Avalon (probably from the Celtic word abal: apple; see Etymology below) is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend, famous for its beautiful apples. Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones 1st Baronet (28 August 1833 &ndash 17 June 1898 was an English Artist and Designer closely associated with the later The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. The apple is the pomaceous Fruit of the apple tree Species Malus domestica in the Rose family Rosaceae. It first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 pseudohistorical account Historia Regum Britanniae ("The History of the Kings of Britain") as the place where King Arthur is taken to recover from his wounds after his last battle at Camlann, and where his sword Caliburn (Excalibur) was forged. Geoffrey of Monmouth ( Gruffudd ap Arthur or Sieffre o Fynwy) (c The Historia Regum Britanniae ( English: The History of the Kings of Britain) is a pseudohistorical account of British history King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders The Battle of Camlann ( Cad Camlan) is best known as the final battle of King Arthur, where he either died in battle or was fatally wounded fighting his enemy and Excalibur is the legendary Sword of King Arthur sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful Sovereignty of Great The concept of such an "Isle of the Blessed" has parallels in other Indo-European mythology, in particular the Irish Tír na nÓg and the Greek Hesperides, the latter also noted for its apples. The existence of similarities among the deities and religious practices of the Indo-European (IE peoples allows glimpses of a common Proto-Indo-European Tír na nÓg ( Old Irish Tír na n-Oc) (tʲiɾʲ n̪ˠa n̪ˠog called in English the Land of Eternal Youth or the Land of the Ever-Young In Greek mythology, the Hesperides ( Greek:) are Nymphs who tend a blissful garden in a far western corner of the world located near the Atlas mountains
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Etymology
Geoffrey of Monmouth interpreted the name as the "isle of apples". Geoffrey of Monmouth ( Gruffudd ap Arthur or Sieffre o Fynwy) (c This is probable, as "apple" is still aval in Breton and Cornish, and afal in Welsh, in which the letter f is pronounced [v]. The Breton language ( Brezhoneg) formerly often called Armoric or Armorican, is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany For the Cornish-English dialect see West Country dialects and List of Cornish dialect words. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic Another possibility — the Abalus mentioned by Pytheas — the island of amber — which could have non-Celtic origins. Dates Pliny says that Timaeus (born about 350 BC believed Pytheas' story of the discovery of Amber. (see more about the Abalus possibility below)
In Arthurian legend
According to Geoffrey and much subsequent literature, Avalon is the place where King Arthur was taken after fighting Mordred at the Battle of Camlann. Mordred or Modred ( Welsh: Medraut, Medrod, etc is a character in the Arthurian legend, known as a notorious traitor who fought The Battle of Camlann ( Cad Camlan) is best known as the final battle of King Arthur, where he either died in battle or was fatally wounded fighting his enemy and Welsh and Breton tradition claimed that Arthur had never really died, but would inexorably return to lead his people against their enemies, but some later writers were less credulous, and said that Arthur had in fact died there. Geoffrey dealt with Avalon again in his Vita Merlini, in which he describes the character Morgan le Fay as the chief of nine sisters who live on Avalon. Vita Merlini, or The Life of Merlin, is a work by the Norman-Welsh author Geoffrey of Monmouth, composed in Latin around AD 1150 Morgan le Fay, alternatively known as Morgane, Morgain, Morgana and other variants is a powerful sorceress and Antagonist of Morgan remained associated with the island in later literature, as does Arthur's mentor, the Lady of the Lake. The Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play integral parts in the Arthurian legend.
