Who Is Merlin?

 Merlin: A Wizard of Mythic Proportions

One of the most important characters within Arthurian legend is Merlin.  However, the Merlin we know today is much changed compared to how he first began.

Merlin first appears in Armes Prydein, an early 10th century Welsh prophetic poem from the Book of Taliesin.  His name is not that which we now use.  Here he is instead called Myrdin or Myrddin.

Myrdin foretells these will meet

In Aber Peruddon, the stewards of kings:

And though there be no right of slaughter they complain.

His role gradually evolves from here into that of a magician, prophet, and adviser of the kings.  He was apparently called Emrys (or Ambrosius) at his birth in Caer-Fryrddin (Carmarthen).  It is only later that his name is changed to Merlin, a Latinized version of the Welsh word, Myrddin.  It is thought that Geoffrey of Monmouth invented this form of his name to avoid the character being associated with the French word 'merde'.

 Merlin Vindicator

Merlin was the illegitimate son of a Royal Princess of Dyfed and his father is said to have been an angel that visited the Royal nun, leaving her with child.  According to Geoffrey, when introduced into the presence of Vortigern to be questioned about Merlin's father, his mother told him:

My sovereign lord... I know nobody that begot him of me.  Only this I know, that as I was once with my companions in our chambers, there appeared to me a person in the shape of a most beautiful young man, who often embraced me eagerly in his arms, and kissed me; and when he had stayed a little time, he suddenly vanished out of my sight.  But many times after this he would talk to me when I sat alone, without making any visible appearance.  When he had a long time haunted me in this manner, he at last lay with me several times in the shape of a man, and left me with child.  And I do affirm to you, my sovereign lord, that excepting that young man, I know no body begot him of me.

Vortigern and Merlin by Alan Lee

It is through the help of the king's advisers that many then come to the conclusion that Merlin's father was an incubus.

For, as Apuleius informs us in his book concerning the Demon of Socrates between the moon and the earth inhabit those spirits which we will call incubuses.  These are of the nature of partly of men and partly of angels, and whenever they please assume human shapes, and lie with women.  Perhaps one of them appeared to this woman, and begot the young man of her.

Merlin was, however, baptised early in his lifetime; an event which is said to have taken the evil from his nature, leaving his powers intact.  Some believe that this story was invented to save Merlin's mother from the scandal which would have arisen had her liaison with Morfyn Frych (the Freckled), a minor prince from the House of Coel, become public knowledge.

Merlin is first requested by Vortigern when he had tried to build a fortress which, every night, would collapse.  Vortigern's magicians told him that the only way to solve this problem was to sacrifice a child that had no father.  However, before the sacrifice took place, Merlin told Vortigern that a subterranean pool lay beneath the foundations, in which lived two dragons, one red and one white.

A painting depicting a battle in which a red dragon and white dragon fight.

According to Merlin, the red dragon represented Britain, while the white dragon represented the Saxons.  The two dragons fought with the white dragon first having the upper-hand, only to be driven back by the red dragon.  To Merlin, the meaning was clear.  He then prophesised that Vortigern would be killed and followed on the throne first by Ambrosius, then by Uther, and finally by Arthur to whom would fall the responsibility of pushing back the Saxons.  The prophecy was fulfilled and Merlin's role as adviser, prophet, and magician followed.

"I will now unfold to you the meaning of this mystery. The pool is the emblem of this world, and the tent that of your kingdom: the two serpents are two dragons; the red serpent is your dragon, but the white serpent is the dragon of the people who occupy several provinces and districts of Britain, even almost from sea to sea: at length, however, our people shall rise and drive away ;the Saxon race from beyond the sea, whence they originally came; but do you depart from this place, where you are not permitted to erect a citadel; I, to whom fate has allotted this mansion, shall remain here; whilst to you it is incumbent to seek other provinces, where you may build a fortress."

                                                                      Frrom Historia Brittonum by Nennius

The Dragons of Dinas Emris by ColletteJEllis

When 460 British nobles were slain at a peace conference due to Saxon treachery, Ambrosius, who at this time was king, consulted with Merlin about a suitable memorial to mark the men's passing and, as a result, Merlin, along with Uther, procured the stones of the Chorea Gigantum, the Giant's Ring and re-erected them around the mass grave.  We now call this place Stonehenge.

