Was Merlin an old magician or a young fortune-teller?
Merlin as we know him began in the
fertile mind of Geoffrey
of Monmouth, whose History of
the Kings of Britain and Vita Merlini tell us of
Merlin's rise to power through the power or prophecy and his
continuation of that power through functioning as
facilitator of wishes and granter of desires as advisor to
Ambrosius,
Uther,
and Arthur. Geoffrey's Merlin is thought to be based
on the Welsh Myrddin, a wise man who went mad after the
battle of Arfderydd and retired to the Celidon
Forest. Merlin is said to have been born in
Carmarthen,
which means "Myrddin Town." He is said to have been the
child of a human mother and an incubus, or demon. As such,
he had no father in the traditional sense. This condition
came in useful when Vortigern
was having trouble building a tower on Dinas
Emrys. His seers told him to
sacrifice a boy who had no father; Merlin was produced but
instead told his own prophecies (Geoffrey's Vita
Merlini). He correctly predicted that the tower was
built on an underground pool and that underneath the pool
were two dragons fighting: one red and one white. This was
to symbolize the Red Dragon of the Pendragon (Uther and
Arthur) and the White Dragon of the Saxons; Merlin's
Prophecies said that the Red Dragon would drive out the
White Dragon. Vortigern died soon after, whether by
poison or by flame (both stories presist), and Ambrosius
became the power. After a particularly bloody battle,
Ambrosius asked Merlin how the dead should be remembered;
the seer replied that the Giants' Ring should be built in
Salisbury. These stones were, of course, in Ireland; but the
Uther-led invasion force brought them home, with a little
help from Merlin. Finally, Merlin was instrumental in the
begetting of Arthur, making Uther appear as Gorlois
so Igraine
would consent to having him in her bed. Out of this union
came Arthur. Geoffrey is vague on whether Merlin used
magic: To move the stones, he used "devices"; to change
Uther, he used "drugs." One might read into these
descriptions physical means of transformation. Later writers built on Geoffrey's
foundation of Merlin as a prophet, seer, or fortune-teller.
But the magic part would have to wait. See also Historical Literature: Geoffrey of Monmouth The Importance of Geography: Carmarthen Robert
de Boron, who gave us so many of the Arthurian conceptsthe Sword
in the Stone, the
Holy
Grail, the Round
Tablealso gave us the magical conception of Merlin. Robert repeats Geoffrey's story of
Merlin's origin and makes it work for his story of magic
infused into the creation of the Round Table and the Holy
Grail story. Before Merlin is 3 years old, he tells the
story of Joseph
of Arimathea and his bringing the Grail to Britain. He saves his mother from certain death and grows up as an odditya prophet with a religious air. He foresees the need for a Round Table
and for Arthur. Robert says Merlin casts a spell on
Igraine
to make her believe Uther
is Gorlois.
The baby Arthur is given to Merlin for safe keeping, and the
King Arthur is proclaimed when the boy Arthur pulls the
sword from an anvil set on top of a stone. Merlin continues as court magician,
assisting Arthur behind and in front of the scenes. He even
helps Perceval
fulfill the Grail Quest. In Robert, it is Perceval who sits
in the Siege
Perilous. In Malory and others, Merlin is the
center of the magical aspects of the court at
Camelot,
fighting off challenges from Morgan
Le Fay and other
witches. He also falls under the spell of
Nimue
or Vivien of the Lady of the Lake, depending on
which version you read. The story of how Merlin is
locked away depends on the magical aspects of his
character: He tells her the words to the spell to
make someone invisible to all but one person; and
she takes advantage of it. Whether Merlin foresaw
this is an open question. Tennyson portrays the magician as a tired old man who almost seems to want to be locked away. (This, of course, is a reflection of the failure of Arthur to uphold the standards in his life and his courta large theme in the Idylls of the King.) Later writers built on the foundation of
Geoffrey and Robert and made Merlin both a prophet and a
magician. In The Once and Future King, he is even a
funny old man who lives backwards (explaining how he can see
into the future). In Marion Zimmer Bradley, he is a priest
of the old religion and prophet for the new days ahead. In
Mary Stewart, he is both prophet and magician. See also Literature of the Legends: Robert de Boron Literature of the Legends: Sir Thomas Malory Literature of the Legends: Alfred, Lord Tennyson Literature of the Legends: T.H. White Literature of the Legends: Marion Zimmer Bradley and Mary Stewart
Was
Arthur a king or just a battle commander? Was
Guinevere really an adulteress? Was
Morgan Le Fay really a witch? Was
Morgause to blame for all of Arthur's
troubles?
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