Full moon over the Isle of Glas

Description

I imagine…

Before the tower, before the Abbey and before the fens were drained, the Isle of Glas stood tall and strong, a solitary sentinel amongst the many lakes and marshes of the Somerset Levels .

It was the sacred Isle to honour the gods and ancestors. The beacon post for miles around, a place to celebrate, to warn of danger and to remember. 

With each turning of the great wheel, each wax and wane of the moon, the tribes would gather.

I imagine…

Below are the  words from the poem ‘The Isle of Glas’ which inspired this piece

Footsteps left an imprint 

Upon the moonlit grass;

Boats had reached the shorline

Of the Isle of Glas

A pathway there was leading

Towards the island’s height;

Blazing at its’ apex –

A beacon burning bright…

Dancers dancing to a drum

Danced around the pyre;

Throwing gifts and offerings

Into the raging fire.

The lonesome owl in the wood

Gave a haunted cry;

And the shrill shreak of a fox

Made a terse reply…

The dancers now stopped dancing,

As logs were burning low;

The tribe returned back to their boats,

waiting down below…

Then into the cold black lake,

They left the Isle of Glas.

(excerpt from the book Queens of Avalon)

The rest of the poem and many more old tales and artwork can be found in the Queens of Avalon book.