Averoigne

Map drawn by Tim Kirk.

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,[1] but its name was probably influenced by the French department of Aveyron, immediately south of Auvergne, due to the similarity in pronunciation. Sixteen of Smith's stories take place in Averoigne.[2] In Smith's fiction, the Southern French province is considered "the most witch-ridden in the entire country."[3] The most well-known citizen is Gaspard du Nord of Vyones, a wizard who translated The Book of Eibon into Norman French.[3][1]

  1. ^ a b Rahman, Glenn. "The History of Averoigne?". Pickman's Press. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  2. ^ Bleiler, Richard (2013). "Visionary Star-Treader: The Speculative Writings of Clark Ashton Smith". In Hoppenstand, Gary (ed.). Critical Insights: Pulp Fiction of the '20s and '30s. Salem Press. pp. 68–71. ISBN 9781429838436. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Harms, Daniel (1998). Encyclopedia Cthulhiana: A Guide to Lovecraftian Horror (2nd ed.). Chaosium Publications. p. 15. ISBN 1568821190. Retrieved August 20, 2020.