Geoffrey of Monmouth’s translation of Welsh texts (into Latin) in about 1140 mistakenly equated “Britannia” (or Yns Prydein) with “Great Britain” when in fact it referred to the approximate limits of present-day Wales

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Product Description

Avalon is Britain's very own Atlantis - a mystical kingdom rich in myth and lore. Legends tell how the body of King Arthur was taken to Avalon, where he would wait till his nation's hour of need. The truth is that Avalon was a very real place with a turbulent history of its own. The authors of this study use neglected ancient sources, geographical clues and modern maps to take us to the heart of this realm. They uncover a remarkable landscape steeped in evidence of a bygone age. En route, they debunk the claims of other places to the name of Avalon, and literally redraw the map of Dark Age Britain, forcing us to re-examine all of our theories about this era. Ultimately, they reveal the kernel of historical truth at the heart of the Arthurian legend and unlock the borders of a lost land.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #455451 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

From the Publisher
The first ever book to provide a substantiated geographical setting for the Arthurian legacy, debunking accepted theories about Dark Age Britain.

About the Author
Between them Steve Blake and Scott Lloyd have devoted decades of research to the subjects of the Holy Grail, Arthur and Ancient Britain. The authors are co-founders of the Centre for Arthurian Studies at the North East Wales Institute, affiliate of the University of Wales, and enjoy strong links with the 'Camelot' research project at Rochester University in America. They advise and promote the world's leading Arthurian Collection housed in Flintshire Library HQ, and are currently working with the Welsh Academic Press on a leading series of Welsh Arthurian source material.

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Customer Reviews

New Arthurian work most convincing to date.
Well, talk about putting the historical cat amongst the pigeons! The Keys to Avalon by first time authors Steve Blake and Scott Lloyd is the result of some 20 years of research, and this certainly shines through in this fascinating new book.

Picking it up I was certainly prepared to scoff at the proposed 'new findings' on King Arthur, as in many previous so called ground-breaking books - but this one is different. The fundamental understanding of our Dark Age history is thrown completely up in the air, with the resulting landing creating a more plausible explanation of events during this period.

With a 132 mile long lost Roman Wall, complete re-evaluation of the Saxon invasion and one of the most important traditions of Stonehenge being taken from it, there is far more to this work than just King Arthur.

But, having said that, Blake and Lloyd have certainly put forward the most convincing case for the actual existence and location of this so-called legendary figure I have ever come across. Their work covers all the existing known historical sources such as Gildas, Bede and the Saxon Chronicle but more importantly they have studied the hitherto ignored original Welsh documents. By utilising these sources it became quickly obvious to them that our understanding of Dark Age geography is heavily flawed.

I would normally treat such broad ranging ideas with a little sinicism, but the book effectively shows how this new geography answers many of the major questions we have about the period. Many instances presently taken as myth become perfectly feasible, such as saints traveling a distance of around 5 miles in North Wales, via Glastonbury, in an afternoon!

This new geography pulls everything back into credible boundaries. Common sense dictates that armies from North Wales were not going to march to Scotland, for a battle, for no reason! There are far to many examples to give here but the more that are quoted within The Keys to Avalon, the more convincing the case becomes.

So, where did this confusion arise? Look no further than Geoffrey of Monmouth who translated a book 'in the British tongue' into Latin in 1135. Place names get changed, political pressures from the Norman monarchy are applied and, Bobs your uncle, Arthur's everywhere bar where he should be.

Glastonbury, Tintagol and all the other places who make an Arthurian claim are not going to like this book one little bit. Come to think about it, neither is the world of academia who must surely, at the very least, read the book and talk to the authors!

An exceptional read.
With much cross referencing to back up their claims Steve and Scott have written a very readable and persuasive version of the truth surrounding Arthur and his heritage.

Being a local to the centre of the Afallach realm for the initial part of my life I was particularly interested to read how they dealt with the historic importance of the area and have monitored subsequently the local reaction of the North Wales populus to the revelations conveyed in the book. It has of course triggered much discussion and interest.

The book serves to put into context the current seemingly erroneous myths and legends which have grown up around the Cornwall and Glastonbury versions of Arthur's life and times. The authors' argument is not only logical that the whole episode should be based in Wales but is evidenced by their consistent cross referencing to specific events, source texts and local knowledge. They do not ignore hitherto accepted theories and interpretations but use them to question how the evidence on the ground could possibly support them or indeed be misinterpreted to suit political or monetary interests. I like this approach.

We're not just talking about the misplacement of Arthur here, we're talking about the misplacement, misinterpretation and misdirection of a whole culture. Many thanks for reopening the discussion boys. Geoff.

Future classic
The Dark ages and particularly the Arthurian period have always been a bit of a free-for-all and it’s always difficult to know what to take seriously. This applies equally to books written by academics and informed laymen alike.

The basic premise here is that Geoffrey of Monmouth’s translation of Welsh texts (into Latin) in about 1140 mistakenly equated “Britannia” (or Yns Prydein) with “Great Britain” when in fact it referred to the approximate limits of present-day Wales. The error (possibly deliberate) was compounded by translating British (Welsh) place names into phonetically credible English ones. Traditional historians have long pointed out geographical and other inconsistencies in the texts from this period, dismissing them as serious historical accounts, or at best mingling fact with fiction. Blake and Lloyds approach has been to return to the original Welsh texts (or as close to them as possible) examining place names and history in a Welsh context. They make a convincing case in placing Arthurian history into a framework limited to North Wales and the English borderlands, though the fact that this hasn’t been noticed for nigh on 900 years seems beyond belief. That said, they have had a rare combination of an encyclopaedic knowledge of local topography and geography and (presumably) abilities in Welsh, Anglo-Saxon and Latin.

Parts of the book are rather heavy going, with Welsh place and personal names and occasional quotes from heroic poems and other works punctuating the text. Detailed accounts of the local topography are illustrated by sketch maps that are sometimes inadequate or inaccurate. I found myself referring constantly to my (equally inadequate) 1:190 000 road map. For a fuller appreciation of the text a detailed survey map would be a good investment.

Officially designated as a “High Street” book, the only thing it has in common with most of that genre is the mystical but not inappropriate title. The ideas presented here, aside from providing a coherent background to Arthurian history, imply that our knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon migration and conquest of England is seriously flawed. This is a fascinating book relying less on speculation than hard fact. Whether these ideas will gain general acceptance will be decided not by what is in the book, but what is not and I’m sure the academics will have a field day here. Only time will tell but I have a suspicion that this is a future classic. Highly recommended.