"And those who knew Merlin well and who had served Uther Pendragon came to the king and said to him; 'Sire, honor Merlin greatly for he was a good prophet for your father and has always loved your family much. And he foretold to Vertiger his death and it was he who had the Round Table made. Now see to it that he is well honored, for you will never ask him about anything that he will not tell you.' And Arthur responded that thus he would do."
--Didor Perceval
Merlin is a multi-faceted figure: Druid, shaman, monk, bard, necromancer, magician, Celt, astronomer, youth and old sage. He was also known as a seer and a prophet, and his predictions always came true. In the legends of Arthur, it is Merlin the sorceror, court wizard, and prophet who embodies the themes of magic and myth, and who acts as Arthur's principal advisor. It is believed that the story of Merlin originates in legends of a Celtic poet and prophet who lived in the 500's, a man named Myrddin. He lived in what was then a Cymric borderland near the Solway Firth. Fragments of poetry by and about him survive, and a man named Lailoken, a traveler, seer and prophet who figures in both Irish and Scottish legend, may be the same man. Legends of Myrddin recount his creating unrest between British chieftains and causing the Battle of Arderydd near Carlisle, which was fought in the 570's. As a supernatural punishment, he loses his reason and is sent wandering through the forest of Celidon in the Scottish lowlands.
Merlin first takes literary shape in the writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth in the early 12th century. Geoffrey published some prophecies around 1135 that dealt with British and Welsh affairs over the coming several centuries. He ascribed them to a British prophet named Merlin, and soon afterwards included those prophecies in his History of the Kings of Britain. Geoffrey also wrote a Latin poem entitled Vita Merlini (Life of Merlin). Geoffrey's Merlin is the son of an demon which had lain with his mother, a nun at Carmarthen in southwest Wales, while she slept. In Geoffrey's History, Merlin is credited with using magic at the request of King Aurelius to help transport Stonehenge from its supposed original site in Ireland to Salisbury Plain.
Medieval legends of Merlin credit him with the birth of Arthur. King Uther Pendragon was smitten by another man's wife, Lady Ingraine, and although he wanted to lay with her, she refused. Uther called upon Merlin to help him gain access to the fair lady, and Merlin devised a magical deceit where Uther appeared to Ingraine as her own husband. The result of this union was Arthur, and according to Sir Thomas Malory's Tales of King Arthur one of the conditions of Merlin performing this magic for Uther was that he would turn over the child to Merlin to nourish and educate him, to which Uther agreed.
As the stories of Merlin developed through the writings of various poets, he became associated, like Arthur, with places, roots, trees, and other natural magic. One of his many magical skills was the ability to change shape. His prophecies were held in great esteem, and commentators endeavored to make sense of them. Romancers added to the mythology of Merlin by crediting him with the foundation of the Round Table and by giving him a major role in the mysteries of the Grail. Sir Thomas Malory, in his Tales of King Arthur writes how the seer secured Arthur's ascension to the throne by providing the sword in the stone where Arthur can prove himself. In Malory's tales it is Merlin who creates the Round Table for Uther Pendragon.
Merlin falls in love with Nimue, (called Nyneve by Malory, also known as Vivienne) with disastrous results. She accompanies Merlin on a journey to learn his magic, though never does consent to be his lover. Although Merlin foresees the tragic end through prophesy he is unable to avert it. Nimue grows tired of him, and turns one of his own spells against him to imprison Merlin forever in a cave, buried under a great rock. Some retellings of the tale have Nimue trapping Merlin in a bush or a Hawthorne tree, from which his voice may sometimes still be heard; Tennyson's Idylls of the King is adapted from this version. Different versions of the story have Merlin variously living forever within his confinements, dying, or descending into madness. In the romance Suite de Merlin Vivienne tricks Merlin into a tomb and forces him to die a slow death upon being sealed within.
Afterwards, Merlin's tomb becomes known as the 'Perron de Merlin' or Stone of Merlin and there the Knights of the round Table meet to begin their adventures. Thus, even in his withdrawn state, Merlin may be said to influence the activities of the world of Arthur.
There are also stories that include Vivienne joining Merlin in his prison, one forced on him by the powers of darkness. Those forces who see the magician as a great threat to world evil and those the were behind the eventual decline of Arthur's Camelot. In this story, Vivienne, unable to bear life without her love (Merlin), joins him for eternity in the "Cave of Dreams". It is said that children born of Merlin and Vivienne, can free the sword, the grail and the "Light of Peace". In doing so, free Merlin, Vivienne and the world from the force of inner evil.
For all the legends and stories, the last one is my favorite, I am, after all, a romantic by nature. But who can resist a wonderful legend like that of Merlin?
More About Arthurian Legend The Arthurian Saga Origins: It is generally accepted that the main characters in the King Arthur legends were based upon older Celtic mythological characters. The following shows the possible kinship.
| Original Celtic Character | King Arthur Derivative | |
|---|---|---|
| Artaius (A Celtic god) | Arthur (King of Britain) | |
| Gwenhwyvar (wife of Artaius) | Guinevere | |
| Peredur | Percival | |
| Myrddin (a Celtic bard) | Merlin | |
| Gwalchmai (nephew of Artaius) | Gawain | |
| Medrawt (nephew of Artaius) | Mordred | |
| Gwalchaved (nephew of Artaius) | Galahad | |
| Kai: could go nine days under water, could make himself as tall as a tree. |
Kay |
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