The
Mysteries of Avalon:
A
Primer on Arthurian Druidism
The
Mysteries of Avalon: A Primer on Arthurian Druidism
Copyright
© August Hunt August 1, 2011
Cover
Photo: Maybugh Henge, Cumbria,
England. Photo courtesy: Sue Kane
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
August
Hunt has a lifelong passion for the Arthurian stories and has been studying
them since his youth. He has lectured extensively on King Arthur at colleges
and for re-enactment organizations. His articles on British Dark Age topics are
also featured on various award-winning websites.
Drawing
on his considerable knowledge of folklore, heroic legend and myth, as well as
place-name studies, history and archaeology, August is providing new and challenging
material which illuminates many of the previously shadowy areas of the
Arthurian tradition.
August
holds a degree in Celtic and Germanic Studies, and is a member of the
International Arthurian Society. When he is not engaged in research and writing,
he enjoys designing and building stone circles and other monuments that
reproduce the celestial alignments of their ancient European counterparts.
His
other Arthurian books include:
The
Arthur of History: A Reinterpretation of the Evidence
THE
MYSTERIES OF AVALON:
A
PRIMER ON ARTHURIAN DRUIDISM
AUGUST
HUNT
FOR
MY MOTHER
Who
Believes
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My
thanks to the following correspondents, without whose help most of the more
difficult etymological and archaeological problems could not have been resolved:
Robert
Vermaat, Tim Padley of the Tullie House Museum, Carlisle, Dr. Graham Isaac of
the National University of Ireland, Galway, Dr. Ranko Matasovic, author of the
Proto-Celtic Etymological Dictionary, Dr. Garrett Olmsted, Dr. Ken Dark of
Reading, Huw Pryce, School of History and Welsh History, University of Wales,
Bangor, Dr. Graham Thomas, Senior Assistant Archivist, Department of
Manuscripts and Records, The National Library of Wales, Dafydd Price Jones and
Andrew Hawke of the Geiriadur Prifsygol Cymru, Dr. David Howlett of Oxford, Tom
Lane of the Society of Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, Phil Parkes, ACR,
of the School of History and Archaeology, Cardiff University, Neil Fairburn,
Archaeology Project Manager, Milford Haven to Brecon Pipeline, NACAP Land &
Marine JV on behalf of National Grid, Adam Gwilt, Curator of the Bronze &
Iron Age Collections, Department of Archaeology & Numismatics, The National
Museum Wales, Dr. Nina Steele, Historic Environment Record Archaeologist,
Gwynedd Archaeological Trust, Dr. Frances Lynch, Dr Paul Robinson, Curator,
Wiltshire Heritage Museum, Alison Taylor, Institute of Field Archaeologists,
SHES, University of Reading, Dr. Catherine M. Hills. Cambridge University,
Jacqueline I. McKinley, Senior Project Officer, Wessex Archaeology, Amanda
Ravlick, a graduate student at Florida State University, Professor Charles
Murgia, Department of Classics, University of California, Berkeley, Julia Crick
of the University of Exeter, Department of History, Christopher Gwinn, G.
Vernon Price, Dr. Linda Malcor, Professor O'Riain of University College, Cork,
Dr. Betty O'Brien, Professor John Waddell of the Department of Archaeology at
the National University of Ireland, Galway, John Bradley, Mariah Elaine Smith,
University of Kansas graduate student, Alfred Stuckelberger, Georgina
Plowright, Curator, English Heritage Hadrian’s Wall Museums.
