He is the power behind thrones, a mentor to the chosen one, a sorcerer who wields powerful magic and ensures that prophecies are fulfilled. Perhaps you’ve encountered figures like him in fantasy tales – Belgarath in David Edding’s ‘Belgariad’, Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter books and of course Tolkien’s wondrous wizard, Gandalf the Grey. But there is one wizard who came before all these, a figure from distant myth and legend who has fascinated storytellers and their audiences for more than 800 years: Myrddin, Merlinus, or Merlin as he is most commonly known today.
According to legend, in the years after the Romans left England a powerful king emerged, one who united the land and kept the frail spark of civilisation glowing even as the shadows of the so-called Dark Ages gathered around the isles. This king was known as Arthur, but he did not ascend to his throne without some help. Merlin is variously depicted as a powerful, shape-shifting magician who helps ensure the birth and succession of Arthur, as a wise old scholar and miracle-worker who serves as Arthur’s learned advisor, or as a combination of both.
The earliest depictions of Merlin are by Geoffrey of Monmouth, who mentioned him in his accounts of the history of Britain, written in the 12th century AD. The only connection between this Merlin and the Arthur legend is that he helps Arthur’s father and mother, Uther Pendragon and Igraine, meet each other. Over the years, Merlin has variously been depicted as half-demon, partly evil, or a secret Christian; what is consistent is that he is a magic worker of immense power, and plays some integral role in the legend of King Arthur and the quest for the Holy Grail, a legend cycle that was associated with Arthur and held a great deal of symbolism for Christians.
Many modern writers have created their own take on Merlin; he is once again a villain in Mark Twain’s novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and a major character in a more positive role in two of the most enduring modern versions of the Arthur legend: T H White’s The Once And Future King and Mary Stewart’s series of novels about Arthur. The fantasy writer Robert Holdstock gives us a peek at Merlin’s adventures before he met Arthur in the Merlin Codex. Jane Yolen tells us of Merlin’s childhood and coming of age in her Young Merlin trilogy. And this is just a sampling of Merlin’s literary appearances. To list his many different versions in films and animated cartoons would require an article on its own, although it is worth taking a look at BBC’s TV series Merlin for a take on a younger, approachable version of the character.
Perhaps one reason Merlin has proven to be such an enduring and popular character is because he is not exactly the traditional warlike hero; nor is he an outright villain, even though he possesses occult powers and a strange lineage, things which make many people suspicious of him. He is the unknown within the known; the sorcerer among the knights, the uncanny prophet who advises the beloved king. Certainly, his literary successors, like Gandalf, are often as terrifying in their power as they are righteous in their unswerving adherence to the cause of goodness. Looking at the different ways in which his power and his righteousness are emphasised in different versions tells us a lot about how different writers in different eras have been able to balance the wonder of the strange and powerful with the fear it can invoke, even when it is allied with one’s own side.
Equally interestingly, tracking down different versions of the Merlin myth can teach you a lot about how an enduring character can change yet remain essentially the same through the eyes of different kinds of writers writing for different audiences in very different times. There is always something familiar and something new in each version, so the character himself becomes both familiar and unknown. But Merlin isn’t the only character who has had diverse stories told about him over the years; in our own era, superheroes are constantly being recreated in new comics and movies, and yet somehow they remain the same. Perhaps that is the most magical thing about a character like Merlin; he can be all things to all people, and yet, he is somehow always Merlin.