The Progress of Merlin from Tales of King Arthur

We can thank Geoffrey of Monmouth for our aquaintance with Merlin.

Back in the twelfth century, Geoffrey took two characters from Welsh legend and combined them into one. The first character was Myrddin, a bard and seer; the second was Ambrosius, War Leader of the Romano-British..

He named this combined character Merlinus Ambrosius,

Geoffrey's rendering of the character was immediately popular - this where Merlin began.

Geoffrey tells only two tales of Merlin.

The boy Merlin is said to be the son of a cloistered lady of royal birth, and of a demon. As a youth, he was already known for his prophetic abilities. A king, Vortigen, summoned him to discover what was wrong with his building project. Vortigern wanted to erect a great Tower but every week the walls would collapse again..

Merlin had a vision of an underground lake, with two sleeping dragons, one red, one white.

The two dragons fought a great battle, till the red dragon of Wales was overpowered by the white dragon of the Saxons. A savage portent of things to come.

Merlin gained sudden popularity in the Middle Ages, turning up in French and English romances, such as the works of Chretien de Troyes and in Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur.

In Morte d'Arthur, the magical powers of Merlin are given prominence.

Malory wrote 'The Death of Arthur' during 1469 while imprisoned for a series of violent crimes. The chivalry of Arthur's world was a far cry from Malory's own, which was torn by war between the noble dynasties of York and Lancaster.

Closer to us in time is Tennyson's Idylls of the King, in which Merlin is credited with feats of great magic.

Tennyson enhances the story of Merlin and makes him the architect of Camelot.

In "Merlin and Vivien," the sixth poem in Idylls of the King, the poet describes Merlin's gradual capitulation to the deceitful charms of a malevolent woman. She is described as using rumour and scandal in an attempt to wreak havoc in the court of King Arthur.

This section of the Idylls is quite remarkable for its use of Victorian misogynistic language and assumptions.

Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) made Merlin into a hack magician with the fatal flaw of actually believing in his own sleight of hand. Merlin is portrayed as deceptive, petty and vindictive; an incredibly dangerous person if any of his tricks ever worked.

Walt Disney gave the world the image of Merlin the Magician. A friendly, wise old man whose only reason to exist is to guide and care for the young Arthur.

Nowadays, Merlin in his spangled cape and wizard's hat, is a common Arthurian character. It's a long way from the magical Druid, but Merlin is now a household name.