Lyonesse - a lost city in Arthurian Legend.

Can you hear the church bells ringing?

There once was a kingdom, a beautiful fertile kingdom, which was inhabited by a noble and handsome race. These were good people who loved their God so much that, it is said, they built a staggering 140 churches in which to worship him in. Some say they even built a glorious cathedral. But then one night, the unthinkable happened. The ocean rose and drowned the city, taking her deep into the murky depths, never to be seen again. 

I am, of course, taking about Lyonesse and the once beautiful city of Lions.

There is a lovely legend...a man name Trevilian, foresaw the disaster. Seeing the approaching - I guess it was some sort of tsunami - he leapt onto a white horse and raced away from the advancing sea. He took refuge in a cave and watched as the sea calmed his city. The Trevilian coat of arms still bears a horse emerging from the water. It is also worth a mention that Brittany also tells of a lost city and the King, Gradlon, escaping the water on a horse. Maybe it is just a coincidence, maybe not. Nevertheless, the kingdom went by the name of Lyonesse. But how did Lyonesse become associated with Arthurian Legend? Let's take a look...!

Lyonesse and Arthurian Legend.

The 1995 movie, First Knight, starring Richard Gere and Julie Ormond, portrays Guinevere as the ruler of Lyonesse. But the connection with Arthurian Legend, goes way back.

 

There are many stories of lost cities under the sea...some of the cities have even been found, such as Cleopatra's Palace in Egypt or the Olous in Crete. I guess the most famous of all these lost cities is Atlantis and I don't think anyone has found her yet.

Where was Lyonesse?

 

It is said that Lyonesse once stood between Land's End and the Isle of Scilly.  Now all that is left of that ancient kingdom is a reef known simply as the Seven Stones - a reminder perhaps, of the power of the sea. It is said, that on stormy nights one can still hear the haunting sound of church bells ringing and you can still make out the city walls under the water. At low tide, along the sands of Sampson Flats, the field boundaries of Lyonesse can be made out. Whether this lost kingdom really was called Lyonesse...I think could be debated, but that’s for another day.
 
Of course, as is often the case, Scotland also claims to have Lyonesse as does Brittany - and who’s to say they are wrong? But for this post I am going to assume that Lyonesse could be found just off the coast of Cornwall.

 "Then rose the King and moved his host by night
And ever pushed Sir Mordred, league by league,
Back to the sunset bound of Lyonesse—
A land of old upheaven from the abyss
By fire, to sink into the abyss again;
Where fragments of forgotten peoples dwelt,
And the long mountains ended in a coast
Of ever-shifting sand, and far away
The phantom circle of a moaning sea."

Tennyson Idylls of the King 

Interestingly, in the early texts of Arthurian Legend there is no mention of a kingdom disappearing under the sea, but then again, there was no mention of Camelot either -- but that's another story.

But as the legend grew, so did the story. When you look at Arthurian Legend as a whole, the land is a fundamental part of the stories. If it were not, then why was Camelot invented? And Lyonesse plays an important part in the legend.
     
It is said that Sir Tristan came from Lyonesse. At the time of the disaster, he was in Cornwall, at the court of his uncle - King Mark. He watched his father's kingdom be reclaimed by the sea - and there was nothing he could do about it.  Maybe things would have been different for Tristan, if Lyonesse had not been so cruelly taken from him. He certainly had his fair share of heartache - if the legend can be believed.

But, whatever the truth, a city was once there and unexpectedly the sea reclaimed it.

Arthur's Seat

We are heading back to Scotland today...

To be more specific we are heading about 1mile - 1.6km for those who prefer metric - to the east of Edinburgh Castle.

Just a short walk from Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile, is Holyrood Estate, which is owned by the reigning monarch, Elizabeth II. This 650 acre sight is made up of an array of hills, glens, lochs ( we are in Scotland after all) and basalt cliffs.

The highest point of the Royal Park is Arthur's Seat. For those who are interested, Arthur's Seat is a dormant volcano.

