Legendary places: Dozmary Pool, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
By zteve t evans
Dozmary Pool, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, UK
Dozmary Pool is a small lake hidden away in the bleak wilderness of Bodmin Moor, Cornwall. It is a wild, remote and desolate place that is associated with a number of Cornish and British legends. It is situated about 2 km to the south of Bolventor and about 15 km to the northeast of Bodmin. The pool originated in the post-glacial period so its has a long history. Water flows out of the pool feeding Colliford Lake making it a source of the River Fowey. Situated in such a barren and remote place the dark still water and the ancient, wild, landscape give it an otherworldly air.
Bedivere, Excalibur and Lady of the Lake - Public Domain
King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake
This is a place of ancient legend and traditions that tell of great people and great events and evil people who must pay their dues to the devil. This is the place where the Lady of the Lake received Excalibur from Bedivere after the mortal wounding of King Arthur, after the Battle of Camlan his last battle. Bedivere tried twice to throw the magic sword into the lake but failed because he could not find the heart to lose such a mighty weapon. But Bedivere knew that if Arthur’s enemies should get possession of the sword it would be too dangerous a weapon in their hands. On his third attempt he swung it high over the water and saw an arm belonging to the Lady of the Lake reach out from under the water to catch the sword in her hand. The Lady of the Lake was said to be the ruler of Avalon and had given Arthur Excalibur to help him defeat the enemies of Britain. To this day the sword remains safely awaiting the return of the king to claim it to save Britain in a time of need.
This is a place of ancient legend and traditions that tell of great people and great events and evil people who must pay their dues to the devil. This is the place where the Lady of the Lake received Excalibur from Bedivere after the mortal wounding of King Arthur, after the Battle of Camlan his last battle. Bedivere tried twice to throw the magic sword into the lake but failed because he could not find the heart to lose such a mighty weapon. But Bedivere knew that if Arthur’s enemies should get possession of the sword it would be too dangerous a weapon in their hands. On his third attempt he swung it high over the water and saw an arm belonging to the Lady of the Lake reach out from under the water to catch the sword in her hand. The Lady of the Lake was said to be the ruler of Avalon and had given Arthur Excalibur to help him defeat the enemies of Britain. To this day the sword remains safely awaiting the return of the king to claim it to save Britain in a time of need.
Dozmary Pool by roger geach
Jan Tregeagle
It is also the place where the evil Jan Tregeagle was committed to endless toil until the Final Judgement Day after making a Faustian pact with the Devil. When his time came to pay the devil he did not want to keep his agreement and begged the local clergy for help. They allotted him the task of emptying the pool with a limpet shell with a hole drilled in it to keep him busy until Judgement Day when the Lord would judge him. But one night a terrible storm arose and Tregeagle dropped the shell giving the Devil his chance to send his demons and hell hounds after him. Tregeagle fled across the moor with his pursuers hot on his tail. He made it to Roche Chapel where he was allotted other tasks by the clergy which he is still toiling at today. It is said his cries and those of the Wild Hunt can be heard on the moor on stormy nights.
Dozmary Pool in prehistory
Evidence found at Dozmary Pool shows human activity goes back to about 10,000 years. Mesolithic hunter gatherers are believed to have been in the area because worked flints have been found in the vicinity which date to those times. This was a time just after the last Ice Age when the local environment was thought to be much less barren and more wooded and the climate more temperate and more supportive of hunter gatherer groups. There are many Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments, Cairns, stone circles, standing stones and other evidence of ancient human activity. Indeed with such ancient traditions it is not surprising there is an otherworldly air to the place.
Copyright 14/01/2015 zteve t evans
It is also the place where the evil Jan Tregeagle was committed to endless toil until the Final Judgement Day after making a Faustian pact with the Devil. When his time came to pay the devil he did not want to keep his agreement and begged the local clergy for help. They allotted him the task of emptying the pool with a limpet shell with a hole drilled in it to keep him busy until Judgement Day when the Lord would judge him. But one night a terrible storm arose and Tregeagle dropped the shell giving the Devil his chance to send his demons and hell hounds after him. Tregeagle fled across the moor with his pursuers hot on his tail. He made it to Roche Chapel where he was allotted other tasks by the clergy which he is still toiling at today. It is said his cries and those of the Wild Hunt can be heard on the moor on stormy nights.
Dozmary Pool in prehistory
Evidence found at Dozmary Pool shows human activity goes back to about 10,000 years. Mesolithic hunter gatherers are believed to have been in the area because worked flints have been found in the vicinity which date to those times. This was a time just after the last Ice Age when the local environment was thought to be much less barren and more wooded and the climate more temperate and more supportive of hunter gatherer groups. There are many Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments, Cairns, stone circles, standing stones and other evidence of ancient human activity. Indeed with such ancient traditions it is not surprising there is an otherworldly air to the place.
Copyright 14/01/2015 zteve t evans
References and Attributions
Copyright January 14th, 2015 zteve t evans
Copyright January 14th, 2015 zteve t evans
- File:Dozmary Pool - geograph.org.uk - 1570107.jpg - Dozmary Pool on Bodmin Moor - Author roger geach - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic licence.
- Dozmary Pool - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Dozmary Pool | Mysterious Britain & Ireland
- Dozmary Pool, Bodmin Moor – Cornwall PDF.
