The word is an anglicisation of the Celtic "Annwyn", the realm of fairies, or netherworld.
It is possible that Avalon, as Arthur's burial island, refers to the 'isle' of Ely, which at the time was an island amid the East Anglian fenland, which has since been drained. However Medieval monks claimed to have found Arthur's body in Glastonbury, also built on an island-like hill (Glastonbury Tor), and a nearby valley is named the Vale of Avalon.
Avalon is also the name of some places in North America:
Avalon is also the title of a Hollywood feature film production from 1990. Directed by Barry Levinson, it is the autobiographically tinged story of a family of Jewish-Russian immigrants who come to the US at the beginning of the 20th century, to find a better life. It stars Leo Fuchs, Eve Gordon, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Elijah Wood in one of his earliest roles.
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