If you ever happen to find yourself in Edinburgh - great city, cannot recommend it enough - and you have the energy to climb it, then you will be rewarded with panoramic views of Scotland's capital city.

Arthur's Seat was once the site of a large, and very well preserved fort, that dates from around 2000 years ago.

 

Arthur's Seat

Okay. Let us venture back to the 6th Century and to a Welsh poem called Y Gododdin and let us travel to an area which we now call Edinburgh. The land belonged to the Votadini (Gododdin) and these people were warriors. They also held a strong dislike for those invading Angles. The poem speaks of what happened in the battle between the Gododdin's and their enemy. But there is one, interesting stanza. Check it out...

 He pierced three hundred, most bold,
He cut down the center and wing.
He was worthy before the noblest host,
He gave from his herd horses in winter.
He fed black ravens on the wall
Of the fortress, although he was not Arthur.
Among those powerful in feats
In the front rank, a palisade, Gwawrddur.

If you are interested in reading more of the poem, check out this site http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/sechard/492godo.htm

                                                                                                

Is that it? I hear you ask, clearly confused.

 

Umm...Well, one thing is certain, whoever the poet was talking about, it wasn't Arthur, but he was a great man... an almost Arthur. But, if this great man was compared to - now I am assuming they are talking about the Arthur that we are talking about - then by the 6th Century, Arthur was already somewhat of a legend. A man others were compared to.

But what has this got to do with Arthur's Seat? 

Arthur's Seat is where, it is said, the Votadini's - Gododdin's - had their fort or maybe they had their fort where Edinburgh Castle now sits - lets rephrase - their fort was somewhere in what is now modern day Edinburgh.

Let's clutch at some straws. Lets pretend that Arthur's Seat (or Edinburgh) is another contender for the site of Camelot? Knowing what we already know of Camelot ( if you missed it check out this link) we must come to our own conclusions.

I do not think there is that much to link Arthur's Seat with Camelot. I may be wrong. It has been known to happen now and then. The only thing that connects it, as far as I can see, is the name and even that turns out to be slightly dubious.

William Maitland proposed the most outlandish idea that Arthur Seat was actually a corruption of the Gaelic Àrd-na-Said, which he translated as "Height of Arrows." - which became known as - Archer's Seat - Arthur's Seat?? Do you see where he was going with it?

Now it is proposed that the actual "seat" is between the highest point of the peak and a secondary point a little way South. Perhaps Arthur was really big? Who Knows.

But, all jesting aside. Arthur Seat does come up in Arthurian literature several times. It is said that the fort once went by the name Castellum Puellarum - Castle of Women. This castle was the home to women prisoners (and / or) seductive women who would tempt any knights to a night of sin...unless the knight was Galahad, but that's a whole other story. And of course, it was the home of Arthur's half-sister, Morgan Le Frey.

There are many stories that swirl around these ancient hills - from the mysterious coffins found there to the anti-aging properties of the hills Mayday dew. My personal favorite isn't about Arthur at all. It is about a dragon. A terrible dragon who plundered the kingdom, burning and eating all the livestock. The dragon became so full that he lay down, fell asleep and never woke up again. It kind of fits with this whole dormant volcano thing Arthur's Seat has going on.

Was King Arthur...Scottish??

Hey, thanks for dropping by today.

 

I have the privileged of blogging over at English Historical Fiction Authors today. So if you want to find out if King Arthur was Scottish, then click - here!

King Arthur's Sister in Washington Court - Book Review

This blog is going to be a little bit different, although still in keeping with the Arthurian theme. Today I am going to talk about a rather wonderful book called King Arthur's Sister in Washington Court by Kim Iverson Headlee.

Those of you who read a lot of Arthurian literature may well have come across Kim's work before, The Dragon's Dove Chronicles, perhaps?

King Arthur's Sister in Washington Court ( I am going to call it KASIWC from now on ), caught my eye because it sounded really intriguing. Arthurian legend meets baseball - what a concept!

Kim, I think, set herself quite a challenge when she wrote it, because this is a sequel to Mark Twain's  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - so hats off to her for that.

