Scholars of King Arthur will know that the defeat of the Saxons occurred at Mount Badon. The Badbury Rings west of Shapwick in Dorset is a popular contender for this mythical location. The Iron-Age fort is a raised patch of ground that once stood as a fortified community. One particular piece of evidence for the true nature of this ancient site is a family of ravens who live in a patch of trees on the hill. Readers of Don Quixote will remember that, according to legend, Arthur did not die but was transmuted into a raven. This raven would then become one of the last pair of ravens in the land. We do not know if this group ever became the very last, however Wessex is the land they speak of. This is the old name for the local county area. The story tells of a time when Arthur will be needed once more and he will turn back into human shape. According to the local lore, to find the raven that is Arthur you have to watch the field on the anniversary of the battle. There you will see a raven circling overhead, crowing over his victory. If a legend of Arthur isn't enough to inspire you, it is also told that a coffin of solid gold is buried within the hill fort. Gaining permission to find it must be an Arthurian task worthy of the Grail or Excalibur. Maybe you can do it?
Peter, the Bishop of Rochester was out hunting nearby to Lanercost Priory sometime around the twelfth century. When evening drew in, as he was not local to the area, the Bishop soon became lost. When wandering in the fading light, he was met by a stranger who took him to the priory. They dined and drank, and the Bishop was given rest. He noticed that the host of the occasion was a regal figure, and so he asked who he was. The host replied the he was none other than King Arthur from the legends of old. Peter, knowing that Arthur died and was sent to Avalon to await return, asked if his wounds were healed. Arthur said yes, and that he now awaits God's judgement. Peter, the Bishop, then asked how he could prove it was really Arthur when recounting the tale to his friends. Arthur asked Peter to close his right hand, then open it again. When he did, a living butterfly flew out from his fingers. Arthur said to do this any time you wish for a butterfly, and one will appear. From then on, Peter was known for always being surrounded by butterflies and became known as Bishop of the Butterflies.
Where Castle-an-Dinas stands, in Cornwall, there was once an ancient wooden hill-fort. This looked out over the nearby Tregoss Moor, where King Arthur was said to have hunted for deer. From the hill-fort, Arthur would gather his hunting party and retreat once they'd found enough venison. Some say the area was wooded until Tudor times, when it was turned into a moor by agriculture. Records are patchy, however hunts occured in both woods and moorland. Even today, it is said that when the wind howls over the hills, sometimes you can hear Arthur's hunting horn blasting out as they chase the ghost of a stag.
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Fantastic Britain: Myths And LegendsWritten by Rowan Blair Colver Categories
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