The White Raven

Set in 6th-century Ireland during the period of Celtic language and Druid religions, Diana L Paxson’s fantasy-romance novel The White Raven is a retelling of the classic story of Tristan and Isolde, though Paxson uses the characters' Celtic names, Drustan and Esseilte. Esseilte's cousin Branwen narrates the tale, experiencing both the meeting of the fated couple and their nefarious and tragic plot to be together, despite the pain they cause each other. The novel focuses not only on the love story but also on the complicated political and religious undertones of the period, which shaped the lives of these two lovers.

The novel opens with a description of the relationship between Branwen and her cousin and confidante, Esseilte. Esseilte, the daughter of the Irish Queen Mairenn, has had a servant since birth—Branwen, the dark-haired illegitimate daughter of Queen Mairenn's brother Morholt. Esseilte and Branwen grow into teenagers together, and soon Esseilte confides in her cousin that she has a crush on Morholt, her uncle. However, Morholt is brutally slaughtered in an ongoing battle with the neighboring kingdom, and Esseilte falls into a deep depression that Branwen cannot remedy.

Soon after Morholt's death, the wounded body of a harpist washes ashore near the place where Branwen and Esseilte live. Esseilte overcomes her depression to provide medical attention to the strange man. After nursing the man back to health, Branwen and Esseilte soon discover that he is, in fact, Drustan, the knight who killed Morholt in battle. He reveals that he has come to seek the hand of Esseilte for his uncle, King Marc'h of Cornwall.



Esseilte is devastated that she is being married off for the sake of politics, but her father, the King, agrees to the marriage. Esseilte and Branwen find themselves on the road with Drustan, the man who killed Esseilte’s first love and Branwen's father. Esseilte, who is rebellious and uninterested in using her feminine charms to make peace between warring men, concocts a plot to end their journey.

Esseilte obtains a draught, which she believes is poison, and slips some of the potion into her and Drustan's dinner. She believes that if she kills him and herself, she will have revenge for Morholt and peace for herself. But the potion is not poison—instead, the pair imbibe a powerful love potion, which connects them forever to each other, despite their deep hatred for one another.

Branwen observes as Esseilte falls madly in love with Drustan, acting solely on lust and never on logic. Esseilte knows that she will have to take her place with King Marc'h, but she cannot stand the thought of being with anyone but Drustan. She asks Branwen to pose as her, accepting the position of Queen of Cornwall, so she can hide away with Drustan.



Branwen accepts the offer to pose as Esseilte, but once she meets King Marc'h, she finds that she loves him more than she anticipated. They find solace in each other, connecting on a deep level—Branwen is uncertain what to do when Esseilte and Drustan are caught in their scheme, and her love for her lifelong friend and cousin begins to contradict her own desire for her future.

Diana L. Paxson is the author of several fantasy romance novels and works of historical fiction. She studies pagan religions, often using them as inspiration for her novels. She has also written more than 70 short stories along similar themes. Best known for her Westria series (1982 to 2006), she has also published many other series, standalone novels, and a handful of non-fiction books about Pagan and Heathen rituals. She is a founder of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a living history group dedicated to recreating Medieval European cultures; in her role there she is known as Diana the Listmaker. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she was raised in Southern California and educated at Mills College and UC Berkeley.