The Mythology Of Lyonesse
Residing at the south-western tip of the United Kingdom, Cornwall sits sublime and majestic amid the turbulent waters of the Atlantic. It is a land rich in mystery, folklore, myth and legend. For thousands of years, romantic stories have been told about goblins, fairies, mermaids; Arthurian legends; smugglers, pirates and shipwrecks, spiritual lines of force, sacred stones, circles and ancient ceremonies.
In Cornwall, everything is alive, a patchwork landscape of fertile farmland; infinitely deep pools; bubbling streams; ethereal moors; granite cliffs; abandoned tin mines; golden sands; sun-drenched beaches; sepulchral caves; rocky coves all shaped by natural forces. Everything has its own beauty, harmony and inspiration.
But beyond Cornwall, there are other legends, of wasteland submerged under the ocean. The Pays de Lyonesse, the land under the sea.
There is a stubborn legacy that the lost land of Lyonesse once stretched from the Isles of Scilly to Land's End. There was a kingdom of beautiful towns and churches, about 140 in total.
On November 11, 1099, a terribly fierce storm assimilated the southwest, and the marauding sea swept through Lyonesse, drowning the hapless inhabitants and submerging the kingdom in waves, until all that remained in sight were the mountain peaks. to the west, which we now know. like the Isles of Scilly.
Legend has whispered that only one man survived. His name was Trevilian and he rode a white horse to the heights of Perranuthnoe before the waves could engulf him. His ancestry is said to live in the Cornish Trevelyan family.
The capital of Lyonesse has been named the City of the Lions and was founded around the hill that is now the treacherous reef off the Seven Stones in Lands End. A 16th century writer tells us that Land's End once stretched far to the west with a watchtower at the farthest point to guide seafarers. In folklore, the Seven Stones were referred to as "the city" by the sailors, who said they had put up windows, doors and other household items in their nets. They also recounted how they heard the bells of Lyonesse church ringing under the waves.
It was noted in the 1930s that a News Chronicle reporter Stanley Baron, who resided in the area, was awakened at night by the muffled ringing of bells and was informed by his hosts that he had heard the Bells of Lyonesse.
Former Wilton mayor Edith Oliver claimed to have twice seen towers, domes, spiers and battlements beneath the waves as she stood on the cliffs of Land's End.
The legend of King Arthur reveals that after his death, his followers fled his enemy Mordred through the ancient land of Lyonesse. When King Arthur's men reached the Scillies safely, Merlin had Lyonesse flooded and Mordred and his followers drowned. And some have proposed that these islands are in fact the Isle of Avalon.
Scillies Island comprises 55 islands, of which only 5 are currently inhabited. Located 28 miles southwest of Land's End, they enjoy a subtropical climate; exotic white sand and exquisite flora. Before the end of the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago, when the sea level was so much lower, the Isles of Scilly formed one large island. This island formerly known as 'Ennor' is said to have been settled near Cornwall, with the first inhabitants bringing their culture and beliefs with them. Written accounts from the Romans also indicate that they visited the only island of Sullia and other historical data suggests that the main islands did not separate until 400 or 500 AD.
Today, remnants of field boundaries appear at low tide along the sands of the Sampson Plains between the Isles of Tresco and Sampson in the Isles of Scilly.
A wealth of historical evidence coexists with the mythology of the region. Cornwall, the Scillies perpetually affiliated with the sea; in its tumultuous and stormy waters, many sailors met their destiny there, so it is not hard to believe that, like most legends, an element of truth always prevails and breathes life into the whimsical. Believe what you want?