By the 12th century Avalon became associated with Glastonbury, when monks at Glastonbury Abbey claimed to have discovered the bones of Arthur and his queen. Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a Dry point on the Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. Glastonbury Abbey, founded in the seventh century was a rich and powerful monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Though no longer an island at the time, the high conical bulk of Glastonbury Tor had been surrounded by marsh before the surrounding fenland in the Somerset Levels was drained. Glastonbury Tor is a Hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, England, which features the roofless St A fen is a type of Wetland fed by surface and/or groundwater Fens are characterized by their water chemistry which is neutral or Alkaline Fens are different The Somerset Levels (or Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly called is a sparsely populated Wetland area of central Somerset According to later chroniclers, notably Giraldus Cambrensis, during King Henry II's reign the abbot of Glastonbury, Henry of Blois, commissioned a search of the abbey grounds. Gerald of Wales (c 1146 &ndash c 1223 also known as Gerallt Gymro in Welsh or Giraldus Cambrensis in Latin, Henry of Blois, often known as Henry of Winchester; (1101 &ndash 1171 was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126 and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 At a depth of 5 m (16 feet) the monks discovered a massive oak coffin and an iron cross bearing the description: Hic jacet sepultus inclitus rex Arthurus in insula Avalonia. ("Here lies renowned King Arthur in the island of Avalon"). Inside the coffin were two bodies, who Giraldus refers to as Arthur and "his queen". Guinevere was the legendary Queen consort of King Arthur. She was most famous for her love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot, which first In 1278 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. Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307 popularly known as Longshanks, was a King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time However, historians generally dismiss the authenticity of the find, attributing it to a publicity stunt performed to raise funds to repair the Abbey, which was mostly burned down in 1184.
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. Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into Burgh by Sands ( IPA /ˈbrʌf/ "bruff" is a village and Civil parish in the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: perhaps Vallum Aelium, "the Aelian wall" is a stone and turf Fortification built by the Roman Coincidentally, the last battle site of Arthur's campaigns is said to have been named Camlann. The Battle of Camlann ( Cad Camlan) is best known as the final battle of King Arthur, where he either died in battle or was fatally wounded fighting his enemy and 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. Bourgogne ( English: Burgundy is one of the 26 regions of France. Avallon is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France. Geoffrey Ashe (born 29 March 1923) is a British cultural historian a writer of Non-fiction books and a few novels Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli lies off the Llŷn peninsula, in Gwynedd, north Wales. History Gwynedd was an independent kingdom from the end of the Roman period until the 13th Century when it was conquered and subjugated by England The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the 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 (Carrack Looz en Cooz is a Tidal island located off the Mount's Bay coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. 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.
Possible assumption by Geoffrey that Pytheas' Abalus was near Britain: The ancient Greek traveller Pytheas, who travelled to Britain around 320BC and then to an island called "Thule", considered today to have been Iceland, also went to where amber was collected; and he wrote the island was called Abalus or Abalum. Dates Pliny says that Timaeus (born about 350 BC believed Pytheas' story of the discovery of Amber. While it is likely from evidence beyond the scope of this discussion, that Pytheas visited the southeast Baltic region which was the main source of trade amber and that the "island" was actually the Samland Peninsula which is filled with amber still, it is possible that Geoffrey - whose work was very inventive and creative to say the least - read the Latin texts about Pytheas travels, and arbitrarily assumed Abalus was near Britain, like Thule and felt compelled to include it in his creative embellishments and expansions of the Arthurian myths.
Non-Arthurian notability
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. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Joseph of Arimathea was according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands This location of the Isle of Avalon is usually associated with present day Glastonbury. Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a Dry point on the Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. Avalon also plays a role in non-Arthurian French literature, such as the stories of Holger Danske, who was taken there by Morgan le Fay in a medieval romance, and in the story of Melusine. Ogier the Dane ( Danish: Holger Danske, French: Ogier de Danemarche) is a Legendary Danish Hero who Morgan le Fay, alternatively known as Morgane, Morgain, Morgana and other variants is a powerful sorceress and Antagonist of Melusine (or Melusina) is a figure of European Legends and Folklore, a feminine spirit of fresh waters in sacred springs and rivers
A nearby valley is named the Vale of Avalon. In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is Avalon (probably from the Celtic word abal: apple see Etymology below is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend, famous for its beautiful The identity of place by its attributes is clear. Avalon is the place of the Apples, as per the Celtic language translations, the Apple orchards of Somerset, of which Glastonbury is the centre.
References
See also
" And did those feet in ancient time " is a short Poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem (1804 In the Fortunate Isles also called the Isles (or Islands) of the Blessed (μακάρων νη̂σοι makárôn nêsoi) Heroes and In the seventeenth century the Province of Avalon was the area around the settlement of Ferryland which upon the success of the colony grew to include the land held by SirDictionary
Avalon
-proper noun
- (in Arturian legend) An island, represented as an earthly paradise in the western seas, to which King Arthur and other heroes were carried at death.
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