Merlin, the legendary wizard, is a
well-known character who has been charming younger and older generations for
centuries. Not many will realize he is
not only a magician but also a prophet.
Perhaps not so saintly and all godly one as some might expect, his
powers nevertheless centralize mostly around prophesy. Created by several medieval writers, the
character of Merlin shares a great number of characteristics with the greatest
prophets of major religions. On the
other hand, however, he is entirely different.
This short introductory paper will describe some of the main functions
and qualities of Merlin. In the second
part, it will briefly demonstrate the areas where his persona and acts meet and
clash with those of the previous, biblical and qu’ranical, prophets.
Merlin does not represent the clearly
defined and one time created persona.
As it appears, various medieval writers contributed to the creation of
his identity. Among others, Geoffrey of
Monmouth, Robert de Boron and the author of the so-called Vulgate Cycle
comprise the main suppliers of Merlin’s traits and adventures.[1] It is owing to them that the major themes
surrounding Merlin’s life remained popular up to this day.
Merlin’s supernatural conception
resembles that of Jesus with the exception of the nature of the entity who
impregnates his mother. In case of
Christ it was the Holy Spirit while in Merlin’s case it is the incubus, the Demon.[2] Although redeemed by God through baptism,
Merlin’s demonic heritage plays an essential part in his future life and it
represents a trait that distinguishes him greatly from earlier prophets. Namely, he becomes a shadowy and highly
inconsistent figure, full of dualities and controversy. Believed to be born from the Devil, he
manifests the aspects of the Antichrist.[3] Baptized by God he turns into the
intermediary of Christ.[4] Upon his choice to retain the demonic powers
of his father, Merlin gains insight into the past and destines himself for
destruction. His body is hairy and his
appearance is rough.[5] With God as his guide, however, he foretells
the future[6]
and attempts to guide the British society into salvation.
His prophetic qualities become known
to kings, bishops, as well as the commoners with the latter regarding him as a
god.[7] Although not always right, he predicts the
fate of Britain, he prophecies about kings’ offspring, he foretells the
knights’ missions, etc.[8] He allegedly asks the scribes to put his
statements in writing-hence the creation of the “Prophecies of Merlin.”[9] Alike biblical Samuel and Daniel, Merlin
advices kings at court and at war.[10] He has the skill of shape shifting as well
as great engineering abilities. He can
work great magical wonders, interpret dream, or travel miraculously through
great distances.[11]
Beside the characteristics of Merlin
the Prophet he displays the traits of the malicious trickster and madman as
well. He often changes his disguise by
magic and laughs ironically at the ignorance of others.[12] As a wildman of the woods he somewhat
resembles the Christian saints withdrawing from the society and communing with
nature and God.[13] After going mad for a while he remains in
the forest living holy life surrounded by animals and continuing his
prophecies.[14]
In later texts, Merlin becomes the
Prophet of the Grail with the religious duty to lead Britain into salvation.[15] He directs the Grail Quest and brings it to
its completion. Finally, but by no
means lastly, he is the figure of great authority and power to affect the
events of the entire society.[16]
When viewed in the light of the
earlier prophets, he definitely stands out as the more controversial one, at
least due to his demonic associations.
Nevertheless, he shares with them a great number of similar traits and
experiences. Similarly to the biblical
prophets, he is closely associated with advising kings in the battlefield as
well as in the regular affairs. He
foretells the outcomes of war and predicts the future of Britain just like the
Old Testament prophets prophecy about fate of Judah and Israel. He participates in rituals, performs
wonders, and exhibits extraordinary powers.
Like some of the biblical prophets accused of possession and going into
the frenzied states, Merlin undergoes the period of madness and often goes
through trances. The Old Testament
prophet, Nathan, supervises the building projects and so does Merlin manage the
construction of Stonehenge.[17] Finally, he rejects the comforts of life and
chooses a simple after the example of other God-inspired seers.
Despite the extensive list of
commonalities, Merlin stands out, however, as a unique and quite distinct
persona. If earlier prophets called
upon God with every prophecy they uttered (such as “thus says the lord”),
Merlin does not resort to the religious authority equally often. His devilish connection gives him the
abilities never manifested by others before him. He does not call himself a “mouthpiece of God.” Quite frequently and in a short period of
time his prophecies simply do not come true[18]-something
that with the other prophet’s statements one had to wait for long to
verify. On top of that, the visions
never come to Merlin in temples.
Merlin’s nature and life, whether only
the legendary or historical, certainly attracted millions of people throughout
centuries. His prophecies did not
relate to the far distant future; one that one might await in contemporary
times. However, his character as the
prophet still invokes fascination, mystery, and intrigue. Quite unlike other prophets of Judaism,
Christianity, or Qu’ran, his individuality distinguishes him above others
thanks to his combined passion for justice and love of darkness. Sharing with Daniel, Samuel, Mohammed, and others
the spiritual connections with the realm of the divine light, he nonetheless
remains forever tied to the dimension of demons. Is he really a messenger of God or intermediary of Devil-that we
will never know.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Cerutty, D. M.,
Validation and Variation in the Tradition of Merlin; From Celtic Legend
to Medeaeval Romance, D. Cerutty, Victoria, 1996
Harding,
C. E., Merlin and Legendary Romance, Garland Publishing, Inc., New
Merlin,
Le Premier Volume de Merlin, 1498, The Scholar Press, London, 1977
Tatlock,
J. S. P., The Legendary History of Britain, University of California
Press,