| In our book The Serpent Grail, we had initially | | | | themselves. The Romans had also been powerful |
| explored the Arthurian legends to see what light they | | | | enough to keep these settlements under control, and |
| could shed on the link between the Grail and the | | | | had more incentives to offer them in exchange for |
| serpent. But we decided we should now spare the | | | | their loyalty, whereas Vortigern had no other choice. |
| time to take a brief look at the history of Britain and | | | | Word had reached him that the Picts and Scots were |
| the period in which Arthur supposedly lived. Most | | | | massing on the borders, and he simply did not have |
| historians place this period in the fifth century AD, | | | | the power to repel them. His tactic was Roman: bring |
| and so this is where we began our historical journey | | | | in other Barbarians and get them to fight each other. |
| to find the real Arthur’. | | | | It seems, however, that rather than settling warrior |
| In about 402 AD, Stilicho, the Vandal Regent of | | | | Barbarians on his coastlines in order to protect Britain, |
| Rome, needed the remainder of his troops back in | | | | Vortigern opened the floodgates to the land-hungry |
| Rome to defend the homeland against the invading | | | | Saxons. Vortigern was defeated by Hengist in 455, |
| Goths. This left Britain militarily vulnerable and weak, | | | | the lowlands were put to the fire and the Britons fled |
| and by 410 the Anglo-Saxons were mounting a | | | | the country, heading for Spain and Armorica. The |
| terrible invasion that set the countryside alight. But | | | | economy collapsed, and by 461 Vortigern the Great |
| why did the Saxons delay their invasion? The answer | | | | was dead. |
| lies within the extremely clever way the Romans had | | | | There was a recovery of British fortunes a decade |
| previously cleared the country of what they called | | | | or so later, when Ambrosius Aurelianus, thought to |
| barbarians’ — i.e. those people who | | | | be the son of a Roman consul, fought against the |
| would have either utilized inside intelligence to assist | | | | Saxons. On Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire there is a |
| any invading force or who would have undermined | | | | huge earthwork, built by a British chieftain between |
| the existing rule. | | | | 2900—2500 BC and later used by the Romans |
| Britain was near to death until Stilicho arrived, and | | | | and Saxons. Archaeological evidence of battles from |
| that with the Saxons defeated, the seas were safer | | | | this period on this re-used fort clearly show evidence |
| and the Picts were broken, thereby making Britain | | | | that the Saxons were being repulsed. |
| secure.’ So wrote the early Christian poet and | | | | It was then the turn of Arthur, who upheld the pride |
| historian, Claudian, in 399 AD. Even the Welsh monk | | | | of the British nation through various documented |
| Gildas (c.504—570) described how the | | | | battles. Many historians state that the true Arthur is |
| legions came into close contact with the cruel | | | | elusive in the texts of the time, but there are |
| enemies and slew great numbers of them. All of | | | | hundreds of Welsh texts that refer to Arthur and |
| them were driven beyond the borders and the | | | | which have not yet been translated into English. Not |
| humiliated natives rescued from the bloody savagery | | | | being Welsh scholars, we unfortunately have to leave |
| which awaited them.’[i] | | | | this task to them, but we should remember that |
| For eight years then, between the Romans leaving | | | | there is more yet to learn. |
| and the Saxons invading, it appears that Britain | | | | This history of the fifth-century Britons is interesting, |
| enjoyed a brief time of relevant peace. This peace | | | | but only partially of interest in our search for the |
| was shattered violently as the Saxons instigated their | | | | Grail. The Romans had brought the Scythians to |
| bloody onslaught in the summer of 410. By winter, | | | | Britain; they also brought with them their cultural |
| the British civitates’ had simply had enough | | | | belief systems. They fought well, and in all probability, |
| of their Roman pretender, Constantine III, and the | | | | aided the Britons with training in their warrior ways. |
