Merlin, sometimes spelled ‘Merlyn’, is a magician most commonly known for the role that he plays in legends about Arthur. Merlin uses his foresight and other magical abilities to help guide Arthur. Merlin knows that Arthur is to be the king of Britain, and so he works to help protect him. Merlin is also well known for the stories written about his childhood and youth. Merlin possessed great power, and he used it to help others around him. The legends also discuss the involvement of Nimue, also known as Vivien, in Merlin’s life. Merlin loved her, but in some of the legends, she is written to be his ultimate downfall. Many authors have portrayed Merlin differently in their papers throughout the years. T.H. White writes Merlin as a wise mentor …show more content…
for the young Arthur in The Once and Future King. Sir Thomas Malory presents Merlin as just a counselor to Arthur in this work, Le Morte D’Arthur. Many authors have written Merlin to be a powerful magician through their literary works. The legend of Merlin has been told throughout the years through the stories about Arthur and through stories describing his past. The legend begins with the introduction of Merlin, the illegitimate son of his mother Niniane (Keeling). His mother refused to tell anyone who Merlin’s real father was. Merlin was an outcast in his grandfather’s court due to the unusual circumstances of his birth. He also tended to partake in the study of healing and magic rather than the war games that most of the other children his age played. After his grandfather dies, Merlin flees fearing his uncle who wants to kill him. Soon after Merlin escaped from his uncle, “Merlin discovers that his father is Ambrosius, the exiled rightful king of Britain” (Keeling). Merlin later uses his foresight to help his father regain his rightful position as king. This position is then passed on to his uncle Uther, following the death of Ambrosius. “Foreseeing that Uther’s first son will be the king Britain needs to shield it against Saxon invasion, Merlin agrees to help when King Uther falls in love with Ygraine, wife of his chief ally Duke Gorlois of Cornwall” (Keeling). Merlin then helps to disguise King Uther as Gorlois, so that they would conceive Arthur in, “their passion that night” (Adcock). Gorlois was killed later in that same night in an attack. King Uther then scolds and shuns Merlin for failing to foresee the death; thus, causing him to un-honorably unite with Ygraine. The Legend of Merlin continues with the tales of his guardianship of young Arthur. Merlin works to reestablish peace with King Uther in order to gain custody of Arthur once he is born. Fearing for the safety of his son, Uther asks that Merlin conceal Arthur until he is grown. While Arthur is leaving ignorant of his true identity, Merlin goes out on a quest in search of the great sword ‘Excalibur’ for Arthur when he turns of age. Once Arthur reaches age ten, Merlin becomes his teacher and begins to teach him life lessons for when he becomes king. At the age of fourteen, Merlin brings Arthur to see his dying father, King Arthur. “The night before his father’s death, Arthur sleeps with Morgause, not knowing that she is his half-sister” (Keeling). Later, Merlin helps Arthur prove that he is worthy to lead the kingdom by helping him to remove the sword in the stone. Merlin burns out all of his power while helping Arthur remove the sword from the stone, so he must adjust to his life without it. Merlin prophesizes that Mordred, Arthur’s incestuous son, will eventually kill his father. Arthur requests that Merlin go and locate Mordred to kill him to prevent this from occurring, but Merlin refuses to do this for him. Merlin, still without his power, is not able to protect himself from Morgause’s attacks on his life. She poisons Merlin and leaves him, “mad and prematurely aged” for a year. Merlin eventually recovers and returns to the king’s service while also recovering his powers of sight and prophecy. He then acquires an assistant, Nimue, to whom he teaches the arts of his powers. Once Merlin “dies” he is buried in the cave he had been residing him. He awakens from an illness sometime after stripped off all of his powers, a fate that Merlin foresaw for himself long ago, but he is able to escape after several weeks. Merlin then returns to Arthur and Nimue, but he refuses to return to public life (Keeling). One of the character’s that appears in the legends about Merlin is Nimue.
