Merlin

“Because I am dark and always will be, my words shall be mysterious” - Merlin, in the Didot Perceval

Birth as a Changeling

Merlin is born to a mortal woman, often a princess or noblewoman, and a demon or incubus, endowing him with magical powers and prophetic abilities. In Geoffrey of Monmouth’s account, he is Merlin Ambrosius, born in Carmarthen, Wales, with his demonic heritage tempered by his mother’s piety, making him a bridge between the human and supernatural realms.

Thought to be a Cambion, a Shapeshifter. Legends must have sprung up around him that he was only half human

“In European mythology and literature since at least the 19th century, a cambion (/ˈkæmbiən/) is the offspring from the union between a demon parent—whether incubus, succubus or other type of demon—with a human parent. In the word's earliest known uses, it was interchangeable with changeling.”

Merlin’s Magical Conception. According to the Vulgate Cycle:

• He is born of a virgin mother and a demon father (sometimes an incubus).
• This gives him both demonic insight and divine innocence—a liminal being bridging spirit and matter, heaven and hell.
• Later Christianized as redeemed by baptism, he becomes a symbol of the transformation of demonic forces into divine service.

A pivotal lesser-known aspect is Merlin's conception as part of a demonic plot, detailed in Robert de Boron's 12th-century Merlin and the 13th-century Vulgate Cycle. Demons, enraged by Christ's redemption of humanity, scheme to create an Antichrist by impregnating a virgin. An incubus succeeds with a pious nun, but her confession and immediate baptism of the child thwart their plan. Merlin inherits demonic powers—knowledge of the past and present, shapeshifting, and enchantment—but gains divine prophecy of the future through grace. This duality positions him as a redeemed figure, using infernal abilities for good, such as advising kings and foreseeing the Grail Quest.

In Estoire de Merlin, his demonic heritage is emphasized, making him feared yet revered in Pictish lands. Non-cyclic texts portray him as unbaptized and inherently evil, adding moral ambiguity.

Merlin by Edwin Muir

O Merlin in your crystal cave Deep in the diamond of the day, Will there ever be a singer Whose music will smooth away The furrow drawn by Adam's finger Across the memory and the wave? Or a runner who'll outrun Man's long shadow driving on, Break through the gate of memory And hang the apple on the tree? Will your magic ever show The sleeping bride shut in her bower, The day wreathed in its mound of snow and Time locked in his tower?

Merlin's name likely derives from "Myrddin," meaning "madman" or "of many names" in Welsh, adapted by Geoffrey of Monmouth to avoid negative associations; it may also evoke a blackbird, symbolizing shamanic transformation.

Merlin's roots trace back to Welsh folklore, where he appears as Myrddin Wyllt, a 6th-century bard driven mad by war. Geoffrey of Monmouth Latinized "Myrddin" to "Merlinus" in the 12th century, possibly to evade resemblance to the French word for excrement. Alternative etymologies link it to "mer" (mad) and "dyn" (man), or "myrdd" (myriad), suggesting a figure of infinite wisdom. Some scholars propose ties to Breton "marz" (wonder), portraying him as a "wonder man." These origins emphasize his dual nature: human yet transcendent.

Myrddin Wyllt ("Myrddin the Wild") is distinct from Myrddin Emrys (Merlin Ambrosius). Geoffrey fused two separate figures: the mad prophet-bard of the Caledonian forest and the wonder-child who revealed the dragons.

The core inspiration stems from Myrddin Wyllt ("Myrddin the Wild"), a 6th-century Welsh bard and prophet who, after witnessing the horrors of the Battle of Arfderydd in 573 AD, fled into the Caledonian Forest (modern Scotland). There, traumatized by the slaughter of his lord Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio at the hands of Rhydderch Hael of Strathclyde, Myrddin descended into madness, living among beasts and gaining prophetic visions. Welsh poems like Afallennau Myrddin ("Myrddin's Apple Trees") and Yr Oianau ("The Piglet") depict him communing with nature, uttering riddles about Britain's fate, and symbolizing the collapse of northern British kingdoms amid Anglo-Saxon invasions.

Geoffrey fused this "wild man" archetype with Ambrosius Aurelianus, a 5th-century Romano-British war leader from Nennius's 9th-century Historia Brittonum. In Nennius's account, a fatherless boy (Ambrosius) reveals battling dragons beneath Vortigern's collapsing tower, symbolizing Saxon (white dragon) and Briton (red dragon) conflicts. Geoffrey reassigns this episode to Merlin, born in Carmarthen (whose name derives from Roman "Moridunum," not directly from "Myrddin" as some claim). This blending creates Merlin Ambrosius: a cambion (half-demon, half-human) with supernatural insight, bridging historical resistance against invaders and mythical prophecy.

