The Twilight Realms

Grand tidings! On this week's episode, we explore four of mythology's most elusive and mysterious realms only just beyond our sight and reach--though they exist more closely to our world than we think...

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Podcast website: https://beyondtheseas.buzzsprout.com/
More info: https://www.kierandanaan.com/beyond-the-seas

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This week's book: The Eagle and the Raven, by Pauline Gedge

Sources
-“Everything you need to know about Tír na nÓg.” Celtic Titles, 10 February 2022. celtictitles.com/blog/tir-na-nog
-Grey, Orrin. “The Lost World of Agartha and The History Behind the Myth.” The Polarist, 2 March 2023. www. theportalist.com/lost-world-agartha.
-Hill, Bryan. “Hy-Brasil: The Legendary Phantom Island of Ireland.” Ancient Origins, www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/hy-brasil-legendary-phantom-island-ireland-003608. Accessed 15 January 2024.
-McAnally, D.R. Irish Wonders. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1888.
-Strom, Caleb. “Avalon: A Real Island Obscured by Legend, or Just a Legendary Island?” Ancient Origins. www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/avalon-real-island-obscured-legend-or-just-legendary-island- 007685. Accessed 15 January 2024. 

Music
"Irish Mountains" by Ben Winwood
"Aisling" by Hans Johnson
"Wee Folk" by Ian Post
"A Daydream About Spring" by Mark Tyner, 2018 - Creative Commons License

Cheers,
Kieran

Transcript

Let…the circle be cast.

To invite in the Spirits of Them we yearn to reach. 

To Air in the East,

Fire in the South,

Water in the West,

And Earth in the North. 

And to the Gods themselves. 

We open the circle:

To travel…beyond.

To the lands betwixt and between,

The repositories of myth and magick.

To the long-forgotten hollow hills

Where the dead lay,

Where the Ancestors await.

Where the Sidhe live forever on,

And the powers of Nature collide.

May we today open our hearts and spirits

To receive the magickal gifts they bestow upon us.

And look ahead towards the lengthening of the Sun,

As we travel over the Hedge and Back Again.

For as folklorists,

Students,

Scholars, 

And Witches:

We know that our work…

Has only just begun.

(transition music)

            Grand tidings and welcome to you on this, the thirteenth episode, of Beyond the Seas. My name is Kieran and here we are again, back at it for another week. Man, what a ride this podcast is turning out to be: I am so, so loving logging into the host site to see the growth of the show—and, most importantly, where all of you are listening from! It is so amazing to see basically all of the continents at this point hit, and I am overjoyed to see the worldwide following from all of you. Ergo, y’all know what to do: reviews, likes, follows, parcels in the mail with wine and cards and chocolates, too. Hahaha! As always, folks, thank you for tuning in.

            A few nights ago, I had a moment of remembrance when I went back and listened through most of the episodes I have already published. To me, I find it already amazing the amount of growth from the first show, The Tuatha de Danaan, all the way up to this one—and now, with the podcast hitting two months old, can you believe it—things are already on such a wonderful trajectory of growth and knowledge and wisdom. So, if this is your first foray into Beyond the Seas, go ahead, scroll all the way down to the bottom and binge from the first episode to now. Ya never know what you might learn along the way hehehe.

            And now, the book I am currently reading! Well, let’s be honest, the books: I have about four stacks of books on my desk in my apartment either waiting to be read or, inevitably the fourth and smallest stack, the group of novels I circle around and read a few pages from here and there at the same time. Now, the one that is my current subway read, to and from one of jobs here in the city, is Pauline Gedge’s The Eagle and the Raven. It is most definitely historical fiction-fantasy-esque, which I love a good deep dive into every once in a while. I hope you have surmised at this point that my favorite genre of all time is Fantasy: I mean, come on, who doesn’t love a good amount of epic escapism into an entire other world? However, reading a dramatization of actual events and persons from history is not only educational, but also entertaining. Here is the blurb from the book’s inside cover: “They marked time by the moon and counted nights, not days. They measured their history in ‘ages’ of thirty years, passing on all knowledge and lore by recitation. 

