The Book of Merlin (Prophetic Works of Merlin the Magician 1)

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Into the slightly dull chronicle of battles and land grabs he embedded a big dollop of fiction about a character called Merlin, doing that classic thing of passing off his work as a translation of a long-lost ancient text. According to this confection, Merlin was a boy magician at the court of Vortigern, king of the Britons. Later, as an adult wizard, Merlin changes Uther Pendragon's appearance so that he can sleep with the wife of the Duke of Cornwall. Out of this moment of magical pandering King Arthur is conceived.

But Merlin, in Geoffrey's version, doesn't hang around to act as twinkly tutor to the marvellous boy. What got people riveted were the chapters in which Merlin, chanelled through Geoffrey, spewed out a long narrative history of the country, which reached back to the fall of Troy and flew forward to the end of time. Along the way Merlin appeared to foretell recent events, such as the Norman conquest, before setting out a future for Britain that, though a bit hazy on detail, sounded reassuringly solid, spectacular even.

At a time of great dynastic insecurity — we're talking about the decade in which Stephen and Matilda did their complicated shuffle on the British throne — Merlin's upbeat prophecies went down a treat. Geoffrey was clever enough to couch his ventriloquist dummy's utterances in a way that made them sound as old as time rather than stitched together under pressure. Using biblical tropes he managed to imply, without exactly saying so, that Britain had always played a special part in God's great plan.

Mary Stewart makes his growth from child to the wise old Merlin so believable. Somehow she manages to show the mystery of his life and powers through his own eyes. I'm still not entirely sure how she did that, but it will never cease to amaze me. Another thing that I absolutely loved about this trilogy was the refreshing historicity of it all. This isn't a fanciful rendering of a stars-n-moon caped Merlin the Magician, but a gritty depiction of early Britain, caught in the middle of the shift from paganism to Christianity. The scenes are all depicted so well that I could literally feel myself inside them.

It's been years since I've reread these books, but I can still feel the warm stones under my feet from the Roman pipes under the floors. Aug 12, Walter Conner rated it it was amazing. I first read this series many years ago, including the sequel, The Wicked Day in which the Arthurian legend comes full-circle with the story of Arthur's bastard son Mordred.

I found her approach to the legend very fascinating. I have since reread them at least twice I have the hardbound set , and enjoyed them immensely each time. Some reviewers have noted the "slow" pacing of these novels, and they do, indeed, move more slowly than many modern readers prefer. For me, however, Mary Stewart's incr I first read this series many years ago, including the sequel, The Wicked Day in which the Arthurian legend comes full-circle with the story of Arthur's bastard son Mordred.

For me, however, Mary Stewart's incredible prose easily carries the stories and sweeps me right along. Stewart one of the inspirations for my own writing efforts. Aug 20, Misfit rated it it was amazing. It's got to be a good years since I read these three books, and were just as enjoyable now as they were then. Stuart has a lovely way of describing a scene, the land and the people. If you purchased the trilogy in one book, just remember that they were originally three separate books.

I found m It's got to be a good years since I read these three books, and were just as enjoyable now as they were then. I found myself skipping through those sections. You won't find any great surprises in the story, if you are familiar with the legends of King Arthur. This story is mainly Merlin's from boyhood to old man and beloved cousin and counselor of Arthur.

While I don't usually enjoy a book written in the first person -- as you lose so much from what the other characters are experiencing -- the author pulled this off well enough.

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With Merlin's visions, we were able to see happenings that were not personally witnessed by Merlin. All in all very enjoyable and I would recommend this for younger readers whose parents are trying to find well written books without the constant presence of bodice ripping. A thumbs down to the publisher, I found many small typos that became a bit irritating after a while, i.

You would think that after the first publication they would catch these and fix them for subsequent pulications.

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View all 4 comments. This is a lovely book containing all three of Mary Stewart's brilliant Merlin stories.

The first "The Crystal Cave" is about his childhood and how he ended up helping Arthur come to be more towards the end , the second "The Hollow Hills" concerns his relationship with Arthur as he grows up to become king, and the third "The Last Enchantment" is the end of his role in the Arthurian story and his relationship with Nimue. And I have to say I loved all three books equally and for different reasons. Because I read them all from one book, one after the other, it IS a little difficult for me to think of them as three separate books, though, so if I seem to overlap, jumping from something that happened in Crystal Cave to Last Enchantment without batting an eye, that's why.

I LOVE the relationship between Arthur and Merlin in this one, particularly because they are much closer in age Merlin only has roughly twenty two years on Arthur, rather than being a full-blown fussy grandpa type figure as well as being cousins. They have a very close family bond that was very cute to read about.

In particular I love the scene where Arthur and Merlin have an argument which ends with Arthur brokenly admitting the real reason he's angry with Merlin is that he was hoping Merlin would turn out to be his father instead of Uther and was disappointed to learn Merlin had never even been with a woman by this point, so couldn't have fathered him. Another scene I loved was when Arthur discovers before Merlin does that Nimue was a girl she was pretending to be a boy to study under Merlin's tutorage and basically says that if she turns out to be evil and hurts Merlin, he'll kill her no matter how close they are.