Any
conclusions I have reached based upon information supplied to me by these
correspondents do not necessarily represent the opinions of the correspondents
themselves. As the majority of academics are trained to avoid speculation of
any sort, I suspect many would disagree with my findings or the spirit of my
findings. Errors of extrapolation or other variety are entirely my own.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Introduction 10
Where
is Avalon? 22
The
Goddesses of Avalon 32
The
Lady of the Lake 39
Myrddin
at Avalon 43
The
Horned God 133
Other
Gods and Goddesses 152
Ysbyddaden
and St. Hawthorne 217
Trystan
and Essyllt 224
Arthur
and Uther 231
The
Genius of Britain 246
The
Druid’s Egg 254
The
Mother of Arthur 259
The
Grail of the Mare and the Raven 274
The
Lightning and the Stone 293
The
Everlasting Battle and Avalon 322
The
Spiritual Avalon 345
Appendices
The
Trees of Avalon: A New Interpretation
of the Ogham Alphabet 354
The
Thirteen Treasures of the Island of
Britain and Their Ritual Uses 383
Zodiacal
Correspondences of Arthur’s
Battles 396
Joseph
of Arimathea and St. Collen 401
St.
Alban of Verulamium 404
Lanval
of Avalon 411
The
Questing Beast 420
Bibliography 427
INTRODUCTION
Towards a Definition
of Arthurian Druidism
Arthurian
Druidism is an ambiguous religion, the further development of which has been
hampered by several factors. Chief among these is the modern, almost universal
refusal to acknowledge that there was a historical Arthur. Coupled with this
refusal is a stubborn insistence on viewing Merlin (Welsh Myrddin) as either a
prophesying madman roaming the Scottish woods or as a master wizard casting
spells in romantic fictions. It did not help that early antiquarians, with
insufficient grounds for doing so, sought to imaginatively convert Merlin into
a druidic priest. Further obfuscating matters is the unceasing debate over
whether or not Arthur was Christian (those who demand that he was ignore the
complex set of cultural conditions existing in North Britain during the
Post-Roman period of the 5th-6th centuries CE).
The
few attempts made to present to the world a true picture of Arthurian Druidism
have failed because they relied too heavily on creative intuition or outright
fraud. None have sought to properly balance a speculative approach to the
subject with a sound, reasonable application of facts derived from scientific
studies such as onomastics (the study of place-names), archaeology, history and
folklore. Unprofessional comparative methods have been wielded loose and free,
producing countless falsehoods, some of which have, unfortunately, seeped their
way into the popular consciousness. Dubious resources touted as revelatory in
nature are routinely consulted for research purposes, resulting in the
promulgation of unsubstantiated claims and the birth and perpetuation of
pseudo-traditions.
I
have, with sadness, witnessed the nascent neopagan movement flounder under its
own excesses. There has as yet been no collapse; instead, I would describe it
as a waning of youthful enthusiasm. People moving away from established
monolithic religions in a quest for spiritual fulfilment or a sense of
belonging more intimately to nature have become disenchanted with the
alternative paths self-proclaimed (and often thoroughly unqualified) ‘gurus’
have laid out for them. They have become justifiably suspicious of cults and
crafts invented whole-cloth. The non-pagan public, whose respect (and not merely
toleration) needs to be gained, has had its doubts, criticisms and even
disparagements all too often confirmed.
In
my opinion, to save neopaganism, to prevent it from again becoming a creed
adhered to only by a scattering of secretive, solitary practitioners, the
originators of the movement must reappraise their own motives and methods and
take responsibility for the sacred trust that falls upon the shoulders of anyone
seeking to guide the lives of others. These originators must develop a new
respect for the ancient materials which they have in the past so glibly
treated, acknowledging as they do the scant remains of these materials and
arriving at satisfactory parameters for the hypothetical amplification of such
religious relics.
Another
challenge to modern-day pagans is how to reconcile their religious beliefs and
practices with the prevailing scientific world view. For example, pagans tend
to personify the sun as a deity. Implicit in such a personification is the
notion that the sun is a conscious entity. But science, while it still has much
to explain regarding the origin and nature of the sun, presents this object as
merely a giant thermonuclear reactor, devoid of any kind of consciousness. If
the scientists are right (and I, for one, find that this is usually the case),
how can a pagan justify praying to the Sun? Or making offerings to the Sun? Or
seeking protection or bounty from the Sun? Or engaging in often elaborate
rituals to celebrate the seasonal transformations of the Sun?
I
think the solution to this dilemma is actually rather simple: when overwhelming
evidence demands that they do so, pagans must embrace the findings of science.
