artist. So although, I have some vague ideas, I intentionally don't want to nail that down until either (a) the time came for collaboration with an artist or (b) it became clear that the medium where the character was going to be introduced was purely a prose one.
2. Maybe, yes and I'm not sure what you mean.
3. Yes.
4. Mostly by Hakon and the Captain.
Todd Jensen writes...
I thought that I'd better clarify an earlier question/remark that I made about Duval. I asked you earlier as to whether Duval being both Fisher King and head of the Illuminati wasn't something of a conflict of interest; you pointed out, rightly, that unless one knows what Duval's goals are (which haven't been revealed to us) that can hardly be labeled as such. You were correct about that; I hadn't used the most accurate terms for it. So I thought that I'd better clarify my question here a little more (I'm giving it separately from my other questions, just in case it gets interpreted as an idea, although I'm working hard on not making it so).
What puzzles me about Duval's double role as Fisher King and head of the Illuminati is this. The Illuminati have been involved in a lot of unscrupulous activity (deals with organized crime, running the Hotel Cabal, funding Castaway in his unholy war upon the gargoyles, and general controlling the world behind the scenes). Duval, as their leader, must bear much of the responsibility for this. But he's also apparently still the Fisher King, guardian of the Holy Grail, and I'm puzzled as to how he can still be able to fill on that role after everything that he must have done as the head of the Illuminati, which surely must have been a lot worse than - say - committing adultery with Queen Guinevere (and everyone who's read Malory knows what the Grail's attitude was towards that). That's what I don't understand. I'm not expecting any real answer to this (I know that you'd want to keep your plans about Duval and his role as Fisher King secret for now in case you ever get to do more "Gargoyles") but I did want to make it clear what puzzled me so much about Duval's dual role.
Greg responds...
I understand your confusion, Todd. Maybe this will help: Everything has its price.
Todd Jensen writes...
Phew! Nice to have this thing back! Now for some questions that I've been waiting a long time to ask.
1. In "The Journey", during his recruitment speech, Castaway, while playing upon the fears of the citizens in his audience, lists two specific ones: that the gargoyles might attack them while they sleep and that they might kidnap their children. Recently, I found myself realizing something about these fears. Gargoyles obviously fear humans attacking them while they are in their stone sleep, and Demona believed in "The Reckoning" that Princess Katharine and the Magus had kidnapped the eggs. So, were you deliberately going for a notion of "humans and gargoyles fear each other for parallel reasons" when you wrote this scene, or am I just reading too much into it?
2. My new guesses for the 7 Arthurian survivors:
a. King Arthur
b. Merlin
c. The Lady of the Lake (so far, the obvious ones :)
d. Sir Percival
e. The Grail Damsel (since she's got a different name in practically every version of the Arthurian/Grail legends, I figured I'd better just put down her position to make it clearer whom I meant)
f. Morgan le Fay
g. Nimue
3. One of the most intriguing aspects of the gargoyles in the series, to me, was their initial lack of personal names, something that worked particularly well with me since it made them seem even more "their own unique culture" (I particularly liked the scene where Hudson was asking why humans have to name everything in "Awakening Part Three"). What inspired you and the other members of the production team to come up with this idea?
Greg responds...
Hey Todd,
1. I don't think you're reading too much in, but you need to keep in mind that I was breathing gargoyles at the time. It filled my thoughts. Whether I was conscious of those specifics parallels, doesn't answer whether they were intentional or not. Does that help?
2. We're up to eight now. Plus guesses need to be on their own post. Note: it's best to be as specific as possible. Bet hedging is no way to win a silly contest.
3. Originally, desperation. We had a hell of a time getting names approved. Coming up with a rationale for waiting until the twentieth century to name most of our characters was an inspiration I was grateful my boss went for. Fortunately, he saw that it solved all our problems. Gave us young characters with names that had a more contemporary, yet fun feel. Allowed Goliath to stand out from the crowd more. Made Demona's name less silly and more chilling. Etc. Making Gargoyles a unique culture was the solution to a difficult problem. One of the many things, that just made the show feel "right".
Entity writes...
Glad you're back, Mr. Weisman! Here are a few questions I've pondered over:
1) If the series had ever shown Merlin, how do you envision his physical appearence? Would he have been along the lines of the white-bearded Disney version from "Sword in the Stone", or the younger, clean-shaven version from "Excalibur" or "Merlin" (the mini-series)?
2) I heard somewhere that you'd written an early screenplay for the GARGOYLES theatrical movie, which was basically "Awakenings" cleaned up around the edges, but that it was rejected on account of being "too cartoonish". Would you be able (and willing) to share with us that screenplay?
3) You mentioned that "Hunter's Moon" was originally going to be a video release (which would explain why so much of Part 1 seemed like a reintroduction to the series). If it had been released on video as planned, would it have been longer than only one hour (3 twenty-minute episodes)? I ask because that seems kind of short for a video, and because out of all the other chapters of the series, "Hunter's Moon" is the only one for which you've revealed full-fledged scenes that didn't make it into the final cut.
Greg responds...
Hi Entity,
1. Not telling this now. Had very specific plans though.
2. Michael Reaves and I wrote a pitch and then a treatment (actually two), not a screenplay. And it would be irresponsible to share it at this point, since the movie is still in development at Touchstone Pictures.
3. The decision not to make it a video came before the script (and maybe before the final draft outline) was written. It would have been at least a bit longer... we certainly wouldn't have had to cut the Jason/Elisa clock tower scene. But beyond that, it's too hypothetical a question for me to answer. We never were given the opportunity to explore that avenue in any real way.
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