It was through Merlin that Uther lay with Igraine to conceive Arthur by way of turning Uther into the likeness of Igraine's husband, Gorlois.

 "Merlin and Arthur" by Scott Gustafson

After Arthur was born, Merlin became his tutor while he grew up with his foster-father, Sir Ector.  Merlin is the one that is said to have arranged for the Sword in the Stone contest, by which Arthur becomes king.  He was also the first to meet with the Lady of the Lake, convincing her to provide a magical sword, Excalibur, for Arthur.  In the romances, Merlin is the one to create the Round Table and is also responsible for aiding and directing the events of the king and of Camelot.

According to Geoffrey, at the end of Arthur's life, Merlin accompanies Arthur to the Isle of Avalon for the healing of Arthur's wounds.

Vivien and Merlin by the nineteenth-century French artist Gustave Doré.  

Sir Thomas Malory tells of how Merlin falls deeply in love with the Lady of the Lake, also known as Vivienne or Nimue, to whom he teaches all of his mystical powers.

And so, soon after, the lady and Merlin departed, and by the way Merlin showed her many wonders, and came into Cornwall.  And always Merlin lay about the lady to have her maidenhood...

 The Beguiling of Merlin by KarlaFrazetty

The Lady of the Lake becomes so powerful that her magical skills outshine even those of Merlin.  Believing that Merlin will enslave her, the Lady of the Lake imprisons Merlin sometimes in a cave, sometimes in a tree and, due to this, Merlin is absent from the Battle of Camlann.

Vivien Encloses Merlin in the Tree

...she was ever passing weary of him, and fain would have been delivered of him, for she was afeared of him because he was a devil's son, and she could not beskift him by no mean.  And so on a time it happened that Merlin showed to her in a rock whereas was a great wonder, and wrought by enchantment, that went under a great stone.  So by her subtle working she made Merlin to go under that stone to let her wit of the marvels there; but she wrought so there for him that he came never out for all the craft he could do.  And so she deported and left Merlin.

So, Merlin begins his journey as little more than a prophet.  He is later transformed by Geoffrey of Monmouth into a character of importance - a prophet, magician and adviser of kings.  In some literature, Merlin is responsible for the creation of the Sword in the Stone and the Round Table.  In some tales he falls in love with the Lady of the Lake and, in doing so, becomes trapped, leading to his absence at the Battle of Camlann.  This absence leads to the fatal wounding of King Arthur.  The centuries have seen Merlin go from minor character to major, with some considering Merlin to be one of the most important characters found within Arthurian literature.

That's all for today.  Next time we will learn about the myth of Flight 19.

Useful Resources

Historia Brittonum by Nennius
Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth
Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory
Armes Prydein Vawr or The Prophecy of Prydein the Great, Book of Taliesin VI 

Locating the 12 Great Battles of King Arthur: Part One

  Age of Arthur: Battle by jasonbehnke

Nennius, in his Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons), records a list of twelve great victories in battle during Arthur's time as Dux Bellorum.  He claims to have made 'a heap' from all the chronicles avaliable to him, although many believe that most of his material is mythical.  Some historians have argued that twelve battles is just too great a number for one man's lifetime and believe that the possible locations for these battles are just too widespread for a single leader to have fought in each.  Nennius writes about the battles fought by Arthur as follows:

Then it was, that the magnanimous Arthur, with all the kings and military force of Britain fought against the Saxons.  And though there were many more noble than himself, yet he was twelve times chosen their commander, and was as often conqueror.
The first battle in which he was engaged was at the mouth of the river Gleni.
The second, third, fourth and fifth were on another river, by the Britons called Duglas (Dubglas) in the region of Linuis.
The sixth on the river Bassas.
The seventh in the wood of Celidon, which the Britons called Cat Coit Celidon.
The eighth was near Gurnion castle, where Arthur bore the image of the Holy Virgin, mother of God, upon his shoulders, and through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the holy Mary, put the Saxons to flight, and pursued them the whole day with great slaughter.
The ninth was at the City of Legion, which is called Cair Lion.
The tenth was on the banks of the river Trat Treuroit.
The eleventh was on the mountain Breguoin, which we call Cat Bregion.
The twelfth was a most severe contest, when Arthur penetrated to the hill of Badon.  In this engagement, nine hundred and forty fell by his hand alone, no one but the Lord affording him assistance.
In all these engagements the Britons were successful.  For no strength can avail against the will of the Almighty.

