Merlin Character Essay
Merlin
Court Magician to King Ambrosius, King Uther Pendragon, and King Arthur. Of all the characters in Arthurian legends, Merlin is by far the most mysterious. Over the years Merlin has taken many different names, faces, and roles. He has been known as an advisor, a prophet, a magician, a wise man, and a cleric. Merlin is so complex that it is impossible to understand his true nature.
Merlin's origins are shrouded in mystery. It is quite possible that in the early days of Britain, where secret druid societies flourished and Celtic legends covered the land, Merlin evolved as a symbol of an all knowing, intruiging deity, who takes many forms. It is also possible that there lived a druid that was a contemporary of the historical Arthur that might of been the real Merlin. We first read of Merlin in the writings Nennius, an 8th century monk. Geoffrey of Monnomouth then goes on to write of Merlin and his birth. According to Geoffrey, Merlin's mother was a pure and chaste noble woman, who was seduced by a mysterious, demonic being, thus making one half of Merlin human and the other half a mysterious, otherworldly figure. Merlin was taken from his mother at a very early age by Vortigern, who at the time was a notorious king of Britain. Vortigern was building a tower that always seed to crumble and needed the blood of a magical child to strengthen the foundation. Merlin then told Vortigern his first prophecy, the prophecy of the two dragons. According to Merlin, beneath the ground of the tower, two dragons enraged in brutal combat. One of these dragons was white and the other was red. The red symbolized the Britons and the white symbolized the Saxons. The two dragons would fight the white dragon would be victorious. Vortigern dug up the foundation and found all that Merlin prophesied to be true. Soon, the rightful ruler of Britain, King Ambrosius came and defeated Vortigern and Merlin was rescued. Merlin then went on to be Ambrosius's mage and advisor and later when Ambrosius died, he served as an advisor to Ambrosius's brother, Uther Pendragon. It was soon seen than was full of secrets and mysteries. It became revealed Merlin could know the future as well as he knew the past and prohpesied many events to come. In these years, Merlin did marvelous deeds such as bringing Stonehenge over from Ireland and building the Round Table which was modeled after the table used in the Last Supper. It was Merlin who put the pieces in place for Arthur's glorious kingdom in the years to come.
Although Merlin's company was very much enjoyed within the courts of Camelot, there was a mysterious, otherworldly side to Merlin which could never conform him to stay within the castle walls. Merlin lived deep in the heart of the forest of the enchanting Fairyland, where few endeavored into for fear of the unknown. Merlin himself was as much a mystery as was Fairyland and living there suited him well. Merlin took many different forms. Sometimes he was seen as an old man with a white beard and cloak, and sometimes he was seen as a laughing youth, riding a mystical stag through Fairyland.
It was Merlin who came to Uther's aid when Uther desired Igraine, the wife of the Duke of Tintagel. in the form of the Duke so that he could spend on knight with Igraine. The price of this, Merlin said would be the consequences of Uther's lusts, which of course would be Arthur. On that night, Uther disguised as the Duke seduced Igraine while the Duke was killed in battle. Uther soon married Igraine as it was seen that she was to have a child. On the birth of this child, Merlin came to Uther's court once again to fulfill the bargain and the destiny of Britain. Reluctantly, Uther gave Arthur to Merlin. Merlin gave Arthur to a knight named Ector to raise.
During Arthur's youth, Merlin played a very important role in seeing to the upbringing of Arthur in order that one day Arthur would make a fair, worthy king. It was also Merlin who placed the sword in the stone for Arthur to pull and become king of Britain. In the early years of Arthur's reign, it was Merlin who helped Arthur establish his kingdom by helping Arthur claim Excalibur, setting up the Round Table, and giving Arthur wisdom and insight on how to be a true king. Most of Merlin's works were prophecies or deeds to set up things in the year to come. One of Merlin's greatest prophecies was that of the Holy Grail and of Galahad, the pure knight who would achieve it.
The years went by and Merlin grew older and more withdrawn from Arthur's court. Merlin was now only seen as an old man with a long, white beard. It befell Merlin at this time in his life that he became infatuated with an enchanting, seductuous fairy woman named Viviane.
Viviane was young and beautiful and her charm led her to have control over Merlin, which eventually led to the wizard's doom. Merlin now spent all of his time in the forests of Fairyland with Viviane. Even as dark and mysterious as Merlin was, he simply could not resist Viviane's seductuous charms and gradually began to share with her his unbelievable knowledge at her request. Merlin knew that his time in this world was limited and his destiny was nearly completed. It was time for him to move on. Viviane brought the aged sorcerer to the magical forests of Broceliande where she imprisoned him in a spell of sleep, and Merlin was given his final resting place. A stone supposedly marked where Merlin rested and even after his departure, many of the knights of the Round Table met at the stone to begin their quests.
Merlin's influence can be seen even after his departure. Merlin's departure itself is a mystery. Some believe that Merlin simply died. Others believe that he stills sleeps, waiting to be awakened. Yet others believe that Merlin has transformed into a new level of consciousness. One of the most important things to remember about Merlin as is true of many of the Arthurian characters is that Merlin stands for more of a symbol than a person. Merlin stands for a magical, mysterious force when the world was yet young and many wonders roamed the earth. He is the infinite mystery and his true nature is never revealed. He is the wind that blows through the trees, the rain that falls from the sky. Many people are intruiged and fascinated with Merlin's inner nature and unbelievably, there are some who even believe themselves to be Merlin reincarnated. The symbol of Merlin is interpreted in different ways varying from source to source. In the beginning, Merlin's roots are pagan and he is seen as the son of a god-like, otherworldly being. As the legends move on, and become more Christian, Merlin is seen as the son of a demon who plotted for Merlin to be the Antichrist, a plot which was thwarted by Merlin being christened. I personally feel that Merlin is too mysterious to be revealed as either Christian or pagan. Even in the 20th century, we see Merlin transforming onto a new level in novels of science fiction and fantasy. Even in the great science fiction series "Doctor Who," more of Merlin's nature is revealed in the 1989 episode "Battlefield" where Merlin is found to be a future incarnation of the Doctor. This is very believable since both characters are mysterious, wise travelers.
In the program "Gargoyles," Merlin may soon be seen as Arthur has vower to find and awaken him. In my opinion, the best interpretation of Merlin to date is in the 1981 movie "Excalibur" where Merlin is portrayed as a wise, quirky figure shrouded in mystery. As we draw near to the 21st century, the symbol of Merlin will always exist and transform onto new levels.
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