glastonbury tor the site of the isle of avslon

She built a small castle influenced by Scandinavian design and named Vikingsholm. The last owner of Emerald Bay, before it became a trust, was Lora Josephine Knight. The Isle in Emerald Bay has been called the Emerald Isle, and is now named Fanette Island.

The smaller church rebuilt on the Tor became subject to the Reformation of the Abbeys in 1539 when its stones were quarried and only the tower was left. The 11th century stone church on the Tor was reduced to rubble in an earthquake in 1275. There is a tale of the local Druids giving land to the anchorites of the earliest Christian religion and the Glastonbury Abbey, now only ruins, was built on the site where they practiced their faith, at the base of the Tor. As Christianity came into play, the magical Isle faded into the mists and the Tor we see today took its place. Glastonbury was a community of Druids and folklore makes this sacred place one of the locations of the Isle of Avalon where lived the Lady of the Lake. Many centuries ago the waters from the Somerset levels would flood in the winter making the Tor an Island. There is even a square tower on its crown. As I sit next to the rushing waterfall and look out to the lake, I gaze upon a tiny island that is similar in shape to the Glastonbury Tor.

One of my favorite places here is Emerald Bay, known for its emerald and turquoise water. Thirty years later I am living in Lake Tahoe, also rich in magic and breath taking beauty. When I found myself atop a hill where the small town of Glastonbury was spread out showcasing the many features of its’ landscape, I was taken in by the deep magic and rich mythic story lines of its’ history. She lived in a cottage at the base of the Glastonbury Tor, close to the Chalice Well. After having read The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, I wanted to walk on the land where the author lived while while she was writing this book. I first traveled to the British Isles in 1987.

Glastonbury tor the site of the isle of avslon