Merlin the young hippie?

I have two “Merlins” that I am familiar with.  The first is the classical Sword and the Stone Merlin: a wise, playful, and jovial wizard.  The second is from The Mists of Avalon where he is cunning and powerful.  In all of my time learning about the man, I have never seen a representation of Merlin as young, depressed, or so desperately wanting to forest nymph. 

It makes me wonder where our current views have stemmed from.  If Geoffrey of Monmouth is correct, then somewhere along the lines Merlin was seriously altered to create a new image.  Was it because the legends of King Arthur needed someone a bit more…poised?  It does seem unlikely that one of history’s greatest (possibly fictional) kings would take advice from someone quite that eccentric.  And the truth of the matter is that is where most of us know Merlin from. 

His wife is another aspect that I knew nothing about.  Merlin having kin, such as his sister, I can see coming about.  But him having a wife was something that never crossed my mind.  That may be because along with the stereotype of wise man, he also seemed old and beyond the point of marriage.  Monmouth puts him as young, and depicts a time before Arthur.  It brings to mind a whole new aspect of Merlin as a man instead of Merlin the great wizard.  But with that comes the idiocy.  No offense to the men out there, but the way he broke off his marriage rivals the douche bag level of text message break-ups. 

“Sister I do not want a cow that pours out water in a broad fountain like the urn of the Virgin in summer-time…”  

I’m just saying, it is very risky to call a woman a cow.  No matter the context.  He truly was nearly out of his mind on that one.     

 

Now, I understand why he ran into the forests.  All his buddies had just died and the Scottish forest, or Caledonia, was the best thing he could get to not being around humanity.  But I do not understand why he wanted to be away from everyone – and yet he had 70 scribes around him to write his prophecies.  It makes me wonder if he truly wanted to be alone.  This is how I could see it going.

He is cured from his PTSD by the bard and goes back to visit his wife and sister.  Upon seeing these women, he decides that while he loves them – he does not want to be anywhere near them.  Cooties or something?  So he would rather hole up in a really large shack in the woods with a bunch of dudes and party; maybe write a few prophecies so his sister doesn't stop sending dinner.  

This is likely a stretch, but the image of it makes me laugh. 

 

 

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