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Renny Hwang
The
mysterious figure of Merlin has captivated literature and the mind of
storytellers throughout the ages. The presence and spirit of his
character is felt not only in recent incarnations such as the wizard
Gandalf in J.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, but also in the traditional
role as advisor to King Arthur in medieval literature, most
prominently in the books of Geoffrey of Monmouth. This widespread
influence of Merlin, however, only serves to accentuate the mystery
and intrigue that surrounds him. Thus the simple question is raised:
who was Merlin? Unfortunately the answer is not quite as simple. By
analyzing historical facts and literature, we can come to the
relatively easy conclusion that the Merlin we associate with the
legend of King Arthur was in fact two separate individuals whose life
stories were intertwined by Geoffrey of Monmouth. However, a deeper
examination of the literature and legends reveals a more complex
thesis: the figure of Merlin was not any one person but rather the
embodiment of a timeless character- a powerful, mystical god-like
figure that represents the people of the land- that has played an
influential role in Britain's history and literature. In order to
better understand the character of Merlin, we must first examine the
texts that made him so famous, Geoffrey of Monmouth's Prophecies of
Merlin and History of the Kings of Britain. By comparing and
contrasting these texts with other historical literature, we can get
a more comprehensive understanding of who or what Merlin
is.
Written
in the 12th century, Geoffrey's texts introduced the basic story of
Merlin- an important element in determining the character of Merlin.
Born in the 5th century during the reign of the usurping British King
Vortigern, Merlin was the son of a young woman and an incubus, a
demon, who had seduced the woman at night. After conquering the
British nobles with the help of the Saxons, Vortigern attempts to
build a fortress; however, whatever foundations his workmen may lay,
they are leveled overnight to the ground by some malign influence.
Vortigern assembles his magicians who tell him that the walls will
never stand unless the blood of a youth who never had a father be
sprinkled on the stones. The King's envoys find Merlin, who fit that
description, in South Wales. However, Merlin counters the magicians
claim by revealing the true problem: what was lying beneath the soil
on which the foundations had been laid. Underneath were two fighting
dragons, one red and one white; the dragons battled with the red
first winning and then the white recovering the advantage and finally
the red driving the white back. Asked to explain the apparition,
Merlin utters one of his famous prophecies: the red dragons
represented the Britons and the white dragons, the Saxons;
accordingly, Merlin explains that the victory of the Saxons was
temporary and foretells the subsequent resurgence of the Britons and
the history of the kings to come. (Tolstoy 2)
There are two important features to
this story. Firstly, it establishes the character of Merlin as the
cunning youth who not only outwits the evil magicians and the evil
King Vortigern but also conveys a sense of nationalism with his
stirring prophecy of Briton success. We get the lasting image of
Merlin as a powerful prophet, bearing the standard of Britain,
symbolizing the power of the nation.
The
second important feature of this story is that it cannot be true.
There was no youth named Merlin who lived in that time period.
Geoffrey obtained much of his information from an earlier text,
Historia Brittonum (History of Britons), compiled in early 9th
century Wales by a scribe named Nennius. Nennius also tells the tale
of a collapsing fortress, an intended sacrifice and a young seer
without father. However, there is one large difference, this lad was
not called Merlin but Aurelius Ambrosius. (Stewart 21) The 6th
century historical writer Gildas also spoke of a Roman leader in the
British Isles named Ambrosius who lead the Britons to the noble
victory of Mons Badinus, driving out the invaders. This Ambrosius was
depicted as a child of miraculous parentage, like that of Hercules,
Buddha or even Christ- a saintly, guiding figure who is the
embodiment of British hope. (MacDonald 2)
Furthermore,
12th century Welsh manuscripts contain poems such as Afallennau (the
Apple-Trees) and Cyfoesi Myrddin a Gwenddyd ei Chwaer (The
Conversation of Myrddin and his sister Gwenddydd) that are attributed
to a 6th century poet and prophet named Myrddin. Interestingly, the
name Myrddin is merely a Welsh designation for a man of the Scottish
Celtic lore- Lailoken. This Lailoken was a lord of the Scottish
lowlands, who after a devastating battle, flees to forest of
Caledonia, living like wild man and uttering prophecies. In the Welsh
tales, Lailoken or Myrddin is a dignified tragic hero who prophesizes
that the Celtic people would band together and triumph over the
English. (MacDonald 2-4) This figure was also a source for Geoffrey
for the character of Merlin; for example, Geoffrey's third book, the
Life of Merlin, features many of the characteristics of this man such
as giving Merlin a sister named Ganieda. However, this Myrddin could
not have actually been the Merlin Geoffrey speaks of for he lived
more than a century after the time of King Arthur. (Stewart
27)
Thus
the man we know as Merlin was most likely an invention of Geoffrey's,
pieced together from the lives of two men- the hero of Britain,
Ambrosius, and the mysterious prophet Myrddin; however, even though
the man Merlin might have been invented, the basis for him lies in
historical fact. Geoffrey simply took the historical figure of
Ambrosius and dubbed him Merlin- Latinising the name Myrddin-,
endowing him with prophetic powers. The remarkable thing here is not
Geoffrey's literary liberties but instead the ubiquity and
significance of the name "Myrddin." Not only did Geoffrey take it and
apply it to a famous national hero, but also, centuries before him,
the Welsh had taken it and applied it to a tragic hero of lore. The
name "Myrddin," then, appears to have been like a shifting label or
designation, applied to the important historical heroes of the land.
