Caradoc of Llancarfan

Twelfth century

Author of the Vita Gildae ('Life of St. Gildas'), a work (ca. 1140) drawing on romance literature and hagiography. This is the first known text to associate King Arthur with Glastonbury. According to the Vita, King Melwas of the Summer Region carried off Guinevere, and Arthur, "the tyrant", brought all the forces of Devon and Cornwall to Glastonbury to retrieve her; the abbot of Glastonbury, however, accompanied by Gildas, obtained her release.

In this episode, Caradoc explains that the origin of the name "Glastonbury" is from "Isle of Glass" (and by implication that "Somerset" derives from "Summer Region"). The etymologies both carry otherwordly implications, which paved the way for the later association of Glastonbury with Avalon.