| old Roman system, and so they decided to go it | | | | The memory of these cultural additions seeped into |
| alone. However, the British message to the Emperor | | | | the British consciousness and became British, Celtic, |
| Honorius left open a small in-road just in case they | | | | and eventually New Age’. This very real |
| were making a mistake. Britain wanted to stay in the | | | | struggle for power and for the defence of the realm |
| Roman Empire, not as subjects but as allies aiding | | | | was an ideal backdrop to the mystery that is now |
| each other with trade and defence. So Britain | | | | called the Arthurian cycle’. |
| became an autonomous state within the Empire, | | | | There probably was an Ambrosius, an Arthur and a |
| especially after the sacking of Rome by | | | | Vortigern, and they doubtless fought great battles |
| Alaric’s Goths in 410. | | | | and overcame terrible troubles. But would they have |
| This balance of power continued, and in 417 AD the | | | | understood the idea of the Grail as the serpent |
| units of Comes Brittaniarum partially reoccupied the | | | | people’ would have understood it? We doubt |
| Saxon forts along the south-east coast. This British | | | | it. Of course, they would have been familiar with |
| force comprised six units of cavalry and three of | | | | stories of a legendary magical substance’ |
| infantry, a unique mobile field army whose method of | | | | that could help soldiers recover, heal battle wounds, |
| fighting was influenced by the Scythian | | | | and resurrect’ them in great numbers. This |
| warrior-élite who had been brought to Britain by | | | | understanding would have come from what they had |
| the Romans. These Scythians also brought many of | | | | picked up from the myths which had been encoded |
| the serpent related traditions we have found | | | | with the wisdom of the shamanic serpent |
| associated with Arthur — including the worship | | | | people’, otherwise known as the Shining Ones. |
| of Uther/Zeus and the plunging of the blood soaked | | | | This magical substance was mixed’ in the |
| sword into and out of the ground as an offering. | | | | sacred mixing-bowl, and Britain in the fifth century |
| Following the death of Honorius, Rome suffered | | | | was itself a great and wondrous |
| badly at the hands of usurpers and the final remnants | | | | mixing-bowl’. Cultures from across the |
| of the Roman army vanished from Britain. The exact | | | | known world travelled to it. Exports of British copper, |
| date of their departure is not known, although | | | | lead, tin, and much more were shipped across Europe |
| Nennius, the eighth-century Christian historian, tells us | | | | and the Mediterranean. There is even evidence that |
| that Vortigern had become King of Britain by 425 AD. | | | | the ancient Egyptians visited our shores and that a |
| This probably referred to the southern regions and | | | | Pharaoh’s daughter may well have settled in |
| those parts of Britain previously held by the Romans. | | | | Ireland. Folklore tradition also tells us that Joseph of |
| Vortigern, it seems, filled the gaping hole that Rome | | | | Arimathea visited these shores, and owned tin mines |
| left behind. | | | | in Cornwall — although this we seriously doubt. |
| Whether there is any truth in it or not, the Historia | | | | If traditions such as these are far from truth, we |
| Brittonium states that it was Vortigern who invited | | | | have to ask ourselves, why were these strange |
| Hengist and Horsa, the Norse warriors, to settle in | | | | tales invented? |
| Kent, only to later argue and fight against them. The | | | | If, as it seems, Britain was an important place, or |
| old system of Roman rule finally began to crumble. | | | | even just as important as say Gaul, then why could |
| Vortigern’s answer was to invite yet more | | | | Britain not also be the new home to the secret of |
| foreigners to settle in the country, creating for them | | | | the Grail? As we have shown in The Serpent Grail, |
| settlements called foederati. Was this wise council on | | | | the Grail on the first level’ or venom, is |
| Vortigern’s part? It may just have been his | | | | not place specific. It is a secret held by all the |
| only answer, and a Roman answer at that, for the | | | | civilizations of the globe, called many things, but |
| Romans had utilized this settlement procedure | | | | essentially the same substance. |