Lyonesse

Lyonesse, Lyoness, or Lyonnesse is the sunken land (or, Lost Land) believed in legend to lie off the Isles of Scilly, to the south-west of Cornwall. It is sometimes associated with Avalon. The Trevelyan family of England takes its coat of arms from a local legend; "when Lyonesse sank beneath the waves only a man named Trevelyan escaped by riding a white horse." To this day the family's shield bears a white horse rising from the waves.

Related Topics:
Lost Land - Isles of Scilly - Cornwall - Avalon

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According to Arthurian legend, Lyonesse is the birthplace of Tristan, son of King Rivalen. One of the signs of King Arthur's return will be that Lyonesse will rise from the depths again.

Related Topics:
Arthurian legend - Tristan - Rivalen - King Arthur

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Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Arthurian epic, Idylls of the King, describes Lyonesse as the site of the final battle between Arthur and Mordred. One passage in particular references legends of Lyonesse as a land fated to sink beneath the ocean:

Related Topics:
Alfred, Lord Tennyson - Epic - Mordred

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:Then rose the King and moved his host by night

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:And ever pushed Sir Mordred, league by league,

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:Back to the sunset bound of Lyonesse--

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:A land of old upheaven from the abyss

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:By fire, to sink into the abyss again;

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:Where fragments of forgotten peoples dwelt,

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:And the long mountains ended in a coast

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:Of ever-shifting sand, and far away

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:The phantom circle of a moaning sea.

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A real-life counterpart to Lyonesse is the fishing port of Dunwich.

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