She was sooooooooo likable in this book! Not evil at all. Basically she pretended to be a boy because Merlin accidentally put the idea in her head when he mistook her for a sort of reincarnation of a dead boy he'd wanted to tutor. She wants to learn from him, so she poses as a lad and they become friends which turns into something more after Arthur basically points out, "Hey, you know that boy who follows you everywhere is actually a GIRL right?

Sep 28, Kyleigh rated it liked it Shelves: A fascinating spin on the same old King Arthur story. Stewart focuses on Merlin as the main character in this series, starting with his young years as a bastard and continuing through his demise shortly into Arthur's reign.

Stewart's strength was in bringing these so well-known characters to life and giving them depth. Her weakness was incredibly slow pacing. Yes, we knew what was going to happen, but that doesn't make the story completely unimportant. Foreshadowing was well-used, between Merlin A fascinating spin on the same old King Arthur story. Foreshadowing was well-used, between Merlin's foresight and the reader's assumed knowledge of the basics of the story, impending doom was alluded to well.

To some extent this is forgivable, as that was no doubt the sentiment towards women during the time that the events supposedly took place, but having read a story like The Mists of Avalon, it's not hard to see how it might have been otherwise. Nov 20, Bill rated it it was amazing. This series puts a very touching, very human face to the ancient Merlin story, as the legendary magician faces the trials of discovering and developing his own power, and later as he grooms the young Arthur Pendragon to assume the throne and unite a kingdom after the chaos following the fall of the Roman Empire.

The story traces Merlin's journey from boyhood through the height of his reknown, and even into his twilight years as he settles into 'retirement', and discovers that it is never too lat This series puts a very touching, very human face to the ancient Merlin story, as the legendary magician faces the trials of discovering and developing his own power, and later as he grooms the young Arthur Pendragon to assume the throne and unite a kingdom after the chaos following the fall of the Roman Empire.

The story traces Merlin's journey from boyhood through the height of his reknown, and even into his twilight years as he settles into 'retirement', and discovers that it is never too late to find love. Told with spectacular imagery and tremendous depth of feeling, this is a tale that reminds us that even legends are all too human, and magic is sometimes a very ordinary thing. Nov 23, Monica Davis rated it it was amazing Shelves: By far one of the best books I have ever read.

The True History of Merlin the Magician by Anne Lawrence-Mathers – review | Books | The Guardian

Using the title character, Merlin, as her narrator, Mary Stewart is masterful in her storytelling A wonderful backstory to the usual focus, much happens before Camelot is introduced to us pages into the book. Highly recommend this thoroughly enjoyable read. Feb 06, E. Ardell rated it it was amazing Shelves: I am sucker for Arthurian legend. Anything starring Arthur and Lancelot, I will give a chance.

I've always been amused by Merlin, but he was never a favorite character of mine until this book. Mary Stewart creates a serious Merlin that we follow from boyhood into adulthood. Merlin is brilliant, cunning and humble and the bastard son of King Ambrosius, brother of Uther Pendragon, making him Arthur's uncle. I love that he's not a bumbling old man, but a handsome prince who doesn't want titles and d I am sucker for Arthurian legend.

I love that he's not a bumbling old man, but a handsome prince who doesn't want titles and decadence.

The True History of Merlin the Magician by Anne Lawrence-Mathers – review

He'd rather live off the land and out of a cave. His magic is strange, he has foresight and the power to cast illusions, but mostly his ingenuity and prowess for creating tools to make work easier is often mistaken for magic. Merlin is fiercely loyal to his father and loves his nephew who he predicted would be the greatest king Britain would ever see. Stewart immerses us in rich history and legend, providing us with indexes and footnotes to reference for the background information she supplies us with.

I can honestly say this is the first Arthurian Legend that did not feature Arthur as a main character that I truly enjoyed, and my favorite character, for once, was not Arthur but Merlin. I ached for Merlin when I felt he was passing on. And I will admit that I didn't like the book that follows the end of the trilogy nearly as much due to Merlin's absence.

I rate this entire series 5 star! Adults, young teens, preteens above age I first read this series thirty years ago and loved it. I loved it all the more as I read it this year! Stewart's Arthur and Merlin are set in 6th century Britain with all the mystical gods, godesses, and emergence of Christianity that came with the withdrawel of the Romans from that island country. Arthur is shown as the inheritor of the Sword of Maximus through his father, Uther Pendragon; nevertheless, Arthur is reared as a bastard who comes into his inheritance just before the death of his f I first read this series thirty years ago and loved it.

Arthur is shown as the inheritor of the Sword of Maximus through his father, Uther Pendragon; nevertheless, Arthur is reared as a bastard who comes into his inheritance just before the death of his father. Merlin likewise is reared as a bastard, the son of the previous king, Uther's brother. You can see the beginning of the twists and turns the tale must take. Moreover, the women who come into the lives of the two men--Morgan, Morgause to Arthur and Nimue to Merlin--are depicted masterfly by Stewart.

