Mystical Avalon – Glastonbury Tor Art Print

Description

Before visiting Glastonbury several years ago, I had never heard of Glastonbury Tor never mind the legends that swirl around this corner of the Somereset landscape. According to some, the ancient tor is none other than Avalon, the mystical island that features in the legends of King Arthur. And before the fields were drained for farmland, the tor did indeed rise from a swampy lake.

And the Arthurian legends are just one element of this ancient hill. There has been human activity here dating back well into prehistory. Long before a church was built on top of Glastonbury Tor, it was a sacred site to the ancient Britons. The Tor is so interwoven into the history of ancient Britain that it was featured heavily in the opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics. I’ve read that prior to the London Games, Glastonbury Tor was relatively unknown beyond the UK, but no more. Once the Tor was recreated in the Olympic stadium, it apparently achieved some celebrity.

The Gothic tower atop the hill in this Glastonbury Tor print is all that remains of a 14th century church destroyed in 1539 during the dissolution of the monasteries. Today the disembodied St Michael’s Tower adds an element of the unexpected to the top of that hill. It almost feels like a figment of a dream seeing it looming on its on at the top of that long path to the top. It almost has the feel of a mystical portal doesn’t it?

Perhaps I’m being overly fanciful but the legendary Glastonbury Tor does that to you. Once you’ve looked upon that mystical place, be it Avalon or not, you can’t quite shake the magic of the tor.

Have you had the pleasure of wandering up that long path at Glastonbury Tor as well? Or does the magic of this print call to you?