THE MYSTERIES OF AVALON: APPENDIX V

ST. ALBAN OF VERULAMIUM: ANOTHER CO-OPTED PAGAN GOD?

I was reading the story of St. Alban the other day and noticed something that had escaped me in the past:  he is beheaded atop a hill at St. Albans on June 22nd.  As most good pagans know, the Summer Solstice can fall on this day.  And then there was the bit about the cloak, which became personified through error as Saint Amphibalus – amphibalus being a word for a certain kind of cloak. Alarm bells starting going off.

The name Alban or Albanus is from L. albus, ‘white’.  Although Roman names containing the element Alban- are not uncommon, in this case the attempted ruse is rather transparent.

When the head of the god Bran was brought back from Ireland, it went in stages until finally its bearers deposited it within the Gwynbryn or “White Hill” of London as a protective talisman.  The White Hill is now better known as Tower Hill.

http://www.maryjones.us/jce/towerhill.html

But before the head is buried in the Gwynbryn, we are told that when the bearers of the talisman return to Wales from Ireland they learn that Caswallawn son of Beli has defeated King Caradawg son of Bran BY WEARING A MAGICAL CLOAK THAT CONFERS INVISIBILITY ON ITS WEARER. Caswallawn is a reflection of the historical Cassivellaunus of the time of Caeser, who is thought to be the king of the Catuvellauni tribe.  As it happens, the Roman period capital of the Catuvellauni was Verulamium/St. Albans.

Although there is more than one St. Alban’s Hill in Britain, the one at St. Albans, the Roman period Verulamium, is generally considered the best candidate.  I will here quote the story of St. Alban from Bede before summarizing my identification of this Christain saint with Bran the Blessed.

“CHAP. VII. The Passion of St. Alban and his companions, who at that time shed their blood for our Lord.

At that time suffered St. Alban, of whom the priest Fortunatus, in the Praise of Virgins, where he makes mention of the blessed martyrs that came to the Lord from all parts of the world, says:

And fruitful Britain noble Alban rears.

This Alban, being- yet a pagan, at the time when at the bidding- of unbelieving rulers all manner of cruelty was practised against the Christians, gave entertainment in his house to a certain clerk, flying from his persecutors. This man he observed to be engaged in continual prayer and watching day and night; when on a sudden the Divine grace shining on him, he began to imitate the example of faith and piety which was set before him, and being gradually instructed by his wholesome admonitions, he cast off the darkness of idolatry, and became a Christian in all sincerity of heart. The aforesaid clerk having been some days entertained by him, it came to the ears of the impious prince, that a confessor of Christ, to whom a martyr’s place had not yet been assigned, was concealed at Alban’s house. Whereupon he sent some soldiers to make a strict search after him. When they came to the martyr’s hut, St. Alban presently came forth to the soldiers, instead of his guest and master, in the habit or long coat which he wore, and was bound and led before the judge.

It happened that the judge, at the time when Alban was carried before him, was standing at the altar, and offering sacrifice to devils. When he saw Alban, being much enraged that he should thus, of his own accord, dare to put himself into the hands of the soldiers, and incur such danger on behalf of the guest whom he had harboured, he commanded him to be dragged to the images of the devils, before which he stood, saying, “Because you have chosen to conceal a rebellious and sacrilegious man, rather than to deliver him up to the soldiers, that his contempt of the gods might meet with the penalty due to such blasphemy, you shall undergo all the punishment that was due to him, if you seek to abandon the worship of our religion.” But St. Alban, who had voluntarily declared himself a Christian to the persecutors of the faith, was not at all daunted by the prince’s threats, but putting on the armour of spiritual warfare, publicly declared that he would not obey his command. Then said the judge, “Of what family or race are you?” – “What does it concern you,” answered Alban, “of what stock I am? If you desire to hear the truth of my religion, be it known to you, that I am now a Christian, and free to fulfil Christian duties.” – “I ask your name,” said the judge; “tell me it immediately.” “I am called Alban by my parents,” replied he; “and I worship ever and adore the true and living God, Who created all things.” Then the judge, filled with anger, said, “If you would enjoy the happiness of eternal life, do not delay to offer sacrifice to the great gods.” Alban rejoined, “These sacrifices, which by you are offered to devils, neither can avail the worshippers, nor fulfil the desires and petitions of the suppliants. Rather, whosoever shall offer sacrifice to these images, shall receive the everlasting pains of hell for his reward.” The judge, hearing these words, and being much incensed, ordered this holy confessor of God to be scourged by the executioners, believing that he might by stripes shake that constancy of heart, on which he could not prevail by words. He, being most cruelly tortured, bore the same patiently, or rather joyfully, for our Lord’s sake. When the judge perceived that he was not to be overcome by tortures, or withdrawn from the exercise of the Christian religion, he ordered him to be put to death.

