Info wanted on Merlin the Magician

Hello everyone,

I'm currently trying to research Merlin. And I'm calling on all ats'ers for help on this. The problem is that it's hard to find out what's reliable info and what is not.

Of course a lot of people think he is just a mythological character and thus no reliable information can be found. It is my personal believe that at least part of the writings could be true.

So if any of you could tell me some good literature or internet sources i'd greatly apreciate it. Also on internet there are diffrences in timelines (in other words... when he lived). Is there anyone who knows when he was born?

Last of all the names he goes by. There are many names for him so if anybody knows more on that?

I'm sorry if my spelling is bad, I'm not a native in english.

Thank you.

From Wikipedia

Merlin is best known as the wizard featured in Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures. Geoffrey combined existing stories of Myrddin Wyllt (Merlinus Caledonensis), a northern madman with no connection to King Arthur, with tales of Aurelius Ambrosius to form the composite figure he called Merlin Ambrosius.

Based on that information, there is no historical Merlin the Magician. He is a fictional character based on composites of other story characters.

Finding Merlin by Adam Ardrey.

Good book with some pretty indepth thought and research placed into it.

Although Merlin the Magician is a fictional character it is accpeted by many that the character was based on a historical figure or even an amlgamation of several.

Persoanlly wouldn't be so quick to dismiss just cause wikipedia says

The Merlin we all know and love is a fictional character, but it is possible that he was based on a real adviser to one of the kings or chieftains of ancient Wessex and his story was combined with Celtic and Saxon myth and legend to the character we think of today. Arthurian legend also differs widely on the chacter of Merlin depending on who you read, some tales mention little of his magical ability beyond treating wounds and providing sage advice, others revere him as some sort of warrior wizard.

There are no definitive source documents for Arthurian legend, Historia Regum Britanniae provides some of the first references, but it is near impossible to tell which tales stem from the ancient Britons and have been romanticised and which tales were invented altogether by later authors.

It should also be noted that Adam Ardrey has been heavily critized for a conflict of interest involving the book Finding Merlin. Also, none of his references can be verified because they were passed from "oral tradition" as to who his true identity was. There are even comparisons of the book to the Da Vinci Code, basically flagging it as historical fiction.

Just be warned.

I may have used Wikipedia as a quick link. I still don't see anything wrong with that as a start to research. I would never use it as the finishing touch, though. From there, you can find links to references and such, and make your own decision.

i believe Michael Tsarion touches on Merlin and the etymology of the name Merlin in one of his many videos. Unfortunately I don't remember which

I think that the Madame Trousseau Wax Museum
has a representation of a 'Merlin'.

Now they had to do research, and their sources had to be based
on something more than Legends.

Thanks for all the hints. This helps me a lot.

I don't remember where I read it, but Merlin and Saint Germain are supposedly one and the same person. They were both alchemists and supposedly immortal. I tend to agree with others that Merlin was probably a combination of several different characters.

Originally posted by ambushrocks
Hello everyone,

I'm currently trying to research Merlin. And I'm calling on all ats'ers for help on this. The problem is that it's hard to find out what's reliable info and what is not.

In The Arthurian Encyclopedia, it states "Merlin (Myrddin), prophet and magician, was born of the fertile imagination of Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regnum Britanniae (ca 1135) with some inspiration from local traditions and the chronicler Nennius. The same volume says that Nennius was working from documents that predate the 9th century, but that were "full of legends, errors, inconsistancies and matter that was probably oral rather than written..."

So...who knows, but even though a story may exist as legend, there is generally a kernal of truth in there somewhere!

[edit on 21-2-2008 by JohnnyCanuck]

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck


Yes I agree, a lot of ancient stories have some truth to it. That's why I'm interested in researching this. The romatisised stories are of course fantasy but I'm interested in the real story.

reply to post by Enthralled Fan


I'm gonna dive into the saint-germain thing. That's a really good hint. I don't have any knowledge on saint-germain accept for something I read here on the forum about him being the oldest person and reappearing in different locations troughout time.

I don't remember the source, but I read somewhere that named him as the demon Rex Mundi. You might try looking there. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. I'd like to know what you find, though.

Originally posted by Dissension
I don't remember the source, but I read somewhere that named him as the demon Rex Mundi.

So you do know that Rex Mundi means King of the World, right?

merlin was real he was the advisor for arthur a good true hint of the time frame arthur helped constantine

I found this a while back, intriguing nonetheless,

Hermes was Merlin the Magician - linked to his role as the Trickster. His lessons are taught by Magic to help you see through the illusion of Time and Emotion.

www.crystalinks.com...

reply to post by ambushrocks


Hello! first i would like to start by Saying that what i am telling you comes strait from merlins Believed religion witch i folow myself; Druidism. Also here are a few books for you.
(Historia regum Britanniae ("History of the Kings of Britain", c. 1137), Welsh poem called Afallenau and several other poems preserved in the manuscript known as the Black Book of Carmarthen, c. 1250.

First: Merlin was a big part of Welsh and Artherian lore;

Merlin wore many hats: he was a wizard or sorcerer, a prophet, a bard, an adviser and a tutor. He appeared as a young boy with no father. He appeared as an old, wise man, freely giving his wisdom to four successive British kings. He was dotting old fool, who couldn't control his lust over beautiful women, who hold him in fear and contempt. He had even appeared as a madman after bloody battle, and had fled into the forest and learned how to talk to the animals, where he became known as the Wild Man of the Woods. Merlin was the last of the druid, the Celtic shaman, priest of nature, and keeper of knowledge, particularly of the arcane secrets.

Second: Merlins Name in Welsh and Latin;

According to the Welsh historian, Nennius, Merlin appeared as a young boy, but under the name of Emrys or as Ambrosius in Latin, with the British king, Vortigern. In a similar account with Vortigern, it was Geoffrey of Monmouth, who had named this boy – Merlinus Ambrosius (Merlin Emrys in Welsh).

Third: *now that its out of the way i will call him as i know him* Emrys was a druid;

Merlin was also a druid. The druids were a Celtic priest-cast centered in England. They flourished in Ireland, Wales, England and France around the time of Christ, but were suppressed by the subsequent Roman military occupiers, and by the Christian priests who followed after them.

Fourth: Slandering the church put upon merlin and druidism;

The fable that Merlin was the child of a demon from hell is a slander of the Church. But it was probably based on an older Celtic legend that Merlin was the product between a god and a woman. In one later version of the tale, Merlin's father is supposed to have been a glorious supernatural being who appeared to his mother in her dreams. It was a common Celtic belief that magicians were the product of unions between spirits and mortal women. The same belief was held by the ancient Greeks regarding their heroes such as Heracles, but instead of magic powers these Greek heroes were gifted with warrior skills. Girls born from such unions were more likely in Greek myth to have the powers of sorcery, because sorcery was considered by the Greeks to be unmanly or dishonorable. The Celts had no such prejudices against magic.

Sources; www.timelessmyths.com/arthurian/merlin.html
www.donaldtyson.com/merlin.html

The Merlin, IIRC, was a title rather than a singular person. The Merlin of Arthurian legend is - as well noted above - a composite in a similar vein to the stories of Robin Hood. Many stories put together to create a romanticised character.

You will probably have better luck researching the traditions and practices of the period rather than looking for a single person.

Good luck.

Only info of any value is quite simple. "LOB"