2000 Years Ago on
Glastonbury Tor
Celtic Britain: The
Coming of the Light #1
By: Donna Fletcher
Crow
The dark shape of the Tor rose
behind him, a brooding presence commanding all his attention and then drawing
his eyes upward toward the vast adumbral sky, far and far above the
wind-rustled boughs of the mysterious oak grove at the mountain's base. He saw
pale moonlight shimmering on the inky surface of Meare Pool, silhouetting the
circle of wattle huts inside the palisade standing on pilings in the lake. And
on every side of him mists rose from the river and marshland that separated
this small piece of land with its cluster of hills from the rest of the world.
The inhabitants called it Ynis Witrin, the Glass Isle, but to this newcomer's
eye, with only the silvery moon for a lamp, the shrouded waters resembled not
crystal, but obsidian. A shift in the breeze bore a wisp of fog to him. He
shivered.
Joseph looked down on the thatched
roofs of the lake village where his eleven companions slept in guest quarters.
The strangeness of the hill's green-darkness, of its windswept isolation, of
its apartness from the rest of the world, chilled him. An almost deafening
chorus of crickets and frogs assailed him, and a few drops of dew fell on his
cheek as he surveyed this foreign landscape illumined by a cold moon.
What had he done in bringing his
little band of believers, many of them women and youths, to this alien land?
What awaited them tomorrow? Would the druid leader welcome missionaries of a
new faith? Would he listen to the good news of the way of peace and love? Or
would he institute one of the sacrifices Caesar had pictured after his visit to
Britannia almost a hundred years ago-stuffing a giant wicker figure with human
beings and setting it ablaze? Joseph shuddered.
And so begins the saga with the coming of the Holy Grail
to Britannia, that far-off island at the edge of the mighty Roman Empire where
the followers of The Way might escape persecution from a system that forced
them to worship in secret in catacombs and dragged those who dared to disobey
Caesar off to do battle in the coliseum.
At first all went far better than Joseph of Arimathea
could have dared to hope for. He and his band of 12 are made welcome on The
Glass Isle and given 12 hides of land to build homes and a church— the first to
be built above ground— which Joseph dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. A
Celtic princess of the nearby court chooses Christian baptism along with a
Druid priest.
But not all the Druid leaders are so welcoming. Tarana of
the fiery hair and temper vows revenge. And then the Romans invade. Caractacus,
war leader of the Britons sends out the hosting call and Joseph joins him as
chaplain. The Emperor Claudius’s invasion of Britannia with elephants is a
matter of historic record and the Celtic rulers are paraded in Rome in chains.
Again, all a matter of historic record.
And so the story unfolds through the centuries, through
Celtic, Roman, Arthurian, Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Tudor times as Glastonbury
sees it all. And the question remains, Where is the Holy Grail?
Glastonbury has been called “The holiest earth in
England.” These are her legends, this is her history, this is the magnificent
saga—
Glastonbury saw it all:
Joseph of Arimathea and his little band of pilgrims,
seeking refuge from Roman persecution, flee to this tiny, sheltered island on
the west coast of Britannia, bringing with them their most sacred possession-
the Holy Grail;
The holy Isle of Avalon provides refuge for renewal of
courage as King Arthur and his knights fight off the invading barbarian hoard,
then it becomes his final resting place;
A devastating fire threatens to destroy the work and
worship of centuries, but Arthur's bones provide the impetus for yet more
magnificent building, a greater flowering of the faith;
Until the last abbot is drug to his death atop the Tor and
the splendid arches are left to crumble.
But still the faithful seek the greatest prize of all- The
Holy Grail.
Through all the ages history and legend intertwine around
these broken arches, standing a beacon of hope and light for the future.
Donna
Fletcher Crow is the author of 40 books, mostly novels dealing with British
history. Besides the award-winning Glastonbury,
Donna is also the author of The Monastery Murders: A Very Private Grave and A Darkly Hidden Truth, as well as the
Lord Danvers series of Victorian true-crime novels and the romantic suspense
series The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries.
Donna
and her husband live in Boise, Idaho.
They have 4 adult children and 11 grandchildren. She is an enthusiastic
gardener. To read more about all of Donna’s books and see pictures from her garden and research
trips go to: www.DonnaFletcherCrow.com.
Donna’s
blog http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/articles.php
Twitter:
@DonnaFletchCr
