The Keys to Avalon: The True Location of Arthur’s Kingdom Revealed

Description

Avalon is Britain's very own Atlantis - a mystical kingdom rich in myth and lore. Legends tell how the body of King Arthur was taken to Avalon, where he would wait till his nation's hour of need. The truth is that Avalon was a very real place with a turbulent history of its own. In "The Keys to Avalon", the authors use neglected ancient sources, geographical clues and modern maps to take us to the heart of this realm. They uncover a remarkable landscape steeped in evidence of a bygone age. En route, they debunk the claims of other places to the name of Avalon, and literally redraw the map of Dark Age Britain, forcing us to re-examine all of our theories about this era. Ultimately, they reveal the kernel of historical truth at the heart of the Arthurian legend and unlock the borders of a lost land. Acknowledgements viii List of Illustrations x Preface xiii Part One The Arthurian Enigma 1 The Myth of Arthur 7 The Keys to Arthur's Kingdom 21 Britain Before Arthur 45 Merlin and Uthyr Pendragon 71 Arthur the Battle Leader 87 King Arthur and Camlan 105 Part Two The Keys to Avalon 121 Avalon, Annwn and the Celtic Otherworld 139 The Politics of Arthur and Avalon 155 In Search of Glaestingaburh 167 Avalon: The World's End 183 The Grail Land 199 Epilogue Appendix One: Arthur's Relatives 218 Appendix Two: The Unknown Arthur 225 Appendix Three: The 'Lost' Kingdoms of Northern Britain 237 Appendix Four: Source Materials 243 Select Bibliography 255 Notes 257 Glossary of Personal Names 277 Gazetteer of Comparative Place Names 278 Glossary Elements of Welsh Place Names 280 About the Authors 282 Useful Addresses 282 Index 284 Stop Press 302