Many historians and Arthurian experts have tried to link modern locations with those of these battles, although it is impossible to give positive matches.

King Arthur Riding into Battle by dmorganajonz.

The first battle in which he was engaged was at the mouth of the river Gleni.
There are two main contenders for the first battle at the river Gleni: the River Glen in Northumberland and the River Glen in Lincolnshire.  Unfortunately, the name Glen stems from the Celtic word for 'pure', so there were probably many rivers during the 6th century that had this name.

Yeavering Bell, a hillfort in Northumbria, near the town of Woller, overlooks a flat landscape where the River Glen flows into the River Till.  Some scholars have identified the meeting of these two rivers as the location of 'the mouth of the river Gleni.'  Excavations of Yeavering Bell have shown that it was occupied during the Arthurian period, making it a possibility that Arthur could have commanded his armies fighting the battle below.  It is believed that this battle would have been against the northward moving East Anglians.

However, some prefer the location of the River Glen in Lincolnshire.  This part of Britain was inhabited by the Angles and, being that Nennius sites four battles in the 'region of Linnuis', many scholars believe that Lincolnshire could also have been the location of the first battle.  This site appears to be more logical than Northumberland, purely because it seems to tie in better to the battles that followed.  However, some scholars disagree due to the many fens and swamps that cover Lincolnshire.  This battle is believed to have been against the first Bernician settlers.

 King Arthur Fighting the Saxons

A battle taking place at either of these locations could possibly be attributed to King Arthuis of the Pennines, who lived during the late 5th century.  Some do not agree that this battle can be attributed to Arthur.  There is a record of a battle which occurred at Yeavering in 632, when King Edwin's palace on the River Glen was burned by Penda of Mercia and Cadwallon of Wales.  It is possible that Nennius mistakenly attributed this battle to Arthur.

An alternative location for the first battle is Glen Water in Ayrshire at Darvel, although it has been suggested that this battle was not one against the Picts or Angles, but an internal power struggle.  Local legend, however, claims this as one of Arthur's battles, even dating it to 542.  But this date does not fit with the Battle of Badon, which has been given as 516.

For King and Country by InertiaK

The second, third, fourth and fifth were on another river, by the Britons called Duglas (Dubglas) in the region of Linuis.
The location of the second, third fourth and fifth battles which, according to Nennius, took place on 'another river... called Duglas in the region of Linuis' is the modern Douglas meaning 'black water'.  This means that it could be one of many rivers called Blackwater.  Rather than using the river's name to find the location, scholars have looked for the region of Linuis, which some have identified as Lincoln.  Lincoln was, during the Arthurian period, known as the Roman Lindum.  The surrounding area would then be known as Linnuis and is today known as Lindset.  While there is no River Douglas or Blackwater here, one of the waterways flowing from the muddy peat bogs could have been known as such.

Geoffrey of Monmouth, tells us that, when Arthur took the throne, he swore to rid Britain of the Saxon menace and set out to attack the Anglian stronghold at York.  On hearing this, the Deiran leader, Colgin, gathered an alliance of Saxons, Scots, and Picts before marching south to meet him.  The apparently clashed on the River Douglas.  Geoffrey also tells us of the Battle of Lincoln, possibly one of the successive battles taking place on the same river, which has been identified as Witham.

Artorius Dux Bellorum by dashinvaine 

Another possible location is the River Douglas at Loch Lomond near Inverberg, which falls into the ancient province of Lennox.  The 2nd century geographer Ptolmy recorded the name Lindum with the Roman fort of Drumquhassle in the Lennox province.  This would have been a natural place for a battle to occur with the Picts invading the British territory of Strathclyde from the north, as in 750 with the Battle of Mugdock.  Skene's Celtic Scotland concludes that Lennox would be a fitting location:  'This was certainly one of the distincts about the wall called 'Guaul' which had been occupied by Octa's colony; and Nennius tells us elsewhere that Severus' Wall (Antonine Wall), which passed by Cairpentaloch to the mouth of the River Clyde, was called in the British speech 'Guaul'.

