Twenty years after the first climbing Glastonbury Tor, David Saunderson reflects on his legends, mysteries and spooky whispers and wonders if it’s time to return
About 20 years ago I climbed Glastonbury Tor. It was a long trip – longer than it had to be, because I started miles away instead of parking closer. But it was worth it.
From the top, the Somerset levels extended as a huge, old country, dressed in fog and mystery. The wind cried around the remains of St. Michael’s Tower, the only remains of a chapel that was once proud of this legendary hill.
At the time I knew little about the deeper secrets of the Tor. But in the decades after that I started to understand how much history, folklore and supernatural intrigues are swarming around this holy site.
Glastonbury is often linked to the legendary island of Avalon, the mystical resting place of King Arthur. In ancient times, the surrounding swamps would flood and turn the tor into an island. For the Celts and early British this was a liminal place – a bridge between the mortal world and something much older, much strange.
Some believe that under the hill there is a hidden entrance at Avalon itself, where Arthur’s body was taken after his last battle. In the 12th century, monks in Glastonbury Abbey claimed to have found the king’s grave, but was it the truth or a smart trick to attract pilgrims?
The legend remains, whispering by the wind that rinses around the peak of the Tor.
Many myths suggest that Glastonbury Tor is not just a hill – it’s an entrance gate. The old British spoke about Annwn, the Otherworld, a country of eternal youth and mystery ruled by the enigmatic Gwyn AP Nudd.
Gwyn, the king of the fairies and the Lord of the Wild Hunt, would live in the Tor. On stormy nights, some claim to hear their spectral dogs-red and spooky crying through the darkness, hunt for lost souls. Those who stray too close to the hill at Twilight may be attracted to the fairy tale, never to return.
The ruins of St. Michael’s Tower, settled at the top, is said to have been chased. The original chapel was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275 and its replacement was in ruin over the centuries. Some visitors report shady figures that remains in his stone, while others hear a strange whisper who have worn the wind on the wind.
The most famous story speaks about a lonely monk who still roams through the site, his spectral form smiled in the dusk hours. Some say he monitors the secrets of the Tor; Others believe that he is trapped, bound to the land by an old curse.
Glastonbury Tor is also entangled with myths of holy geometry. Some believe it is a powerful energy point, where Ley Lines-the so-called “dragon paths” of the energy of the earth are coming. The most famous is the St Michael Ley line, which runs from Cornwall to Norfolk, which connects many old locations, including St Michael’s Tower himself.
There is even a legend that the Tor has the shape of a rolled up snake, which represents the slumbering power of the earth. Druids and mystics still visit and try to unlock the hidden energy.
At the height of Glastonbury Tor one can only feel his old presence. It is a place where history, myth and the supernatural blur together. Whether it is Avalon, the gateway to the other world, or a beacon of mystical energy, the TOR remains one of the most enigmatic orientation points of Great Britain.
I would have to return one day – to walk his slopes again, to listen to the wind and see if, perhaps, the spirits of the past are still hanging.
Have you ever visited Glastonbury Tor? Did you feel the magic? Share your experiences in the comments below!
