AVALON

'Avalon' (probably from the Celtic word ''abal'': apple; see Etymology below) is a legendary island somewhere in the British Isles, famous for its beautiful apples. The concept of such an "Isle of the Blessed" has parallels in other Indo-European mythology, in particular Tír na nÓg and the Greek Hesperides, the latter also noted for its apples.

Contents

Etymology

In Arthurian legend

Non-Arthurian notoriety

References

See also

Etymology

According to one theory the word is an anglicisation of the Brythonic "Annwyn", the realm of fairies, or netherworld, but this would be a major corruption. Geoffrey of Monmouth interpreted the name as the "isle of apples". This is more probable, since "apple" is still ''aval'' in Breton and Cornish, and ''afal'' in Welsh, in which the letter ''f'' is pronounced .

In Arthurian legend

Avalon is also said to be the place where the body of King Arthur is buried. The corpse was supposedly brought on a boat to Avalon by Arthur's half sister, Morgan le Fay. According to some legends, Arthur sleeps there merely to awaken at some future time.
The tradition that Arthur was buried at Glastonbury Tor appears to have taken shape from as early as the beginning of the 11th century. Before the surrounding fenland in the Somerset Levels was drained, Glastonbury Tor's high round bulk rose out of the water-meadows like an island. According to several chroniclers (including Gerald of Wales), it was during the reign of Henry II that the abbot, Henry de Blois, commissioned a search of the Tor. It was at a depth of 5 m (16 feet) that a massive oak trunk or coffin with an inscription ''Hic jacet sepultus inclitus rex Arthurus in insula Avalonia.'' ("Here lies King Arthur in the island of Avalon") was apparently discovered. The remains were reburied with great ceremony, attended by King Edward I and his queen, before the High Altar at Glastonbury Abbey, where they were the focus of pilgrimages until the Reformation.
However, the Glastonbury legend has been perceived by some as a fraud due, among other things, to the perceived anachronistic inscription which would have been more fitting to the 10th century than the 6th, the lack of any mention of said discovery in the 10th century, which would not have gone unheard of, added to possible ulterior motives from the abbey. Other theories point to l'Île d'Aval or Daval, on the coast of Brittany, and Burgh by Sands, in Cumberland, which was in Roman times the fort of Aballava on Hadrian's Wall, and near Camboglanna, upwards on the Eden, now Castlesteads. Coincidentally, the last battle site of Arthur's campaigns is said to have been named Camlann. Other candidates include the Bourgogne town of Avallon, suggested by Geoffrey Ashe and Bardsey Island in Gwynedd, famous for its apples and also connected with Merlin .
Others have claimed the most likely location to be St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, which is near to other locations associated with the Arthurian legends. St Michael's Mount is an island which can be reached by a causeway at low tide. The matter is confused somewhat by similar legends and place names in Britanny.

Non-Arthurian notoriety

Although primarily known in connection with King Arthur, Avalon is sometimes referred to as the legendary location where Jesus visited the British Isles with Joseph of Arimathea and that it was later the site of the first church in Britain. This location of the Isle of Avalon is usually associated with present day Glastonbury. The first extant reference to Avalon is in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain as the place where Caliburn, later Excalibur was forged, and as the place where Arthur was taken to heal his wounds. In the subsequent ''Vita Merlini'' this place is referenced as "the island of apples".^[1] Avalon also plays a role in non-Arthurian French literature, such as in the story of Melusine.
A nearby valley is named the Vale of Avalon.

References

1. Insula pomorum que fortunata uocatur

See also

★ "And did those feet in ancient time"

★ Fortunate Isles

★ Province of Avalon