The story is about Morgan le Fay, Queen of Gore, and is set in the year AD 600, (Morgan was lucky enough to survive the purge in Mark Twain's book). We all know of Morgan's magical prowess and she has vowed revenge upon the Yankee, Hank Morgan - who in Mark Twain's book caused a great deal of trouble for Arthur and his court.

Morgan casts a spell which is supposed to take her to 1879 Connecticut - she wants to stop Sir Boss (Hank) from ever traveling back to her time and destroying her world, but her spell goes drastically wrong and she finds herself in Washington DC In the year 2079.

She adapts remarkably quickly to modern life - she survives her first encounter with a flying limousine - which she is convinced is some sort of magical dragon. And thank goodness for magic, for she would never have been able to walk in stilettos without it!

Morgan lands on her feet and becomes the Campaign Manager for the American President, Malory Beckham Hinton - whose ambitions are so great that Morgan believes that one day the President will rule absolutely and elections will be a thing of the past.

Somehow, Morgan ends up being the owner of the London Knights - the world-champion baseball team and after that things really get interesting...

Morgan's stormy relationship with Sandy, the general manager of the Knights, is hysterical - I have lost count how many times she fired him! The story is packed with action and you never quite know what Morgan is going to do next ...will she throw the game by using magic or will she refrain herself this one time?

She also tells some incredibly amusing anecdotes about the Knights of her brother's Round Table.

To be absolutely honest, although the title and synopsis intrigued me, I was a little bit wary to start with, simply because baseball is not a national sport where I come from. The only encounter I have ever had with baseball is on my children's Nintendo Wii and I must admit, it wasn't my finest of moments. Oh, and of course, there was that Kevin Costner film, however all I learnt from Field of Dreams was "If you build it, he will come," but apart from that, I know nothing! However, my lack of knowledge did not in any way hamper the enjoyment of the book. So please do not be put off if you are not a baseball fan.

Likewise, you do not have to read Mark Twain's book to understand what is going on in this one. KASIWC stands firmly on its own two feet.

KASIWC is an incredibly well crafted piece of work, of that there is no doubt. The story is told in the first person by Morgan herself, and boy, does she have strong opinions on just about everything - some of which may be a little controversial - but hey, she is from a different era, what can you do?

It is laugh out loud funny, but at the same time some of topics that Kim explores really made me think about how little things have actually changed between Morgan's world and our own. It gave me pause for thought.

There is humour, romance, drama, magic, King Arthur and his Knights, and baseball - what more can you ask for?

I read this book in a day - and I haven't done something like that in a long time - I simply could not put it down. Which I think, in itself, says a lot about the book.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely.

So, if you are looking for something to read that is a little bit different, then what are you waiting for? Click on the links and check out Kim Iverson Headlee, King Arthur's Sister in Washington Court, today!

Kindle

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Sir Bedivere

Back to my knights!
Like Sir Kay, Sir Bedivere, is one of the original Knights of the Round Table.

Excalibur into the Water. Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley, 1894.

Who was the great Sir Bedivere?

The first mention of him is in the 10th Century poem Pa Gur. This is how the poet describes Bedivere.

They fell by the hundred

before Bedwyr of the Perfect-Sinew.

On the shores of Tryfrwyd

fighting with Garwlwyd

furious was his nature

with sword and shield.

We can also find him in the story of Culhwch and Olwen. In this he is described as being a good friend of Culhwch (Sir Kay) and helps Culhwch with his quests to win the hand of Olwen. Bedivere is later given the title, Duke of Neustria.

 He is also described as being very handsome, although not as handsome as Arthur, and he had a magic lance -- like you do!

Monmouth portrays him as the most loyal of men, to which no one ever seems to despite. His reputation is left untarnished in future accounts.

He is one of only a handful of knights that survive the Battle of Camlann -- the battle where Arthur fought Mordred -- and he was the last person to see Arthur alive.

But what he is remembered for the most happened after the Battle of Camlann.

