Medeival Musings: Merlin's Magic

I probably got something a little different out of the Prose Merlin then anyone else in class. Primarily because I have read it before, so it was not so much me seeing a new side to Merlin as it was revisiting some of the crazier shenanigans that I had forgotten about. Not so much like a behind the scenes exclusive as it was just re-watching a movie I had not seen in a while.

 

Seriously? How could I have forgotten that Merlin built Stonehenge?

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However, I think that this story helps to back up a point that I made before. For much of the Middle Ages magic was not that big of a thing, it was more important how one used it. We have seen this with court astrologers and other supposed magic users who entertained and provided council to the nobles of western Europe. Likewise, Merlin was not condemned for his prophesies, or other magical actions in this story. The only challenge Merlin regularly experiences in this story is not people condemning his magic, but accusing him of being a fraud.

 

"I don't believe you, miraculous talking baby! How could you possibly have magical powers, and thus know the village priest is my father?"

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Furthermore, no one even tries to persecute Merlin for being fathered by a demon. As we have seen in many later texts, like the Malleus Maleficarum (I'm sorry I keep bringing it up, but gosh darn it, I read about 100 pages of that book and I am going to use it!) there was concern that witches would allow demons to sire children, that the witchs would then use to offer to Satan as sacrifices or future servants. Yet even this, being sired by demons, was not enough to label Merlin as a servant of evil, because God had intervened, thus giving Merlin the ability to choose his fate and thus free will. The only person who actually seemed to scorn Merlin for his demon lineage was Niviane, and I really think that had more to do with the fact that Merlin (an old man) was hitting on Niviane (a 15 year old girl) (page 362).

 

Just saying, that when you're a 15 year old girl you're probably not going to be very keen to get that kind of attention from this guy.

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So, again, I think this text is a good example that in the earlier Medieval period (as in pre-1350s or so) magic itself did not come with the cultural scorn that it would later acquire. In this earlier time, it was to what end one used magic that was important.

 

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Merlin Might be Human Too

I think that Merlin is one of the coolest guys in literature that hardly ever gets individual attention. I think that the Prose Merlin document written by Robert de Boron and compiled by Samuel N. Rosenburg presents him as a more interesting and clever person. I mean, he starts talking when he’s a baby and he manages to save his mother’s life from execution. That’s pretty awesome, right?
He’s part demon so he can see the past, but he’s also blessed by God so he can see the future. He is full of wisdom and it seems to be difficult to not be persuaded of his powers eventually. He manages to get into the good graces of two brothers, King Pendragon and his brother Uther (who will father Arthur). They rely on him completely because all of his predictions came true and his advice never does them wrong. When it comes time for the brothers to engage in a battle against the Saxons, they turn to Merlin for advice. The brothers ask Merlin how they will die (this seems to be everyone’s favorite question to ask Merlin, doesn’t it?), Merlin says that “nothing begins that does not come to an end, and no man should fear death if he receives it properly. Everyone living must realize that he will die, and you must realize that you will as well, and that neither nobility nor fortune can spare you from death” (Rosenburg 323). This is pretty deep, I think, because he’s basically telling them that death happens to everyone. But he says it so concisely and bluntly that it really gets the point across.

The only time I didn’t really like Merlin was in the story of Niviane the Huntress. Merlin is an old man at this time and he falls in love with a guest of King Arthur named Niviane. BUT…Niviane is fifteen. FIFTEEN. And Merlin is lusting after her because he knows that she’s a virgin and he wants to be her first. Niviane knows this and she has a really intense hatred for him that is so strong that she basically tricks him into teaching her magic. This ultimately makes her much stronger than Merlin because she manages to bewitch him and this leads to his downfall/death by being sealed in a tomb. But to me the irony is that for a long time Merlin was undisputedly the most powerful person alive and at the end someone else defeats him. And he’s defeated by not just anyone, but a much younger woman to boot. So needless to say, this was not Merlin’s best moment.

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Who is Merlin?

When you picture Merlin in your mind, what do you see?

Someone like this?

Or this?

Or, for lots of people now, someone more like this?

How do the two early stories of Merlin that we are reading compare to your expectations? Geoffrey of Monouth's Merlin dates from the 1130s and Robert de Boron's from around 1200. They are the foundation of all the many different versions of Merlin we have today, but many of my students notice the differences more than the similarities. How do these versions of Merlin surprise you?

I look forward to hearing what you all have to say about Merlin in your own posts and comments!