Val sans retour | |
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Map | |
Location in Morbihan | |
Geography | |
Location | Tréhorenteuc and Paimpont, Morbihan and Ille-et-Vilaine, France |
Coordinates | 48°00′03″N 2°17′09″W / 48.00083°N 2.28583°W |
The Val sans retour (Vale of No Return or Valley Without Return), also known as the Val des faux amants (Vale of False Lovers) or the Val périlleux (Perilous Vale), is a mythical site from Arthurian legend, as well as a physical site located in central Brittany, in the Paimpont forest. The legend attached to it is primarily recounted in the Lancelot-Grail: in it, Morgan le Fay experiences a disappointment in love with the knight Guiomar, and, in retaliation, creates the Val sans retour in the forest of Brocéliande, where any knights unfaithful in love are imprisoned.
The physical site in the Paimpont Forest became a popular tourist site due to its links to Arthurian legends. It has different points of interest including the Golden Tree and the Fairy Mirror in its valley, as well as Viviane’s house and Merlin’s seat on its ridges. It is home to numerous species of flora and fauna and protected as a natural zone of ecological interest, fauna and flora, as well as a Natura 2000 site.