            “A mysterious and passionate people, the Celts in first-century Britain fought and loved with equal intensity, governed in their conduct by a stern code of honor and a fierce loyalty to their mother tribes and to their island world, Albion. Women accompanied men into battle, fought and hunted as warriors, and together overserved the sacrificial rituals performed by the mystical Druids—the revered astronomers, diviners, and priests.

            “Caesar had come and gone, leaving few traces save the trade routes to Rome. But Claudius was intent on conquest. Under the standard of Eagle of Rome, Britannia’s invaders advanced like a plague—pillaging, raping, burning. 

            “Spanning three generations, The Eagle and the Raven is the story of Caradoc, son of a Celtic king, who sets out to unite the people of the Raven and lead them against Rome. It is about Eurgain, his gentle wife, who, left alone for months at a time, can only seek solace in Caradoc’s best friend. It is about Gladys, Caradoc’s warrior sister, who, despite her fierce spirit, falls in love with the Roman general who is her captor; and about Aricia, the vain and soft-living queen of a northern tribe. Once spurned by Caradoc, she has sworn revenge and aligns herself with Rome. Finally, it is the story of Boudicca, a strong-willed woman who takes up the cause that was Caradoc’s legacy.”

            Good heavens! Sounds like quite the tour-de-force, right? So far, it’s very good! I love the prose Gedge uses to allow the reader into the thoughts of the characters and the mythical, mist-filled, rain-drenched landscape of Britain. I am about, oh, almost halfway through the book, so look forward to more updates on its conclusion as we travel through the next few weeks on the podcast.

            And now, duh duh duh dunnnnnnnnn, the wine of the week! I feel like I should make a recording of my voice saying that line and edit it to be super low and drawn out—that would be a hoot! So my birthday was about a week and a half ago and I spent the last part of the night with a dear friend at her apartment. We had dinner together and she pulled out a rather expensive bottle of wine, that she was able to procure for a significantly lower price. It was Willka’s 2018 Gran Reserva Syrah. Let me tell you, folks, this wine will knock your socks off. It is a Chilean wine and contains strong, stronggggg notes of black fruits like dark raspberries, blackberries, and plums. It is best paired with deer, roasted meats, aged cheeses, gluten-free crackers, tomato jams, and birthday celebrations. 

            And finally, this week’s topic. Given how this is our thirteenth episode together—and the magickal, folkloric, and historical associations with the number thirteen—I thought we would explore liminality and other-ness, seen specifically through The Twilight Realms. Of course, what realms are we talking about? Where are they and who lives there? What are their stories, histories, and associations? How do we travel to them today?

            For now, grab your favorite bottle of red, find a comfy chair, and close your eyes as I tell you the tale of The Twilight Realms—and take you…

            Beyond the Seas.

            (transition music)

            What lies beyond the Veil? Close your eyes and imagine: you see nothing but darkness surrounding you, a chill sweeping across your skin. Slowly, ever so slowly, light grows around you. But only just: it is subdued, almost muted. You are able to make out your surroundings, but again, only just. This is the Twilight Realm. Trees surround you, as well as soft music and warm air. Creatures and energies float past and through you, leaving you shocked and breathless—and welcomed. How do you feel here? Where next do you wish to venture from this landing point?

            When we imagine the lands betwixt and between, many associations come up: eternal life, magick, ancient mysteries, ancient beings, and most importantly of all—a yearning to interact with all of these things. The Twilight Realms exist both without and within, for they are separated by only extremely thin veils between the worlds. Without, they are the magical lands of Tír na Nóg, Hy Brasil, Elysium, Valhalla, The Spirit World, Fairyland, and Avalon. Within, they are the doorways that exist at the deepest seats of our spirit, the birthright passports that allow we humans to traverse over the Hedge to those sacred sites and back again. It is also the potentiality of our psyches and imaginations: we as a species are able to exist wholly within our imaginations for a time, traveling to unknown and distant lands to interact with a variety of peoples and living beings. 

