humanities.lit.authors.shakespeare

Lyra wrote:

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This is a link from Shakespeare to Merlin,
which I found just now looking for more about Merlin.

I never heard of the idea before, at first I thought it was a novel,
here is an excerpt anyway.

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(quote, excerpts)

Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World


(from) Chapter I


Two Merlins



"What I wanted to ask you was if you had discovered anything linking
Merlin with Shakespeare?" he said.

"Shakespeare! But he was born in the sixteenth century..."

"I don't mean that Shakespeare knew him," Glynn interrupted. "Have
you found anything Shakespeare wrote about him?"

I had researched the life of William Shakespeare some years earlier
for a book in which I examined his private life, but knew of nothing
he had written about Merlin.

"Not that I can think of," I said. "Why do you ask?"

It was then thatGlynn hit me with his bombshell. "I believe
Shakespeare was killed because of what he knew about Merlin and the
two serpents on Excalibur's hilt. Serpents exactly like those," he
said, tapping the hilt. I didn't quite know how to handle that one.
As far as I knew Glynn was a sensible and respected historian but this
sounded not only off the point but decidedly odd. "You do think that
Shakespeare was murdered?" he said, when I looked at him bemused. In
my book I had suggested that Shakespeare was killed because of what he
knew about an anti-government conspiracy.

"There are mysterious circumstances surrounding Shakespeare's death
which might imply that someone murdered him, but I can't see how that
could have anything to do with Merlin," I said.

"I think you were right about Shakespeare's death. You said you
thought Shakespeare knew about plots against the English government
but the whole thing was bigger; much bigger than you ever
considered." Glynn's easy-going and cheerful expression had dropped
from his face and he looked positively concerned. He even glanced
around at the drinkers on at the other tables as if to make sure they
could not hear what he was saying. "There are still people today who
would kill to find out what Shakespeare knew."

"Sorry, I'm not with you." I said.

Glynn looked down to the map of Britain he had been using to point out
various locations associated with the Merlin legend and stabbed his
finger in the area of Stratford-upon-Avon in central England where
Shakespeare had lived. It seemed he was about to say something but
decided against it.

"I thought someone like you might have arrived at the same
conclusions, independently," he said, ignoring my question.

"Someone like me?"

"A person who's researched both the Arthurian legend and the life of
Shakespeare."

"Sorry," I said, now having difficulty disguising the fact that I
thought Glynn was acting a bit weird. "I don't know what you mean.
Not unless you explain."

It seemed that Glynn had decided he'd said enough. Apparently, he had
assumed that I must have known what he was talking about and as I had
no idea it was best I didn't know. He changed the subject back to the
literary evidence for an historical Merlin and returned to his usual
self.

http://www.grahamphillips.net/Merlin/merlin_chapter.htm


>
> (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.shtml
> >
> > > ```````````````````
> > >
> > > > >
> > > > > More on Merlin! - to follow
> > > >
> > > > ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````