Avalon

Avalon

General Overview
Avalon is made famous for its part in Arthurian Legend. While there is no evidence to prove the validity of anything pertaining to Avalon, it is widely accepted that Avalon is where King Arthur's sword, Excalibur, was forged. In addition, after Arthur was wounded by Mordred, he was taken to Avalon to be healed. The common notions surrounding Avalon stem from the writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Geoffrey actually tells us that Arthur was placed on a golden bed at Avalon and was nursed back to health. Sir Thomas Malory's //Morte D'Arthur// maintains this version by expressing the hope that Arthur will return from the Isle of Avalon.

Historical Basis
Avalon's most widely known portrayal is in connection with the legend of Arthur. Geoffrey of Monmouth supplies the most common notion of Avalon in its connection with Arthur's sword and his burial. He also provides the most famous and widely accepted source, at least in medieval times, of Arthur's history in //History of the Kings of Britain. // In addition to this book, Geoffrey wrote the poem "Life of Merlill" from which stems the idea of Arthur being taken to Avalon to heal.

Across all stories, Avalon is portrayed as a place of refuge. The island appears in legends such as Marie de France's "Lanval". In "Lanval", the hero Lanval is taken to Avalon by a fairy that inhabits Avalon in order to escape the consequences for offending Guinevere. In another story, Robert de Boron tells the tale of Joseph of Arimathea in which Avalon is connected to the Holy Grail. Joseph supposedly took the Holy Grail and used it to catch drops of Jesus' blood while he was on the cross. Joseph then took the Grail to Avalon.

A valon first became linked to the town of Glastonbury in 1191 when Glastonbury monks connected the town to Arthur and explored the site of Tor, a man-made hill with the monastery at its top. As a result of the excavation, a cross with the words "Hic Iacet Sepultus Inclitus Rex Arturius In Insula Avalonia" ("Here lies buried the renowned King Arthur in the Isle of Avalon") inscribed on it. They later found a coffin that is said to have contained the bones of Arthur and Guinevere.

Changes Through Tradition
When the Arthurian Legend and its relation to Avalon first came into public conscience through Geoffrey of Monmouth's writings, the vast majority of people accepted what he wrote as true. Throughout history, this belief in Avalon has been generally maintained; however, there have been a great many attempts to try to prove/disprove its existence, which has caused some people to lose faith in the validity of Geoffrey of Monmouth and Robert de Boron's writings.

After the "discovery" (whether it was real or not) of Arthur and Guinevere's tombs along with the lead cross, many people thought that this was a stunt by Glastonbury to gain publicity. Others thought that the finding was a hoax because the monks wanted to please King Henry II (Henry had been receiving taunts from the Welsh that Arthur would return to be their leader).

It wasn't until the middle of the twentieth century that evidence that the monks may have been telling the truth came about. After another excavation, it was proved that the monks had dug to a typical depth for burials in Arthur's time, which suggests that the discovery may have been genuine. The one piece of evidence that is missing is the cross, which was lost in the late 1700s. Despite this, hope has remained because replicas of the cross were made, and the writing and language on the cross does correspond to that which was common at Arthur's time.

The truth of the existence of Avalon has no concrete answer, but society's belief in it has not faded even though the belief in the validity of the proof has wavered.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Defining Characteristics

 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Avalon has, and probably always will be, a place surrounded in mystery. This is what characterizes the island. Without being shrouded with vagueness, the interest in Avalon, as well as its fame in connection with Arthurian Legend, would fade.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">One of the most important aspects of the island is the fact that it is linked to the legend of Arthur. Because of its connection, it receives a great amount of mythological as well as historical attention.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The island's religious affiliation as a result of its claimed connection to Glastonbury has caused a very widespread interest.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[[image:http://lbmguru.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/c1032_holy_grail_660-1.jpg width="462" height="253" align="right"]] The fact that it is also linked to the Holy Grail in Robert de Boron's tale captures the attention and intervention of the church in affairs pertaining to research regarding Avalon.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Its stature as a place of immense importance as a result of its connection to such high profile people/objects such as Arthur, Excalibur, the Holy Grail, etc. is what makes the mystery so tantalizing and the attention so enormous. In addition to bringing fame to itself, the island also gives fame to the legend of Arthur and everything that it is connected with.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Sources
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