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Merlin, the legendary wizard from tales of King Arthur, may have had magical powers and was credited with arranging Arthur’s conception. He may have raised Arthur and worked as his advisor. Merlin’s character is based on Welsh and Geoffrey of Monmouth’s tales. Numerous interpretations of Merlin exist, including Mark Twain’s antagonist and Mary Stewart’s protagonist. TH White’s version has Merlin living backwards and getting younger.
Merlin is the legendary fictional wizard, made famous by his presence in tales of King Arthur. Depending on the source, Merlin may have real magical powers, be gifted with foresight or psychic abilities, and may owe his powers to being the son of a demon and a woman. He is generally credited with arranging Uther Pendragon’s seduction of Arthur’s mother Tigraine, disguising Uther as Tigraine’s husband.
Although Uther was able to marry Tigraine after defeating Lot in battle, Arthur’s conception occurred too early to suggest anything other than adultery. Therefore, Merlin took Arthur away to be raised by Sir Ector. Some accounts argue that Merlin may have directly raised King Arthur, producing him at the appropriate time to gain the title of king of England, and other accounts state that Merlin later worked as a court advisor to Arthur.
Most accounts of Arthur’s education include the fact that Arthur did not know his parentage until after he became king. This led to the tragedy that would culminate in Arthur’s death. As Arthur did not know that Tigraine was his mother, he easily succumbed to the seduction of her half-sister Morgause. Their relationship produced Mordred, who would later kill Arthur. If Merlin raised Arthur, his failure to inform Arthur of this vital fact was certainly a matter of extreme negligence, particularly if he was gifted with foresight.
The character of Merlin is based on several sources: one is the Welsh Myrddin, who appears in stories as early as the 6th century. Another influence for Merlin was taken from Geoffrey of Monmouth, who based his Merlin primarily on the real person, Ambrosius Aurelianus, a 5th century war chief. Geoffrey’s tale romances Ambrosius to the extreme.
Through the later part of the Middle Ages, many authors gave their own interpretation of Merlin and his importance in the Arthurian cycle. Emphasis was placed on his salvation from being the Antichrist through baptism, his ability to shapeshift, and his duty as advisor to the king. Accounts of his death vary, but generally fall into some form. He was enchanted by the Lady of the Lake or the sorceress Nimue, and was thus held captive for the rest of his life. His absence when Mordred attacked Arthur is often considered to be at least part of the reason why Arthur died at his son’s hands.
Numerous tales of Merlin continue to proliferate, some approaching early Arthurian sources and others straying far from them. Mark Twain’s Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court makes Merlin the antagonist. Mary Stewart’s novels The Crystal Cave and The Hollow Hills feature Merlin as the protagonist and are told primarily from his point of view. One of the more interesting concepts in Merlin’s writings is TH White’s The Once and Future King.
In White’s version, Merlin has foresight because he lives backwards. Instead of getting older by telling Arthur’s story, Merlin gets younger. His birth takes place at some point in the future. White’s version is lovable and funny and has encouraged newer wizards in fiction such as the famous Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series.