            That is a fairly powerful notion, right?

            The first land to travel to is none other than Tír na Nóg, the Irish land that stands just beyond the realm of sight—in a place that is not a place, in a time that is not a time. Celtic Titles grants us a wonderful selection of information and tales surrounding this magickal land. “Tír na nÓg is one of the names for the Celtic Otherworld. It literally translates as ‘land of the young’ and is considered either to be the Celtic Otherworld, or part of it. It is sometimes thought of as the Irish equivalent to Elysium which is, in Greek mythology, the paradise in which heroes were granted immortality after death.

            “However, there’s an important difference in Irish folklore, as Tír na nÓg isn’t the “afterlife” as such. Rather, it’s thought of as an earthly place which can only be reached through magic. In Irish mythology, it’s depicted as an earthly paradise – sometimes a flower-filled meadow, sometimes a lush, forested wilderness – and unlike its heavenly counterparts in the folklore of other countries, Tír na nÓg is seen instead as a supernatural realm – or ‘otherworld’– where everlasting youth, health, beauty and joy are experienced by all who dwell there.

            “The inhabitants of the island of Tír na nÓg are the Tuath(a) Dé Danann which translates as “the folk of the goddess Danu”, although they are sometimes also known by the earlier name “Tuath Dé”, translating as “tribe of the gods”. The Tuatha are a supernatural race who live in the Otherworld but interact with humans and spend time in the human world. This group is usually thought to be the gods of pre-Christian Ireland, and the god that rules over Tír na nÓg – usually named as Manannán mac Lir – is said to be the first ancestor of the human race and the god of the dead.

            Interesting to note how the Tuatha de Danaan have crept back up on the podcast! Who is not to say that these magickal beings, when they ventured forth beneath the Sidhe mounds and fairy forts of Ireland, did not travel to Tír na nÓg? Or that this land betwixt and between is not the Sidhe mounds themselves?

            “As the legends go, the residents of Tír na nÓg often invite humans to their realm, and it’s from these invitations that many famous Irish folklore stories stem. These stories are known as echtrai (adventures) or baili, which translates to “visions” or “ecstasies”. The visitors reach Tír na nÓg in a variety of ways, from venturing across the seas in a treacherous days-long journey to entering via ancient burial grounds.

            “Whilst it’s a place of joy for those who live there, Tír na nÓg can be a dangerous place for humans, particularly those who remain there for a period of time that’s a multiple of three, such as three days or years. So why would any humans visit such a place? Well, often they were tempted by the beautiful women of the island of Tír na nÓg. In folklore tales, the Tuatha women often left Tír na nÓg and brought men back there.

            “Tír na nÓg is best known for the tale of Oisín and Niamh. Oisín was the son of the legendary Fionn Mac Cumhaill – who you might know better as Finn MacCool in English. Fionn was the leader of the Fianna, and Oisín was, as well as a great warrior like his father, also a great poet. It’s said that the great stories of Foinn’s battles that we know today as an essential part of Irish folklore were passed down through Oisín’s poetry. 

            “One day when Fionn and Oisín were hunting around the Ring of Kerry, they stopped for a rest on a hillside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, keeping one eye out for invaders. Soon, in the distance, they saw a white horse approaching them – and on its back was the most beautiful woman Oisín had ever seen, with long golden hair that flowed behind her as she rode.

            “That woman was, of course, Niamh, a name which translates as “radiance” or “brightness”. She had been watching Fionn and Oisín for some time and had come to earth to make Oisín her husband and bring him back to the Otherworld. Oisín fell in love with Niamh immediately, and although he was sad to be leaving his father and the rest of the Fianna behind, he was excited about a future married to Niamh, who was the very personification of her name.

            “They rode off together on Niamh’s horse to Tír Na nÓg, where they spent many magical months together. Niamh promised him that Tír Na nÓg was a land of happiness where everyone lived forever and felt no sadness. Whilst this was mostly true, Oisín did miss his homeland and his father, and longed to see him again.

