The Tradition: Having settled in Ynys Witrin (Glastonbury) and founded the first religious community in Britain, St. Joseph of Arimathea buried the Holy Grail deep in the hillside of Glastonbury Tor in order to safe-guard it from thieves and robbers. A miraculous spring welled up at this very spot. The water runs through the grail before reaching the surface stained red with the blood of Christ.
Possible interpretations: Though St. Joseph is said to have brought the Grail to Britain, it is rarely connected with his monastery of Glastonbury except in purely local legend. The water in the Chalice Well Gardens, below the Tor, certainly runs red, but this is mundanely explained by the red Iron Oxide minerals in the Glastonbury soil.
