Merlín is one of the greatest wizards in the British mythology and known for his appearance
in the legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail.
There are lots of theories about Merlin’s origin, and, nowadays, it’s not really confirmed
whether he existed or not.
People believe he was born in Wales around the 6th century.
Some stories say he was the son of an íncubus demon conceived by a human, others say he
was the son of a king and some stories even say he was the son of a woman conceived by
magic.
What they all have in common is that Merlin was a really powerful wizard.
His magic skills had no limits.
He knew the essence of thing and the mysteries of the universe.
He could control the elements, change his appearance and predict before anybody else
future events.
He was also able to fly, talk to animals and become invisible.
When we think of Merlin, an old man with white hair and a long beard comes to our mind, like
the protagonist of the Disney movie “The Sword in the Stone”.
This is how the English poet Lord Alfred Tennyson described him during the Victorian times,
when he wrote about the Arthurian legends.
But Welsh myths describe him as a younger man with an infinite wisdom and love for nature.
Merlin appears for the first time in the book “The Life of Merlin” from the 12th century,
written by Geoffrey of Monmouth.
Geoffrey translated and compiled the ideas of a delirious prophet called Myrddin.
He found inspiration in him to create a character he named Merlinus.
The prophecies were studied and checked for many years, and the welsh seer became an immortal
wizard.
Later on, the prophecies were included in his book “Historia Regum Britanniae”,
and here is where he connected him to King Arthur.
Merlin then gained importance in the life of Arthur, and not only as a adviser.
One of the most famous stories tells that, when the King Ambrose died poisoned, a dragon-shaped
comet went through the night sky, and his brother Úther Pendragon was crowned as the
next heir to the throne.
Uther fell in love with the wife of the Duke of Cornwall, Igraine, and he asked Merlin
for help to win her heart.
The wizard gave him a potion with which he could look like the Duke himself, so he could
spend the night with his loved one.
Fruit of this encounter, Uther’s son was born, who was nothing less than the legendary
Arthur Pendrágon, King Arthur of Camelot.
Merlin demanded, in exchange for his help, to have the baby given to him as soon as he
was born.
Uther did so, and the wizard left him under the care of Sir Hector.
He knew the young boy would be a king, destined to do great things, and he was right.
Excalibur would appear later on, the sword in the stone, The Knights of the Round Table
and the Holy Grail, a story we could use for another video, so if you wanna know more about
the amazing life of King Arthur, leave a comment.
In other stories, Merlin is attributed the building of Stonehenge, the most famous prehistoric
ritual centre and megalithic monument in the world, located in Salisbury, UK.
People say he travelled to Ireland to pick up the remains of the walls built by the giants
and move them there.
Merlin is the archetype of a wizard and one of the most famous fantastic characters.
He appears in lots of books, movies and TV series.
In the Harry Potter world, this figure had to be present as well – he belonged to the
House of Slytherin.
Merlin is related to the world of the Celts, a magical world with a tradition and culture
that has captivated us throughout history.
Some people think he still exists and is kept in the Glass Prison where Nimue locked him
up.
Nimue is the young witch he desperately fell in love with.
What do you think, Tiktakers?
Is Merlin ever coming back to surprise us?