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Merlin
MerlinA legendary British enchanter who lived at the court of King Arthur. He emerged as a character in Geoffrey of Manmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (completed around 1135 C.E.). Geoffrey later wrote a complete book on Merlin, Vita Merlini (ca. 1150). According to Geoffrey, Merlin's mother was a nun, and he was borne of his mother's intercourse with an incubus. He lived in the sixth century in north Britain. By the end of the century, he was the subject of poems in Wales, where Geoffrey's character was merged with the folklore image of a Wildman in the Wood. Merlin seems to have been associated with King Arthur in the poem "Merlin" by Robert de Boron. In Boron's account, Merlin is the product of a demon's mating with a young girl. She confesses the incident to her confessor, who puts the sign of the cross on her. The son, Merlin, is born without the demon's evil nature, but with supernatural abilities. He assists Pendragon, the British king who was slain in a battle with the Saxons. Merlin then assists the king's brother, Uterpendragon. He directs the new king's construction of a roundtable, a replica of the one believed to have been used by Jesus at the Last Supper. Uterpendragon (with Merlin's magical help) seduces the wife of one of the noblemen. From that union, Arthur is born. Though the king married the woman, who was widowed soon after conceiving Arthur, Merlin advises that Arthur be given to foster parents for his own protection. That action set up Arthur's later claiming the throne based upon his pulling a sword from the stone. From Boron's basic story, Merlin's story grew and developed. By the nineteenth century, he had become the quinessential magician, and in the twentieth century the number of appearances in fantasy novels soared. Sources:Lacy, Norris J., ed. The Arthurian Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Publishing, 1986. Loomis, Roger Sherman, ed. Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1959. |
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"Merlin." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Merlin." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403803038.html "Merlin." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403803038.html |
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Merlin
Merlin, blank‐verse dramatic narrative by E.A. Robinson, published in 1917. It belongs with Lancelot and Tristram in the author's Arthurian trilogy.
The wizard Merlin abandons worldly power to spend an idyllic decade with his mistress, Vivian, at Broceliande, in Brittany. At Camelot, meanwhile, Arthur is troubled by the schemes of his illegitimate son Modred, and by the infidelity of Guinevere with his trusted knight Lancelot. His rule is threatened by civil strife, and he summons Merlin to him, chiding him for having “gone down smiling to the smaller life,” and asking him to correct the evils of the time. Merlin replies that he can prophesy but not control events, and that he can only advise Arthur to consider his kingdom his queen, since Guinevere is fated to love Lancelot, while England's future depends on Arthur. Still doubting and grieving, the king allows Merlin to return to Broceliande, but there the wizard and his mistress find their blissful preoccupation with each other vanished. He acknowledges that he has “seen too far” and “known too much,” and they sadly part. Merlin returns to Camelot, “the stricken city” that he cannot save. With Dagonet, the fool who is so bitterly wise, he contemplates the ruin of the kingdom, and they find “a groping way Down through the gloom together.” |
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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Merlin." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Merlin." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-Merlin.html James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Merlin." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-Merlin.html |
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Merlin
Merlin, the magician who guides the destinies of Arthur and his predecessor Uther. His story is first set out by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Vita Merlini (c.1150), which draws on the story of Ambrosius told by Nennius. Merlin is born of a devil and a virtuous maiden. He is superhumanly precocious and hairy but, although wilful, not malevolent as his diabolical father intended. He grows infatuated with Nimiane (Nimue or Vivien: see Lady of the Lake), who imprisons him in a tower of air in the forest of Broceliande where he dies. He predicts to Vortigern the triumph of the Britons over the Saxons, as a gloss on the killing of a white dragon by a red one after the two creatures are released by the digging of the foundations of a citadel from which Vortigern is to fight the Saxons. In Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae he aids Uther in the deceit by which he marries Igraine (Ygerna) and fathers Arthur, and he helps by magic to bring the great stones of Stonehenge from Naas in Ireland. The Arthurian stories connected with him form a very important part of the whole tradition in French in the Middle Ages, particularly as transmitted by the (fragmentary) stories of Merlin by Robert de Boron, c.1200, the prose Vulgate Merlin and the Suite du Merlin (Huth Merlin).