Nimue has many names throughout the different stories written about Merlin such as Vivien and The Lady of the Lake. The role of Nimue throughout the different stories written about Merlin portray her differently, but in most of them she is written as Merlin’s ultimate downfall. Merlin first met Nimue when she was sixteen. He fell deeply in love with her and was usually in her company. He showed her his power, and began to teach in some legends, it is also written that Merlin got the sword that he places in the stone, Excalibur, from Nimue. Using his powers, Merlin foresaw his death involving Nimue, but because he was so infatuated with her, he was unable to avoid his eventual demise (“Merlin and Nimue”). Once Merlin dies, Nimue becomes Arthur’s new mentor. The death of Merlin is different throughout the different stories, but they all have described Nimue’s involvement. In some of the legends, it is said that Nimue grows tired of Merlin and turns one of his own spells against him to imprison him inside of a cave forever. In another version of his death, Nimue turns Merlin into a tree where on occasion his voice can be heard. There are some versions of the legend where Merlin “dies” and is buried in a cave, but he awakens after a while and he is stripped of his magic. He eventually breaks out and returns to live with Arthur and Nimue. In this version, Nimue does not seem to be an antagonist, but rather still a companion of
his. Merlin is portrayed differently throughout the different literary works of many authors. Sir Thomas Malory and T.H. White both write Merlin into their papers using different perspectives. T.H. White tends to focus on Merlin’s magical aspects rather than just his leadership aspects. When Merlin is first introduced in White’s book, The Once and Future King, he initially highlights Merlin’s magic qualities. When Arthur stumbles upon Merlin’s cottage White writes, He was dressed in a flowing gown with fur tippers which had the signs of the zodiac embroidered over it, with various cabalistic signs, such as triangles with eyes in them, queer crosses, leaves of trees, bones of birds and animals, and a planetarium whose stars shone like bits of looking-glass with the sun on them. This quote from White shows how he is showing close attention to the many details that help reveal to the reader that Merlin is a magician. In White’s writing, he also has Merlin teach many lessons to young Arthur using his magic. Merlin uses his magic to change Arthur into many different animals to help teach him life lessons that he will use in the future once he becomes king. White focuses on the many aspects good and bad regarding Merlin’s magic. He writes about how it is beneficial to the young Arthur in preparing him to be king, but he also does discuss about how Merlin can lose his temper and it leads to negative outcomes. Sir Thomas Malory writes Merlin into his book, The Dual Nature of Merlin in the Morte D’Arthur, drastically different from the way White writes about him. Sir Malory “emphasizes the kingdom-building efforts of Merlin in service to the throne (first Uther’s and then Arthur’s) and the Round table (Libby). He tends to focus more on the realistic aspects of Arthur’s kingship. Malory depicts Merlin in more of a counselor to King Arthur rather than a magnificent magician and prophet (Tichelaar). Throughout Malory’s writing, there appears to be a conclusive perception of a rejection of magic or prophecy that could alter the way events play out. Malory establishes this by reducing Merlin’s character from a great and powerful magician to a mere counselor to King Arthur. Merlin is a very prominent character amongst all the stories written about King Arthur and in the legends about himself. Merlin is a strong and powerful magician that uses his powers of foresight and prophecy to help others in his life. Merlin, like many other strong characters, has a downfall that he was unable to avoid. He later uses his powers to help guide young Arthur to help him learn lessons for when he becomes king. The different authors that write about him depict Merlin differently. Some of the authors highlight the traditional tales of Merlin and his magical abilities. Some authors limit the discussion of his magic and purely focus on his work of counseling King Arthur
The Arthurian cycle shows a sporadic awareness of the impossibility of mere humans fulfilling all the ideals that Arthur and his court represent. The story of Lancelot and Guenevere, Merlin's imprisonment by Nimu‘, and numerous other instances testify to the recognition of this tension between the real and the unrealistic.
In Chapter 5, the role of social stratification and power struggle are shown. Social stratification is shown in the quote “Merlin, in his malice, had woven a spell about this dungeon, and there bides not the man in theses kingdoms that would be desperate enough to essay to cross it lines with you!” (Twain PG 22). This shows how Merlin is feared by many. A power struggle is also shown by the quote “He was frightened even to marrow, and was minded to give order for your instant enlargement, and that you be clothed in fine raiment and lodged as befitted one so great; but then came Merlin and spoiled it all.” (Twain PG 24). This shows the power struggle between Hank and Merlin, which will be more in later chapters.
King Arthur, a courageous man, who was able to pull out a sword from a rock as simple as possible. As for everyone else who tired, it was almost impossible. This was just the beginning stage of Arthur becoming a king. The thing that Merlin didn’...
Newton knight was a farmer in mississippi who fought for freedom and secession of Jones county. Knight and the people of jones county put their lives so they could be free from the grip from the confederacy. The confederacy took many of non-slave farmers and put their lives on the front line to fight for what they didn’t even believe in. Knight opposed the state seceding from the United States, saying that white farmers like himself did not support slavery. He was a man of individual rights and equality, which was what the united states did not have at the time.
Charles Cullen was born on February 22, 1960, in West Orange, New Jersey. He was the youngest of eight siblings. His father worked as a bus driver, and died at age 58 when Cullen was only seven months old. Two of his siblings also died in adulthood. His mother was a stay at home mom who raised the eight children. Charles Cullen described his life as miserable, he attempted suicide at age nine by drinking chemicals he got out of a chemistry set, he attempted suicide a total of twenty times throughout his life. On December 6, 1977, when Cullen was 17 years old his mother died in a car accident, while his sister was behind the wheel. After this accident, Charles Cullen was devastated and decided to drop out of high school and join the Navy. Cullen
Yet his tale also combines a quest for holy things (eldilic help through Merlin) to heal the sickness of the land with a great, climactic battle against evil, thus merging the two characters' functions as well as their attributes. Also, as in earlier versions of the story, the Pendragon disappears after his final battle is completed, and the crowning conflict itself takes place in a dense fog which obscures everything. When Merlin arrives, his full name is given as Merlinus Ambrosius, the name he is given in one of his earliest appearances in Arthurian literature, Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Brittaniae.... ... middle of paper ... ...
