Merlin the Magnificent Wizard

Merlin is most widely famous for being the wizard or magician of Camelot. He is known to be King Arthur's guide/adviser, or prophet. He was especially popular during the Middle Ages but also appears in works from the Renaissance era, to the modern period. Whether famous or infamous, Merlin is one of the most portrayed characters in Arthurian legend. His role in Arthurian Legend is strongly debated whether he was a gallant character or a villain. Tennyson depicted Merlin as this noble character with great intention in his work, whereas, Mark Twain illustrated Merlin as this villainous wizard. In old myths and legends, Merlin is said to be wearing a green robe. This is significant because the color green was a symbolic for magical and "other-worldly" things. This belief carried on towards the future also; an example of green symbolizing "other-worldly" things is aliens. Although the color green represented magic, it was also associated with anything negative.

"Merlin ~ Other Characters in Arthurian Legend | King Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table." King Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table | History, Legend and Everything in Between. The Camelot Project, University of Rochester, 2001. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. <http://www.kingarthursknights.com/others/merlin.asp>.

"Merlin." Britannia: British History and Travel. Brittania.com, 2001. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. <http://www.britannia.com/history/biographies/merlin.html>.

The Faces of Arthurian Legend

This blog will be about King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Morgan Le Fay, Guinevere, and Merlin the Magnificent Wizard. There are numerous myths, legends, and tales about these characters. In my blog, I will discuss: the traits of each character, the significance of each character's roles, the influence they have in the tales or how they affected the characters around them, and which myths and legends they are mostly known to be in. For example, Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere are widely known for their love scandal and betrayal again King Arthur. In this first blog, before I begin my posts on the "Faces of Arthurian Legend", I will discuss the interest and accent of Camelot, King Arthur's haven.

Camelot is the famous and grand castle in which King Arthur and his court resides. I refer to Camelot as "King Arthur's haven" because I believe, from what I have read and researched about Camelot, that the castle was his home and security. Camelot is also the setting for many of the tales and myths in Arthurian Legend. Although the castle mostly belongs to King Arthur, it was also a home for those in his court and kingdom and it provided solace for them as well. The castle was a "shining beacon" considering this age was such a dark and arcane time.

Krystek, Lee. "The UnMuseum - Camelot." Directory of the Museum of Unnatural Mystery. 1997. 28 Oct. 2010 http://www.unmuseum.org/camelot.htm.

 

BluSphere. "Camelot, King Arthur’s Castle | Socyberty." Socyberty | Society on the Web. 15 Mar. 2010. SocyBerty. 28 Oct. 2010 <http://socyberty.com/folklore/camelot-king-arthurs-castle/>.