The Mythology Of Lyonesse

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Residing on the south- westerly tip of the United Kingdom, Cornwall stands sublime and majestic amidst the turbulent waters of the Atlantic. It is a land wealthy in mystery, folklore, myth and legend. For thousands of year's romantic tales have been told of pixies, fairies, mermaids Arthurian legends smugglers, pirates and shipwrecks, spiritual ley lines, sacred stones, circles and ancient ceremonies.

In Cornwall every thing is alive, a patch work landscape of fertile farmland infinitely deep pools bubbling brooks ethereal moors 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 lies further legends, of lost lands submerged beneath the ocean. The Land of Lyonesse, the land under the sea.
There is a tenacious legacy that the lost land of Lyonesse when stretched from the Scilly Isles to Land's End. There lay a realm of fine cities and churches, stated to be about 140 in total.

On November 11th 1099 a devastatingly ferocious storm assimilated the south west and the marauding sea swept more than Lyonesse, drowning the luckless inhabitants and submerging the kingdom beneath the waves, until all that remained in view had been the mountain peaks to the west, known to us now as the Isles of Scilly.
Legend whispered that only one man survived. His name was Trevilian and he rode a white horse up to high ground at Perranuthnoe just before the waves could engulf him. It is stated that his ancestry lives on in the Cornish Trevelyan family members.

The capital of Lyonesse was named the City of Lions and was founded about the hill which is now the treacherous reef off the Seven Stones at Lands End. A 16th century writer tells us that Land's End when stretched far to the west with a watchtower at the farthest point to guide seafarers. In folklore the Seven Stones had been referred to as "The Town" by sailors, who told of hauling up windows, doors and other domestic items in their nets. They also related how they had heard the church bells of Lyonesse ringing beneath the waves.

It was noted in the 1930's that a journalist from the News Chronicle, Stanley Baron who was residing in the region, was awoken in the night by the muffled ringing of bells and was told by his hosts that he had heard the bells of Lyonesse.
A former mayor of Wilton, Edith Oliver, claimed she had twice noticed towers, domes, spires and battlements beneath the waves whilst standing on the cliffs at Land's End.

The Legend of King Arthur reveals that soon after his death his followers fled from his enemy Mordred across the ancient land of Lyonesse. When King Arthur's men had safely reached the Scillies, Merlin caused Lyonesse to be flooded and Mordred and his followers had been drowned. And some have proposed that these islands are in reality the Isle of Avalon.

The Isle of Scillies embodies 55 islands, of which only 5 are at present inhabited. Positioned 28 miles south-west of Land's End they boast a sub-tropical climate exotic white sands and exquisite flora. Prior to the end of the last Ice Age, some 10,000 years ago when the sea level was so a lot lower, the Isles of Scilly were one huge island. This island formerly known as 'Ennor' would have been settled from nearby Cornwall with the early inhabitants bringing their culture and beliefs with them. Written accounts by the Romans also indicate that they visited the single island of Sullia and other historical information recommend that the major islands did not turn into separated until as late as 400 or 500 AD.
Today the remains of field boundaries show up at low tide along the sands of the Sampson Flats among the isles of Tresco and Sampson in the Scilly Isles.

A multitude of historical evidence co-exists alongside the mythology of the region. Cornwall, The Scillies perpetually affiliated to the sea in its tempestuous, stormy waters numerous a mariner has met his doom there, so it is not challenging to believe that, like most legends an element of truth still prevails and breathes life into the fanciful. Believe what you will?