Again, some believe that this battle could be attributed to Arthuis of the Pennines.  Others believe that these battles may have been fought by Arthur ic Uibar, a possible derivative of Arthur's name.  Some have argued that Linnuis simply means Lake Region, therefore making other rivers, such as the Douglas near Wigan in Lancashire, the possible location.  More suited to the traditional Arthur are locations found in the south, including an imaginative identification with the Battle of Natanleag, which is now Netley in Hampshire, and the more convincing suggestion of the area around Ilchester in Somerset, which is the Roman Lindinis, possibly later corrupted to Linuis.  Flowing nearby is the River Divelish and Devil's Brook, which both derive from Dubglas.  It has been suggested that one of these may have marked the border of Dunnonia.

King Arthur in combat, brandishing a draco. From L'Histoire de Merlin by Robert de Boron (14th C.)

 
The sixth on the river Bassas.
 The sixth battle has only one convincing possible location.  Cambusland, in the southern suburbs of Glasgow.  This site already claims Arthurian associations as the burial place of Arthur's enemy, the Pictish chieftain Caw.  Some believe that he may even have been killed during this battle.  Early genealogies have listed Caw as the son of Gildas, while his daughter, Cwyllog, may have been the wife of Medrawt (Mordred).  This is a possible reference to a feud between the family of Gildas and King Arthur - a credible reason for Gildas' omission of Arthur's name from his work.

Though the name Bassas has not been satisfactorily traced, Cambuslang derives from the Latin camus-long meaning blight of ships, indicating that this could possibly have been, as suggested by Tlostoy, a sea-faring battle where one of the piratical brother's of Gildas met his end.

The seventh in the wood of Celidon, which the Britons called Cat Coit Celidon.
The seventh battle was identified by Geoffrey of Monmouth as having taken place in a wood just north of Lincoln.  However, it seems that Geoffrey may have been confused.  He tells us that this battle took place after the Saxon, Scottish and Pictish alliance fled north from the Battle of Lincoln, but Geoffrey does not seem to realise just how far they managed to travel before Arthur caught up with them and many identify the location as the Caledonian Forest in modern Scotland, then known as Coed Celyddon.  It could have originally stretched from the Solway to the Highlands, although Welsh tradition tells us that it reached the area of the Scottish border.  Tolstoy has narrowed the location to the borders of the present-day counties of Peebles, Lanark and Dumfries.  Here a Roman road crosses the mountains, making it an ideal location for a skirmish.  The enemy could have been a colony of Saxons from Dumfrieshire.

King Arthur led the Britons to overwhelming victory against the Saxons by English School

The Moffat region of Dumfrieshire, Penrith in Cumbria and Glasgow have also been suggested as possible locations for the Battle of Cat Coit Celidon.

This is another battle which may have been fought by Arthuis of the Pennines, who may have been fighting against the invading Scots.  It could also be a memory of the later Battle of Arfderydd, now known as Arthuret in Cumbria.  In 573, the British armies of King Gwendoleu of Caer-Winley and King Peredyr of Ebrauc fought a territorial battle over the fort of Caer-Laverock.  The battle is believed to be associated with Arthur because the original Merlin, or Myrddin, fled into the Celidon Forest after the battle.

That's all for today.  Next time we will look at the five remaining victories of King Arthur.

Useful Resources
Historia Brittonum by Nennius
Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth
The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend by Alan Lupack
Revealing King Arthur: Swords, Stones and Digging for Camelot by Christopher Gidlow
King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend by Rodney Castleden

The Battles of King Arthur
King Arthur and His Battles

Locating the 12 Great Battles of King Arthur: Part Two

In the last post we looked at the 1st seven battles of King Arthur and their potential locations.  Today we will look at the final five battles which ended in victory.

