His prototypes, the mad prophet Myrddin and the Waif Prophet Ambrosius, had no such explanations given. His moral ambiguity was likewise explained as the goodness of his mother and evil of his father struggling in him. His demonic parentage, however, is believed to have become a part of the story because of moralizing, as it explained his supernatural powers through a Christian lens. Bowdlerise: As the centuries passed, Merlin became less of a lusty trickster and more of a wise old mentor due to Moral Guardians.Because Destiny Says So: In this case, "destiny" goes by "Merlin.".Barefoot Sage: He's depicted barefoot in many illustrations, including those by Gustave Doré.Badass Long Robe: While Merlin's attire isn't explicitly described in the texts, most artwork and modern adaptations depict him as wearing long, often hooded robes.The Archmage: While details may vary upon the version of the tale, he is invariably the top magic-user around in the setting.The Antichrist: In some stories, Merlin was the Antichrist but instead of destroying the world, became good and decided to help Arthur become the King of Britain.Since Medieval Christianity generally thought any sort of power must come from either God or Satan, this story explained how Merlin performed his magical acts without being a saint. This relieved him of his Antichrist status but still let him keep his nifty magical powers. Anti-Anti-Christ: Merlin's mother was raped/seduced by either the Devil or some random demon, but she had Merlin baptized as soon as he was born.For the 1998 miniseries, see Merlin (1998). He is tricked and imprisoned by the witch Niviane (or Nimue), whom he deeply loved and taught magic.įor the 2008 British TV series, see Merlin (2008). Merlin's final fate is a Downer Ending, like that of the king whom he served.
In return, Merlin was given the baby boy, who was fostered by a knight as his own son and later prepared by Merlin for kingship. In most tellings of Arthur's origin story, Merlin's magic helped Uther Pendragon seduce and bed another man's wife (Igraine), leading to the conception of Arthur, who he prophesied would be a great king.
His demonic heritage gave him the ability to see into the past and future, a gift that is often carried over to versions that do not include this origin story. His mother, however, had the boy baptized at birth, freeing him from the Devil's influence. In one legend, Merlin was intended to be an Antichrist figure, begotten on a virgin by the Devil.
Merlin - sometimes called Ambrosius in older sources - was the trusted advisor and surrogate parental figure to King Arthur. The original bearded old wizard (unless you're counting Odin), this Public Domain Character was added to the Arthurian mythos around 1100 AD.
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