Last Thoughts of the Powerful Merlin

Merlin will always be one of the very first "famous" people I think of when I hear the word magic. I know that Harry Potter has changed this greatly for our generation, but everyone always thought of Merlin when they first heard the word magic. This crazy old wackjob throughout the ages has defined magic for years and years.
Merlin is seriously a just a celebrity of the pre-Harry Potter era. It's clear that Harry has taken his lime light but in comparison of the two, Merlin is more powerful. Even though the origin of Merlin's power is forgotten about, let's not forget that both Satan and God game this single human unlimited power (Prose Merlin). Well it was more like Satan's plan backfired, but Merlin was given the power to know the past, present, and future (like the three Fates of Greek Mythology). The "past" part of the deal came from Satan, while the other two were given to Merlin from God. With these powers, he was solely able to choose his own path in life. If he was only given the powers from Satan, there is no doubt that we would all know Merlin for the horrible things rather than the great things. God gave Merlin the chance of freewill, giving him a chance to find a happy median between the two.
Despite what we've read in class, I will always see Merlin as the cooky old man from Disney's version of the The Sword and the Stone. That movie is seriously one of my favorites! After reading the excerpt from The Once and Future King, I can applaud Disney for their accuracy. I'm quite impressed. While I was reading, I could see the movie playing in my head. The Merlin in the story and the movie were very much alike. He wasn't a crazed selfish man who obsessed over nuts in the forest. He was a wise mentor and a friend to Arthur. A very different Merlin than the one in Prose Merlin.
Ultimately, even though I am team Harry Potter, I will always think of Merlin when it comes to magic. He was the wizard celebrity of the ages before the time of the boy who lived.