The Secrets of Avalon is a unique and ground-breaking book which challenges many of the accepted views of the Arthurian tradition. From clues in old tales and documents, place names and the mythic landscape, August Hunt weaves a tapestry of the Celtic Gods and the Arthurian tales which heralds a new chapter in the interpretation of the deeds and existence of the greatest heroes of British legend - King Arthur and Merlin. Not only does the author place these figures in the British landscape, he also dispels many of the older inaccurate ideas about them and demonstrates which of their tales have been assimilated from other old sources to produce the popular images that exist today. By applying his wealth of knowledge and exploring the obscure and unresolved areas of the Arthurian tales, August Hunt provides new and provocative interpretations leading to startling conclusions about many subjects including the nature of Merlin, the dragon spirits of Britain, the real Holy Grail, the location of Avalon and the identities, human and divine, of the major characters in the Arthurian tales. Amongst these the author also focuses on the significant but often shadowy female figures of the myths like the Lady of the Lake, the Mother of Arthur and the Nine Goddesses of Avalon. The quest for the hidden mysteries leads from Wales to Cornwall to Scotland,from Ireland to France and Italy, but most of all from the forgotten fragments of the past to the unfolding of the myths which dwell at the heart of the British psyche. The author also includes fascinating appendices on a new interpretation of the Ogam alphabet and how to use it for divination, the symbolism and ritual uses of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain, and the zodiacal correspondences of King Arthur"s battles. ~~~~~~ About this Author August Hunt has a lifelong passion for the Arthurian myths and has been studying them since his youth, which is also when his passion for writing first emerged. His first short stories appeared in his high school newspaper in the 1970"s, and since then he has received scholarships and literary prizes for his fictional work, and has written numerous magazine articles, books, novels and screenplays. He has lectured extensively on the Arthurian myths and related Dark Age topics at colleges and events, and has acted as consultant on television documentaries about King Arthur for the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. His works on the Arthurian mythos and other Dark Age topics are also featured on various websites. Drawing on his considerable knowledge of folklore, Celtic myth, onomastics and Dark Age history, August Hunt is providing new and challenging material which illuminates many of the previously shadowy areas of the Arthurian tradition, including his own theory on the historical identity of King Arthur, discussed in his work Shadows in the Mist: The Life and Death of King Arthur. August holds a degree in Celtic and Germanic Studies, and is a member of the International Arthurian Society. When he is not engaged in his research and writing, he enjoyes hiking and landscaping, with unusual passions such as designing and erecting modern stone circles and monuments which reproduce the solar equinoctial and solstictial alignments of their ancient European counterparts. He lives in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America with his fiancée, a dog, several fish and two lizards affectionately referred to as the "family dragons".