From whence did he come and whither went he — or has he withered? Will he return? Was he an invention of Geoffrey of Monmouth, the first romantic novelist of the middle ages, popped in to prop up his soppy sentimental story concerning the Knights of the Round Table?

We feel not. At the very least Merlin was a druid and the legendary Welsh figure Myrddin the Wild pops up as a possible source.

Allegedly the son of a demon and a nun, one of Merlin’s main claims to fame is that he moved Stonehenge from Ireland to its present location. No-one else has claimed responsibility. This must make him some sort of limited edition deity, the wizkid of wizards. We at Godchecker do have a vested interest in Merlin, and all could be revealed in due course, although we doubt it.

Meanwhile you can ponder on why Spitfires had Merlin engines, and you can also do your very own I-Spy project. See how many times you can spot examples of his name being used, and in which locations. Look out for the repetitions of Merlin’s Cave, Well, Stone, Bridge, Beard, Spring, Inn, Chaos, Tomb, Fountain, Rock, Cross, Grave, Pool, Hill, Cafe, etc.

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Article last revised on May 23, 2019 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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