Glastonbury: the legendary Avalon? Is King Arthur and the Holy Grail hidden her
The legends surrounding one of England's most famous sacred sites attract countless visitors and pilgrims. Rising above the flat plains of the Somerset Levels, Glastonbury Tor, with its ruined tower at the summit, stands as the unmistakable symbol of one of England's most mysterious locations. The town of Glastonbury, home to one of the country's earliest Christian buildings, is steeped in traditions, legends, myths, and fantastical adventures.
This vibrant countryside town draws all kinds of visitors. Romantics are drawn by the tales of King Arthur, pilgrims by its ancient Christian heritage, mystics flock in search of the Holy Grail, and astrologers are lured by the zodiac, said to be etched into the very landscape around them.
The terraces surrounding Glastonbury Tor may mark the winding path once followed by pilgrims—a spiral labyrinth that leads to the summit and dates back to the time when the first Christians settled in Glastonbury.
The Tor also forms part of the figure of Aquarius in the Glastonbury zodiac, which is said to be laid out in a circle with a 16-kilometer diameter across the Somerset countryside. The hill is traversed by an ancient straight path that connects it to other sacred sites in the area.
Glastonbury was almost an island, surrounded by marshes or floodwaters, when the first Christians settled there, in a period that remains somewhat uncertain. The earliest reliable date is around 705, when King Ine established a monastery there, which later housed Benedictine monks in the 10th century.
Archaeological excavations have uncovered remnants of earlier structures made of wooden posts and woven branches, covered with clay and straw, as well as numerous later stone buildings, of which only the perimeter outlines are still recognizable today. Notable ruins of the main abbey, constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries, remain, characterized by a distinctive mystical atmosphere.
The Chapel of the Virgin, dating back to the 12th century, stands on the site of an earlier church that was destroyed by fire in 1184. This was the "Old Church," traditionally believed to have been built by Joseph of Arimathea, the wealthy figure from the Gospel who wrapped the body of Jesus in a cloth and placed it in his tomb.
One legend claims that Joseph later emigrated to Glastonbury and founded a church there. Another story tells that he arrived by boat near Wearyall Hill, where he leaned on his staff to pray. Miraculously, the staff took root, giving rise to the Glastonbury Thorn, a hawthorn that still blooms at Easter and Christmas on the grounds of the abbey, and in front of St. John's Church.
Was King Arthur buried here?
Perhaps the greatest mystery of Glastonbury revolves around the remains of King Arthur. Do his bones truly lie within the grounds of the abbey? While the monks claim to have discovered them, along with those of his wife Guinevere, in 1190, doubts persist about the authenticity of this account. Recent evidence seems to suggest that the king was actually buried near Bridgend in South Wales.
After his final battle at Camlann, Arthur was carried, mortally wounded, to the mystical island of Avalon. (In ancient times, Glastonbury was almost an island, as the sea covered the low-lying Somerset Levels between the Mendip and Quantock hills. The remains of Iron Age lakeside villages confirm this insular past, indicating that Glastonbury could be reached by boat.)
Arthur instructed Sir Bedivere to dispose of his magical sword, Excalibur. When the knight cast it into a lake, a hand emerged from the waters and grasped it. Where exactly did this strange event take place? Popular tradition identifies the spot as Pomparles Bridge, near Glastonbury, where a pond once existed but has since been drained.
The tomb was discovered after a Welsh bard revealed the secret of its location to King Henry II. The monarch informed the abbot of Glastonbury, and during the reconstruction of the monastery following the fire of 1184, the monks began their search for the grave.
At a depth of about 2 meters, they found a stone slab and a lead cross bearing the inscription: “Hic iacet sepultus inclitus rex arturius in insula avaionia” (Here lies buried the renowned King Arthur in the island of Avalon).
Approximately 2.7 meters below the slab, they uncovered a coffin made from a hollowed tree trunk, containing the remains of a man measuring 2.4 meters tall, with a damaged skull. Also present were smaller bones identified as those of Guinevere, based on yellowed strands of hair found with them.
In 1962, archaeologist Ralegh Radford confirmed that the site was indeed a tomb, but he added that there was no way to prove whose remains they were. The location now marked as King Arthur’s Tomb is actually where the bones were reburied in 1278, in a black marble tomb placed in front of the high altar. The original burial site, which bears no identifying markers, is located 15 meters from the south door of the Chapel of the Virgin.