Add to these characters Arthur's bastard son--and the one who is to inherit his Kingdom--Mordred and you have a whole new book--see my next review! Jun 03, Tara Lynn Tanner rated it really liked it. It took me some time to get through this trilogy only a little because I kept looking for my red pen to mark mistakes in this edition , but mostly because it was very episodic and covered such a long time period following Merlin from when he was a young boy until he died.

I loved the story- appreciated the historical aspects- and was thrilled by the twists and turns of the plot. It may perhaps seem strange that a prophet who had seen Arthur's crowning so plain and clear and ri It took me some time to get through this trilogy only a little because I kept looking for my red pen to mark mistakes in this edition , but mostly because it was very episodic and covered such a long time period following Merlin from when he was a young boy until he died.

It may perhaps seem strange that a prophet who had seen Arthur's crowning so plain and clear and ringed with light should take such pains to guard him from his enemies. But those who have had to do with the gods know that when those gods make promises they hide them in light, and a smile on a god's lips is not always a sign that you may take his favour for granted.

Men have a duty to make sure. The gods like the taste of salt; the sweat of human effort is the savour of their sacrifices. View all 3 comments. Jan 13, Jessica rated it it was amazing Shelves: I really enjoyed this series. I enjoyed that many readers, young and old, could find this an enjoyable series. He based it on stories of the original 6th-century Myrddin, set long after his time frame for the life of Merlin Ambrosius. Geoffrey tried to assert that the characters are the same with references to King Arthur and his death, as told in the Historia Regum Britanniae.

Here, Merlin survives Arthur, married a woman named Guendoloena Gwendolen , inspired by Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio , and spends his time observing stars from his home with seventy windows in the remote woods in the land of Rhydderch , where he is often visited by his beautiful sister Ganieda based on Myrddin's sister Gwendydd who has become queen of the Cumbrians. Nikolai Tolstoy [11] hypothesizes that Merlin is based on a historical personage, probably a 6th-century druid living in southern Scotland.

His argument is based on the fact that early references to Merlin describe him as possessing characteristics which modern scholarship but not that of the time the sources were written would recognize as druidical—the inference being that those characteristics were not invented by the early chroniclers, but belonged to a real person.

If so, the hypothetical Merlin would have lived about a century after the hypothetical historical Arthur. A late version of the Annales Cambriae dubbed the "B-text", written at the end of the 13th century and influenced by Geoffrey, [12] records for the year , that after "the battle of Arfderydd , between the sons of Eliffer and Gwenddolau son of Ceidio; in which battle Gwenddolau fell; Merlin went mad.

Several decades later, Robert de Boron retold and expanded on this material in his poem Merlin written around Only a few lines of the poem have survived, but a prose retelling became popular and was later incorporated into chivalric romances. In Robert's account, as in Geoffrey's Historia , Merlin is begotten by a demon on a virgin as the intended Antichrist.

This plot is thwarted when the expectant mother informs her confessor Blaise of her predicament; they immediately baptize the boy at birth, thus freeing him from the power of Satan and his intended destiny.

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The demonic legacy invests Merlin with a preternatural knowledge of the past and present, which is supplemented by God, who gives the boy a prophetic knowledge of the future. Robert lays great emphasis on Merlin's power to shapeshift , [note 1] on his joking personality, and on his connection to the Holy Grail , the quest for which he foretells. Merlin was originally a part of a cycle of Robert's poems, which tells the story of the Grail that gathered the blood of Christ: Robert's poem was rewritten and continued in prose in the 13th century as the Estoire de Merlin , also called the Vulgate Merlin or Prose Merlin.

It is a part of the vast Lancelot-Grail , also known as the Vulgate Cycle, where in the Prose Lancelot it is said that Merlin actually was never baptized. Another continuation, written after the Vulgate Cycle , is the Livre d'Artus , [16] where Merlin's shapeshifting powers are also featured prominently. Later medieval works also deal with the Merlin legend. As the Arthurian myths were retold and embellished, Merlin's prophetic aspects were sometimes de-emphasised in favour of portraying him as a wizard and an elder advisor to Arthur.

His role could be embellished and added to that of Aurelianus Ambrosius, or he could be made into just one of old Uther's favourite advisors. In fact, Merlin loves Morgan so much, that he even lies to Arthur in the Huth Merlin , which is the only instance of him ever doing such a thing in order to save her.

Merlin's downfall and demise or eternal imprisonment is recounted differently in various versions of the narrative. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

For the bird species, see Merlin bird. For other uses, see Merlin disambiguation. For other uses, see Merlyn disambiguation. This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in French. July Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation like Deepl or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.

Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary using German: Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at [[: Exact name of German article]]; see its history for attribution. For more guidance, see Wikipedia: He is later found in the forest of Northumberland by a follower of Uther's disguised as an ugly man and tending a great herd of beasts.

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