            “After what seemed to be three years together in the Otherworld, Oisín begged Niamh to let him return to Ireland to see Fionn. She agreed and let him take her magical white horse to return earth-side to see his family. However, she begged him not to get off the horse, and never let his feet touch the ground – or he wouldn’t be able to return to Tír Na nÓg.

            “When Oisín arrived back in Ireland, he didn’t recognise the place, or any of the people. He came across some men struggling to move a rock, and stopped to ask them where he could find Fionn and the Fianna.

            “The men replied that stories used to be told about the great warrior Fionn, his mighty son Oisín and the fearsome Fianna – but that was a long time ago, and no one told such tales anymore. It was then that Oisín realised that time slows down in Tír Na nÓg and rather than three years, it had actually been three hundred since he had last seen his father. 

            “To prove that the stories the men had heard weren’t just tales, Oisín said that any of the Fianna would have been able to pick up the rock with just one hand. He remembered Niamh’s warning about not getting off the horse, so he leaned over to pick up the rock whilst still mounting the white horse – and fell off. 

            “His feet touched the ground and he immediately aged 300 years, becoming an old frail man. Niamh’s horse galloped away, knowing that Oisín could never return to Tír Na nÓg and his love, and Oisín died soon after.”

            Hereafter stands another mythical place just off the coast of western Ireland: Hy-Brasil. The following account comes from a collection of folk tales, as recorded in 1888 by D.R. McAnally: “On the afternoon of July 7, 1878, the inhabitants of Ballycotton, County Cork, were greatly excited by the sudden appearance, far out at sea, of an island where none was known to exist. The men of the town and island of Ballycotton were fishermen and knew the sea as well as they knew the land. The day before, they had been out in their boats and sailed over the spot where the strand island now appeared, and were certain that the locality was the best fishing-ground they had.

            “‘And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew,’ for the day was clear and the island could be seen as plainly as they saw the hills to the north. It was rugged, in some parts rocky, in others densely wooded; here and there were deep shadows in its sides indicating glens heavily covered with undergrowth and grasses. At one end it rose almost precipitously from the sea; at the other, the declivity was gradual; the thick forest of the mountainous portion gave way to smaller trees, these to shrubs; these to green meadows that finally melted into the sea and became indistinguishable from the waves.”

            According to Bryan Hill at Ancient Origins, “Hy-Brasil is a mysterious island appearing on maps from 1325 to the 1800s. In Irish myth, it was said to be clouded in mist except for one day every seven years, when it became visible but still could not be reached. Stories about the island have circulated throughout Europe for centuries, with tales that it was the promised land of saints or a paradise where an advanced civilization lived.

            “On most maps, the island was located roughly 321 km (200 miles) off the west coast of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean. One of the most distinctive geographical features of Hy-Brasil on those maps is that it often appears as a circle with a channel (or river) running east to west across it.

            “In 1480, John Jay Jr. departed from Bristol, England on a journey to find the fabled island only to come back empty handed after spending two months at sea. In 1481, two more ships, the Trinity and the George, departed from Bristol on an expedition to find Hy-Brasil with no success either.

            “Interestingly, in 1497, Spanish diplomat Pedro de Ayala reported to the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, that John Cabot (the first European to visit North America since the Vikings) had “discovered in the past by the men from Bristol who found Brasil.” This implied someone from one of the Bristol expeditions had actually managed to find it.

            “Nearly two centuries later Scottish sea captain, John Nisbet, claimed to have spotted Hy-Brasil on his voyage from France to Ireland in 1674. He is said to have sent a party of four ashore, where the sailors spent the entire day on the island.

            “There, they claim to have met a wise old man who provided them with gold and silver. Strangely, the captain said the island was inhabited by large black rabbits and a mysterious magician who lived in a large stone castle by himself.  A follow up expedition was led by captain Alexander Johnson who also claimed to have found Hy-Brasil, confirming Nisbet’s findings.