Being led to execution, he came to a river, which, with a most rapid course, ran between the wall of the town and the arena where he was to be executed. He there saw a great multitude of persons of both sexes, and of divers ages and conditions, who were doubtless assembled by Divine inspiration, to attend the blessed confessor and martyr, and had so filled the bridge over the river, that he could scarce pass over that evening. In truth, almost all had gone out, so that the judge remained in the city without attendance. St. Alban, therefore, urged by an ardent and devout wish to attain the sooner to martyrdom, drew near to the stream, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, whereupon the channel was immediately dried up, and he perceived that the water had given place and made way for him to pass. Among the rest, the executioner, who should have put him to death, observed this, and moved doubtless by Divine inspiration hastened to meet him at the appointed place of execution, and casting away the sword which he had carried ready drawn, fell at his feet, praying earnestly that he might rather be accounted worthy to suffer with the martyr, whom he was ordered to execute, or, if possible, instead of him. Whilst he was thus changed from a persecutor into a companion in the faith and truth, and the other executioners rightly hesitated to take up the sword which was lying on the ground, the holy confessor, accompanied by the multitude, ascended a hill, about half a mile from the arena, beautiful, as was fitting, and of most pleasing appearance, adorned, or rather clothed, everywhere with flowers of many colours, nowhere steep or precipitous or of sheer descent, but with a long, smooth natural slope, like a plain, on its sides, a place altogether worthy from of old, by reason of its native beauty, to be consecrated by the blood of a blessed martyr. On the top of this hill, St. Alban prayed that God would give him water, and immediately a living spring, confined in its channel, sprang up at his feet, so that all men acknowledged that even the stream had yielded its service to the martyr. For it was impossible that the martyr, who had left no water remaining in the river, should desire it on the top of the hill, unless he thought it fitting. The river then having done service and fulfilled the pious duty, returned to its natural course, leaving a testimony of its obedience. Here, therefore, the head of the undaunted martyr was struck off, and here he received the crown of life, which God has promised to them that love him. But he who laid impious hands on the holy man’s neck was not permitted to rejoice over his dead body; for his eyes dropped upon the ground at the same moment as the blessed martyr’s head fell. At the same time was also beheaded the soldier, who before, through the Divine admonition, refused to strike the holy confessor. Of whom it is apparent, that though he was not purified by the waters of baptism, yet he was cleansed by the washing of his own blood, and rendered worthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. Then the judge, astonished at the unwonted sight of so many heavenly miracles, ordered the persecution to cease immediately, and began to honour the death of the saints, by which he once thought that they might have been turned from their zeal for the Christian faith. The blessed Alban suffered death on the twenty-second day of June, near the city of Verulam, which is now by the English nation called Verlamacaestir, or Vaeclingacaestir, where afterwards, when peaceable Christian times were restored, a church of wonderful workmanship, and altogether worthy to commemorate his martyrdom, was erected. In which place the cure of sick persons and the frequent working of wonders cease not to this day.

At that time suffered Aaron and Julius, citizens of the City of Legions, and many more of both sexes in divers places ; who, after that they had endured sundry torments, and their limbs had been mangled after an unheard-of manner, when their warfare was accomplished, yielded their souls up to the joys of the heavenly city.”

The particulars of the St. Alban story can now be set out rather simply.  St. Alban is named for the White Hill upon which he was beheaded or, rather, in which the head of his pagan prototype Bran was buried.  The cloak or ‘amphibalus’ of St. Alban is a substitute for the magical cloak of Caswallawn, worn to defeat the son of Bran.  In mythological language, such cloaks generally represent something like the cloud hiding a solar hero.  The beheading of St. Alban on the Summer Solstice is actually the seasonal beheading of Bran the sun god.  For at the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, the days begin to grow shorter.  From the Summer Solstice to the Winter Solstice is the true “waning year”, the time when the sun god is symbolically “dead”.

Once again, Christianity has stolen a pagan god and his story and “converted” both (if my readers will excuse the pun!) to suit its own purposes.

NOTE: Since writing this chapter, I’ve become aware of a Roman-period mosaic found at St. Albans.  This portrays the horned head of a god.  While the artwork has been called the ‘Sea God Mosaic’, in the words of the St. Albans Museum:

“The mosaic is known as the sea god mosaic – the face on it could be the god Oceanus – or it might be Cernunnos, the god of the woods. It was made around AD160-90. This mosaic is on display in Verulamium Museum. It was found in the same Roman town house as the mosaic in the hypocaust room.”

This brings to mind the god Gwynn (see Chaper 6), who may well have been a horned god.  Gwynn, like Albans, means “white”.  When we look at the horned god mosaic of St. Albans, could we be looking at Gwynn himself?