To do otherwise would be to engage in the same kind of anti-progressive
activism that characterizes so much of the Catholic Church’s defensive history.
Such an acceptance of facts or even valid theory proven conclusively by science
does not mean, however, that pagan belief must be supplanted. Instead, pagans
must develop the ability to interpret their cherished deities or other objects
of devotion as symbolic representations of more profound truths. For the
Universe, as now partially understood by science, is far more complicated, far
stranger and more wonderful than anything conceived of by our pagan ancestors.
Indeed, no existing religious or philosophical system of thought comes close to
comparing with the mathematically-derived views espoused by theoretical
physicists! Just because many of us cannot understand those views unless they
are explained in layman’s terms does not mean that we should reject them. No pagan,
despite his or her hankering for the ‘good old days’ of our ancestors, should
be part of a movement whose expressed goal is to foster a new Dark Age in which
the light of intellectualism is extinguished in favour of mandatory
superstition.
And,
finally, neopagans must decide if a group with such disparate spiritual beliefs
and practices can – or even should – reunify into some kind of cohesive
alliance. To truly organise pagans into some kind of all-inclusive church with
the power to interact politically in the events of the modern world may not be
desirable and, indeed, may go against cherished precepts founded in a need for
freedom of individual thought and action. But the creation of a spiritual body
exhibiting solidarity and long-term growth potential, whose leaders strive to
attain and promote stability and strength in numbers, rather than the chaotic
flux and the weakness inherent in glorified support groups, could contribute
much of value to our troubled times.
It
is my hope that the current book will go a considerable distance toward
remedying these problems. Utilizing the usual analytical tools, I plan on establishing
the legitimacy of the figure of Merlin, as he is pivotal to any discussion of
Arthurian Druidism. I will also delve into other aspects of the religion, not
the least of which is the symbolic significance of Arthur himself, his battles
and his sojourn in Avalon. Along the way the gods, goddesses, sacred places,
belief systems and rituals of the Northern Britons of Arthur’s time will be
sketched in broad outline.
So
what is druidism? Simply put, it is the religion system of the ancient Celtic
druids. A definition, of course, which naturally leads to the next question:
‘What is a druid?’
Many
definitions for the word druid have been proposed, yet the most viable remains
dru-vid or ‘oak-knowing’. By extension, a druid is an ‘oak-knower’. But what is
meant by someone who ‘knows the oak’? It has been supposed that such a person,
anciently the member of a cast of priests, had considerable knowledge of trees
and perhaps of a sacred tree alphabet and calendar. This is an overly
simplistic view and does not acknowledge the symbolism implicit in the oak
tree.
The
oak was the tree of the sky and of the sky-father. This sky-father went under many
names among different peoples in different times. We tend to think of him,
usually, in his Classical guises of Zeus and Jupiter, or of his Germanic
counterpart, Thunor or Thor. The Celtic peoples also had sky-fathers, one of
whom was called Taranis, the ‘Thunderer’. The oak tree’s spreading branches,
high up in the canopy of the forest, represented the sky itself and the god
himself.
There
is no site in Europe that better displays the
importance of the oak in the ancient religious system inherited by the druids
than Seahenge at Holme-next-to-Sea in Norfolk,
England. This
monument is composed of 55 wooden posts arranged in a circle around an upturned
oak tree. Such wooden henge monuments formed the models for the later monuments
in stone, such as the famous Stonehenge on
Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.
Seahenge
allows us to understand not only the significance of the oak to the druids, but
the true nature of the interior sacred space of a wooden or stone circle. The
oak at Seahenge is upturned, with its spreading roots pointed upward towards
the sky. Why? Because the space within the circle was conceived of as a
mirror-reflection of the sky itself. By entering the precinct a priest was,
essentially, standing upon or in the heavens. His position relative to the
upturned oak proved that this was so on a symbolic level. The roots of the oak
were to be conceived of as holding the sky-supporting trunk of the tree fast in
the earth; its branches, being the sky itself, covered the surface of the enclosure.