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Merlin." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Merlin." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Merlin.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Merlin." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Merlin.html |
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Merlin
MerlinIn the legends about King Arthur, the king had the help and advice of a powerful wizard named Merlin. Indeed this magician, who arranged for Arthur's birth and for many aspects of his life, can be seen as the guiding force behind the Arthurian legends*. Many stories about Merlin circulated in medieval times. medieval relating to the Middle Ages ¡n Europe, a period from about a.d. 500 to 1500 Origins and Sources. The figure of Merlin seems to be based on a magician named Myrddin, who appeared in the pre-Christian mythology of the Celtic* peoples. The writings of Nennius, a Welsh storyteller of about a.d. 800, include tales of a young magician named Ambrosius who became an adviser to Vortigern, a legendary king of early Britain. * See Names and Places at the end of this volume for further information. Some 300 years later, the British chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth told a more elaborate story about the magician in his History of the Kings of Britain (1136). In this account, a sorcerer known as Merlin Ambrosius served as adviser to British king Uther Pendragon and, later, to his son Arthur. Geoffrey of Monmouth also wrote a work about Merlin that drew on old Celtic legends about a "wild man of the woods" with magical and fortune-telling powers. Related EntriesOther entries related to Merlin are listed at the end of this article. Some early legends claimed that Merlin was the son of a demon and of a human woman. Only half human, Merlin was mysterious and unpredictable, sometimes helping the human race but sometimes changing his shape and passing long periods as a bird, a cloud, or something else. He also desired and seduced women. By the 1200s, however, the influence of Christianity was reshaping the Arthurian legends, and Merlin became a more respectable figure—a wise old man who supplied moral guidance as well as magic. Merlin's Life and Works. In the legend of Vortigern, the king was trying to build a temple on Salisbury Plain, but it kept falling down. The boy Ambrosius told the king of a vision in which he had seen a red dragon and a white dragon fighting in a pool under the temple's foundation. From this, he predicted that the red dragon of Wales (King Vortigern) would be defeated by the white dragon of Britain (King Uther Pendragon), which later happened. The magician then built the temple himself, using his magic to bring standing stones from Ireland and to arrange them on the plain on a single night. That, according to legend, was how Stonehenge was built. Merlin Ambrosius became the ally of Uther and used his magic to enable Uther to spend a night with another king's wife. The child born of that union was Arthur. Merlin predicted that he would be a great king who would one day unite all of Britain. Entrusted with Arthur's upbringing, Merlin prepared the boy for kingship. Some accounts say that the wizard fashioned the magical sword Excalibur that proved that Arthur was the rightful king. According to other stories, Merlin also created the Round Table around which Arthur's knights sat. He was Arthur's helper and adviser in many things. Yet even Merlin could not prevent the final crumbling of the knights' fellowship and the fall of Arthur, as recounted in every version of the Arthurian legends. As for Merlin's own fate, accounts vary. Some say that he lost his wits after Arthur's defeat and wandered into the woods. Most versions of the magician's story, however, end with his being tricked by a witch named Nimuë (or in some accounts by the Lady of the Lake), with whom he had fallen in love. Nimuë did not really care for Merlin but simply wanted to learn his secrets. When she had learned enough, she trapped him in an underground cave from which he could never escape. See also Arthur, King; Arthurian Legends. |
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"Merlin." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Merlin." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900321.html "Merlin." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900321.html |
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Merlin
Merlin was famous in myth and tradition as the soothsayer and magician at King Arthur's court. Fragmentary evidence of early oral traditions suggests Merlin's earliest incarnation was as the mythical Welsh poet-madman Myrddin. This figure's transformation into Merlin was probably the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth (c.1100–54), who welded Merlin onto the Arthurian myth. This process was consolidated in Malory's Morte Darthur (published 1485), and revived with the Victorian reinvention of the Arthurian legend. In the interim, Merlin was regarded as the prototype magician, and his ‘prophecies’ were frequently reworked and republished in the 16th and 17th cents.
