The True History of Merlin the Magician

The True History of Merlin the Magician
Author: Anne Lawrence-Mathers
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2012-10-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 030018929X

A medieval historian examines what we really know about the man who was “Merlin the Magician” and his impact on Britain. Merlin has remained an enthralling and curious individual since he was first introduced in the twelfth century in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae. But although the Merlin of literature and Arthurian myth is well known, his “historical” figure and his relation to medieval magic are less familiar. In this book Anne Lawrence-Mathers explores just who he was and what he has meant to Britain. The historical Merlin was no rough magician: he was a learned figure from the cutting edge of medieval science and adept in astrology, cosmology, prophecy, and natural magic, as well as being a seer and a proto-alchemist. His powers were convincingly real—and useful, for they helped to add credibility to the “long-lost” history of Britain which first revealed them to a European public. Merlin’s prophecies reassuringly foretold Britain’s path, establishing an ancient ancestral line and linking biblical prophecy with more recent times. Merlin helped to put British history into world history. Lawrence-Mathers also explores the meaning of Merlin’s magic across the centuries, arguing that he embodied ancient Christian and pagan magical traditions, recreated for a medieval court and shaped to fit a new moral framework. Linking Merlin’s reality and power with the culture of the Middle Ages, this remarkable book reveals the true impact of the most famous magician of all time. “The story of how the image of Merlin as political prophet, magician and half-demon evolved in the Middle Ages is as fascinating as any romance.”—Euan Cameron

The Book of Merlin

The Book of Merlin
Author: John Matthews
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2020-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1445699214

Merlin remains the most famous and familiar image of the magician we possess. In this new book, Arthurian expert John Matthews examines the many guises of Merlin.

The Merlin Trilogy

The Merlin Trilogy
Author: Mary Stewart
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 654
Release: 1980-12-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0688003478

The Arthurian legend is one of the most enduring and powerful of myths, and Mary Stewart's classic The Merlin Trilogy is one of its most beloved and acclaimed retellings. In prose that is as vividly, achingly real as it is poetic, New York Times bestselling author Mary Stewart brings to life the man behind the myth: Myrddin Emrys ... Merlinus Ambrosius ... Merlin. The Crystal Cave The Hollow Hills The Last Enchantment Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myrddin Emrys -- or, as he would later be known, Merlin -- leads a perilous childhood in The Crystal Cave, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of UtherPendragon ... and the conception of Arthur -- king for once and always. Keeping watch over the young Arthur Pendragon in The Hollow Hills, the prince and prophet Merlin Ambrosius is haunted by dreams of the magical sword Caliburn, hidden for centuries. When Uther Pendragon is killed in battle, the time of destiny is at hand, and Arthur must claim the fabled sword to become the true High King of Britain. In The Last Enchantment, Arthur Pendragon is king at last. Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise as Merlin works to keep safe the once and future king. But sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause -- Arthur's own half sister -- ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven. Extensively researched and beautifully written, The Merlin Trilogy is the epic culmination of an acclaimed career, a legend in and of itself.

Wizardology

Wizardology
Author: Dugald Steer
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 31
Release: 2005-09-13
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0763628956

Merlin the wizard challenges readers to become wizards like himself by deciphering clues hidden in his guide to wizardry.

Scotland's Merlin

Scotland's Merlin
Author: Tim Clarkson
Publisher: Birlinn Ltd
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2016-05-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 1907909389

Who was Merlin? Is the famous wizard of Arthurian legend based on a real person? In this book, Merlin's origins are traced back to the story of Lailoken, a mysterious 'wild man' who is said to have lived in the Scottish Lowlands in the sixth century AD. The book considers the question of whether Lailoken belongs to myth or reality. It looks at the historical background of his story and discusses key characters such as Saint Kentigern of Glasgow and King Rhydderch of Dumbarton, as well as important events such as the Battle of Arfderydd. Lailoken's reappearance in medieval Welsh literature as the fabled prophet Myrddin is also examined. Myrddin himself was eventually transformed into Merlin the wizard, King Arthur's friend and mentor. This is the Merlin we recognise today, not only in art and literature but also on screen. His earlier forms are less familiar, more remote, but can still be found among the lore and legend of the Dark Ages. Behind them we catch fleeting glimpses of an original figure who perhaps really did exist: a solitary fugitive, tormented by his experience of war, who roamed the hills and forests of southern Scotland long ago.