This
mirror-image of the sky found within the wooden posts or standing stones of a
druidic circle was called a nemeton. This name for a holy enclosure is
illuminating in and of itself, for it comes from nemeto-, meaning ‘sacred
place, sanctuary’, itself from nemos, ‘heaven, sky’. Thus the nemeton was the
sky.
A
druid, then, was a priest whose special training had given him a profound
knowledge of the sky and everything that pertained to the sky. Such knowledge
would have concentrated on the observation and prediction of heavenly events,
chiefly concerning itself with the annual motion of the planets and stars.
Agricultural festivals originally (before the slipping of the calendar)
coincided with solstices and equinoxes. The ability to foretell eclipses,
meteor showers, cometary appearances and the like would have given the druids
immense power and prestige. Like heavenly bodies themselves, the druids rose
from the earth into the sky as they set foot into the nemeton, and fell back to
earth when they left the sacred enclosure. The planet Jupiter rises and sets
and, in this respect, a druid was not only an ‘oak-knower’, but a human
incarnation of the sky-father himself, the ‘Knowing oak’.
Arthurian
Druidism makes use of these principles, merely applying them specifically to an
Arthurian context. This context is composed of those traditions preserved by
the Welsh which treat of Arthur himself and his family, divine heroes or
deities brought into his orbit and places legitimately associated with him. We
must take it on faith that these traditions record genuine vestiges of ancient
British druidic worship and ritual practices and that they were not merely
invented, as some scholars contend, as oral or literary entertainment. We must
also be willing to subscribe to the view that Christianity in its purest form
did not entirely prevail in the North of Britain in the century or two after
the Roman withdrawal. In truth, the evangelizing efforts of native, Continental
and Irish saints during this period would not have been necessary had large
portions of the population not lapsed into paganism.
An
aspect of Arthurian Druidism which I will be constantly emphasizing is what I
term ‘correspondences’. Astrologers reading this statement will immediately
know exactly what I’m talking about – so, too, will practitioners of magic and
Wicca. The old adage ‘As above, so below’ certainly applies. For while Arthur
was a real human being, who ruled a real kingdom, fought at real places, and
was buried in a real place, within the confines of druidic belief he was also a
divine king with his own celestial counterpart, whose life and death provides
us with an ideal vision of heroic striving towards a selfless, beneficent
purpose.
Another
recurring theme – perhaps the central tenet - in my treatment of Arthurian
Druidism will be seasonal transformation imagery. To the early Britons, nothing
was more important than the regular rotation of the seasons. Their lives
depended on the natural cycles and rhythms of Nature without which crops would
not grow and livestock would not prosper. And their only escape from the
finality of death lay in their ability to acknowledge their unity with eternal
heavenly entities – entities like the sun, whose passage through the solar year
dictated seasonal change. The sun might seem to die at midwinter, but it was
always reborn.
Some
readers may be disappointed that some elements of Arthurian Druidism do not
appear to conform to the more mystical strain prevalent in current Celtic
Reconstructionist thought. Others will object that cherished relics like the
Holy Grail, which has been subject to Christian appropriation and sublimation
for centuries, have become somehow less mysterious, less magical, less
miraculous. Yet there was a refreshing honesty at the root of British pagan
religion, an honesty that despite its often complex iconography and secretive
poetic language, never demanded its adherents devote themselves to an Other or
Other-world or Other-state-of-existence that was patently unknowable.
Pagans
are a common-sense lot. They believe in the here and now, but recognize that
eternity resides in the same place at the same time. They prefer their gods and
goddesses to be of the here and now, and place no reliance on alien divinities
who exist in uncaring fashion beyond the physical universe. They celebrate the
passing of a loved one in the same way they celebrate the passing of a season,
with sorrow for loss and joy in the prospect of cyclic rebirth.
Not
for the pagan is an obsessive dwelling on unanswerable theological questions,
or the raging fanaticism that leads one to persecute or murder those who do not
hold the same subjective Truth. Pagans have the wisdom to avoid becoming enmeshed
in metaphysical philosophies that serve no purpose other than that of intellectual
masturbation, but at the same time they are avid students of any science whose
findings amplify rather than diminish the wonders of Nature. They may, on
occasion, be attracted to the unique promise of a pseudo-science, but eventually
develop a power of discernment that protects them from being exploited by
con-artists and potentially dangerous cult leaders.
