Merlin, biography of a legend

Merlin is the most famous wizard in history. Until now there is no absolute certainty that he was a real character, because he appears cited in both literary texts and 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. All in all, he is a fabulous character, wrapped in an imaginative and mysterious halo, which runs through a good part of the stories and myths of medieval England.

From a historical point of view, The one who introduced the name of Merlin to 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 recounted the exploits of Ambrose Aureliano. The latter could be the famous King Arthur. Gildas associated him with the figure of Merlin.

The origin of Merlin

Most of the legends that arise around Merlin indicate that he was a being of evil origin., who had come into 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 monarchs.

In some texts It is said that Merlin was the son of a demon, or an evil spirit, who impregnated a nun.. Other versions indicate that the magician’s mother was a forest witch or a woman that he conceived without having contact with any man.

Based on the few historical data available, the most accepted version says that Merlin’s name was Myrddin Emrys. He was the illegitimate son of one of the kings of Britain, precisely Ambrose Aurelianus. who would go down in history as the famous King Arthur. There is no absolute certainty about any of this 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 was he able to govern 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 his absent husband and spends the night with the woman. Her husband finally dies and the woman is married by the king. However, He had promised Merlin that he would give him the son born from that union: Arthur. That’s how he did it.

Being very young, also with the help of the magician, Arthur was able to remove the famous sword, Excalibur, from the rock in which it was inserted. He thus becomes the Great King. He then founded Camelot and ruled with the guidance of the sorcerer. He accompanied him and advised him in multiple situations.

The end of Merlin

The classic legend states 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 her magic, in exchange for her becoming his lover. She built him a palace on a lake and called her the Lady of the Lake. Over time, she began to fear him, as she knew of his evil origin.

Merlin himself taught her how to catch a man. The Lady of the Lake then imprisoned him in a glass cage.l. She could come and go, but he couldn’t. It is said that she stayed there forever and that she 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 called Myrddin, who lived in Scotland and was leader of the Picts tribe. In the year 573, he bravely faced an invasion from Ireland in a bloody battle. During it, he saw how his entire family died.

After that event, the warrior went crazy 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 then have been a disgraced hero, whose story was distorted thanks to the popular imagination.

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