Throughout many cultures there is an archetype of the hero who protects his country and guides its rulers to glory. In Britain this hero is Merlin. Merlin is a very interesting character. He is best known for advising King Arthur, finding Excalibur (other names of the sword include Caliburn, Caledfwlch, and Caliburnus), and transferring Stone Hedge from Ireland to Great Britain. Merlin appears in literature in the 12th century in works by Geoffrey of Monmouth and Sir Thomas Malory. Merlin's powers and origin are shrouded in mystery. Some writers claim his father was an Incubus while others claim Merlin actually held a legitimate claim to the throne of Great Britain (they claim his father was High King). Some people even consider Merlin a member of the Celtic Pantheon. He is called Merlin or Myrddin. I personally don't agree with this but it is a personal preference. The closest people in history that we can base the fictional Merlin off of are Myrddin Wyllt and Lailoken. Some scholars believe that these two might have actually have been the same person so Merlin's origin is a great debate.
What are your guy's opinions on Merlin's abilities and origin? Some of the stuff attributed to him is pure fantasy, but many claim there is a bit of fact in this legendary character's tale. So, what do you think?
I think that the possibility of Merlin being real could be completely plausible.
He could've been either an alchemist, early scientist, or just a white witch/wizard.
Since we don't really know much, we can only guess, and regard him as an ancient Dumbledore :D
A wise an ancient Man skilled in herbalism and remedies which was seen as Magic, but according to legend he was a power Wizard.
One thing which most people forget is that he was incredibly horny, transforming into various things to have sex. Which actually led to his downfall in one version of the story
i've watched a couple documentaries, and have read a few Merlin legends. while i love the legends, oddly enough i've always liked the one with the red and white dragons. i think the actual person, whom Merlin was based, was Myrddin Wyllt, who went mad and became a prophet. myself, both stories are interesting, always have been interested by the dark ages, but in the end, they're stores about a wizard. whether he was real or not, who really knows, since it was over a thousand years ago. the name Merlin still stirs thoughts of a great and powerful wizard, so maybe the name could be used in spells. like when you call for strength from a god, maybe some magic could be conjured forth from evoking a legend. it's sort of like Imhotep, the man was so great in life, in death he became a god [then a villain in a movie] not saying it's the same thing, just a though.