            “In the following years, Hy-Brasil would retreat into anonymity. As attempts to find it failed again, map-makers started leaving it off most nautical charts. When it was last observed on a map in 1865, it was simply noted as ‘Brazil rock.’

            “The last documented sighting of Hy-Brasil was made in 1872 by Robert O’Flaherty and T.J. Westropp. Westropp claimed to have visited the island on three previous occasions and was so captivated by it that he brought his family with him to see it in person. There, they all witnessed it appear out of nowhere only to see it vanish again before their very eyes.”

            These two Irish worlds, that stand in the liminal space of reality and otherworldly existence, suggest a strong connection to the amorphic, ethereal nature of our own psychic natures. Much like the journey Oisin undergoes to Tír na nÓg and the vanishing quality of Hy-Brasil, the intrepid traveling we undertake within our own inner realms vanish and arise, as the sunlight does in the morning mist. Does Hy-Brasil actually exist, visible for one day only every seven years? Are we, the listeners of the show, ready to undertake the journey to figure out the truth?

            Refill your drinking horns, your goblets, your chalices, for the second half of The Twilight Realms, after this brief break.

            (transition music)

            And we’re back! The sense of liminality in this, the thirteenth episode, is not only relevant, but also ironic: the show is currently in-between. It stands poised right smack dab in the middle of where it first started and where it has yet to go. What in your life is liminal? What realms do you envision as the twilight in your life, either as the new dawning or the soft fading of dusk?

            For now, let us travel back into the twilight realm of Agartha. I personally did not know anything about this particular legend until researching for this episode and, after learning of its World War II associations, I immediately told my father, a World War II buff, all about it. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Now this is something I want to know all about.” Hahaha, let us all take that energy on as we unveil the fascinating information Orrin Grey writes in his article “The Lost World of Agartha and the History Behind the Myth,” found on The Portalist.

            “The underground city known as Agartha—or by a range of similar but slightly different spellings, such as Agarath or Agharti—has become a popular subject in esoteric lore. And like many lost worlds and similar objects of curiosity, the story of Agartha has been widely misunderstood and repurposed for unintended uses over the years.

            “While some readers may know that the legend of Agartha was once championed by certain German occultists around World War II, the theory’s roots go as far back as the 19th century. French philosopher and occultist Joseph Alexandre Saint-Yves published a book in 1886 detailing his supposed encounters with “initiates” of this hidden kingdom. The German occultists who followed half a century after were predominantly magpies, pilfering bits and pieces from other traditions in order to concoct the theories they proposed. 

            “But just what is Agartha, what do we know about it, and how has it entered into—and changed to fit—modern concepts of governance and culture?

            Grey goes on to credit the YouTuber Mr. Mythos for the following definition of Agartha. “‘An inner earth kingdom linked to every continent of the world by means of an extensive network of tunnels.’ He traces the root of the Agarthan myth back to pre-Hindu India, and a legend of an island located in an inland sea north of the Himalayas—an island that was home to a superhuman cadre of individuals who possessed wisdom and knowledge far beyond those of outsiders. Fleeing some undisclosed calamity that might have been the continental drift that shaped the surface of the world into its current form, these individuals moved their island nation underground and became Agartha.

            “Since its original publication by Saint-Yves, the ideas of Agartha have become highly entwined with Hollow Earth theories of various stripes. In his book on Hollow Earth theory, David Standish calls Agartha ‘the name Buddhists give to the underground world they believe in,’ though it might be more accurate to say that Western occultists have since conflated Agartha and Shambhala, a spiritual kingdom associated with certain Tibetan Buddhist traditions.

            “As far as we know, Saint-Yves was the first Westerner to write about Agartha, which he did in his 1886 treatise, Mission de l’Inde en Europe. This was written under the influence of several “Eastern Initiates,” including a scholar that Saint-Yves had contracted to teach him Sanskrit, who called himself Prince Hardjij Scharipf. Later, however, Saint-Yves apparently worried that he had “revealed too much,” and attempted to destroy all the copies of his book on Agartha—which would not be re-published until 1910, a year after Saint-Yves’ death.