 King Arthur Tapestry

The eighth was near Gurnion castle, where Arthur bore the image of the Holy Virgin, mother of God, upon his shoulders, and through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the holy Mary, put the Saxons to flight, and pursued them the whole day with great slaughter.
The quote taken for the eighth battle suffers confusion due to the translation of certain Welsh words being misinterpreted.  '...where Arthur bore the image of the Holy Virgin, mother of God, upon his shoulders,..'  The words shield and shoulder may well have been mixed up.  Geoffrey of Monmouth tells us that Arthur bore armonial bearings of both the cross and virgin, more likely on his shield; the arms later adopted by Glastonbury Abbey.

The site for this battle is difficult to identify.  The name Gurnion, also known as Guinnion, is considered to be similar to the Roman fort of Vinovium at Binchester, Durham, although Land's End, Caer Guidn in the British language, has also been suggested.  Another theory suggests a translation of the Saxon Battle of Wihtgarasburh, the Isle of Wight or, in Welsh, Gwyn.  However, some believe that either of the walled towns called Vents by the Romans to be more likely locations.  One of these became the modern Caer-Went in Gwent, where the other is now Winchester in Hampshire.  The latter was the location of a pre-Camlann battle between Arthur and his nephew Mordred, as told by Geoffrey of Monmouth, although modern historians believe a more likely enemy to have been the Saxon invader, Cerdic, who fought in around the year 500AD.

 Defeat of the Saxons by Arthur By John Cassell

During its transition between names, Winchester was the Romano-British Caer-Guinntguic or Caer Guinn.  -guic would be a corrupt of -iog, which is a standard place-name ending.  -ion was used in a similar way and, despite there being no record of it, an acceptable name would be Caer Guinnion, as with Caer Leir being recorded as Caer Lerion, and Caer Celef having been recorded as Caer Celemion.

The ninth was at the City of Legion, which is called Caer Lion.
The ninth battle can be possibly identified with two locations, both of which were known as City of the Legions or Urbe Legionis.  Some identify the battle to have taken place at Caerleon, where others believe it could have taken place at Chester, at either end of the Welsh border.  Both of these places were home to Roman Legions at various times throughout the Roman occupation.  It is also possible that York bore such a title.  Chester was known as Caer Legion, where Caerleon was known as Caer Legion guer Uisc (Caerleon-upon-Usk), although the later suffix is often lost.

King Arthur Painting

Chester is often the most preferred option, having been recorded in the Annales Cambriae as Urbs Legionis.  This was the site of the Battle of Chester.  In 613, King Aethelfrith of Bernicia invaded the Welsh Kingdoms in order to stop King Iago of Gwynedd from restoring Edwin, an old enemy of the Deiran throne.  The armies of Gwynedd, Powys, Pergwern and Dumnonia fought against him but were defeated at the Battle of Chester, with King Iago of Gwynedd and Selyf Sarffgadau of Powys being killed.  It is thought that this battle could have been taken back 100 years to the time of Arthur.

In Llongborth I saw Arthur,
And brave men who hewed down with steel,
Emperor, and conductor of the toil. 
                                                         From Geraint son of Erbin, Black Book of Caermarthen

Tolstoy, however, prefers Exeter, known to the Romans as Isca Dumnonorium and by the British as Caer Wisc.  A poem in the Black Book of Caermarthen, called Gerint son of Erbin, suggests that this battle took place either at sea or around a harbour.  This is due to the word Llongborth, which may refer to a ship harbour.  Geraint, the hero who fell in this battle, was from Devon, making Exomouth another possible candidate.

King Arthur Le Roi Arthur, French tapestry

The tenth was on the banks of the river Trat Treuroit.
The tenth battle at Trat Treuroit, also known as Tribuit and, more properly, Tryfrwyd, is mentioned in the Black Book of Caermarthen.  Cai Hir (the Tall), Arthur's foster brother of traditional legend, is said to have fought there against a foe called Ganulwyd.  It is believed that Arthur, as Cai's patron in the poem, was the British commander during the battle.

