One of the most famous locations in the Arthurian legends is the Isle of Avalon. This was the mysterious island to which King Arthur was said to have been taken after he was severely wounded at the Battle of Camlann. It is shrouded in mystery, especially because it is a place that is never fully explored in the Arthurian legends. What exactly happens there and what its exact nature is are generally left unexplained. So, what do we know about Avalon, and what might its origins have been?
The Earliest Appearances of the Isle of Avalon
There is a common belief that the earliest reference to the Isle of Avalon comes from Geoffrey of Monmouth. In c. 1137, he wrote a work known as the Historia Regum Britanniae. This provided the earliest full account of King Arthur’s career, and it is the earliest source for some of the popular elements of the Arthurian legend. However, despite popular belief, the Historia Regum Britanniae is not the earliest surviving source that mentions Avalon.
As a matter of fact, the earliest surviving source is a French poem dating to c. 1130, just slightly before the date of Geoffrey’s work. The poem in question is the Couronnement Louis, which is a type of “chanson de geste,” a genre of Old French epic poetry chiefly concerned with the era of Charlemagne. In this poem, which speaks of the crowning of King Louis, there is a reference to “all the gold of Avalon.” This passing reference merely tells us that Avalon was a place that was famous for its riches.
This is one of the rare references to the Arthurian legends from the continent from before Geoffrey of Monmouth popularized it. Exactly how widespread the tale of Avalon already was, we do not know. In any case, this proves that Geoffrey of Monmouth did not invent it.
What did Geoffrey of Monmouth say about Avalon? The first mention of it in his works comes from his description of Arthur’s arms and armor. While describing several notable items, Geoffrey mentions Caliburn, better known by the anglicized Excalibur, Arthur’s sword. What Geoffrey tells us about this sword is the following:
“Then girding on his Caliburn, which was an excellent sword made in the isle of Avallon…”
This tells us several things about Avalon. Firstly, it was an island, which is not something that the Couronnement Louis specified back in c. 1130. Secondly, it reveals that it was a place in which weapons were made. While not being the same as a location famous for its gold, this is arguably consistent with such a description. Evidently, it was a place notable for its use of metals.
Avalon as the Mysterious Island Destination of King Arthur
Until now, we have not seen any hint of Avalon in its most famous role as the mysterious place to which King Arthur was taken. That first appears later in Geoffrey’s Historia Regum Britanniae. After describing the civil war between Arthur and his nephew Mordred, Geoffrey tells us the following:
“And even the renowned king Arthur himself was mortally wounded; and being carried thence to the isle of Avallon to be cured of his wounds, he gave up the crown of Britain to his kinsman Constantine.”
As we can see from this passage, Arthur is described as being mortally wounded. The Latin word used is “letaliter,” which definitely means “mortally” or “fatally.” Yet, he is said to have been taken to Avalon to be “cured of his wounds.” This is very interesting because it hints at something otherworldly about Avalon. It was a place to which one could go to be healed of wounds that would be fatal in the normal world.
Geoffrey expands on this in a work written about 13 years later, the Vita Merlini, or Life of Merlin. In a conversation between Merlin and another wise man, the bard named Taliesin, the latter mentions a place he calls the Isle of Apples. From the context, it is very clear that this is the same as the Isle of Avalon. The reason for calling it the Isle of Apples is that the Welsh word “afal” means “apple,” so “Avalon” was interpreted as being a reference to apples. In reality, this etymology is unlikely. It is more likely to be named after a legendary figure with the attested personal name “Afallach.”
In any case, what did Taliesin say about this place? He mentions that it is known as the Fortunate Isle. This is due to the fact that various plants and crops grew there with no need for cultivation by humans. The people who lived there lived to a hundred years of age or even more. Clearly, it was a truly blessed land.
The Home of Morgan le Fay and Her Sisters
The aforementioned description of Avalon makes it clear why it was an appropriate place to take Arthur to be healed of his wounds. It was evidently a magical, otherworldly location where the rules of nature do not work the same as they do in the normal world. People living to extraordinarily long ages is perhaps the most relevant example. There was something about the land that sustained people’s lives.
In Geoffrey’s Vita Merlini, Taliesin goes on to mention to Merlin that it was to that island that they had both taken Arthur after he was wounded at the Battle of Camlann. He also mentions the fact that it was ruled over by nine sisters. The eldest sister, and the greatest among them, was Morgen. She is the figure best known as Morgan le Fay from the later Arthurian romances. She is said to have had the art of healing, using the island’s plants to do so, as well as other magical abilities.
An Ancient Origin
Since the legend of Avalon is highly mythological in nature, it would not be shocking to find that the belief in this location long predates the Arthurian era. Indeed, there does appear to be strong evidence for this. In De situ orbis, written by Pomponius Mela in c. 43 CE, there is a description of an island off the coast of Armorica, or what is now Brittany. Pomponius tells us that this island, Sena, modern-day Île de Sein, is dedicated to a Gallic divinity and is famous for its oracle. He says that there are allegedly nine priestesses on the island. They are said to have special powers, including the powers of healing and shape-shifting into animals. This matches strikingly well with the description of Morgan in Vita Merlini, whose powers include healing and shape-shifting.
Therefore, it would appear that the concept of Avalon in the Arthurian legends ultimately goes back to pre-Roman Celtic culture.
Avalon in Welsh Tradition
This does not necessarily mean that Île de Sein is the Isle of Avalon in the Arthurian legends. It does, however, mean that Île de Sein was apparently the original island around which this belief about the nine priestesses grew.
When we look at Welsh tradition, we see what appears to be another manifestation of this belief, though in a context that realistically precludes it from being identifiable as Île de Sein. The context in question is the Welsh poem Preiddeu Annwn. This poem, potentially dating from as early as c. 750, describes King Arthur engaging on a voyage to an island called Annwn. In this poem, reference is made to a magical cauldron that is “kindled by the breath of nine maidens.” This would appear to be a reference to the nine sisters of Avalon. Evidence from other pieces of Welsh tradition shows that the name “Afallach,” the Welsh version of “Avalon,” was associated with Annwn.
There is one key difference between this Welsh poem and Geoffrey’s later account of Arthur being taken to Avalon. In Preiddeu Annwn, Arthur sails to this land with an army, apparently to attempt to conquer it. This is decidedly different from Geoffrey’s later narrative of Arthur being taken there to be healed of his wounds.
What We Know About Avalon, King Arthur’s Mysterious Island
In summary, what can we say about the Isle of Avalon? It features in the Arthurian legends as the island to which Merlin and Taliesin took Arthur after he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Camlann. Despite being “mortally” wounded, the story claims that Arthur could actually be healed at Avalon. This is due to the magical powers of Morgen, later known as Morgan le Fay. She rules Avalon along with her eight sisters. The earliest proper description of Avalon comes from Geoffrey of Monmouth, although there is at least one known reference to it that predates his work.
It is very likely that the concept of Avalon ultimately derives from an ancient Celtic belief that centered on Île de Sein, just off the coast of Brittany. The concept likely ceased to be attached to that specific island during the development of the Arthurian legend. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that Welsh tradition presents Arthur as going on a military campaign to Annwn, a version of Avalon. Notably, this predates Geoffrey’s narrative, in which Arthur is taken there as a wounded king.
