Behind the human guardians of this ancient land stand the wild guardians of Inis Wen, the ‘white isle’ or Britain. These are the pre-human, primordial beings who possess the power of the animal and elemental worlds. Sometimes gigantic, sometimes dwarfish, identified with the wilderness, the rivers, hills, mountains, forests and constellations, the indwelling spirits or genii loci of archaic Britain gradually came to assume distinctive forms, names and particular locations.The wild guardians, when encountered, often have fur and horns. They sprout leaves, shun clothes, and are one with nature. They may appear as the totem animals of the land.
As representatives of the heart of Inis Wen, the white animals - the white horse, the unicorn, the swan, the white hart - symbolise its core energies of spiritual healing and renewal. Beside and protecting them are the more ferocious forces symbolised by the boar, the bear and the eagle. At the same time, the wild guardians flank the more human and recognisable powers of the Dark and the Light King, the Dark and the Light Queen: Gwynn and Arthur, Morgan and Guinevere. While through all these energies, attuned to the highest wisdom of the land but also to its deepest wildness, is the presence of the great magician, protector and guide of the Isles of Britain, Merlin. (Source: The British Mystery School Of Avalon)