The Battle of Camlann leaves Arthur mortally wounded. Arthur commands Bedivere to throw Excalibur (his magical sword) back into the lake. However, Bedivere is reluctant to do so, for the sword is very valuable and is a symbol of Arthur's reign. So he decides to lie to his King, but Arthur can see right through the lie and tells him he must throw the sword into the lake. Once again Bedivere lies and Arthur looses his temper, telling him the sword must go back. Realising that his King will not die peacefully if he does not do as he is told, Bedivere reluctantly throws the sword back into the lake -- what happens next is unbelievable -- The Lady of the Lakes' hand reached out from the depths of the water and catched the sword mid-air, before disappearing back into the water again, taking the sword with her. Bedivere tells Arthur of what he saw and Arthur is comforted.

What happened to Sir Bedivere after Arthur died?

Some say Sir Bedivere died on the Roman Campaign, by which time he only had one hand.

But many of these medieval story tellers had a bit of thing for putting all these noble knights into religious orders and that is what many of them did with Sir Bedivere. He enters the hermitage led by Mordred-ousted Bishop of Canterbury. Ironically, it is the same hermitage Lancelot also ends up in. I hope it was a silent order, I cannot imagine the two of them having much to talk about.

...Perhaps I should do that with my stories, if a character is getting on my nerve I can stick them in a hermitage -- now there's a thought...

The one other thing that Sir Bedivere is remembered for is his logic and if any of you are fans of Monty Python, then you will know what I am talking about!

Arthur Pendragon and Glastonbury Abbey

"Have you ever stopped and listened to the peasants when they tell stories of him?"

The Du Lac Chronicles - Pitchfork Rebellion

I was going to blog about one of the other knights tonight, but after reading the latest news from Glastonbury Abbey, I decided I needed to take timeout from my knights and write about the Abbey instead.

Not so long ago I blogged about the monks of Glastonbury Abbey, finding Arthur's grave and digging him up.

When I started researching Arthur, I was more than a little suspicious about this claim. It was just too convenient. The Welsh were revolting - and Arthur was being used as a kind of figure head for them, someone to inspire the men. After all, Arthur would never let his people suffer. He would come to the aid of his countrymen, no matter what.

And then there was this small issue of Glastonbury Abbey's coffers. There had been a fire and they needed the money a huge influx of pilgrims would bring.

I have visited Glastonbury Abbey countless times, and I have listened to the storytellers as they describe the moment the tomb was discovered. The story they weave is very fitting with the Arthurian legend - it could almost make you believe in Merlin and his magic.

But, I wonder now if things will change. I can not help but think that Glastonbury Abbey has made a terrible mistake. For the last four years archaeologists have "comprehensively demolished" ( The Guardian) all of the wonderful stories and myths that were associated with the Abbey.

I think the myths and the stories were a big part of the Abbey's appeal - I certainly loved listening to them, and when you are stood there amongst the ruins listening to the stories, you can almost believe them. It is as if the ruins of the Abbey itself wants you to believe them, is willing you to. How are they going to tell those stories now? With comedy? "I am sorry to say, but the story I just told you...is just that...a story, no truth in it whatsoever." Everyone may laugh, "Oh those monks, they were naughty!"

Will it make the place any less holy, if the stories we all took as truth...maybe with the preverbal pinch of salt...are actually well, lies?

Why would we want to visit the Abbey to see Arthurs last known resting place, now that we know the truth...he probably isn't there...he probably was never there.

The discovery, if you can call it that, has put the Abbey back in the spotlight, but I fear for the wrong reasons. Of course, if they had discovered that Arthur had been there, then of course, I would probably be writing something very different. But I fear that it is a gamble they took, that they may have just lost. I do hope I am wrong.

This new knowledge would not stop me from visiting the Abbey. It is the most tranquil and beautiful of places. I just wished they had kept the fantasy alive for a little bit longer.

But, when I think about this new knowledge, I cannot help but smile, because maybe the Welsh of the 12th Century get to have the last laugh. Their Arthur was not a man who could be dug up...He was and is The Once and Future King.