Avalon

In the southwest corner of England is a region of low, flat farmland known as the Somerset Levels, or "the summer country." Over the last two millennia, an elaborate system of sea walls and canals has been built, first by the Romans and then by British monks; before that the area was basically an inland sea, a rich marshland prone to frequent tidal flood. At the eastern edge of this region is a small tract of high ground joined by four hills that at one time formed an island. This was and is the legendary Avalon: a paradise of shimmering waters, sudden mists, sacred groves, hallowed springs, and a steep, sculpted mountain rising high above the others called the Tor. Avalon is also known as Ynis Witrin, The Isle of Glass; and as Glastonbury, which is the name of the town that resides there.

Avalon has always had a transitory quality. Before the canals, its uncertain shoreline rose and fell with the tides, and the whole of the place would sometimes vanish in the mists. The island served as a sanctuary and a gateway between worlds as far back as legend takes us. Pilgrims and locals accessed the isle by boat, or by causeway in drier weather. Only initiates lived there.

Related mythology:

Physical features: