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Lyonesse or Lyonnesse is the land believed in legend to lie off the Isles of Scilly, to the south-west of Cornwall. It is sometimes associated with Avalon.
According to Arthurian legend, one of the signs of King Arthur's return will be that Lyonesse will rise from the depths again.
An excerpt from an ancient book discovered in an old castle along the coast of Cornwall:
- Heerke ye men, for heyre wonce wast thye guart lande of Lyonesse, nawe sonken oonter thye see. Guart foartreses wure bilt heyre, andd alle uf Angland and Newstria [Frankish name for Gaul] cayme toogethre. Bat withyn a guart stoarme, thyse landes wure washd' a'wae, andd alle uf thye landes uf Lyonesse wure takd'n bye the see.
Lyonesse in fiction
It has sometimes been used as the setting for fantasy stories, notably Jack Vance's Lyonesse trilogy. In Stephen R. Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle, Lyonesse is where refugees from Atlantis (the 'Fair Folk') settle; 'Lyonesse' being derived from the Celtic corruption of 'Atlantis.' See also: fantasy world.
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