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The Underworld
... and the Otherworld.
 According
to the Celtic myths, the Celtic deities and the fairy folk lived in the
spiritual domain that was generally called the "Otherworld". These
domains were usually hidden from mortal eyes, though not always.
Sometimes, human beings are admitted, sometimes against their will or
better judgement.
In Irish myths, the Otherworld could be an island, such as Glastonbury,
or a dun or hill-fort. Sometimes, the Otherworld was called Sidhe, the
fairy hill-fort (dun) or palace.
In the Welsh myths, the Otherworld was often called Annwfn or Annwyn,
and the fort or castle was usually known as Caer.
 The
Underworld is what many people today might call the afterlife, referring
to the spiritual realm in which newly dead spirits and souls go.
Sometimes the underworld is identified as being like the Christian Hell
because Hell is sometimes pictured as being under the Earth. The
Underworld is possibly linked to the Earth because that is where the
body goes after death.
Why is Glastonbury identified as
the ancient and mysterious Isle of Avalon where King Arthur was taken to
be healed of his fatal battle wounds? Glastonbury lies in the middle of
Somerset, miles from the sea. How could it ever have been considered an
island?
 Glastonbury
is built on high ground surrounded on all sides by the Somerset Levels,
some of the flattest land in the country. Today it is a rich
agricultural area due to massive drainage over the centuries. In the
Dark Ages, however, the Levels were marshland and Glastonbury stood
proud as an island towering above them.
Glastonbury's ancient British name was
Ynys Witrin, which may translate as Island of Glass. However, Island of
St. Gwytherin is another more plausible explanation. St Gwytherin may
have lived in the Dark Age buildings on the Tor.
 Glastonbury
was cut off from the mainland by a defensive bank and ditch known today
as Ponter's Ball, while Pomparles
(Pont-Perles) or the Perilous Bridge, kept communications open with land
to the south. Some say, it was at the latter that Bedwyr returned
Excalibur to the swirling waters after the
Battle of Camlann.
Avalon was the Otherworld home of one of the Celtic Underworld Gods, Afallach. Both names relate to the Apples that grew in this mystical
land of the dead and show Avalon's possible relationship to other
legendary realms such as the Garden of the Hesperides, set somewhere in
the distant west, from Greek Mythology. This is where a Celtic King,
such as Arthur, would go when near to death, but there is still no hint
of an identification with Glastonbury.
The old legend about
Glastonbury Tor
states that it is Avalon.
The Tor, that dominates the countryside around Glastonbury, is said to
be the entrance to Annwfn, the Celtic Underworld, and the Palace of
Gwynn ap Nudd, the primary Underworld God and Afallach's brother stands
within it.
The 7th century hermit, St. Collen was
often told that Gwynn lived there, but the saint would have none of it;
until, one day, he was invited to visit by one of the God's fairy-folk
followers.
He entered the Tor and the Fairy Palace,
and sat through a fairy banquet but refused to eat anything.
He then flung holy-water all around him
and the entire scene vanished.
So Glastonbury was considered to be the entrance to the Celtic
Underworld, be it Annwfn or Avalon.
That is why it is known to be the
Isle of
Avalon.
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