The Legends of Glastonbury Tor
King Arthur’s connection to Glastonbury predates these events, according to a legend told even before the alleged discovery of his tomb. Melwas, a king of Somerset, is said to have kidnapped Guinevere and imprisoned her in Glastonbury. Arthur rushed to free his wife from the stronghold, which was believed to be situated on the Tor. However, the abbot acted as an intermediary between the two sides, who eventually reached an agreement before the battle began.
In the 1960s, during excavations at the top of the hill, the remains of ancient wooden structures were discovered, but it was not possible to determine whether they were the residence of King Melwas or a monastic settlement.
Whoever lived within those walls led a prosperous life: among the artifacts found were crucibles for metalworking, animal bones indicating the butchering of many oxen, sheep, and pigs, and pottery that suggests a heavy consumption of wine.
In medieval times, the monks of Glastonbury built a church at the summit of the Tor and consecrated it to the Archangel Michael, but it was destroyed by an earthquake. The tower that still rises above the hill is all that remains of a later church, built to replace the original. The monks’ intention was likely to convert the pagan Tor to Christianity.
According to legend, the Tor was the gateway to Annwn, an underground realm ruled by Gwyn ap Nudd, King of the Fairies. When Saint Collen visited Gwyn in the 6th century, he crossed a secret entrance on the Tor and found himself inside a palace. Exposed to temptations, he sprinkled holy water on everything he found, causing the castle to vanish, leaving Collen alone on the hill.
Chalice Well
At the foot of the Tor hill lies an ancient well, whose spring waters mimic the sound of a heartbeat. Additionally, due to the presence of iron oxide, the waters have a red hue; for this reason, the well is also known as the "Blood Spring."
However, its most famous name is Chalice Well, as tradition holds that the priceless Holy Grail was hidden here: it was the cup from which Jesus drank during the Last Supper, brought to England by Joseph of Arimathea. Legends spoke of the Grail's miraculous powers, and after its disappearance, many knights of the Round Table searched for it in vain.
The Symbolism of the Chalice Well
The well is designed with the symbolism of the Vesica Piscis in mind. The vesica piscis, or "mandorla," is an oval-shaped symbol formed by the intersection of two circles of the same radius, where the center of each circle lies on the circumference of the other. The name literally means "fish bladder" in Latin.
Known in India, ancient Mesopotamia, Africa, and Asian civilizations, the Vesica Piscis transitions into Christianity as a reference to Christ, as seen in the Ichthys symbol. In the later development of Christian iconography, the mandorla (almond shape) became associated with depictions of Christ or the Virgin Mary in Majesty, often represented in medieval illuminated manuscripts and sculptures, as well as in frescoes and mosaics.
In this context, it is a Romanesque-Gothic decorative element used to highlight the sacred figure within it, often surrounded by other sacred subjects on the outside of the mandorla. It holds a dual meaning: alluding to the almond fruit and seed in general, it becomes a clear symbol of Life, making it a natural attribute for the One who is the "Way, Truth, and Life." As an intersection of two circles, it represents the communication between two worlds, two different dimensions—namely, the material and the spiritual, the human and the divine.
Jesus, the Divine Word made flesh, becomes the sole Mediator between these two realms, the sole bridge between the earthly and the heavenly, and as such, is often depicted within this intersection. Confirming this, in some Carolingian and Ottonian miniatures, the two circles are also depicted around Christ, but vertically.
The Zodiac of Glastonbury
The English sculptor Katharine Maltwood sparked a wave of controversy in 1929 with the publication of her book The Temple of the Stars of Glastonbury. In illustrating the Ancient History of the Holy Grail (written around 1200 in Glastonbury), she claimed to have discovered a group of enormous figures scattered across the Somerset countryside south of Glastonbury.
Outlined by the natural contours of rivers, paths, roads, hills, ditches, and embankments, these figures represented the 12 signs of the zodiac. Katharine Maltwood then went on to connect the symbolism of these colossal figures to the story of the Holy Grail and the legends of King Arthur.
As ancient as the hills that form its image and the rivers that partly outline it, the Zodiac of Glastonbury stretches across a natural landscape, occupying a 16-kilometer-wide circle. Our ancestors completed this astrological design by building roads, canals, and embankments.
This Temple of the Stars is a synthesis of astrology, Arthurian legends, and New Age philosophy. To grasp its meaning requires patience and imagination, as it is based more on associations between place names and legends than on historical facts.
Arthur is Sagittarius, his wife Guinevere is Virgo, the wizard Merlin is Capricorn, and Lancelot is Leo. Glastonbury lies within the constellation of Aquarius, represented by a phoenix – the New Age rising from the ashes of the ancient one. The Chalice Well coincides with the bird's beak, the Tor Hill forms its head, and the Abbey is the Castle of the Grail.