            “While Saint-Yves was the first Westerner to write about Agartha, he would not be the last. In 1908, prior to the re-publication of Saint-Yves’ Mission de l’Inde en Europe, American writer Willis George Emerson published The Smoky God, which purported to be a true account of a Norwegian sailor named Olaf Jansen, who passed through an entrance to the Hollow Earth at North Pole and lived among the inhabitants there for two years.

            “The Smoky God doesn’t actually call the place that the fictitious Jansen visits Agartha or Shambhala, but subsequent writers have assigned that name to the Hollow Earth kingdom described in Emerson’s book, which he conflates with the original Garden of Eden.

            “After the end of the First World War, German occultists such as those in the Nazi Thule Society began to incorporate a variety of disparate beliefs and traditions into their ideas, among them the stories of Agartha. They were far from the first to do so, however. The members of the Thule Society were drawing heavily from prior occultists, such as Madame Blavatsky and her Theosophical Society, who had drawn on ideas about Shambhala and other Hollow Earth theories in their teachings.

            “In fact, there are stories – difficult to substantiate, but often repeated – that the Nazi forces took their occult ideas so seriously as to do things like use Hollow Earth theory to try to pinpoint the location of British ships or target V1 missiles during World War II. It is partly through these sorts of latter day occultists that Agartha and Shambhala become associated both with one another and with Hollow Earth theory more broadly. Indeed, at least one well-known and oft-reproduced map purporting to show the inner earth and its various tunnel entrances depicts the entire land as called Agartha, “Land of Advanced Races,” and identifies its capital city as “Shamballah.”

            “While we are discussing Saint-Yves due to his writings about Agartha, he is perhaps best known today as the creator of the idea of “synarchy,” a style of political philosophy which has come, in the years since he coined it, to often refer to rule by a secret elite or “deep state.” This is partly the result of Saint-Yves’ own writings, as he believed that a synarchist “world government” existed in Agartha—or had at one time.

            “…there are plenty of seemingly tell-all references to Agartha and Hollow Earth theory that you can find with a relatively quick Google search, filled with people ascribing all sorts of conspiracy theories to the inner earth kingdom, and detailing any number of supposed entrances to the tunnel systems that purportedly lead to Agartha. These can apparently be found everywhere from a military base in Dulce, New Mexico, to Batesville, Arkansas, to Mato Grosso in Brazil and the Himalayas.

            “What lies at the end of these tunnels varies with the telling, with stories featuring everything from superhuman deities with green or blue skin to extraterrestrial intelligences, but almost all of them owe at least a little something to the early stories of Agartha recorded by Saint-Yves and his ilk.”

            There is a particular legend surrounding two children who emerge from under the ground, both with green skin, that will make an appearance on the show in the future. For now, though, the metaphorical association of twilight with Agartha is astoundingly relevant: much like the Sidhe, the Tuatha de Danaan, live on in their underground kingdoms, the ever-lasting-sun-absent existence that holds ancient knowledge and secrets is tantalizing. It whispers to our inner sight and begs for the itch to be scratched. What if the answers to all of our psychic inclinations lie just beyond sight—or rather, just beneath our feet?

            The fourth and final Twilight Realm I have to share with you all today is my absolute personal favorite. It is none other than Avalon, the mythical island in Britain where not only King Arthur lies buried to this day—asleep and waiting for his legendary call back to our world in our direst hour of need—but also the home for the worship and veneration of the Mother Goddess on this earth. Ugh, my heart and spirit SING when I think about the priestesses in Glastonbury today, carrying on the ancient mystery schools that venerate the Divine Feminine—Our Mother. If The Mists of Avalon immediately came to your mind, I applaud you and stand in solidarity. 