Mad Merlin

Mad Merlin
Author: J. Robert King
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 604
Release: 2001-08-13
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 146680081X

The legendary magician Merlin works to unlock the secrets of his past and his future destiny in this fantasy adventure. “Everyone seems to know me. After fifteen hundred years, they remember me. Everyone knows Merlin. I am, of course, delighted . . . “This is the story of King Arthur and mad Merlin . . . ” In the tradition of The Mists of Avalon and Mythago Wood, J. Robert King weaves an epic tale of Avalon, Excalibur, the Once and Future King, and the mad magician Merlin as he draws on the ideas and writings of Joseph Campbell to shape and interpret the legendary Arthurian mythos. “A nicely written and engaging perspective on the wizard’s actual identity, the book’s sad in spots, funny in others and a worthwhile read.” —San Diego Union-Tribune

The Legends of King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone

The Legends of King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone
Author: Tracey Mayhew
Publisher: Legends of King Arthur: Merlin
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2020-11-03
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 9781782267348

When two boys save an old man from robbers, they learn of a competition in Londinium to decide the next king of Britain. The elder, Kay, is determined to prove himself worthy as a knight or a king. The younger is Arthur, a farm boy through and through - until he sees the sword in the stone.

Tomorrow's Magic

Tomorrow's Magic
Author: Pamela F. Service
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2009-04-23
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0307498336

It's 500 years after the nuclear holocaust that devastated the earth's population and left the few survivors dealing with unending winter. At their remote British boarding school, Wellington Jones and Heather McKenna have a lot in common. Both are misfits trying to avoid attention, and both are fascinated by Earl, a tall, calm, older boy with no recollection of his past, but a remarkable knack for showing up when he is needed most. When a blow to the head brings Earl's memory back, he claims that he is actually Merlin . . . a 2000-year-old wizard. Originally published in two volumes in the mid-1980s, Pamela F. Service's creative, futuristic spin on the Camelot legend will appeal to Arthurian purists and fantasy lovers alike.

The Crystal Cave

The Crystal Cave
Author: Mary Stewart
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 514
Release: 2003-05-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0060548258

Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myridden Emrys -- or as he would later be known, Merlin -- leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon . . . and the conception of Arthur -- king for once and always.

The Other Merlin

The Other Merlin
Author: Robyn Schneider
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2021-09-21
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0593351045

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR! - Publishers Weekly "Simultaneously heart-pounding and hilarious, Robyn Schneider gives us a veritable romp through Camelot fueled by adventure and romance." —Kerri Maniscalco, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Kingdom of the Wicked and Stalking Jack the Ripper Channeling the modern humor of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, bestselling author Robyn Schneider creates a Camelot that becomes the ultimate teen rom-com hotspot in this ultra-fresh take on the Arthurian legend. Welcome to the great kingdom of Camelot! Prince Arthur’s a depressed botanist who would rather marry a library than a princess, Lancelot’s been demoted to castle guard after a terrible lie, and Emry Merlin has arrived at the castle disguised as her twin brother since girls can’t practice magic. Life at court is full of scandals, lies, and backstabbing courtiers, so what’s a casually bisexual teen wizard masquerading as a boy to do? Other than fall for the handsome prince, stir up trouble with the foppish Lord Gawain, and offend the prissy Princess Guinevere. When the truth comes out with disastrous consequences, Emry has to decide whether she'll risk everything for the boy she loves, or give up her potential to become the greatest wizard Camelot has ever known.