humanities.lit.authors.shakespeare

Lyra wrote:

(quote, excerpts)


Merlin is not, at any rate, a personal name but a place name - the
Welsh Myrddin comes from Celtic Maridunon (Carmarthen) - which was
applied to the magician because, according to Geoffrey, he came from
that city. Elsewhere it is averted that the city was founded by, and
named after, the wizard. Robert has him born in Brittany. Geoffrey
makes him King of Powys, and the idea that he was of royal blood is
also found in Strozzi's VENETIA EDIFICATA (1624).

This contrasts with the earlier theory of E. Davies that Merlin was a
god (the evening star), and his sister Ganieda a goddess (the morning
star). There is some evidence that Merlin may originally have been a
god, for in the TRIADS, we are told that the earlieast name for
Britain was Merlin's Precinct, as though he were a god with
proprietorial rights. G. Ashe would connect him with the cult of the
god Mabon. Because of his association with stags, there may be a
connection with Cernunnos, the Celtic horned god.

Merlin's mother was called Aldan in Welsh tradition. The Elizabethan
play THE BIRTH OF MERLIN - which may have been partially authored by
Shakespeare - calls her Joan Go-to-'t.

That he had no father does not seem to be a feature of Welsh tradition
in which he is given the following pedigree: Coel Godebog - Ceneu -
Mor - Morydd - Madog Morfryn - Myrddin (Merlin). He was also said to
be the son of Morgan Frych who, some claimed, had been a prince of
Gwynedd. Both Welsh poetry and Geoffrey have him speaking with
Taliesin, with whom he seemed to be considerably connected in the
Welsh mind.

Thus one Welsh tradition asserted he first appeared in Vortigern's
time, then was reincarnated as Taliesin and reincarnated once more as
Merlin the wild man. The idea that there were two Merlins, wizard and
wild man, is found in Giraldus Cambrensis (the Norman-welsh chronicler
of the twelfth century), doubtless because of the impossibly long
lifespan assigned to him by Geoffrey. A modern relic of the Merlin
legend was to be found in the pilgrimages made to Merlin's Spring at
Barenton in Brittany, but these were stopped by the Vatican in 1853.

MERLIN'S ENCLOSURE

Merlin is the tutelar of Britain which is anciently called Clas Merdin
or Merlin's Enclosure. # 454

MERLIN'S HILL CAVE

A Carmarthen cave where Merlin is said to be buried. # 156

http://www.celticgrounds.com/chapters/encyclopedia/m.html



> > >
> > > ```````````````````
> > >
> > > > > Map for Carmarthen
> > > > >
> > > > > It is to the
> > > > > north-west of Clydach.
> > > > >
> > > > > Why Carmarthen? The Birth of Merlin.
> > > >
>
> ``````````````````
> (quote, excerpts)
>
> ```````````````````
>
> Magical Merlin and Carmarthen
>
> Wizard at the 2005 Merlin festival
>
> Last updated: 16 May 2007
>
> Summer 2006 saw Carmarthen stage it's fourth annual Merlin & Magic
> festival. But just how is the town connected to the legendary wizard,
> and the Arthurian world?
>
> Merlin is an historical figure that has captured the imagination of
> people across the world, writes Greg Jones.
> His links with King Arthur and the scores of books, cartoons and films
> devoted to his adventures have propelled his status to one under the
> constant scrutiny of global debate.
>
> Carmarthen is a town said by many academics to be the most closely
> connected to Merlin, and 2006 marked the fourth occasion the 'Merlin,
> Magic & Mystery' festival was held in his memory.
>
> Ann Dorsett is a senior museums curator at Carmarthenshire Council.
> She said:
> "Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote the History of the Kings of Britain in
> 1136 and he links stories about Merlin with those concerning King
> Arthur.
>
> "In his story, a boy called Merlinus was found by messengers of
> Vortigen, King of the Britons, in a town named Kaermerdin. The boy was
> needed as a sacrifice to stop a new tower from mysteriously falling
> down. Merlin showed Vortigen that the tower stood upon an underground
> pool containing two dragons. When the pool was drained, the dragons
> awoke and began to fight. Merlin explained that the red dragon
> represented the British people and the white represented the Saxon
> invaders. Geoffrey took a lot from earlier legends and histories, and
> many Merlin prophecies featured in early Welsh poems."
>
> Professor Stephen Knight is the author of Arthurian Literature and
> Society.
> He said: "Merlin appears to have been aristocratic and fled to the
> woods after being traumatised by a battle that took place close to
> Carlisle in 573AD. He became a visionary who prophesied and
> represented knowledge. Geoffrey of Monmouth linked him with South
> Wales and, in particular, Dyfed.
>
> "He's become especially associated with Carmarthen because of the
> town's name along with its standing and dignity. Merlin is a term
> that's still connected with power. One only has to recall the Merlin
> engines of the World War Two Spitfires to illustrate that."
>
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southwest/sites/carmarthen/pages/merlin_town.sh=
tml
>
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> >
> > (quote, excerpts)
> >
> > ```````````````````
> >
> > Carmarthen
> >
> > History
> >
> > Roman
> >
> > Main article: Moridunum (Carmarthen)
> >
> > When Britannia was a Roman province, Carmarthen was the civitas
> > capital of the Demetae tribe, known as Moridunum (meaning sea fort).
> >
> > Carmarthen is possibly the oldest town in Wales and was recorded by
> > Ptolemy and in the Antonine Itinerary. The Roman fort is believed to
> > date from AD75-77. A coin hoard was found nearby in 2006 [1]. Near the
> > fort is one of seven surviving Roman amphitheatres in the United
> > Kingdom.
> >
> > The name became Carmarthen (Caerfyrddin in Welsh). Someone may have
> > treated the name as meaning "Royal residence of a man called Myrddin".
> >
> > Medieval
> >
> > The strategic importance of Carmarthen was such that the Norman
> > William fitz Baldwin built a castle probably around 1094. The existing
> > castle site is known to have been used since 1105. The castle was
> > destroyed by Llywelyn the Great in 1215. In 1223 the castle was
> > rebuilt and permission was received to wall the town (a murage).
> > Carmarthen was probably the first medieval walled town in Wales. In
> > 1405 the town was taken and the castle was sacked by Owain Glynd=C5=B5r.=

> >
> > The famous Black Book of Carmarthen, written around 1250, is
> > associated with the town's Priory of St John the Evangelist and
> > Teulyddog.
> >
> > The Black Book of Carmarthen includes poems with references to Myrddin
> > (Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin) and possibly to Arthur (Pa =C5=B5r yw'r
> > Porthor?).
> >
> >
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmarthen
> >
> > > >
> > > > More on Merlin! - to follow
> > >
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