Post by Albus Dumbledore on Sept 14, 2004 22:50:52 GMT -5
Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a multi-faceted figure- Druid, shaman, monk, bard, necromancer, magician, 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.
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 stories of Merlin credit him with the birth of Arthur, in this way:
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 eductate him, to which Uther agreed.
He is widely thought of associated, like Arthur, with places, roots, trees, and other natural magics. One of his many magical skills was the ablity to change shape. His prophecies were held in great esteem, and commentators endeavored to make sense of them. He is credited with the foundation of the Round Table and by giving him a major role in the mysteries of the Grail.
This seer secured Arthur's ascension to the throne by providing the sword in the stone where Arthur can prove himself. It is also Merlin who creates the Round Table for Uther Pendragon.
Merlin and Nimue, or Vivienne, the wood goddess with whom he became besotted and who stole all his secrets from him. Merlin falls in love with Nimue, 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.
Merlin
Merlin is a multi-faceted figure- Druid, shaman, monk, bard, necromancer, magician, 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.
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 stories of Merlin credit him with the birth of Arthur, in this way:
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 eductate him, to which Uther agreed.
He is widely thought of associated, like Arthur, with places, roots, trees, and other natural magics. One of his many magical skills was the ablity to change shape. His prophecies were held in great esteem, and commentators endeavored to make sense of them. He is credited with the foundation of the Round Table and by giving him a major role in the mysteries of the Grail.
This seer secured Arthur's ascension to the throne by providing the sword in the stone where Arthur can prove himself. It is also Merlin who creates the Round Table for Uther Pendragon.
Merlin and Nimue, or Vivienne, the wood goddess with whom he became besotted and who stole all his secrets from him. Merlin falls in love with Nimue, 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.