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Merlin the Wizard
Long before Harry Potter, there was Merlin or Myrddin, the legendary wizard and sage who guided King Arthur to the throne and has been a recurring character in many British myths and stories. He is most often pictured as an elderly man with long silver hair and a silver beard a gown and a pointed hat.
The character of Merlin is thought to be taken from many sources and has been portrayed in different ways since the 10th century. He has been described as a prophet, magician and a spin doctor. The greatest magical feat that he was supposed to have performed was the single-handed transportation of stonehenge from Ireland to Salisbury plain.
Merlin at a Glance
Merlin is best known as the wizard featured in Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures. Geoffrey combined existing stories of Myrddin Wyllt (Merlinus Caledonensis), a northern madman with no connection to King Arthur, with tales of Aurelius Ambrosius to form the composite figure he called Merlin Ambrosius.
Geoffrey's rendering of the character was immediately popular; later writers expanded the account to produce a fuller image of the...
Merlin - Fact or Fiction?
Places Associated with Merlin
- Tintagel Castle - Cornwall
- Tintagel was reputed to be the birthplace of King Arthur and Merlin's Cave lies beneath the rock that it is built on. See my lens for more information.
- Alderley Edge The Land of Arthur | King Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table
- Merlin is said to haunt Alderley Edge and that King Arthur and his Knights are asleep under the hillside.
- BBC - South West Wales Carmarthen - Merlin's Carmarthen connections
- The Merlin & Magic festival returned to Carmarthen in 2006 - but just how connected is the town to the legendary wizard and King Arthur?
- Bardsey Island
- A Legend tells that Merlin is still resting in a burial chamber here until Britain needs his help.
Great Merlin Movies
Merlin Videos
Novels which feature Merlin
Here are a selection of amazing books on Merlin that you will find hard to put down. Please feel free to vote for your favourite or suggest other titles by adding to the list.
The Coming of the King (The First Book of Merlin) by Nikolai Tolstoy
A fictional tale that looks at Merlin as politicia more...0 points
The Once and Future King by Terence Hanbury White
Merlin appears as mentor to King Arthur0 points
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen: A Tale of Alderley by Alan Garner
Alan Garner draws on the ancient legends of the wi more...0 points
The Crystal Cave (The Arthurian Saga, Book 1) by Mary Stewart
The story of Merlin from young boy to adulthood.0 points
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