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Hartland  Writing in the second century the geographer Ptolemy referred to Hartland Point as 'Heracles Promontory'. He also mentions under the name of 'Heraclea', an island corresponding to Lundy. ....read more

The Head  One aspect of early Celtic religion which tends to be either ignored or over-emphasised by later writers is their reverence for the human head. To the Celts the human head represented a physical manifestation of that centre of life, the essence of being which Christians know as the soul. The head was also a prized trophy in battle......read more

Elen  Arianrhod is said to have had three sisters who lived with her in a castle in the sea.  They were named GWEN or GWENNAN, MAELAN and ELEN.  Ynys Elen was an old name for Lundy ....read more

St. Elen   St Helen   St. Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great and traditionally the discoverer of the True Cross while on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. There is no direct evidence to indicate a connection between St. Helena and Britain, yet the tradition is well established not only in early welsh writings but in early English sources as well.....read more

St Elen Triangle    "There are only three known dedications to St. Helen in Devon, all in North Devon, all close to the sea, and all within sight of each other: the chapel on Lundy, the parish church of Abbotsham, and the ancient chapel (now ruined) on the high ground just W. of Croyde village.......read more

Helios  'And now, O Muse Calliope, daughter of Zeus, begin to sing of glowing Helios whom mild-eyed Euryphaessa, the far shining one, bare to the Son of Earth and starry Heaven. ....read more

Hercules     Hercules was the son of Jupiter and Alcmena wife of the Theban general Amphitryon.. Juno /Hera, the jealous wife of Jupiter, sent two serpents to kill Hercules as he lay in his cradle. However he strangled them with his bare hands. Hercules was compelled by Juno's artifices to undertake the 'Twelve Labours of Hercules.' during the undertaking of these tasks Hercules visits the land of the Hyperboreans. ... read more

Island of Hercules The earliest known direct written mention of Lundy comes from the second century geographer, Ptolemy. He calls Lundy;- 'Heraclea' - 'Isle of Hercules.' He also names Hartland Point, the nearest point of land to Lundy;- 'Heracles Promontory' - 'The Headland of Hercules.' ...read more

The Twelve Labours of Hercules    Hercules was the son of Zeus, but he was born into the family of a mortal king. When he was still a youth, being over-whelmed by a madness sent upon him by one of the goddesses, he slew the children of his brother Iphicles. Then, coming to know what he had done, sleep and rest went from him: he went to Delphi, to the shrine of Apollo, to be purified of his crime. At Delphi, at the shrine of Apollo, the priestess purified him, and when she had purified him she uttered this prophecy: "From this day forth thy name shall be, not Alcides, but Hercules. Thou shalt go to Eurystheus, thy cousin, in Mycenæ, and serve him in all things. When the labors he shall lay upon thee are accomplished, and when the rest of thy life is lived out, thou shalt become one of the immortals." ....read the full text here

Historical Stuff  In ancient, and not so ancient, times the mines of south-western Britain were the source of the world's supply of tin and the coming of the Phoenicians to Cornwall to trade for tin is well attested to.  Most historians, Sir John Evans and Lord Avebury among them, believe that the trade existed as early as 1500 BC.  With trade also go ideas, colonists, travellers, refugee ......read more

Nennius    The Historia Brittonum has been the centre of many controversies as to its date and origin. As set forth in Theodor Mommsen’s edition, it consists of the following tracts, which together form what has been called Volumen Britanniae, or the Book of Britain: .... read more

Geoffrey of Monmouth - The History of the kings of Britain "The much-maligned Geoffrey of Monmouth, Archdeacon of Monmouth and later Bishop of St.Asaph's, first popularized King Arthur's story, around 1139, in his "History of the Kings of Britain"....read more here .....download in pdf eBook format

The Holy Grail 'The Grail may be described as the dish from which Christ ate the Passover Lamb at the Last Supper; or as the chalice of the first sacrament, in which later the saviour's blood was caught as it flowed from his wounded body; or as a stone with a miraculous feeding and youth preserving virtues; or as a salver containing a man's head, swimming in blood. It may be borne through a castle hall by a beautiful damsel; or it may float through the air in Arthur's castle, veiled in white samite, or it may be placed on a table in the East, together with a fresh caught fish, and serve as a talisman to distinguish the chaste from the unchaste. It's custodian may be called Bron or Ansfortas or Pelles or Joseph of Arimathea or simply called the Fisher King. He may be sound of wind and limb or wounded in the genitals. The hero who achieves the quest may be the notoriously amorous Gawain or the virgin Galahad....read more

Perlesvaus    The anonymous 'Perlesvaus' (entitled ‘The High History of the Holy Grail’ by Sebastian Evans in his translation) is believed to have been composed on the continent of Europe, circa 1220-1230, as a continuation of Chretien DeTroyes' unfinished work "Perceval, or the Knight of the Grail".  This romance is rather more mystical in tone than its predecessors although the basic events remain the same. Almost uniquely among the early grail texts this continental romance overtly draws on archaic Celtic legends. The hero of the tale, Perceval, comes from Kamelot in Wales. He is a descendant of Joseph of Arimathea. His grandfather was Alain li Gros. His uncles are King Pelles, the Fisher King and the evil king of Castel Mortel. In the romance Perceval encounters the 'Grail Knights' who wear white surcoats adorned with a red cross. The hero makes the journey to what is recognisable as a Celtic Elysium. ...read the full text here  .....download in pdf eBook format

Monty Python and the Holy Grail    Released in April, 1975, and filmed on a budget of less than £250,000.  "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" explores the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Charged by God with a sacred Quest, Arthur and his Knights set out in search of the Holy Grail. Our Heroes face seemingly insurmountable obstacles along the way ranging from a killer Rabbit to the feared Black Knight himself!...read more

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse