BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Folklore and Mythology Merlin, article

Who was Merlin, really -- more intriguing, what was Merlin? Was he a sorcerer? A Seer? A magician? A prophet? A warrior? A shapeshifter? Was he a trusted counselor and emissary to the High Kings, including Arthur? Merlin was all this and more.

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Merlin, loved by many and feared by most

I hope you enjoy the article. As always, I welcome feedback.

nice article about merlin phyllis, there are a few films out that have merlins character in. i think it makes king arthur films special when we see merlin in them for all of us like a bit of magic in our lives. i dont think some of the people the queen knights over here though would of sat at arthurs round table, anybody gets knighted today lol

Thanks for the comments, Lawrence. Back in Merlin's time, knights earned their honours with valor and bravery.

Great article Phyllis! What a complex and magical man he was

Thanks, Deanna. Yup! Merlin was a very complex and magical man. One of my all-time favorite characters.

I just posted a follow-up article to this one. It is "Merlin Returns from Obscurity".

Cool Phyllis! I'll go check it out

I like the way he's portrayed by Nicol Williamson in the film 'Excaliber'. I even got the chance to do the "To some a dream- to others a nightmare!!" re-enactment when I attended an old-boys reunion at my old school. Well, a member of staff did ask who I was..

I read the book Excalibur but have never seen the movie. It must be a good movie, I will have to find it.

So - what was your costume like that the staff member did not recognize your character? Surely you grew a long white beard for the role?

This was a new member of staff who had never met me before and I was one of the first people to arrived and wander into the staff room. He was the first person to ask who I was, but the a staff member I had done the "My name is Ian Edwards" in the style of the pop hit "My name is Michael Cain" by the British band 'Madness', the previous time I was there was within earshot and completed the introduction more formally.

I think it must be my sense of humour that I like parodying film scenes. I even got to parody the "Crocodile Dundee" scene when I was teasing my friend Anne at a documentary shoot about Paganism in the south of England:

She said "You shouldn't tease a Witch with an Athame in her hand" showing me the little knife in her hand. To which I folded my arms and replied:
" That's not an Athame- This is an Atheme"- and produced my Sykes Fairbairn Athame from my forearm sheath

-all off camera of course

Ah ha! found the clip!