by AUGUST HUNT
Foreword by John Matthews
NEW ARTHURIAN BOOK FORTHCOMING : 1st MAY 2010
The Secrets of Avalon is a unique and ground-breaking book which challenges many of the accepted views of the Arthurian tradition.
"Despite many attempts by writers from every discipline, from the extremely academic to the lunatic fringe, as yet no one has succeeded in defining the truth about either Arthur or the Druids. Even more rarely do we see any attempt to connect the two. And herein lies the strength and originality of August Hunt's book. Not only does he delve very deeply indeed into the mythic and historic background of the Arthur stories, he also applies his considerable knowledge of folklore, onomastics, and Dark Age history to illuminate the connections between the traditions of both Arthur and the Druids. The result is an important book that really does break new ground, casting fresh light into many dark and obscure place and passage in the vast panoply of Arthurian and Celtic traditions."
- From the Foreword, by John Matthews
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Foreword (by John Matthews)Introduction
Towards a Definition of Arthurian Druidism
Where is Avalon?
The Goddesses of Avalon
The Lady of the Lake
Myrddin at Avalon
The Horned God
Other Gods and Goddesses
(A Devotional Catalogue)
Arthur and Uther
The Genius of Britain
The Mother of Arthur
The Grail of the Mare and the Raven
The Lightning and the Stone
The Everlasting Battle and Avalon
The Red and White Dragons
The Spiritual Avalon
Appendix:
The Trees of Avalon: A New Interpretation of the Ogam Alphabet
The Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain and Their Ritual Uses
Zodiacal Correspondences of Arthur's Battles
Bibliography
Index
"I’m very excited about the imminent release of my new book, 'The Secrets of Avalon'. I worked very hard to create something the Celtic pagan community both wanted and needed. It just seemed like the right time to bring out a work that strives to unite some modern druidical tendancies with the perpetual interest in things Arthurian. The development felt natural to me, at least, and I hope readers will appreciate the new direction 'The Secrets of Avalon' takes in our joint effort to reconstruct a viable Celtic system of worship and ritual". - August Hunt
From clues in old tales and documents, place names and the mythic landscape, August Hunt weaves a tapestry of the Celtic Gods and the Arthurian tales which heralds a new chapter in the interpretation of the deeds and existence of the greatest heroes of British legend – King Arthur and Merlin.
Not only does the author place these figures in the British landscape, he also dispels many of the older inaccurate ideas about them and demonstrates which of their tales have been assimilated from other old sources to produce the popular images that exist today.
By applying his wealth of knowledge and exploring the obscure and unresolved areas of the Arthurian tales, August Hunt provides new and provocative interpretations leading to startling conclusions about many subjects including the nature of Merlin, the dragon spirits of Britain, the real Holy Grail, the location of Avalon and the identities, human and divine, of the major characters in the Arthurian tales. Amongst these the author also focuses on the significant but often shadowy female figures of the myths like the Lady of the Lake, the Mother of Arthur and the Nine Goddesses of Avalon.
The quest for the hidden mysteries leads from Wales to Cornwall to Scotland,from Ireland to France and Italy, but most of all from the forgotten fragments of the past to the unfolding of the myths which dwell at the heart of the British psyche.
The author also includes fascinating appendices on a new interpretation of the Ogam alphabet and how to use it for divination, the symbolism and ritual uses of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain, and the zodiacal correspondences of King Arthur’s battles.
The Secrets of Avalon is a unique and ground-breaking book which challenges many of the accepted views of the Arthurian tradition. From clues in old tales and documents, place names and the mythic landscape, August Hunt weaves a tapestry of the Celtic Gods and the Arthurian tales which heralds a new chapter in the interpretation of the deeds and existence of the greatest heroes of British legend – King Arthur and Merlin.
Available directly from the publishers Avalonia or from Amazon and other online book sellers in addition to all reputable esoteric and pagan bookshops.
In 2006 Hayloft published Hunt's Shadows in the Mist: The Life and Death of King Arthur in which the author set out to try to reverse the current academic trend of what we might call 'Arthur denial', the apparently increasing tendency by scholars to question the historical existence of either Arthur or even an Arthur-type figure. Moreover, 'Shadows in the Mist' not only argues for Arthur's reality but also claims to identify areas of military activity and his final resting place.
August Hunt is a regular guest author on Faces of Arthur.
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