The Oaks of Avalon is the collective name given to a pair of ancient

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

trees, Gog and Magog, that stand in

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it is one of four regions that altogether make up Southern England. South West England con ...

. The trees were named after the ancient apocalyptic figures

Gog and Magog Gog and Magog (; ) or Ya'juj and Ma'juj () are a pair of names that appear in the Bible and the Quran, Qur'an, variously ascribed to individuals, tribes, or lands. In Ezekiel 38, Gog is an individual and Magog is his land. By the time of the New ...

.Glastonbury Pilgrim Reception Centre
Gog & Magog - Glastonbury Pilgrim Reception Centre
accessdate: April 28, 2017 The trees are believed to have been originally part of a ceremonial avenue towards the

Glastonbury Tor Glastonbury Tor is a hill near Glastonbury in the English county of Somerset, topped by the roofless tower of St Michael's Church, a Grade I Listed building (United Kingdom), listed building. The site is managed by the National Trust and has be ...

, the avenue was cut down in 1906 to make way for a farm, with the timber being sold to J. Snow & Son, a local timber merchant. At the time of the 1906 felling of the avenue one of the oak trees was measured at 11ft in diameter and had more than 2000 season

growth rings Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of chronological dating, dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed in a tree. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, ...

.The Guardian
Ancient Glastonbury oak tree known as Gog damaged in fire , UK news , The Guardian
accessdate: April 28, 2017 A historically based belief has

Joseph of Arimathea Joseph of Arimathea () is a Biblical figure who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion. Three of the four Biblical Canon, canonical Gospels identify him as a member of the Sanhedrin, while the ...

following the row of trees towards the tor upon his arrival in

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...

. In April 2017, though already dead, Gog was badly damaged by fire from a

candle A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...

. The fire is believed to been accidental, and was put out by

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) is the statutory fire and rescue service covering the counties Devon and Somerset in South West England an area of . It serves a population of 1.75million, and is the fifth largest fire and r ...

.Somerset Live
A 2000-year-old Glastonbury oak tree called Gog has gone up in flames , Somerset Live
accessdate: April 28, 2017Somerset Live

accessdate: April 28, 2017

References

{{coords, 51.1508, -2.6857, display=title Druidry Geography of Somerset Glastonbury Individual oak trees Individual trees in England Somerset Levels Tourist attractions in Somerset Gog and Magog