King Arthur's Burial Place At Glastonbury Abbey

The photo above shows some of  the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. It is said that the famed King Arthur was buried here. To quote a sign nearby:

THE SITE OF KING ARTHUR'S TOMB

In the year 1191 the bodies of

King Arthur and his Queen were

said to have been found on the

south side of the Lady Chapel.

On 19th April 1278 their remains were

removed in the presence of

King Edward I and Queen Eleanor

to a black marble tomb on this site.

This tomb survived until the

Dissolution of the Abbey in 1539.

Glastonbury Abbey was founded in the 7th century and enlarged in the 10th. It was destroyed by a major fire in 1184 but subsequently rebuilt, and by the 14th century had become one of the richest and most powerful monasteries in England.

The abbey was suppressed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII of England. The last abbot, Richard Whiting (Whyting), was hanged, drawn and quartered as a traitor on Glastonbury Tor in 1539.

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Pilgrimage To Glastonbury Tor

We were in Glastonbury last week and went to the top of Glastonbury Tor. Quite a climb but wonderful views from the top - where it's possible to see three counties - Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire - if the weather permits.

The Tor is seen as a sacred pilgrimage by many, and there are legends attached to the area ranging from King Arthur and Avalon and to those who believe the Holy Grail is buried somewhere on the Tor.

The word Tor has a Celtic origin meaning hill. The conical shape of the Tor is natural - due to it's rocks. It is made up of horizontal bands of clays and limestone with a cap of hard sandstone.

The Tor has been a place of pilgrimage for over 10,000 years. On the summit is St Michael's Tower, part of a 14th century church which had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1275.

The second church lasted until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539. At this time the Tor was the scene of the hanging of Richard Whiting the last Abbot of Glastonbury.

View from top of Glastonbury Tor

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The Tristan Stone And King Arthur And His Knights

We were out and about in Cornwall and we stopped at the Tristan Stone, sometimes known as the Drustan Stone, as shown above. The stone is between Par and Fowey on Cornwall's south coast.

There are several stories about this stone and a probable link with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The one thing that is certain is that it dates back to the year 550.

On the north side of the stone a raised 'T' shape can be seen which is an old version of a Christian Cross known as a Tau. The 'T' can be seen in the photo below, obviously it has weathered somewhat over nearly 1500 years.

On the south side of the stone 6th century letters can be seen, photo below, again well weathered but translate as "Trystan here lies of Cunomorus the son."

Cunomorus was Marcus Cunomorus of the Medieval life of St Sampson and King Mark of Cornwall in the love story of Tristan and Iseult.

I mentioned King Arthur. The connection is that Tristan (or Trystan) was one of the Knights of the Round Table.

As for the the Tristan and Iseult story this is how it goes:

Isolde married King Mark of Cornwall, but had a love affair with Tristan. This continued after her wedding. King Mark eventually found out about the naughty goings on but forgave Isolde. Tristan, however, was exiled from Cornwall and he moved to the court of King Arthur.

Tristan travelled to Brittany in France, where he met Iseult. He was said to have been attracted to her because of the similarity of her name to that of Isolde. He did the honourable thing with Iseult and married her ... but in his heart of hearts he continued to love Isolde. See also another version about Tristan and Roche Rock

After looking at the stone for long enough we moved on to Fowey, one of my favourite places, but will leave that for another day.

Other Cornwall Posts:
The Cornish Mystery Of Trevethy Quoit Stones
The Cornish Mystery Of The Men-an-Tol Stones
The Mystery Of The Cornish Roche Rock And Hermitage

Photos: © Mike Perry

King Arthur, Excalibur And The Cornish UFOs

UFOs have been seen in Cornwall, England and interestingly around areas linked to the legends of King Arthur.

Near to the remains of Tintagel Castle on Cornwall's dramatic cliffs white, triangular shapes have been seen hovering near to the castle. One of the witnesses claims to have heard muffled cries for help just before the UFOs appeared.

A woman who lives a few hundred yards away from Tintagel Castle says she was woken by flashing lights coming through her bedroom window. When she looked out she saw a triangular shape flanked by three rows of pulsating red lights. She went back to bed but decided to have a second look minutes later. She then saw two triangles side by side.

There was a further UFO sighting near to Tintagel at Polzeath beach. This time a courting couple - what on earth were they doing in the pitch darkness - spotted a 20 foot long triangle with a second, smaller one nearby. The UFOs appeared at the top of the beach and then 'floated' towards the sea.

The couple claim the triangles came within twelve feet of them and then vanished as they appeared to touch the sea waves.

The woman described the incident: "We heard a noise. I don't know if it was connected. It was a cry for help that had just scared me anyway. The triangles didn't hurt my eyes. It became fascinating but it was like, wow, you know ... I found myself drawn."

Another sighting was south of Dozmary Pool on Bodmin Moor.

If you know the story of King Arthur, Dozmary Pool is the home of the Lady of the Lake and is where Sir Bedivere or Bedwyr is said to have thrown the King's magical sword Excalibur at the end of his life. A mystical hand supposedly caught Excalibur and pulled it beneath the water.

As for Tintagel Castle many say this is where King Arthur was born.

The Dozmary Pool UFO was seen by 18 year old Matt Punter. A square of lights which he described as being 'without substance' hovered about 20 feet above his car as he was driving home at night time.

So could there be any connection between King Arthur and UFOs or is this purely a romantic notion created as perhaps was the legend of Arthur itself?

The legend tells us that when King Arthur was at death's door his wounds were treated by three mysterious maidens. He was placed into a boat and floated down the river. His body was never found. Many believe he rests under a hill, along with all of his knights, ready and waiting to ride forth once more and save the country ...

We could certianly do with a bit of help at the moment.

Further Reading:
Alien Visitation And UFO Sightings
Over 600 Pages Of UFO Reports