Its an unusual aerial shot of Glastonbury Tor. I've been there at least 3-4 times. Its a bit of a hike to the top but its worth it for the view.
From Wiki: Glastonbury Tor is a hill near Glastonbury in the English county of Somerset, topped by the roofless tower of St Michael's Church, a Grade I listed building. The site is managed by the National Trust and has been designated a scheduled monument. The Tor is mentioned in Welsh mythology particularly in myths linked to King Arthur and the island of Avalon, and has several other enduring mythological and spiritual associations.
The conical hill of clay and Blue Lias rises from the Somerset Levels. It was formed when surrounding softer deposits were eroded, leaving a hard cap of sandstone exposed. The slopes of the hill are terraced, but the method by which they were formed remains unexplained.
Archaeological excavations during the 20th century sought to clarify the background of the monument and church, but some aspects of their history remain unexplained. Artefacts from human visitation have been found, dating from the Iron Age to Roman eras. Several buildings were constructed on the summit during Saxon and early medieval periods; they have been interpreted as an early church and monks' hermitage. The head of a wheel cross dating from the 10th or 11th century has been recovered. The original wooden church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275, and the stone Church of St Michael was built on the site in the 14th century. Its tower remains, although it has been restored and partially rebuilt several times.
The Tor seems to have been called Ynys Afallon (meaning "The Isle of Avalon") by the Britons and is believed by some, including the 12th and 13th century writer Gerald of Wales, to be the Avalon of Arthurian legend. The Tor has been associated with the name Avalon, and identified with King Arthur, since the alleged discovery of his and Queen Guinevere's neatly labelled coffins in 1191, recounted by Gerald of Wales. Author Christopher L. Hodapp asserts in his book 'The Templar Code for Dummies' that Glastonbury Tor is one of the possible locations of the Holy Grail, because it is close to the monastery that housed the Nanteos Cup.
The Tor has been a place of Christian pilgrimage at least since the 11th-century and continues to be so, both because of the long-standing dedication to St. Michael the Archangel (the patron of many sacred mountains and hills) and more recently because of the martyrdoms of the three beatified Benedictine monks on its summit in the 16th-century Abbot Whiting, John Thorne and Roger James.
With the 19th-century resurgence of interest in Celtic mythology, the Tor became associated with Gwyn ap Nudd, the first Lord of the Otherworld (Annwn) and later King of the Fairies. The Tor came to be represented as an entrance to Annwn or to Avalon, the land of the fairies. The Tor is supposedly a gateway into "The Land of the Dead (Avalon)"
Wow, that’s quite a lengthy history! The most interesting part was the earthquake. I don’t know why, but I don’t associate earthquakes with that area. Probably Just lack of awareness on my part.
4 comments:
Some sort of indigenous mound?
Its an unusual aerial shot of Glastonbury Tor. I've been there at least 3-4 times. Its a bit of a hike to the top but its worth it for the view.
From Wiki: Glastonbury Tor is a hill near Glastonbury in the English county of Somerset, topped by the roofless tower of St Michael's Church, a Grade I listed building. The site is managed by the National Trust and has been designated a scheduled monument. The Tor is mentioned in Welsh mythology particularly in myths linked to King Arthur and the island of Avalon, and has several other enduring mythological and spiritual associations.
The conical hill of clay and Blue Lias rises from the Somerset Levels. It was formed when surrounding softer deposits were eroded, leaving a hard cap of sandstone exposed. The slopes of the hill are terraced, but the method by which they were formed remains unexplained.
Archaeological excavations during the 20th century sought to clarify the background of the monument and church, but some aspects of their history remain unexplained. Artefacts from human visitation have been found, dating from the Iron Age to Roman eras. Several buildings were constructed on the summit during Saxon and early medieval periods; they have been interpreted as an early church and monks' hermitage. The head of a wheel cross dating from the 10th or 11th century has been recovered. The original wooden church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275, and the stone Church of St Michael was built on the site in the 14th century. Its tower remains, although it has been restored and partially rebuilt several times.
The Tor seems to have been called Ynys Afallon (meaning "The Isle of Avalon") by the Britons and is believed by some, including the 12th and 13th century writer Gerald of Wales, to be the Avalon of Arthurian legend. The Tor has been associated with the name Avalon, and identified with King Arthur, since the alleged discovery of his and Queen Guinevere's neatly labelled coffins in 1191, recounted by Gerald of Wales. Author Christopher L. Hodapp asserts in his book 'The Templar Code for Dummies' that Glastonbury Tor is one of the possible locations of the Holy Grail, because it is close to the monastery that housed the Nanteos Cup.
The Tor has been a place of Christian pilgrimage at least since the 11th-century and continues to be so, both because of the long-standing dedication to St. Michael the Archangel (the patron of many sacred mountains and hills) and more recently because of the martyrdoms of the three beatified Benedictine monks on its summit in the 16th-century Abbot Whiting, John Thorne and Roger James.
With the 19th-century resurgence of interest in Celtic mythology, the Tor became associated with Gwyn ap Nudd, the first Lord of the Otherworld (Annwn) and later King of the Fairies. The Tor came to be represented as an entrance to Annwn or to Avalon, the land of the fairies. The Tor is supposedly a gateway into "The Land of the Dead (Avalon)"
Wow, that’s quite a lengthy history! The most interesting part was the earthquake. I don’t know why, but I don’t associate earthquakes with that area. Probably Just lack of awareness on my part.
Oh, we have earthquakes (not here so far) quite regularly. Small ones... but they still make the news. Maybe a couple times a year... [muses]
We have a LOT of history... [lol]
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