J. A. Sharpe |
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JOHN CANNON. "Merlin." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Merlin." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Merlin.html JOHN CANNON. "Merlin." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Merlin.html |
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Merlin
Merlin in Arthurian legend , magician, seer, and teacher at the court of King Vortigern and later at the court of King Arthur. He was a bard and culture hero in early Celtic folklore. In Arthurian legend he is famous as a magician and as the counselor of King Arthur. In Tennyson's Idylls of the King Merlin is imprisoned eternally in an old oak tree by the treacherous Vivien (or Nimue), when he reveals the secrets of his knowledge to her. |
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"Merlin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Merlin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Merlin.html "Merlin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Merlin.html |
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Merlin
Merlin ♂ Usual English form of the Welsh name Myrddin. The name is most famous as that of the legendary magician who guides the destiny of King Arthur. The English form has been distorted by mediation through Old French sources, which associated the second element with the diminutive suffix -lin.
Variant: Merlyn (occasionally given to girls, as if containing the productive suffix of girls' names -lyn). |
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Merlin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Merlin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Merlin1.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Merlin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Merlin1.html |
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Merlin
Merlin was famous in myth as the soothsayer and magician at King Arthur's court. Fragmentary evidence of early oral traditions suggests Merlin's earliest incarnation was as the mythical Welsh poet‐madman Myrddin. This figure's transformation into Merlin was probably the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1100–54), who welded Merlin onto the Arthurian myth.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Merlin." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Merlin." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Merlin.html JOHN CANNON. "Merlin." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Merlin.html |
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Merlin
Merlin Legendary magician. His origins may be traced to early Celtic folklore, although his name is usually associated with the Arthurian legends as the mentor of King Arthur.
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"Merlin." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Merlin." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Merlin.html "Merlin." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Merlin.html |
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Merlin
Merlin in Arthurian legend, the powerful magician who protected Arthur in childhood and was later his chief counsellor; he was eventually entrapped by the enchantress Vivien.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Merlin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Merlin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Merlin.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Merlin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Merlin.html |
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MERLIN
MERLIN Abbr. for Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network.
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"MERLIN." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "MERLIN." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-MERLIN.html "MERLIN." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-MERLIN.html |
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Merlin
Merlin ♂ English form of Myrddin.
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Merlin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Merlin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Merlin.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Merlin." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Merlin.html |
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merlin
merlin •Alun, Malin, Tallinn
•Jacklin • franklin
•chaplain, Chaplin
•ratline
•Carlin, marlin, marline, Stalin
•Helen, Llewelyn
•Mechlin
•Emlyn, gremlin, Kremlin
•Galen • capelin • kylin • Evelyn
•Enniskillen, penicillin, villein
•Hamelin • Marilyn • discipline
•Colin, Dolin
•goblin, hobgoblin
•Loughlin
•Joplin, poplin
•compline • tarpaulin
•Magdalen, maudlin
•bowline, pangolin
•Ventolin • moulin • Lublin • Brooklyn
•masculine • insulin • globulin
•mullein • Dublin • dunlin • muslin
•kaolin • chamberlain • Michelin
•madeleine • Mary Magdalene
•Gwendolen • francolin • mescaline
•formalin • lanolin
•adrenalin, noradrenalin
•crinoline • zeppelin • cipolin
•Carolyn • Jocelyn • porcelain • Ritalin
•Ottoline
•javelin, ravelin
•Rosalyn
•merlin, purlin
•Dunfermline • purslane
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"merlin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "merlin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-merlin.html "merlin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-merlin.html |
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MERLIN
MERLIN (ˈmʔːɑn) Astronomy Multi-Element Radio-linked Interferometer Network (UK)
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FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "MERLIN." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "MERLIN." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-MERLIN.html FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "MERLIN." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-MERLIN.html |
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