Keys to Avalon: The True Location of Arthur's Kingdom Revealed

Thoroughly researched and compellingly argued. This book is not to be missed. It argues persuasively that, not only was Arthur based in Wales, but that Wales is also where Joseph of Arimathea landed. Putting two and two together, we have the idea that the grail legend, inspired by Joseph, became the foundation of the Arthurian romance--and that this influence, coupled with influences in the South of France (Merovingian kings, Black Madonna, etc.), led to the Crusades and the Templar's find of maps that eventually led to the new world. (cf. The Templar Fleet)--information that originally came from Egypt (cf. Christianity: An Ancient Egyptian Religion) Notably, Wales was also the last refuge of the Druids. So there is a soul of "goodness" to be found in Wales. I'm looking forward to an opportunity to visit! And somehow, I suspect that there is a thread that leads to Elizabethan England and to the consortium of writers that became known as "Shakespeare". In short, this book supplies a critical missing piece in the jigsaw that is our true history.

As someone very interested in Arthurian legends I bought this book not really expecting to read anything really new - especially as a work has recently appeared on Arthur in Wales. I was wrong!O.K., you can argue about place names and whose source material is better than whose until doomsday, but nothing helps more to give a book that 'something extra' than a good dose of common-sense.My initial reaction was one of sceptcism, especially when Geoffrey of Monmouth appeared on the scene, but I took a jump of faith and waded in. Once you have read the entire book - and not tried to nit pick on every individual piece of evidence - the overall picture is extremely convincing.I may not agree with everything held within this books cover, but there is certainly enough here to warrant further study and debate. I take my hat off to the authors for an extremely well researched piece of work.

Suddenly, the Dark Ages make sense. The Keys to Avalon explores fact, folklore, myths and legends and brings them together in a work which offers a stunningly simple,logical explanation for why so many 'academics' have struggled for so long to make sense of the Dark Ages. Put simply, it is the survival of the ancient Welsh language and culture which provides the Key to this new understanding of the Dark Ages. Until this book, Arthurian (and other) legends associated with the Dark Ages have been interpreted from the anglicised (as in Anglo Saxon) view, with errors having crept in through translations from Welsh to Latin and then to English. The Keys to Avalon goes back to the original Welsh records of these times, and unlocks the door to a greater understanding of the period by considering the meaning of the original Ancient Welsh language, which differs from the current Welsh language in some critical ways.In 'The Keys to Avalon' the authors seem to have compared the ancient Welsh accounts of the Dark Ages with the standard versions based on the Anglo-Saxon accounts. The authors give due regard to the fact that there is often a grain of truth in folklore, myths and legends passed down verbally through the generations. This seems particularly appropriate in Wales where even today, despite the celebration of the survival of the Welsh language in the various Eisteddfodau, the majority of fluent Welsh speakers have difficulty in reading and writing the Welsh language.This book brings to life the Welsh countryside - looking at names and features on maps and showing how the Arthurian legends suddenly 'fit' into specific geographic areas of realistic extent. Once in a while something comes along which is so blindingly obvious that you think 'why didn't anyone say this before?' I can imagine there are a lot of academics and authors out there who will be wishing now that they had made the same efforts that Steve Blake and Scott Lloydd have in their work, which literally does rewrite Dark Age history.This is a superb book which will be enjoyed by anyone with an open, unprejudiced, mind.

The Keys to Avalon When I first picked up this book I was very sceptical and thought it to be just another book on Arthur, no doubt dealing with the same textual references and coming to grossly fantastic conclusions. How nice it was to be wrong. I should point out that after many years of reading Arthurian and Dark Age history, very little impresses me, but never the less, impressed I was. For once I did not have to wade through the same stuffy and safe references to Arthur (as far as the standard line is concerned) with authors frightened of rocking the historical boat, nor put up with the other extreme of late antiquarian nonsense and numerous Arthur's from varying periods. The two things that first strike you about the Keys to Avalon is (a) how knowledgeable the authors are of there subject matter and (b) that they put forward for the first time a very convincing alternative for the location of Avalon. As anyone familiar with the Glastonbury material is well aware the Avalon stories were taken from somewhere else. The difficulty has always been from where did Glastonbury get its Avalon additions. Blake and Lloyd have put forward what I consider to be the strongest case yet in regard to where this material originated. This book is a brave attempt to address some of the many problems that litter this period of history. As I turned the pages I became more and more enthralled as to the picture the authors put forward. That Britannia referred to Wales from at least the ninth century is relatively well known, but the authors take this evidence much further suggesting by implication that it was in use well before that date. Admittedly I agree with them on their premise that virtually all the references to Britannia speak of Wales but I do think the discussion could have reinforced this point more forcefully, as no doubt the Authors must be aware that for some time it has been fashionable to try and make Geoffrey's "ancient book" that he used for his source to have come out of Brittany. I also think that they should have covered the background to Geoffrey's source in more detail for those not versed in the background to this specific problem, the origins of the "ancient book" have been debated for centuries and a brief outline of these discussions would have been useful. Having said that I found myself more than happy with the fact that the debate about the sources of Geoffrey's History being put back on the historical agenda and that although the debate will always be a tie (unless any new manuscripts come to light) the evidence certainly suggests that the authors suggestions should be taken seriously. The reappraisal of the geography of the dark ages within the pages of this book not only works but make sense of a lot of other period evidence unused by the authors in this work and it was a pleasure to read and digest. I have re-read the book four times now and each time I find something new that questions th

Blake & Lloyds thesis is very simple: And that is the beauty of this book, they have taken a step that is long overdue and put forward the idea that the present understanding of Dark Age geography of Britain or' Arthurian Britain' is misunderstood and that it is from this context that they set about readdressing certain events linked to Arthur & Avalon. Some of there arguments have been put forward previously by very eminent and notable scholars. The whole question regarding the translation of a Welsh text similar to the Brut y Benhiniedd by Geoffrey of Monmouth is put under the spot light for the first time in many years, and as anyone with even a passing interest in matters Arthurian is aware this is the crux of the Arthurian problem. Not only do Blake & Lloyd address this and several other of this periods major problems they address them very convincingly. Too many times in the past authors dealing with this material fail to address these issues and opt for the easy option of ignoring it completely or dismissing it as a fabrication, the evidence demands it be addressed and to be fair, Blake & Lloyd have begun that process. One of the main points regarding there material is that it finally makes sense of the difficult material without having to dismiss the majority of our historical sources as rubbish, it also addresses issues that many would prefer left well alone as it shows that the so-called accepted versions of events to be seriously flawed and some of the more resent works to have very little foundation. Their relocation of the 'Three Kingdoms of Ynys Prydein', Cymry, Lloegr and Alban have something very interesting behind the line of thinking that they are not 'Wales', 'England' and 'Scotland' and that it was the politics of the twelve and thirteenth centuries that were behind there relocation. Also their ideas regarding the Men of the North stand or fall on whether or not you accept what the historical sources say or the ridiculess idea of secondary localization (one with which a multitude of sins are obscured).The Avalon matterial is the most convincing thesis put forward regarding the origins of the Glastonbury material. I feel Blake & Lloyd have put forward the most convincing argument for many years, though I imagine that certain vested interests will be far from happy with what they have to say. All power to their elbow, they are far from alone with their ideas and I for one congratulate them for having the courage to call into question things that have been brushed under the carpet for to long. If I have one criticism of this work is that one has the feeling that maybe in order to put this book on the high street that they have curtailed their use of supportive evidence, which from the notes copious provided I am sure they are aware. Apart from this I cannot recommend this book to highly and await their next work with anticipation.J.Shaw.