![]() ![]() When I lived there, I never tired of walking around Glastonbury and exploring the many sites that make it truly unique. The New Age movement is going strong here, yet another layer of belief to cloak the place. Today, Glastonbury is a place where those seeking spiritual enlightenment are drawn. For many it is the heart of Arthurian tradition, and for some it is the resting place of the Holy Grail. It is a place that was sacred to the Celts, pagan and Christian alike, Saxons, and Normans. Removed from the fantastic orgy of the music festival, this small, ancient town in southwest Britain is a place of mystery, lore and legend. It’s a great party, but that’s not the real Glastonbury. You’ll think of thousands of people covered in mud as they wend their way, higher than the Hindu Kush, among the tent rows to see their favourite artists rock the Pyramid Stage at Britains’ largest music festival. To most, the mere mention of this town’s name will likely conjure images of wild, scantily clad or naked youths and aged hippies. One of the things I love about Glastonbury is the, more often than not, peaceful coming together of various beliefs through the ages. ![]() Glastonbury has always been a special place for me, not because I lived in the countryside outside the town for a few years, or because of its strong Arthurian associations, an area of study and story that I have always gravitated to. In Part III of The World of Isle of the Blessed, we’re looking at the history, myth and legend of the place known in Celtic myth as Ynis Wytrin, but which we know today as Glastonbury, or the legendary Isle of Avalon. Glastonbury tor joseph of arimathea series#In the latest Eagles and Dragons series novel, Isle of the Blessed, we find ourselves in a world beyond the water and mist of the Somerset levels of southern Britannia. To the Romans, that was Elysium, or the Elysian Fields, the place where heroes blessed by the Gods went to spend eternity in peace. To the ancient Greeks, the Fortunate Isles, or Isles of the Blessed were a place where heroes went, a green paradise where the sun always shone. Various Holy Thorns in Glastonbury were claimed to descend from the original tree.What is the Isle of the Blessed? There are many traditions when it comes to paradise, or a place where there is no suffering or pain. The tree was believed to be miraculous because it blossomed twice a year, at Easter and Christmas. The story of Joseph of Arimathea and the possibility that Christ himself had come with him to Glastonbury was the inspiration for William Blake’s famous poem ‘Jerusalem’. ![]() This later story, which became hugely popular in the 17th century, claimed that the thorn bloomed from Joseph’s staff when he planted it in the ground on Wearyall Hill. This story of Joseph’s life included a description of Joseph’s travels as part of the tin trade and his coming to England, as well as the first mention of a flowering thorn at Glastonbury associated with Joseph. ![]() The Holy Thorn in blossom, Glastonbury Abbey (© Glastonbury Abbey) As part of these efforts he created a chapel beneath the Lady Chapel and probably was responsible for the composition of The Lyfe of Joseph d’Arimathie at Glastonbury around 1520. In the 16th century, Abbot Beere wanted to promote Joseph of Arimathea’s association with Glastonbury. Other stories say he brought two cruets (vessels usually used to hold wine or water for the Eucharist) holding the blood and sweat of Jesus collected at the cross. Medieval legends further claimed Joseph was not only a relative of Jesus (some said his great uncle) but that he brought the Holy Grail to Glastonbury, the very cup that Jesus had used with his disciples at the Last Supper. The Bible says that Joseph of Arimathea gave up his tomb for the burial of Jesus Christ after his body was taken down from the cross. Cruets in stained glass from the church of St John, Glastonbury (© Glastonbury Abbey photograph: Nic Phillips) This gave Glastonbury a direct link with the life of Christ. generations extended this history even further and claimed that it was founded by Joseph of Arimathea in AD 63. In the 12th century, William of Malmesbury said the ‘Old Church’ at Glastonbury was the earliest in Britain and had been founded perhaps by disciples of Christ or the earliest of his followers in Britain. Joseph of Arimathea How did Joseph of Arimathea become associated?Ī monastery’s reputation and status depended in part on the antiquity of its origins. ![]()
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