Brocéliande

by Brian Edward Rise

A magical forest in Brittany and the location of many strange adventures in French romances. It contains an enchanted spring that, when water from it is poured over a stone nearby, produces rain. This stone is central to Chrétien de Troyes' Yvain and is mentioned by Giraldus Cambrensis. Brocéliande is also the place of Merlin's entrapment by Viviane in the Vulgate Merlin.

At one time it was a real forest, though local Breton legend turned it into a place of spells and magic. Wace visited the forest in hopes of seeing fay folk but he returned disappointed. West of Rennes, a remnant of the forest remains, called Paimpont and retains its Arthurian connections.

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