Realm of the Ring Lords: Amazon.co.uk: Laurence Gardner: Books

Amazon.co.uk Review

Laurence Gardner's previous books, such as The Bloodline of the Holy Grail, have concentrated on revealing details of the supposed bloodline of Jesus first outlined in Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln's famous The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, leading to the French Merovingian kings and beyond. But rather than becoming entangled in the Rennes-le-Château mystery, Gardner's focus is on re-establishing the Stuart lineage of "HRH Prince Michael of Albany". Both men are leading members of various alternative chivalric Orders and organisations (which are not recognised by official bodies such as the College of Arms or its Scottish equivalent, the Lyon Court).

Whatever you think of the validity of Gardner's claims, there is no doubt that his books can be a fascinating read, and none more so than the third in his series, Realm of the Ring Lords, in which he discovers and explores the Grail and Ring basis of much of European folklore and fairy tales. The Ring--best known from Tolkien and from Wagner's Ring Cycle--is a major focus of Norse and Germanic myth and legend, in the Eddas (especially the Volsunga Saga) and the Nibelungenlied. Gardner extends his search way beyond these stories, bringing in the origins and significance of (amongst others) Robin Hood, Santa Claus, Dracula--and Lorna Doone!

Adding to the interest of Gardner's new revelations about familiar and well-loved folk stories are the illustrations, from some stunning Pre-Raphaelite paintings to the brightly-coloured children's picture-book style of Peter Robson, "Court Painter to the Royal House of Stewart". Like Gardner's earlier books Realm of the Ring Lords is controversial, and will no doubt have many detractors, but folk tales and the world of faery are always worth revisiting, and can bear many reinterpretations. --David V Barrett

Review

This is a remarkable book that delves into the human psyche and advances some maverick theories. Not least, it suggests that our folklore, myths and legends built up over the centuries are no mere fairytales but ancestral memories of deeper truths. According to Gardner, we now live not in an age of enlightenment but one of slavery, having lost knowledge that the Church and others systematically crushed out of us. This may sound bizarre, but Gardner is no crank. A scholar, historian and multi-linguist, he has amassed a wealth of evidence which he says points to a much earlier age when Earth was populated by more enlightened beings. As a starting point, Gardner takes a look at Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings, claiming that it is far more than a fantasy story. 'It can perhaps be seen as an intuitive parable of governmental suppression and of the combative quest for liberty and justice,' he writes. Which is not to say he believes Tolkien had inside knowledge, only that tribal subconscious memories were surfacing through his writing. Vampires, goblins, trolls and even Santa Claus are all part of that same tribal set of memories, Gardner declares. Writing in an academic but easily grasped style, he goes further than the ground covered in his earlier books such as The Bloodline of the Holy Grail, in which he set out evidence for the present-day bloodline of Jesus Christ. This time he suggests that tales of quests for the Ring and the Grail are essentially the same - legends of a forgotten battle between good and evil. The text is complemented by glorious colour plates of old masters' paintings which Gardner says trace a repressed thread of knowledge through mediaeval times. A good and challenging read, whether you agree with Gardner's conclusions or not. (Kirkus UK)

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

5 star

4 star

3 star

2 star

1 star

5 reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars

Write a customer review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

Logical explanation of myths, fairy tales and legends 8 Jan 2001

By filekeeper@lanset.com

Format:Hardcover

This is Sir Laurence's latest masterpiece. Once again, in "Realm of the Ring Lords," he literally shines light in the dimmest recesses of history while figuratively "knocking our socks off". He connects the Grail and Ring in ways I've never known, and going all the way back to pre-history, he gives logical explanations of almost every myth, fairy tale and legend that either frightened or inspired us as children. We still get to keep our elves and fairies and pixies, but this time as real people who did magnificent deeds that have since been diminished by the Church. In chapter 10, I was astounded by the lily and the rose being symbolic of actual female essences that grant spiritual power and even youth to their partakers. He gives excellent and revealing backgrounds on figures such as Robin Hood, Santa Claus, Lorna Doone, and the Faerie Queen. He also thoroughly debunks such fictions as vampires, werewolves, zombies, and even Satan himself! The notes and references and appendices are practically a book within themselves, and the colored illustrations, especially those by Sir Peter, are beautiful beyond description. We are so fortunate to have such intellects as Sir Laurence and the other good knights at MediaQuest to come riding in on their white horses and rescue us from the prison of our darkest ignorance. Bravo!

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

A Fairy Tale come true 20 Dec 2000

By A Customer

In anticipation of Laurence Gardner's new book, Realm of the Ring Lords, I re-read his previous two works, Bloodline of the Holy Grail, and Genesis of the Grail Kings. Both of them were groundbreaking books, revealing, in the first instance, convincing theories about the progeny of the dynastic marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, and the intriguing influence of their descendents throughout European history; and, in the second instance, a fascinating theory of the origin of the Grail King lineage, starting in ancient Sumer, and evolving, through Babylonia, Egypt, and Canaan, up to, and including, Jesus.

Gardner not only has access to the private libraries of the current Grail Family members, but he has a remarkable facility with languages. Both of these assets come into play in his newest work, The Realm of the Ring Lords. As a result of the incontrovertible practice of the Roman Church to exterminate anyone whom it declared a "heretic", the Grail Family, and the theology and tradition it represented, were forced to remain underground for many centuries. The powerful and persuasive essence of the Grail tradition, though, was kept alive all the while by a coded folklore, which created all kinds of elves, fairies, leprechauns, pixies, gnomes, heroes/heroines, etc., many of which we have all heard of at one time or another. Gardner has successfully translated all the fairy-tale "fiction" into an enchanting, but very real history, based on his thorough understanding of the Grail tradition, and his adept use of etymology.

While this book doesn't rival his other two in terms of earth-shaking revelations, it does complement the other two by providing a deeply satisfying explanation of the effects of the Grail tradition on European cultural and literary heritage that, heretofore, had been accepted as fantasy, but now are very real and significant.

If you haven't read any of Gardner's work, don't start with this one. He makes frequent references to his previous books, and assumes that the reader is familiar with them. If you have read both of his other books, I think you will enjoy this guided tour and interpretation of Europe's folklore.

Wish they'd taught this in History lessons!!! 10 Nov 2011

By A. J. CLARK

An excellent thought-provoking read. We are shown a VERY different history from the one in the textbooks. I only wish this truth was taught in schools. The fact that this book has taken a genealogical approach to the history of Europe, as opposed to the victor's "spin doctoring", males for a refreshing read. One must look behind the veneer and see what's really going on - seems to be this tome's message and I whole heartedly agree!!

A GREAT READ!!!