Lyonesse mythology
Cornwall, which resides in the extreme south-west of the United Kingdom, stands sublime and majestic in the middle of the turbulent waters of the Atlantic. It is a land rich in mysteries, folklore, myths and legends. For thousands of years romantic tales have been told about elves, fairies, mermaids; Arthurian legends; smugglers, pirates and shipwrecks, spiritual ley lines, sacred stones, ancient circles and ceremonies.
In Cornwall everything is alive, a landscape of patches of fertile farmland; infinitely deep pools; bubbling streams; ethereal wastelands; granite cliffs; abandoned tin mines; Golden sands; sun-drenched beaches; sepulchral caves; rocky inlets all shaped by natural forces. Everything has its own beauty, harmony and inspiration.
But beyond Cornwall there are more legends of lost lands submerged under the ocean. The land of Lyonesse, the land under the sea.
There is a tenacious legacy that the lost land of Lyonesse once stretched from the Isles of Scilly to Land’s End. There you will find a kingdom of beautiful cities and churches, said to number around 140 in all.
On November 11, 1099, a devastating and fierce storm took in the southwest and the marauding sea swept through Lyonesse, drowning the unfortunate inhabitants and plunging the kingdom beneath the waves, until all that was in sight were the mountain peaks below. west, which we now know. like the Isles of Scilly.
Legend whispered that only one man survived. His name was Trevilian and he rode a white horse to high ground in Perranuthnoe before the waves could engulf him. Their ancestry is said to live on in the Cornish Trevelyan family.
The capital of Lyonesse was named the City of Lions and was founded around the hill that is now the treacherous Seven Stones Reef at Lands End. A 16th century writer tells us that Land’s End once stretched out west with a watchtower at the furthest point to guide sailors. In folklore, sailors called the Seven Stones “The City,” which spoke of how to load windows, doors, and other household items into their nets. They also related how they had heard the Lyonesse church bells 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 sound of bells and was told by his hosts that he had heard the Lyonesse bells.
A former Wilton mayor, Edith Oliver, claimed she had seen towers, domes, spiers and battlements under the waves twice while standing on the cliffs of Land’s End.
The Legend of King Arthur reveals that after his death his followers fled from their enemy Mordred through the ancient land of Lyonesse. When King Arthur’s men reached the Scillies safely, Merlin caused Lyonesse to be flooded and Mordred and his followers drowned. And some have proposed that these islands are in fact the Isle of Avalon.
The Isle of Scillies comprises 55 islands, of which only 5 are currently inhabited. Located 28 miles southwest of Land’s End, they have a subtropical climate; exotic white sands and exquisite flora. Before the end of the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago, when the sea level was much lower, the Isles of Scilly were a large island. This island formerly called ‘Ennor’ would have been established in the vicinity of Cornwall and the first inhabitants brought their culture and beliefs with them. Accounts written by the Romans also indicate that they visited the only island of Sullia and other historical data suggest that the main islands did not separate until 400 or 500 AD.
Today, the remnants of the field boundaries appear at low tide along the sands of the Sampson Flats between the islands of Tresco and Sampson in the Isles of Scilly.
A multitude of historical evidence coexists alongside the mythology of the region. Cornwall, The Scillies perpetually affiliated with the sea; In its stormy and stormy waters, many sailors have met their doom there, so it is not hard to believe that, like most legends, an element of truth still prevails and brings the fanciful to life. Do you believe what you want?