Merlin, Biography Of A Legend
Merlin is the most famous wizard in history. So far there is no absolute certainty that he was a real character, because he is cited both in literary texts and in historical works. However, there are more certainties about the existence of Merlin than of King Arthur according to scholars of the subject.
Whether it existed or not, the truth is that countless legends have been woven around it. This also makes a truthful reconstruction of its history difficult. However, it is a fabulous character, wrapped in an imaginative and mysterious halo, which runs through much of the stories and myths of medieval England.
From the historical point of view, who introduced the name of Merlin to the British tradition was Lailoken, a poet who lived in the south of Scotland. The other source from which this character emerges is Gildas the wise, who related the exploits of Ambrosio Aureliano. The latter could be the famous King Arthur. Gildas associated it with the figure of Merlin.
The origin of Merlin
Most of the legends that arise around Merlin point out that he was a being of evil origin, who had come to the world to do harm. However, as the magician grew up he used all his powers wisely and thus became a wise man and advisor to the monarchs.
In some texts it is said that Merlin was the son of a demon, or of an evil spirit, who left a nun pregnant. Other versions indicate that the wizard’s mother was a forest witch or a woman who would have conceived without having contact with any man.
Based on the little historical data available, the most widely accepted version says that Merlin’s name was Myrddin Emrys. He was the illegitimate son of one of the kings of Britain, precisely Ambrosio Aureliano , who would go down in history as the famous King Arthur. There is no absolute certainty of any of these data.
Merlin and King Arthur
The story of King Arthur , a character as enigmatic as Merlin, is inseparable from that of the magician. It is said that only thanks to the guidance of that famous sorcerer could he rule with wisdom and righteousness. It all begins when the King of Britain falls madly in love with a married woman.
Taking advantage of the fact that her husband is fighting, Merlin intervenes so that the king takes on the appearance of the absent husband and spends the night with the woman. Her husband eventually dies and the woman is married by the king. However, he had promised Merlin that he would give him the son born of that union: Arturo. He did so.
Being very young, also with the help of the magician, Arturo was able to extract the famous sword Excalibur, from the rock in which it was inserted. Thus he becomes the Great King. He then founded Camelot and ruled with the guidance of the sorcerer. He accompanied and advised him in multiple situations.
Merlin’s end
The classic legend indicates that Merlin fell madly in love with a young woman, when he was already an old man. So he insisted on teaching her all the secrets of his magic, in exchange for her becoming his lover. He built her a palace on a lake and called her the Lady of the Lake. Over time, she began to fear him, knowing his evil origin.
Merlin himself taught her how to catch a man. The Lady of the Lake then imprisoned him in a glass cage. She could come and go, but he couldn’t. It is said that he stayed there forever and that he is still waiting for whoever is able to go and free him.
There is another version of the story that was proposed by historian John Matthews. According to this, the legend of Merlin is inspired by a warrior named Myrddin, who lived in Scotland and was the leader of the Picts tribe. In 573, he bravely faced an invasion from Ireland, in a bloody battle. During it, he saw his entire family die.
After that fact, the warrior went mad and went to live as a hermit in the forest. He had strange customs and that is why he acquired the fame of a sorcerer. That is why a series of legends began to be woven around him. He would have been then, a hero in disgrace, whose history was deformed thanks to the popular imagination.
