Glastonbury - more trivia, more links

In this series of articles, we've discussed many topics related to the spiritual and historical aspects of Glastonbury, particularly relating to King Arthur.

However, these articles have barely scratched the surface.

For example, according to legend, Glastonbury Tor is laced with hidden, underground tunnels. Some of these tunnels lead to the Abbey, and have been used by gas workers in the mid-20th century, or perhaps later.

Simple geology confirms the likelihood of a network of tunnels in the Tor, due to the limestone which colors White Spring.

What is the significance of these tunnels...? No one knows with certainty.

But King Arthur historians will also be interested in sites far beyond Glastonbury, including Bath (where a sword and cauldron of apples were found in what was once a lake). Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland are among the sites with important artifacts suggesting links to King Arthur.

For those who want to continue researching subjects related to this article series, here are some interesting links:

Glastonbury

• Glastonbury: The Isle of Avalon, is a varied and fairly official site of the legendary town.

• Brittania's pages about Glastonbury, Somerset, are nicely illustrated with many articles, especially about Arthurian history.

• The Official Glastonbury Abbey Website will help you prepare for a most fulfilling visit to the legendary town.

Women of Arthurian Legends

• Ladies includes a history of Medieval women, plus biographical information on the leading ladies of Arthurian legend. This is an excellent starting point.

• For Pagans and historians, Goddesses of Avalon lists many women respected--and sometimes deified--by the Sisterhood of Avalon. Thoughtful articles and superb links.

King Arthur

• Brittania's Original Source Documents for Arthurian history.

• The Camelot Project provides an extensive online research library.

• About.com's The Truth of Arthur opens with a short article, and then leads to many excellent links.

• Vortigern Studies (British studies 400 - 600 CE) provides academic information if you really want to study this era.

• Mystical WWW - the Arthurian A2Z Knowledge Bank with many references to popular and obscure theories.

The Holy Grail

• High History of the Holy Graal is the full 13th-century text, online.

• 150 Holy Grail Links cover nearly every aspect of this complex subject.

Arthurian history in general

• The Labyrinth's Arthurian Links are among the best online, if you're a serious student of Medieval and/or Arthurian history.

For further study, offline In addition to the usual classics, several books can be helpful:

• John and Caitlin Matthews have written several books about King Arthur and related history/legends. I highly recommend their books specific to this topic.

• Likewise, R. J. Stewart (aka "Bob" Stewart), not from "Xena" television series, has startling insights regarding King Arthur and Merlin.

  Both of these authors have helpful articles about the Grail in the now out-of-print Gnosis magazine, Number 51, Spring 1999 issue: The Grail.

• There are several books which support or challenge the Glastonbury traditions relating to King Arthur. One is King Arthur: The True Story by Graham Phillips & Martin Keatman. This book proposes that Camelot was in Wales.

• It is helpful to own a dictionary of Arthurian names and terms. You can copy some information online, from the links above. I use An Arthurian Dictionary by Ruth Minary & Charles Moorman, which is fairly simple, but covers the basics.

glastonbury pages - aisling's travel index