Cai entreated him,
While he killed every third person.
When Celli was lost,
Cuelli was found; and rejoiced
Cai, as long as he hewed down.
Arthur distributed gifts,
The blood trickled down.
                                                     From Arthur and the Porter, Black Book of Caermarthen

Some have identified the location of this battle as the River Frew at Stirling.  Others have suggested the River Ribble in Lancashire, the Severn at Gloucester, and also the Eden at Carlisle.

The eleventh was on the mountain Breguoin, which we call Cat Bregion.
The eleventh battle location was identified by Geoffrey of Monmouth as Edinburgh and most don't disagree with this as there is very little evidence to challenge his identification.  It is known that Edinburgh Castle was occupied during this time and was a strategic point of importance being at the centre of the Kingdom of Gododdin.  It has been suggested that this battle was connected with King Lot of Gododdin, one of the eleven kings who rebelled against Arthur during the start of his reign.

Legend of King Arthur 

Geoffrey calls Edinburgh Castle the Castle of the Maidens or the Dolorous Castle.  Edinburgh's alias was Din-Eityn, which relates that the settlement is on top of a rock.  During the 7th century there was the Siege of Din-Eityn which some believe has been pushed back to  the time of Arthur.  In a 10th century version of Nennius' History, the battle location is given the alternative name of Breguoin.  Some have suggested that this could be a corruption of Bravonius, a Roman name for Leintwardine in Herefordshire.  This is believed to have been a battle which may have involved King Athrwys of Ergyng, though this location was more often known as Branogenium.

Anoter alternative is that the battle stems from Bremenium, now High Rochester in Northumberland, the site of King Urien Rheged's Battle of the Cells pf Brewyn.  More obscure possible locations include Brent Knoll in Somerset, Ribchester in Lancashire, and Cirencester in Gloucestershire.  Some have also suggested that the tenth and eleventh battles were actually one single, long and hard fought battle.

 Badon

The twelfth was a most severe contest, when Arthur penetrated to the hill of Badon.  In this engagement, nine hundred and forty fell by his hand alone, no one but the Lord offending his assistance.

516

The Battle of Badon, in which Arthur carried the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ for three days and three nights on his shoulders and the Britons were the victors.

                                                         Annales Cambriae

The twelfth battle, according to Nennius Arthur's last victorious battle, was the Battle of Badon.  And with this battle we have actual historical evidence to support Nennius' writing.  Popular opinion bases the Battle of Badon between 490 and 516AD, but pinning down the exact date is a cause of much dispute.

It is believed that this battle took place above the city of Bath in Somerset, at Little Solisbury.  Bath was referred to by the Britons and the Celts as Bathon, giving the phonetic spelling of Badon.  The Welsh Monk Gildas states that the Battle of Badon HIll was won by Ambrosius Aurelianus.

After this, sometimes our countrymen, sometimes the enemy, won the field, to the end that our Lord might this land try after his accustomed manner these his Israelites, whether they loved him or not until the year of the siege of Bath-hill, when took place also the last almost, though not the least slaughter of our cruel foes, which was (as I am sure) forty-four years and one month after the landing of the Saxons, and also the time of my own nativity.

Badon Hill

Tolstoy identifies the location as Bathamption, a hill just outside of Bath, tying in nicely with Geoffrey's suggestion.  Despite Bath being a very popular contender for the location of this battle, there have been other suggestions.  These include Bawden Hill in Lothian, Dumbarton Rock in Strathclyde, Mynydd Baedon in Glamorgan, Little Salway Hill in Somerset and Brenth Knoll, also in Somerset.  Modern theory, however, suggests one of the many Badburys around the country, giving us countless possibilities for the location of this battle.

That's all for today.  Next time we will look at the final battle of King Arthur.


Useful Resources
  
Historia Brittonum by Nennius
Annales Cambriae
The Black Book of Carmarthen
Gildas (c.504-570): Works

Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth
The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend by Alan Lupack
Revealing King Arthur: Swords, Stones and Digging for Camelot by Christopher Gidlow
King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend by Rodney Castleden
The Historic King Arthur: Authenticating the Celtic Hero of Post-Roman Britain By Frank D. Reno

The Battles of King Arthur
King Arthur and His BattlesThe Battle of Mount Badon by Sam Boyer
The Deadliest Blogger