Demonic forces conspired to make Merlin their agent on Earth. After later versions that survived were studied, Merlin's story was pieced together. Sometime in the later 12th or early 13th centuries, Frenchman Robert de Boron wrote the story of Merlin in verse, although much of it was lost. ( Witch panics killed thousands throughout history.) His justification for this was that many passages were incomprehensible, although he possibly wanted to avoid their political nature. For example, he removed Merlin’s prophecies. The Roman de Brut is not simply a translation. It contains the first literary appearance of Round Table many believe it was part of an oral tradition long before that. The result was the Roman de Brut, a nearly 15,000-line poem in Norman-French completed around 1155. Geoffrey’s “new” Merlin was a great success, to the extent that an Anglo-Norman author, Wace, who moved between the two sides of the English Channel, translated the History into his vernacular. Merlin presents a hundred or so prophecies in all, including Arthur’s dominance and the course of England’s unforeseeable future. In this prophecy, he essentially predicts the early days of the Arthurian narrative. Merlin explains the red dragon represents the Britons and the white dragon represents the Saxons, who will ultimately achieve victory. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Īnother difference is Geoffrey changes the two fighting worms into two fighting dragons, one red and one white. Geoffrey of Monmouth combined the characteristics of seership from pagan mythology with a promotion of Christian values, creating a unique blend of historical and legendary elements. In Geoffrey’s work, Merlin inherits these qualities, which he uses for the good. Medieval people believed demons were cleverer than humans and could predict the course of events. Merlin’s mother remains a nun, but the child is conceived with an incubus, a male demons. Geoffrey blended the character of Merlin, about whom little had been written at that point, with young Ambrosius from Nennius’s story, enriching the narration with new details. The site was identified with the legendary island of Avalon. A sacred center was even created for King Arthur at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset. It was said their return was awaited by the Britons. This precedent was found in the ancient Christianized Celtic kings. The Anglo-French dynasty needed to find a precedent, from both the insular Celts and the Normans, that could ennoble and intertwine the lineages on both sides of the English Channel. During that period, the kings of the Plantagenet dynasty, who reigned in England but had roots in Brittany, Normandy, and Anjou, were building a great kingdom that encompassed much of France as well as England. The Arthurian legend's creation during the 12th century has its roots in politics project. He is the heart of the Arthurian legend as one of it's most compelling characters. Since his first appearance in medieval literature, he has evolved over many centuries, transforming from a Welsh bard to a shape-shifting sorcerer. ( Some islands, like King Arthur’s Avalon, were pure legend.)īut there’s one wizard-Merlin the Great-who is the inspiration for them all. And, of course, there’s the benevolent Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts in the 1990s Harry Potter series of books, who uses his powers for the greater good. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy from the 1950s. The pipe-smoking Gandalf the Grey is a benevolent and powerful advisor in J.R.R. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (and the 1939 film based upon it) reigns as the Emerald City’s mysterious magical ruler. Prospero, the central character in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, is the exiled duke of Milan who obtains magical powers when marooned on an island. These mystical men possess magical powers that can be used for good-or evil. Wise old men with magical powers and sometimes long hoary beards are the archetypal wizards.
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