The Drowning of "Lyonesse"

May 25, 2024 5:52 AM

"Stories about a submerged land named Lyonesse abound in culture traditions of Southwest Britain and plausibly derive from memories of land loss within the Scilly Isles. We review Lyonesse stories, their links to Arthurian romances and Greek/Roman accounts of the Cassiterides, and trace their divergent evolution. From this region’s history of land-sea movements and human occupation, we propose Lyonesse stories originated more than 4000 years ago when rising sea level divided a single inhabited island in the Scilly group." Lyonesse previously.

Nunn, Patrick D., and Rita Compatangelo-Soussignan. "The drowning of ‘Lyonesse’: early legends of land submergence in southwest Britain and geoscience." Folk Life (2024): 1-17.

ABSTRACT
Stories about a submerged land named Lyonesse abound in culture traditions of Southwest Britain and plausibly derive from memories of land loss within the Scilly Isles. We review Lyonesse stories, their links to Arthurian romances and Greek/Roman accounts of the Cassiterides, and trace their divergent evolution. From this region’s history of land-sea movements and human occupation, we propose Lyonesse stories originated more than 4000 years ago when rising sea level divided a single inhabited island in the Scilly group. The comparable antiquity of similar stories is a compelling reason for supposing Lyonesse stories originated from observations of submergence encoded in cultural memories through oral traditions that endured in intelligible form for several millennia to reach us today.

posted by cupcakeninja (9 comments total)

On second thought, let us not go to Lyonesse. ‘Tis a Scilly place.
posted by notoriety public at 6:30 AM on May 25 [21 favorites]

Turner has a view of tintagel, when mines were still active, before Arthurian mists enveloped the castle. Cassiterides was a detail i glossed over in Herodotus; had no idea about the hominid maxilla, thank you
posted by HearHere at 6:41 AM on May 25 [5 favorites]

Reading the Wikipedia article on the Isles of Scilly revealed this amusing tidbit: “All the uninhabited islands, islets and rocks and much of the untenanted land on the inhabited islands is managed by the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, which leases these lands from the Duchy for the rent of one daffodil per year.”
posted by notoriety public at 7:27 AM on May 25 [8 favorites]

I can't see the name Lyonesse without thinking of the Jack Vance novels. I still love them even though there are problematic aspects... but I guess as far as Arthurian Cinematic Universe works go, they are far from the most problematic!
posted by bgribble at 7:37 AM on May 25 [3 favorites]

Perhaps y'all will forgive an autopuff for my 600 word Exec Summ of the Lyonnesse conundrum.
posted by BobTheScientist at 8:43 AM on May 25 [6 favorites]

Perhaps y'all will forgive an autopuff for my 600 word Exec Summ of the Lyonnesse conundrum.

"As he swims across the sound, he looks into the depths and sees two ancient field boundaries meeting at a right angle as well as a circular sheepfold . . . How mystic, wonderful is that?"

Thanks, Bob, you're not wrong—amazing to contemplate.
posted by rory at 9:34 AM on May 25 [1 favorite]

This is fascinating thanks cupcakeninja! I read a lot about the Solent and Doggerland areas and recently found (this, about the Outer Hebrides) First a wudd, and syne a sea: postglacial coastal change of Scotland recalled in ancient stories [4Mb .pdf Scottish Geo. J], partly about looking to placenames on the land now, and realising that they may point to real places out in the North Sea that people retreated from in the deep millenial past as their lands were inundated.

Another paper I can't find about the same phenomenon inland from the English East coast from East Anglia northwards.
posted by unearthed at 6:49 PM on May 25 [6 favorites]

If we're casting the net further than Kernow (and why not). Then Wales has several examples of Lost Lands: Tyno Helig; Caer Arianrhod; Cantre’r Gwaelod . . .
posted by BobTheScientist at 3:09 AM on May 26 [3 favorites]

a detail i glossed over in Herodotus
found it, 3:115. in the book linked there's a note:
The Cassiterides Islands are thought to be the British Isles...
posted by HearHere at 1:44 PM on May 27 [1 favorite]