From: ptrei@bistromath.mitre.org (Peter Trei)
Subject: Re: Glastonbury Hill
Date: 27 Jan 1994 15:46:50 GMT

schrey@vfl.paramax.com writes:
>   I have a friend who is interested in the use of Glastonbury Hill
>   as symbology in a song by the Waterboys.  If anyone here could
>   provide me with any historical, mystical, or literary background
>   about Glastonbury Hill, I'd truly appreciate it.  Please e-mail me
>   at schrey@vfl.paramax.com ("reply" should work) since I only just
>   stopped in to quiz the more knowledgeable people here and am not a
>   regular reader.  Thanks very much.  If there is a more appropriate
>   group to make this request, please tell me that, too.

    Umm, that's Glastonbury *Tor*. I lived in sight of it for many
years. There's so many legends associated with it that it's difficult
to catalog them.

Lessee...

Geography:

     Somerset, England. Glastonbury Tor, Chalice Hill, and Wearyall
Hill form a complex rising out of the Somerset Flats, drained by the
river Bru. Until the 6th century they formed an island in a rather
marshy arm of the sea. The Tor is the tallest of the three, rising
several hundred feet above the flats, and can be seen of many miles.

History:

One of the first Christian sites in Britain - probably overlaps with
Roman occupation.

Site of Glastonbury Abbey, one of the premier pre-Reformation churches
of England.

Various buildings have occupied the summit of the Tor over the ages.
Currently there is the tower of a 12C church - the rest of the
building collapsed in an earthquake.

Chalice hill has an ancient spring from which the water flows blood
red (iron compounds)

Legends - 

Joseph of Arimathea brought the young Christ there on a visit.

JoA returned after the Passion, bearing the Holy Grail and cruets
containing Christ's blood and sweat.

JoA planted his staff on Wearyall Hill, where it grew into the
Glastonbury Thorn, which blooms at Christmas (destryed in the
Reformation, a cutting from the original tree now grows on the site).
He also established the first Christian settlement at the site.

Glastonbury == Avalon, where King Arthur was brought to be healed of
his wound after the battle of Camlan.

Arthur was buried at Glastonbury Abbey.

Chalice Well flows red because the Grail is buried there - the water
has healing properties.

New Agey stuff - 

Glastonbury == Avalon == Ynwys-Wrtrin == The Isle of Glass. 

The Tor is a spagetti junction of ley lines, 'power centers', etc, and
could use crossing lights to control the UFO traffic.

The Tor's terraces form a 'Troy Town' maze.

Lots of legends of tunnels running for miles to and from the Tor and
the Abbey.

The Tor forms the beak of a dove in the 'Glastonbury Zodiac', a
supposed star-map (ala Nazca) laid out in the field bounaries for ten
miles around.

You name it, the New Agers have laid it on Glastonbury. Go to any
occult/new age bookstore, and you could find more than you want to
know.

Did I mention that it's also one of the most beautiful parts of
England?
							Peter Trei
							ptrei@mitre.org