Why Glastonbury Calls Itself The Isle of Avalon
The town of Glastonbury in Somerset often calls itself the Isle of Avalon, the mythical island that plays a prominent role in Celtic folklore and the legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. According to 12th century historian Geoffrey of Monmouth's "The History of the Kings of Britain," after the Battle of Camlann the mortally wounded king was borne to the island, destined to return in some distant future and defend England in her hour of greatest need. Later, it is said, Glastonbury Abbey was chosen by Joseph of Arimathea, the man who gave his tomb to Jesus, as the resting place for the ultimate Christian relic, the Holy Grail. These legends, a riveting blend of history and ancient Celtic mythology, are a powerful part of the the identity of this charming little town.
Glastonbury first became directly associated with the Isle of Avalon and the Arthurian legend in 1191, when the abbot of Glastonbury Abbey claimed to have found the neatly labeled graves of a large man and a golden-haired woman. The inscription on the tomb identified the remains as Arthur and his queen, Guinevere, and confirmed that Glastonbury was indeed Avalon. The discovery of the mythical king's remains was a great blessing for the monks, as the relics brought hordes of pilgrims bearing donations. Reburied with great ceremony in 1278, the remains made Glastonbury a major destination for religious pilgrimages until the Reformation. The authenticity of these long lost relics is generally dismissed by modern historians. However, the powerful identification the legend has with this region dates back to this discovery, whether authentic or not.
Avalon has long been associated with the fairies and immortal beings of Celtic legend. The folklore of the landmark Glastonbury Tor stretches back to the Dark Ages, when it was said to be the entrance to the Celtic underworld, Annwfn, or Avalon, hence its early association with the Arthurian tales. Today the Tor, highest elevation in the region, rises like an island above a sea of farmland known as Summerland Meadows in the large, marshy Somerset Levels. Gazing on this high hill in the early evening light, it is easy to imagine Arthur's knights riding out of the mists of time and up the long, steep path to the roofless tower of St. Michael's church. Though Glastonbury is now a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the River Brue, its early Welsh name could be translated as Ynys Witrin, or Isle of Glass, indicating it was once an island. Early British called the spot Ynys yr Afalon, meaning Isle of Avalon.
Many of the early Celtic fairy tales are mirrored in the tales of King Arthur and his knights, with their otherworldly elements. It is on the Isle of Avalon that the king's enchanted sword, Excalibur, was said to have been forged, and into the waters of the River Brue that Arthur cast this weapon on his last voyage to the island. Adding to the mythical lore of Glastonbury Abbey is speculation that it was founded by Joseph of Arimathea as a hiding place for the Holy Grail, the sacred cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper. According to legend, Joseph arrived in Avalon, thrust his staff into the ground, and from it sprang the Glastonbury Thorn, a hybrid bush which grows only in this particular region. Christian beliefs and pagan mythology merge in the belief that Joseph buried the Grail at the Tor, entrance to the Celtic underworld.
The Isle of Avalon is also associated with various New Age movements, who consider it a sacred site full of transformational energies. These groups consider Glastonbury Tor to be a holy hill, due to its associations with Celtic underworld mythology, ley lines, and tales of secret underground labyrinths and otherworldly beings. A landscape zodiac, drawn from the juxtapositions of geographical landmarks, was discovered by artist Katherine Maltwood in 1935, supposedly showing all twelve signs of the zodiac, and proving a link between the legend of King Arthur's Round Table and the area around Glastonbury. Strange balls of colored lights have been regularly seen circling the tor, their origin unknown, increasing its reputation as a mystical spot.
Place names, archeological discoveries, and early English histories point to Glastonbury as a possible site of the mythical Isle of Avalon, entrance to the underworld, home of Celtic fairies, and the resting place of a legendary king. Centuries after Arthur's death, his legend lives on in the stories and traditions of this lovely region of Somerset.
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