The wizard Merlin belongs to the British cycle of legends. He is known as a mentor to King Arthur, and before that his father - King Uther. According to one legend, after the death of Arthur, the Saxons capture Britain. The wizard cursed them, prophesying the fall of the White Dragon (symbol of the conquerors). This happened in history when William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings killed the last Saxon King Harold. Later, the descendants of the Celts, the Welsh, were able to regain royal power in the face of the Tudors. So the curse of Merlin was fulfilled, which will be discussed in the article.
Meaning of the name
Researchers distinguish two main directions regarding the name worn by the wizard. Merlin in translation from the Welsh language means the name of the fortress, which was called as Carmarthen, or from the British Moridanon, that is, "sea fortress."
In Latin, the name Merlin refers to the name of birds that belong to the order of falcons. In Celtic legends, he was identified with the patron saint of the forest, and it was believed that he could command forest animals and take their appearance.
Origin
The life and birth of a wizard is shrouded in myths. There is a legend according to which the future wizard was the illegitimate son of the king and the witch. According to this version, he was the older brother of Morgana.
According to a similar legend, he was the son of an ordinary woman and a wizard. From childhood, he mastered magical abilities and could obey birds and animals. Everyone learned about his abilities as a wizard after he pacified two dragons at the request of King Vortigern.
According to one of the legends of Christian time, his mother was a very clean and kind girl, in whose soul there was no place for evil. The devil wanted to take possession of her, but could not find an approach, until one day her sister, who was bad in character, was angry with her. At this moment, the girl opened her soul to darkness, and the devil was able to master it. During pregnancy, the girl prayed for her child, and immediately after his birth, she christened the child with the priest Blaise. This destroyed all the evil in the boy, but retained extraordinary abilities in him. So the wizard Merlin appeared.
Connection with Arthur
From collected works about Merlin it is known that the wizard was a mentor to Arthur, the future king of Britain. The boy was the son of King Uther and Lady Igreyn. The wizard Merlin helped Uther take control of Igrain by deception and for this took the newborn Arthur to his upbringing.
When the young man was sixteen years old, the mentor advised Arthur to take part in the competition to extract the sword from the stone. Tradition has it that whoever draws the sword can unite Britain. Arthur succeeded. A little later, the Lady of the Lake, which was called by the wizard, gave Arthur a special sword - Excalibur.
Wizard's death
Shrouded in myths is not only the birth, but also the death of the wizard. One of the legends tells that the wizard Merlin, whose story is described, was immersed in eternal sleep by the spells of the evil sorceress Morgan. However, he may still wake up someday. According to another version, the very same Morgan imprisoned the wizard in an oak tree, where his death came.
There is a legend according to which Merlin was deceived by the Virgin of the Lake and imprisoned in a magical air column.
The first mention of the wizard
In modern culture, units do not know who Merlin is. The wizard, films about which are broadcast around the world, is first mentioned as Merlin Ambrosius in the work of Galfried of Monmouth, “The History of the Kings of Britain”. The work was created in the twelfth century and became the main source for the formation of the mythological cycle of Britain.
There is the image of a wizard in the Italian "Novellino" of the thirteenth century. But it is more fully described in the work “The Death of Arthur” by Sir Thomas Mallory of the second half of the fifteenth century.
The image in the movie
The image of a wizard from Britain has been mentioned since the Middle Ages. He retained his popularity in modern science fiction, including cinema. In some stories, Merlin is presented as a wise old man, in others they make a comedic character from him. What film about the wizard Merlin is worth attention?
List of the best films:
- The 1953 Knights of the Round Table is based on popular legends narrating about King Arthur and his knights. Merlin is played by Felix Aylmer. In 1954, the painting was nominated for the Grand Prix of the Cannes Festival.
- The Great Merlin 1998. In the television mini-series, the role of the wizard is the main one, played by Sam Nill. According to the plot, Merlin is fighting with the lady of the magical Mab, who raised him as a strong leader. She hoped that he would return people to paganism. But the wizard sent all his knowledge and strength to the fight against Mab.
- The 2004 King Arthur shows Merlin (played by Stephen Dillane) as a druid and head of the Picts. He leads the Roman general Lucius Arthorius Castos to the idea that he should defend his second homeland (by mother) from the Saxons.
- The 2007 “Last Legion” tells of the last days of the Roman Empire. By the end of the film, it turns out that the last emperor Romulus turns out to be Arthur's father, and Ambrose, played by Ben Kingsley - Merlin.
- "Merlin and the Last Dragon" in 2008 tells of a time when the Roman Empire was leaving the British provinces and civil wars began. There come the time of violence, mythical creatures and the wizard Merlin, whose role was played by Simon Lloyd Roberts.
- The television series "Merlin" 2008-2012 tells the story of Merlin and his relationship with Arthur. The project was created by the famous British air force channel. The main role went to Colin Morgan. The series was so great a success that it lasted for five seasons.
- The 2011 Camelot television series, consisting of a pilot series and one season, tells of Merlin’s attempt to save Camelot after Uther’s death and his struggle with his half-sister Morgana. The role of Merlin was played by Joseph Fiennes.
In addition to these paintings, there are many works in which Merlin the wizard is present: the series Once Upon a Time, the animated series Transformers, and many others. Films about Merlin are designed for viewers of different ages.