“And did those feet in ancient times,
Walk upon England’s mountains green...”
Glastonbury is reputed to have had its seeds in the mists of the third
century BC in an area which in those days was surrounded by swamplands and
tidal waters. It was an island, often called the Isle of Avalon; alternatively
dubbed The isle of the Departed Dead. Archaeological evidence abounds of iron
tools, ornaments and pottery with even a dugout canoe in Glastonbury Museum as
various tribes, now all lumped together as Celts, lived on the islands around
the Tor. Ghosts and superstitions abound - remember that Stone Henge was already ancient by that time - and then the Druids made it
one of their prime sites with the planting of groves of oaktrees which had huge
religious significance. It seems that the Tor was primarily worshipped as an
entrance to the Underworld; there were several similar hills but the Tor was
the chief one.
Some specific legends:
1. Joseph of Arimathaea.
Joseph was a trader,
reputed to be the uncle of Jesus, who travelled to England many times. Jesus
went with him as a boy and spent a short time in
Glastonbury in
contemplation for his Ministry. Joseph returned the last time after the
Crucifixion with 11 companions to spread the Gospel of Christ
and the story of the
Resurrection. It is believed that he brought the Holy Grail with him to
Glastonbury. He died there and was buried locally. But his
tomb was moved during the
tumult of 1662 and his remains vanished.
2. The Holy Grail.
This is generally
thought of as the cup used by Christ at the last supper. Pontius Pilate gave
the cup to Joseph of Arimathaea who caught drops of
Christ’s blood
as he hung dying on the cross. This cup and the blood were then brought to
Glastonbury. Legend tells us that it was buried at the
foot of the Tor in a
place now called Chalice Hill. Over the subsequent centuries those in Arthurian
Legend searched, and found it.
3. King Arthur.
There has been so
much written about him and his circle that it is tedious to repeat any of it.
But he was centred around this part of the country, and
after the
recovery of the Holy Grail it was circulated regularly around the Round Table.
But then it disappeared.
4. The mother of the Virgin Mary.
This is
possibly one of the less likely stories. Ann was born in Cornwall and made
a most unhappy marriage. Now pregnant, she caught ship to the
Holy Land
where Mary was born. At the age of about 15 Mary married a carpenter while Ann returned
to Cornwall where Jesus visited her. Mary later
travelled
to Britain with Joseph of Arimathaea during the Christian persecutions and is
buried at Glastonbury.
Finally, in my book Catacombs of the Damned I discuss ley lines. These
are mystical connections between important religious sites which give life and
comfort to those living or travelling on them - even birds are said to
navigate along them. Maybe this is a long lost ability to use the earth’s
magnetic field? Glastonbury is right in the centre of a huge system of ley lines
which stretch from Cornwall to Avebury in Wiltshire and continue onwards to
Norfolk. Another one runs from Glastonbury through Stone Henge to Canterbury
Cathedral.
This blog post doesn’t do justice to the fantastic history of this part of
the country. A visit for a few days is well worth the effort for those who
like these mysteries!
Catacombs of the Damned is available in paperback and for Kindle:
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