Evident in the nature of the characters who bear it, the name
"Myrddin" implies power and mystic prophecy, triumph in battle and a
lasting faith: Ambrosius led the Britons to triumph over the Saxons;
Lailoken stood as a symbol of Celtic hope; and Geoffrey's Merlin was
the cornerstone of the magical aspects and might of King Arthur's
realm. In Arthurian literature, Merlin is portrayed as the guiding
force behind the legend. It is Merlin who used magic to make the
birth of the great King Arthur possible. It is Merlin who took Arthur
to the Lady of the Lake to receive the magical sword Excalibur and
its scabbard of invincibility. It is Merlin who ordered the
construction of the Round Table. It is Merlin who makes the story of
King Arthur a mystical and fascinating event. The Merlin character is
like a god, a guiding force for the land; the name Merlin or
"Myrddin," then, is perhaps a label for individuals who embody
virtues of this character.
The
root of the mystical and god-like qualities attributed Merlin or
Myrddin can be traced back even further in British history, revealing
more about the origins of this character of "Merlin." One
particularly perplexing occurrence of the name Myrddin is in the
Welsh manuscript called the White Book of Rhydderch which includes a
text called The Names of the Island of Britain where the author
comments: "The first name that this island bore, before it was taken
or settled: Myrddin's Precinct." (Stewart 35) This material is much
older than Geoffrey's and preserves traditional ideas about early
Britain. This sentence implies some sort of prehistoric relationship
between the island of Britain and this figure of "Mryddin." In The
Book of Merlin, R.J. Stewart suggests that the 6th century Myrddin
designation was related to something vastly older, perhaps to an
ancient myth or cult of Britain for which Britain was first named;
Stewart suggest that Myrddin may have been a god or guardian of the
island, perhaps even the patron of the sacred center of Stonehenge.
(Stewart 36) In fact, Geoffrey credited Merlin with building
Stonehenge in the 6th century, even though evidence shows Stonehenge
was built mostly during 3000 BC. However, the smaller blue stones in
the structure which are of a later date could not have come from
anywhere near Salisbury Plains. The closest possible quarry is in
south-west Wales near the city of Carmarthen; interestingly, the
Welsh form of Carmarthen is Caefyrddin which, with a mutated
consonant, means "City (of) Myrddin." (Stewart 30) Myrddin, then,
could have been the sacred god of some cultic dwelling in South Wales
who conveyed the blue stones to Stonehenge.
Furthermore,
in the 4th century BC, Hecataeus of Abdera testifies to a god in
Britain whom he describes as its chief deity and identifies with the
Greek god Apollo. Hecataeus makes this comparison because of the
British god's love for music and a "notable round temple," like
Apollo's Delphi, dedicated to the British god. Inscriptions of the
2nd and 3rd century found in Lancashire, Cumbria and Northumberland
depict this British Apollo as the god Maponos, known as the "divine
youth"' In Welsh legend, Maponos resurfaces as Mabon ap Modron,
meaning "son, son of mother," an odd name for a male person in the
patronymic Welsh society. (Stewart 38) The similarities linking this
ancient British god to Merlin or Myrddin are plentiful: the "round
temple" represents Stonehenge; the image of the "divine youth" draws
comparisons to the youth who outsmarted Vortigern; and the odd name
makes reference to the fact that Merlin was the youth without a
father. Here, by linking the name "Myrddin" with that of an ancient
god, then, we might have the basis for the mystical and god-like
qualities of the prophet Myrddin, if not the basis for the original
Myrddin himself. The later applications of the name "Myrddin" all
embody the mystical qualities that a god would have and are revered
in a similar manner.
Despite
all this conjecture and hypothesis, we still do not know and may
never know exactly who Merlin was. The past hides facts and details
behind fantastic stories and myths. History is quickly forgotten or
rewritten. There may have been actual people named Merlin, Myrddin,
Ambrosius and even Lailoken. Or maybe none of these individuals might
have ever existed. But even if none of these individuals ever
existed, we know, without doubt, that the figure of "Merlin" exists.
We see him in Geoffrey's poems, in Welsh manuscripts, even in
television specials. The character of Merlin- the triumphant hero and
mystical prophet - will always exist in our literature and in our
minds.
References:
Gollnick, James. Comparative Studies
in Merlin From the Vedas to C.G. Jung. The Edwin Mellen Press,
Lewiston/Queenston/Lampeter, 1991
Macdonald, Aileen Ann. The Figure of
Merlin in Thirteenth Century French Romance. The Edwin Mellen Press,
Lewiston/Queenston/Lampeter, 1990.
Matthews, John and Stewart, R.J.
Merlin Through the Ages: A Chronological Anthology
and Source Book. Blandford Press Ltd, London, 1995.
Stewart, R.J. The Book of Merlin:
Insights from the Merlin Conference. Blandford Press Ltd, London,
1987.
Tolstoy, Nikolai. The Quest for
Merlin. Hamish Hamilton Ltd, London, 1985.
Merlin, Norma Lorre Goodrich.
Franklin Watts, New York, Toronto, 1987.
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