Finally,
pagans – at least the ones I have personally known – want to do good. They want
to serve their fellow Man, they want to work for the welfare of animals, they
want to make the world a better place to live in, for us and future
generations. Many pagans are now members of the military, and in the United States,
at least, their religious preference
is
officially recognized and, supposedly, condoned. One of my pagan friends is in
health care, while another works in emergency services and a third is a county
sheriff. Long gone is the clichéd misconception that a pagan by definition is
someone lacking intelligence or sensitivity, who is lazy, irresponsible, has no
discipline or lacks commitment to anything save unbridled freedom, who dresses
like a hippy or Goth and is body-decorated with multiple piercings and tattoos,
whose life is filled with uninterrupted chaos or organised anarchy, who is a follower
not a leader, is weak, whiny and needy, has an addictive personality and
pursues only pleasure and self-aggrandizement.
Today’s
pagans are for the most part indistinguishable from the mainstream population.
They have become, as it were, integrated into modern society. This does not
mean that they have sold out. Rather, they have been successful in adapting to
changing conditions. Most pagans are monogamous; they did not adopt their faith
as an excuse for, or justification of, indiscriminate sex. If they are
polyamorous, they have strict codes of moral conduct to guide them in their
lifestyle. Modern pagans are unlikely to be found in careers where the primary
reward is financial. Instead they are interested in enriching the lives of
others and find fulfilment in being stewards of the environment. They have
Nature-respecting and otherwise well-adjusted children who attend good schools.
This
being so, what role in the lives of today’s pagans can Arthurian Druidism play?
How would embarking on the path of Arthurian Druidism benefit them?
Granted,
there are many paths available to the modern pagan. But only one puts forward
as its central figure the prototypical saviour hero upon whom, directly or
indirectly, most of today’s literary and cinematic heroes are patterned. The
‘White Knight’ of our movies, fantasy novels and comic books, in no matter what
guise he appears, is beneath his costume of anonymity none other than Arthur,
or perhaps one of Arthur’s knights. While this White Knight is not, strictly speaking,
the early Celtic Arthur of pagan Britain, but instead the Arthur of
medieval Christian romance, he is Arthur, nonetheless.
One
might think that our increasing obsession with the cult of the superhero in our
entertainment media is in direct reverse-proportion to the number of genuine
heroes in our society. But this is not at all the case. We have a preponderance
of heroes – they merely go unsung, being unrecognized and unrewarded because
our materialistic culture is more interested in accruing money, possessions and
empty fame. As long as status is determined by such superficial, meaningless
things, and the majority of our attention is focused on pursuing them, genuine
as opposed to imaginary heroes will remain under- or unappreciated.
To
save or rescue something or someone in any positive sense should be the joint
goal of our society. Perhaps what is called for is a new order of Arthurian
knighthood composed of dedicated pagan servants of the community and the world,
and most particularly of Nature. The Round Table might yet again become
fashionable as a symbol of Equality and Solidarity. A Myrddin (the later Merlin
of Arthurian romance) or even a council of Myrddins could be elected to advise
the Round Table on matters pertaining to future projections and planning and to
oversee the Nemeton. The Quest as the search for all things needed to help Man
excel as a species and as the chief caretaker of this world might once again
come to the fore as a viable pagan calling. Even the Grail could be evoked as
that which is essential to sustaining spiritual and physical life and
well-being. The Nine Queens of Avalon might become the guardians of the
feminine principle and everything pertaining to it, as well as of the
Otherworld of Eternal Summer.
And
how, exactly, would prospective Arthurian druids go about implementing such an
ambitious plan?
Well,
the first step is to sufficiently familiarize ourselves with the precepts of
Arthurian Druidism. And that is the aim of this simple primer. As for the rest,
I leave that up to the readers of this book.
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