The figure of Gawain throughout Arthurian literature is an interesting one; he appears in more texts as a secondary character than any other knight named, and often gains glory even at the expense of the main hero (Busby 1980, 5). The first characteristic which separates him from the other knights is his relationship to Arthur: it is usually stated that he is Arthur's sister's son, a kinship that is found from William of Malmesbury's Gesta Regum Anglorum (c. 1125) and Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136) onward (Busby 1980, 31). However, it is notable that Gawain often seems more like a type than an individual; in Old French literature he is never the subject of a biographical romance, as are most of the other knights, he never has one particular lady's name associated with him, and he is frequently used as a constant against which other knights are judged, the perfect embodiment of good qualities, more a symbol of perfection than an actual person (Busby 1980, 7).
In The United States the number of people in prison is over two million, and of those two million it is estimated that two thirds of them will be back in prison within three years (Correctional Populations). Some people argue that rehabilitation is the most effective way to handle prisoners, but the risks don’t outweigh the benefits, especially for murderers. Nobles was an example of a murderer who appeared rehabilitated, but under close examination of his actions, he was no more than a manipulating sociopath. Nobles was not rehabilitated because his actions in court showed how he felt, his faith was a facade, and he was a schizophrenic.
Sir Gawain is, undoubtably, the most varied of the Arthurian characters: from his first minor appearance as Gwalchmei in the Welsh tales to his usually side-line participation in the modern retelling of the tales, no other character has gone from such exalted heights (being regarded as a paragon of virtue) to such dismal depths (being reduced to a borderline rapist, murderer, and uncouth bore), as he. This degree of metamorphosis in character, however, has allowed for a staggering number of different approaches and studies in Gawain.
The Legend of King Arthur is in comparison to The Epic of Gilgamesh because Arthur's closest companion was Merlin, and Gilgamesh's closest companion was Enkidu and neither Gilgamesh nor Arthur forgot their friends. Enkidu only came in contact with Gilgamesh after becoming a man. Enkidu released the animals from the hunter's traps when they ere caught, so to make him a man the prostitute slept with him so that the animals would be ashamed of him and reject him. King Arthur became aware of Merlin when he was a young man. When Arthur was born Merlin placed him in the care of Sir Ector, throughout his boyhood Arthur learned the ways of chivalry, knighthood and how to become a gentleman. At the tournament one day Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone and this is what brought upon Arthur meeting Merlin once again. In The Legend of King Arthur, Merlin exclaimed, "it is the doom of men if they forget." Gilgamesh along with Enkidu together fought and killed Humbaba, protector of the Cedar forest, and the Bull of Heaven, sent as punishment to Gilgamesh for killing Humbaba. King Arthur nor Gilgamesh forgot their faithful friends.
Arthur was the first born son of King Uther but was advised to stay hidden until the need of his reign. However, when the King died, there was much controversy over who would be the next King. Merlin, a magician who knew of Arthur, set a sword in stone that read, "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is the rightwise born king of all England." When Arthur unexpectedly stumbled across the sword and pulled it out, he humbly took his place as King of England.
‘I love Guenevere, the daughter of King Leodegrance of the land of Cameliard, who holdeth in his house the table round that ye told me had been given to him by my father Uther. And this damsel is the most valiant and fairest lady that I know living, or yet that ever I could find.’ ‘Sir,; said Merlin, ‘as of her beauty and fairness she is one of the fairest alive (The Marriage of King Arthur).
Nathan, Currin. "Merlin the Magician." King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table. Ed. Currin Nathan. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. .
Stories of kings and queens have captivated readers for centuries, and arguably, the tales of King Arthur and Guinevere are among the most enchanting. Arthur ruled the kingdom of Camelot, and Guinevere was his queen. But were they real people or fictional characters? The debate has continued for centuries. Though many scholars have found evidence that the legendary Arthur was, at the very least, based on a real person who lived in Britain roughly between 450 and 1[Marker for question 1] 500 CE. They continue to search for the historical identity of Guinevere.
The Arthurian legends are well known in today's society. However, very few people know of the "real" Arthur -- who he was and what his accomplishments were. This paper will establish a difference between legend and truth, show evidence to support and explain who the real Arthur was, and shed some light on the sometimes confusing Arthurian legends.