French Ley Lines, Melusine and the Spring of Barenton

In France recently I made a couple of amazing discoveries. I’d been following another ley line, one that I believe has never been mapped out before. I heard about this ley line recently in a talk by Yuri Leitch, it connects Glastonbury Tor with Mont Saint Michel in France and has been called by some the Excalibur Ley Line.

 Mont Saint Michel 

 I’d been following it for two days through France and had come across several churches and menhirs, and lots of really beautiful French villages, towns and chateaus, but nothing really out of the ordinary to convince me that I was onto something.

 Granville - Notre Dame du Cap Lihou

 

Corolles - Notre Dame de la Baie 

 

 Menhir near Champeaux 

 

 

La Guerche de Bretagne 

Pouance Castle 

Mary Magdalene

 Le Menhir de Pierre Frite

 St Florent le Vieil

 St Florent le Vieil, stained glass window of Charlemagne, the first ruler to be crowned by the church! 

Than suddenly I came across a classic hilltop Saint Michael church, complete with crowning golden statue reminiscent of Mont Saint Michel or St Michael’s Mount! And what’s more there was a sign in the church saying that on this location there was once a temple to the Roman god Mercury (the dedication to Mercury is still preserved in the name of the place - Saint Michel Mont Mercure), and before that there was a shrine to the Celtic god of light Lugh! So here is the confirmation that these St. Michael sanctuaries were once pagan temples to the god of light.

   

 Saint Michel Mont Mercure

  

View from Saint Michel Mont Mercure

 That was a great discovery but then it got even better… Recently I’d been reading about the fairy/dragon princess Melusine and her descent through the house of Anjou. I did wonder vaguely where these legends took place, but I hadn’t got around to looking it up, but there on the map, right where I was heading was the “Tower of Melusine”! This is the tower is one that she supposedly built in a single night, before her husband spied on her and saw her serpents tail. After revealing her secret she then grew wings and flew from the tower never to return, leaving a curse on the family and it’s castles. 

 

 The Tower of Melusine in Vouvant 

Image of Melusine on her tower; she incorporates both dragon, mermaid and fairy

Modern image of Melusine on a cafe

I’d recently been reading a fascinating book called Realm of the Ring Lords which traces the matrilineal descent of the 'Grail Queens' and 'Ring Lords' from the ancient Sumerian Anunnaki ('those that came down from on high') through the Egyptian pharaohs, the House of David (including Jesus and Mary Magdalene), Scythians, Scots Gaels, Picts and Merovingians, down to Melusine and the house of Anjou.

 
I then went on to visit other castles that were said to have been built by Melusine, before returning home via Brittany where I visited the Spring of Barenton, hidden deep within the mystical forest of Broceliande in Brittany.

 

 Vouvant Church, built by the Lusignan family in the home town of Melusine

Mervent Castle, one of the five castles said to have been built in a single night by Melusine

 

 Pouzauges Notre Dame de Vieux, one of the five castles said to have been built in a single night by Melusine

 Chatelliers Chateaumur

Tiffauges Castle 

 According to Breton legend the spring of Barenton is where Merlin met the water nymph Vivian and fell in love with her. He stood on the slab (to the right), now known as the Perron de Belenton, and taught her the spells that would enchant him.

 

Fontaine de Barenton

The slab has a magical property, if one takes water from the spring and sprinkles it on the slab then it will bring storms and thunder. Villagers in the middle ages used to come here in times of drought to summon rain.

The spring was originally dedicated to the Gallic god of healing, fire and light, Belenos, and its waters are said to cure madness.

It appears in several medieval Arthurian romances, including Chretien de Troyes, Yvain, where the spring is guarded by a black knight.

Ancient oak tree in Forest of Broceliande, Brittany

 

 

Menhirs de Monteneuf