            Caleb Strom, over at our dear friend Ancient Origins, writes the following information on Avalon. “According to the original legend, Avalon was an island full of wild apple trees, grapevines, and grain plants - which grew there instead of wild plants. Because of this, the people who lived there did not have to farm and lived out an idyllic existence. The name ‘Avalon’ in fact is related to the Proto-Celtic word “abal” meaning apple. The inhabitants of the island were also said to have very long lifespans. After King Arthur was mortally injured at the Battle of Camlann while fighting Mordred, legends say he was placed on a barge which took him to the island of Avalon. While there, King Arthur was healed and nourished back to health. It is said that King Arthur still remains there, alive, and will one day return when England needs him the most.

            "One of the most popular options for the location of Avalon is the town of Glastonbury. Though not an island today, Glastonbury used to be high ground surrounded by marsh, making it a veritable island. Originally, a boardwalk across the marsh was the only entrance to Glastonbury. Until 1539, it was the site of the Glastonbury Abbey. 

            “…Another suggested location, though less popular, is the Isle of Man because of its association with Emain Ablach which roughly translates “island of apple trees.” Emain Ablach was said to be the abode of Manannan mac Lir, the Irish god of the sea. The island was also said to be a realm of healing where youth was eternal and where there was no winter. Legends say it also contained large forests of wild apple trees. Avalon was associated with apple trees and healing too, so it seems reasonable to suggest that the Arthurian idea of Avalon was inspired by the earlier Celtic myth about Emain Ablach.

            “For many centuries, Emain Ablach was identified with Isle of Man because the name of the island seems to suggest a connection to the Manannan. The problem with this idea though, is that the name of the Isle of Man actually has no relation at all to the Celtic sea deity. If the association with Manannan is removed, there is little reason to suggest that the Isle of Man has anything to do with Emain Ablach - let alone Avalon.

            “Although it is possible that the legend of Avalon was based on a real island, there doesn’t appear to be any evidence to connect it to a real place. It is possible, based on this lack of evidence, that Avalon was never a real island, but rather was a Christianization and “Britonization” of the pre-Christian Irish legend of Emain Ablach. This is reasonable considering the association of Avalon with apple trees, healing, and rejuvenation. Among the ancient Celts, apples were believed to have magical healing properties and the property of rejuvenation. The idyllic nature of Avalon also might reflect the ancient pre-Christian British and Irish view of the afterlife. The Irish and British believed that islands could be portals to the otherworld where souls of the dead dwelled in eternal youth and eternal bliss.

            “In light of this belief in the otherworldly nature of some islands, it is conceivable that trying to find the actual location of Avalon might be pursuing the wrong question. Perhaps Avalon was never supposed to be perceived as an island existing in this world in the first place. The ancient Celts believed that these mythical islands existed in a different realm. It is possible that this was also the nature of the island to which King Arthur was taken, if the story of Avalon is indeed derived from earlier Celtic stories. As such, it cannot be found in the real world because it is in a different world entirely.”

            And thus, the four realms of Twilight are complete. Now, the common thread to understand among them all, folks, is their otherworldly and eternal qualities. Again, I firmly believe they all do exist—just barely out of sight. It is almost as if one strains hard enough, the veil between the worlds will dissolve and the way forward into eternity will be revealed. 

            Imagine the lessons to learn from the beings in these realms, as one walks in the dim purple light of twilight.

            The magick and mystery they still live by, to this day.

            The songs, merriment, and laughter they hold.

            The peace and well-being.

            The humility and history. 

            The secrets to our evolution.

            The end of our quest for answers and knowledge.

            For, herein lies the great secret:

            The pathways to these world exist within all of us.

            When we close our eyes and venture forth:

            Into a place that is not a place, into a time that is not a time. 

            And those answers will arise within our spirits.

            We have the potentiality: to learn and lead. 

            To fulfill the needs of our reality with our wisdom and intuition.

            For, as we all know, when we complete such acts:

            Our magick will be stronger…

            Because of it.

            (transition music)

            The stories, research, and production elements were done and edited, respectively, by me, Kieran, with sources attached in the description. Be sure to hit the follow button, on whichever platform you enjoy the podcast, and look forward to more content next week. Until then, seek the veil between the worlds and allow yourself to travel Beyond the Seas….