Definitely, we have all heard about the story of the wizard Merlin. This is a powerful and charming sorcerer who appears in the legend of King Arthur as his faithful companion and teacher. This legendary figure has its roots in Celtic tradition and there are different accounts of her in which different powers and qualities are attributed to her. Even, there are some historians who say that, in reality, the magician Merlin was the sum of many other characters of the time. If you want to know more, join us in Supercurious to discover who Merlin was, the magician who, it is said, knew the essence of all things.
Discover the story of the Wizard Merlin
The Arthurian cycle is the set of all the stories that tell the story of Arthur, the ancient king of Great Britain. These stories combine real and fictional events, so even today there are doubts as to whether they were based on real characters. For this very reason, it is questioned whether Merlin really existed.
In case he was real, he is said to have lived in Wales during the 6th century. Real or not, the truth is that Merlin is the best-known wizard in the world. european literature and his figure inspired that of many other magicians.
1. Who was Merlin?
According to the legend of Merlin, he would have been born from the union of a woman, daughter of a powerful king (in some versions it is said that she was a nun), and of an incubus, a kind of sexual demon. In this way, the strange nature of his father would give the wizard Merlin all his powers.
Although this magician is portrayed as a faithful and good ally of Arthur who also fights against evil and uses white magic, some scholars of the history of the magician Merlin affirm that his figure is quite contradictory, well, the magician Merlin has within him the seed of evil. For this reason, in some stories it does nothing good.
It is said that the story of the magician Merlin has its origin in Myrddin Wyllt, a madman and prophet belonging to the Welsh medieval tradition. Apparently, Myrddin went mad when his king died and remained for years in the forest, where he came out transformed and “knowing the essence of all things, their transformation and renewal”, as the legend of Merlin says.
The story of that man was recorded by Geoffrey of Monmouth, a British clergyman born around 1100. Later, in 1136, he wrote the “History of the Kings of Great Britain”, a work for which he is credited with creating the figure and legend of Merlin. This way, Geoffrey was one of the main promoters of the Arthurian legend and who introduced the figure of Myrddin as the magician Merlin.
Then again, it wasn’t just Myrddin’s idea that would inspire the legend of Merlin. Apparently, Geoffrey was also based on Ambrosio Aureliano, a Roman figure who led in the Romano-British War. Merlin is said to have been formed from this fictional mixture, although Geoffrey’s intent is not known for certain, as, curiously, he kept the Ambrosio character separate.
Although it was thanks to Geoffrey that the image of Merlin became popular, He never mentioned who Merlin was in Arthur’s education, in his stories they didn’t even meet. The idea that Merlin was a mentor to the king was born from variants of Welsh tales. In any case, nobody knows who Merlin was, since there is no real document about him.
2. The magician’s powers
Now, in the story of the wizard Merlin, he has many extraordinary powers. Among them, he could perform transformations and mutate into any type of creature or object, he could be invisible and communicate with any type of being, even spirits. Also He had great and unlimited knowledge that exceeded human power. In addition to this, he had the key to the elements and could cross the barriers of time.
On the other hand, in the legend of Merlin it is said that he had an important relationship with natureespecially with the forest. The apple tree is his favorite tree that symbolizessince this is the representation of knowledge, initiation and immortality.
In all the stories about him he has dominion over both the plant and animal world, he is also known as a dragon tamer, even on several occasions he transforms into one of them. Furthermore, it is said that he had the gift of seeing the futureso everyone was afraid of the prophecies of the wizard Merlin.
3. When Merlin gets mixed up in Arthur’s story
The story of the wizard Merlin begins long before he meets the future king. In fact, it was not until a long time later that this magician was related to the legends of the Arthurian cycle, since until the twelfth century these appeared as independent characters without any relationship. However, now getting into the matter, the relationship between Merlin and Arthur dates from before the future king was born, since this magician was in charge of generating it.
Arthur’s mother is Lady Igraine who was engaged to Duke Gorlois. Despite this, King Uther Pendragon, Arthur’s father, was madly in love with her and asked Merlin for help to sleep with her. Merlin, knowing the prosperous destiny of Arthur, agreed to help the king under the condition that he would give him the son that would be born from that union.
Uther accepted the deal with Merlin, who gave him the guise of Gorlois to lie next to Igraine. After this, Uther fulfilled his promise and gave him Arthur, who was raised by Sir Ector and his son Kay.
After this, Gorlois was killed in battle and Uther was able to marry Igraine. When Uther died and due to succession problems, Merlin forged one of the best known legendary swords in history; the Excalibur and stuck it into a stone for Arthur to pull out. Now, there was a new king.
Arthur always enjoyed Merlin’s company and mentorship during his reign. and thus formed the well-known order of the Knights of the Round Table, all of them enjoyed the advice of their faithful ally and adviser Merlin.
4. The end of the wizard Merlin
According to most accounts, the legend of Merlin has no end, as this never died. Upon reaching old age, He fell madly in love with a beautiful young woman named Nimue. Merlin renamed her “the Lady of the Lake” as he built her a palace at the bottom of one.
In exchange for this woman becoming his lover, Merlin had to teach her all the secrets of the Magic. Some time later, Nimué began to mistrust and fear Merlin, since she found out that he was the son of a demon.
Nimué deceived Merlin, as she asked him about an enchantment powerful enough to cage a sorcerer and upon meeting him, he used it against him. Merlin was confined in a crystal prison from which it was not possible to leave. Thus, according to the story of the wizard Merlin, he has not died and is a prisoner in his crystal jail. On the other hand, some traditions say that he is in a tree or on a rock at the bottom of an ancient forest.
5. Some curiosities of Merlin
In addition to the facts already mentioned, the story of the magician Merlin has some curiosities, let’s see some of them:
- It is said that when Geoffrey made the translation of Myrddin’s name, he made it Merdinus, seeking to make a Welsh substitution. However, this meant something like “the shitty one” so he decided to change it to Merlinuswho eventually became the Merlin we know.
- It is said that Merlin He was the builder of Stonehenge, the strange megalithic monument that has always been a great mystery. The goal was to serve as Ambrosio’s tomb.
- People say that Merlin wanted to go back to the forest, but Arthur told him not to. After being made king, Arthur pleaded with him not to do so and to remain as his advisor to the newly founded kingdom of Camelot.
- People say that Merlin was the lover of the sorceress Morgana, who is King Arthur’s half-sister and who taught him several of his tricks. (In fact, in some stories this character is mixed with that of the Lady of the Lake.)
Definitely, the legend of Merlin is very interesting and intriguing. Beyond knowing who Merlin was, knowing his story is worth it for all the facts he can tell. Now it’s your turn, tell us, did you know the story of the wizard Merlin? Do you know any other information about him? Do not hesitate to write to us 😊