Averoigne is a fictional counterpart of a historical province in France, detailed in a series of short stories by the American writer Clark Ashton Smith. Smith may have based Averoigne on the actual province of

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...

, but its name was probably influenced by the French department of

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants ...

, immediately south of Auvergne, due to the similarity in pronunciation. Sixteen of Smith's stories take place in Averoigne. In Smith's fiction, the Southern French province is considered "the most witch-ridden in the entire country." The most well-known citizen is Gaspard du Nord of Vyones, a wizard who translated ''The

Book of Eibon Many fictional works of arcane literature appear in H. P. Lovecraft's cycle of interconnected works often known as the Cthulhu Mythos. The main literary purpose of these works is to explain how characters within the tales come by occult or esot ...

'' into Norman French.

Fictional history

In ancient times, Smith depicts Averoigne as having been settled by the fictional Gallic tribe called the Averones. They established a number of settlements in the region, many of which were fortified when the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

absorbed the region. When Christianity spread through the Empire, many churches and monasteries were established among the ruins of Druidic temples. Greatest among these was a great cathedral constructed in Vyones, completed in 1138.

Fictional geography

Averoigne is depicted by Smith as being located in the southern half of France. The northern half of the territory is dominated by the walled city of Vyones, site of an impressive cathedral. In the southern half is located the town of Ximes; the main road of Averoigne runs between Ximes and Vyones, straight through the thick, dark forest that blankets the province. A river called Isoile flows from the mountains in the northern part of the province to feed into a swamp in the south. Other towns and villages depicted by Smith as being located in Averoigne include: Moulins, Les Hiboux, La Frenâie, Touraine, Sainte Zenobie, and Périgon. In the forest can be found haunted ruins, such as the Château of Fausseflammes and the stronghold of Ylourgne. (It was from that abandoned abode of evil robber barons, that the horrific events of ''The Colossus of Ylourgne'' had their start.)

Reception

In 1993, Stefan Dziemianowicz wrote in ''Dark Eidolon: The Journal of Smith Studies'' that "''The Colossus of Ylourgne'', with its series of increasingly bizarre events culminating in the rampage of the most awesome monster to appear in Smith's fiction, comes closest of any of the Averoigne tales to evoking the sense of wonder in Smith's otherworldly fantasies... Smith appears to be saying that even the sorcerors of Averoigne are unable to transcend their flawed humanity."

Bibliography

Smith based the following stories in the Averoigne setting:
"The End of the Story"
by Clark Ashton Smith (''

Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, pri ...

'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., May 1930)
"A Rendezvous in Averoigne"
by Clark Ashton Smith (''

'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., April/May 1931)
"The Maker of Gargoyles"(synopsis)
by Clark Ashton Smith (''

'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., August 1932)
"The Mandrakes"
by Clark Ashton Smith (''

'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., February 1933)
"The Beast of Averoigne"(originally published version)
by Clark Ashton Smith (''

'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., May 1933)
"The Holiness of Azédarac"
by Clark Ashton Smith (''

'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., November 1933)
"The Colossus of Ylourgne"
by Clark Ashton Smith (''

'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., June 1934)
"The Disinterment of Venus"(synopsis)
by Clark Ashton Smith (''

'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., July 1934)
"Mother of Toads"(originally published version)
by Clark Ashton Smith (''

'', Popular Fiction Publishing Co., July 1938)
"The Enchantress of Sylaire"
by Clark Ashton Smith (''

'', Weird Tales, July 1941)
"The Satyr"(alternate ending)
by Clark Ashton Smith (''Genius Loci'',

Arkham House Arkham House is an American publishing house specializing in weird fiction. It was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to publish hardcover collections of H. P. Lovecraft's best works, which had ...

, 1948) – Originally written in 1931.
"Averoigne"
(poetry), by Clark Ashton Smith (''Challenge'', Spring 1951) All these stories have recently been collected in the ebook ''The Averoigne Archives: The Complete Averoigne Tales of Clark Ashton Smith'' (Pickman's Press, 2019).

Fragments

A number of other Averoigne stories exist in outline form, incomplete at the time of Smith's death. These include:
"The Gargoyle of Vyones""The Sorceress of Averoigne/The Tower of Istarelle""Queen of the Sabbat""The Doom of Azédarac""The Oracle of Sadoqua""The Werewolf of Averoigne"

Other writers

Other writers have set stories in Averoigne, including:
"Out of the Aeons"
by H.P. Lovecraft (with

Hazel Heald Hazel Heald (April 6, 1896February 4, 1961) was a pulp fiction writer, who lived in Somerville, Massachusetts. She is perhaps best known for collaborating with American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. Biography Heald was born the daughter ...

), 1933 *"The Butcher of Vyones", by Michael Minnis (''The Sorcerer's Apprentices'', Sunken Citadel/Tenoka Press, 1998) *"The Circumstances of Ghostly Cats", by Michael Minnis (''Apocalypse Rhythm: The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales of Michael Minnis, Volume 1'', Lindisfarne Press) *"Gros Vert", by Michael Minnis (''Apocalypse Rhythm: The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales of Michael Minnis, Volume 1'', Lindisfarne Press)
"Symposium of the Gargoyle: A Tale of Nineteenth Century Averoigne"
by Simon Whitechapel
"The Passing of Belzévuthe"
by Simon Whitechapel
"Hugh the Discerning"
by Garnett Elliott
"The Doom of Azédarac"
"posthumous collaboration" by Ron Hilger
"The Oracle of Sadoqua"
"posthumous collaboration" by Ron Hilger *The ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...

'' module X2, '' Castle Amber'', designed by

Tom Moldvay Thomas Steven Moldvay (Nov. 5, 1948 – March 9, 2007) was an American game designer and author, best known for his work on early materials for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D). Career During the 1970s while a stude ...

, contains numerous references to and includes Averoigne and several of its characters as a temporary adventure setting

In Other Media

Averoigne appears in several other works, including: * In the novel ''

A Case of Conscience ''A Case of Conscience'' is a science fiction novel by American writer James Blish, first published in 1958. It is the story of a Jesuit who investigates an alien race that has no religion yet has a perfect, innate sense of morality, a situation ...

'',

James Blish James Benjamin Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his '' Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel '' A Case of Conscie ...

includes a character named "Lucien le Comte des Bois d'Averoigne." This name means, "Lucien, the Count of the Woods of Averoigne." * In the manga ''

The Case Study of Vanitas is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Jun Mochizuki. It has been serialized in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Gangan Joker'' since December 2015. In North America, the manga is published in English by Yen ...

Volume 1'', the protagonist Noé Archiviste is said to come from Averoigne.

References

External links

The Fantasy Cycles of Clark Ashton SmithThe Eldritch Dark – Short Story Index
{{Works of Clark Ashton Smith Fictional elements introduced in 1930 Fictional regions Clark Ashton Smith Auvergne France in fiction