Etymologically, "Merlin" adapts "Myrddin," possibly from Welsh "mer" (mad) + "dyn" (man), evoking a "madman" driven by divine frenzy. Geoffrey altered it to "Merlinus" to avoid associations with French "merde" (feces). Other interpretations include "myrdd" (myriad), suggesting infinite knowledge, or links to "merle" (blackbird), implying shapeshifting abilities akin to shamanic flight. Folklorists like Nikolai Tolstoy trace druidic roots, proposing Merlin as a 5th-6th century southern Scottish druid, while others connect him to Breton "marz" (wonder) or even Roman tales of Marsus, son of Circe.

• Merlin aids Uther Pendragon’s desire for Igraine, wife of the Duke of Cornwall, by magically disguising Uther as the Duke. This leads to Arthur’s conception at Tintagel Castle. Merlin ensures Arthur’s safety by arranging for him to be fostered by Sir Ector, away from political enemies.
• Mentorship of Young Arthur:
• Merlin secretly guides Arthur’s upbringing, teaching him wisdom, leadership, and the principles of justice. In some versions (e.g., T.H. White’s The Once and Future King), Merlin uses magic to educate Arthur through transformative experiences, such as turning him into animals to learn life lessons.

As Arthur’s chief counselor, Merlin helps establish Camelot, advises on governance, and uses his magic to protect the realm. He predicts key events, such as the rise of the Round Table and threats to Arthur’s rule, shaping the kingdom’s early success.

While Merlin is less prominent in the Grail Quest narratives (e.g., Queste del Saint Graal), he sets the stage for the quest by prophesying its spiritual significance. In some versions, he instructs knights like Percival or Galahad indirectly through visions or intermediaries, such as hermits.

In Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin, he warns of the "Dolorous Stroke" by Balin, which wounds the Fisher King and blights the land.

“Merlin is in a sense an archetypal conglomerate of your civilization’s mass consciousness that does express itself as an individual being. Each and every one of you has been the idea you call Merlin. Now, Merlin was a real being, there was a physiological being, but He's within each and every one of you. It is the ability of what you call mastery over your physical environment, but not by force, by flow; mastery by flow. Merlin represented the sorcerer or the magician within yourselves.” - Bashar

Merlin - how he became a celestial immortal - (Ryokah as channeled by Tyler Ellison)

• says he created elixirs that were charged with spiritual energy that he then consumed.
• He also imbibed universal energy into his body
• Performed Tantric operations with multiple incarnate goddesses

Merlin & Avian Consciousness

“The dragon connection is not exclusive to Merlin it has other connections but Merlin is a large one. Merlin is more connected to what you would consider to be forms of Avian Consciousness very similar to the Egyptian entity that you describe as Thoth. Merlin in that way represents the eternality of wisdom and applied wisdom through different techniques of power”

• Ryokah as channeled by Tyler Ellison

“With Merlin specifically it represents the magic of the soul the magic of the higher self and the soul and higher self's ability to manipulate physical reality in a variety of ways Merlin focused on a variety of different magical techniques involving Cosmic varieties of magic manipulating the celestial bodies as well as Elemental Magic he practiced in many ways what you would describe as shape shifting as well as what you would call time travel he is not limited to what you describe as the Fantastical Aran(??) times which predate what you would consider to be your Renaissance it also predates what you would consider to be your Dark Ages it represents a chapter of your species history that's not necessarily documented in its fullness because it involves certain phenomenon on Earth and certain Technologies used during those times that aren't supposed to be possible some of this is known by members of your historical communities and your archaeological communities so these things are present keep in mind that in addition to these types of magical techniques Merlin also worked with different alchemical processes and practices both internal and external so in many ways and very obviously he represents the magician archetype but he Blends that in many ways with the archetype of the shaman because there is a strong Elemental and naturalistic connection to the types of modalities that he applies in his world so this being is still alive this being is ascended fully which means they can materialize and dematerialize at will they can be in multiple realities simultaneously and right now they are in fact in multiple realities simultaneously. Merlin struck deal negotiations Partnerships with the very essence of what you would call magical power so he is both fed by it currently and he also guides it in its distribution because as you know the magical power that you Channel Through Your chakras that comes from somewhere it comes from a certain Dimension within the here and now. it is an infinite ocean of different currents of energy there are portals Within in these oceans that lead to various reservoirs of energies that are all incredibly diverse and there are beings that oversee the portals to these reservoirs that guide these energy currents as they move between realities making their way into your body making their way into your aura making their way into your ritual space. keep in mind it's all about how deep you go with it you can contemplate Merlin and contemplate the energy and there will be a connection you can amplify that with positive feelings there will be a stronger connection you can amplify that with body movements and props and ritual circles there'll be even more of a connection you can summon him before you and trade places you're in his energy body he's in your physical body and take turns alternating circulating energy from various chakras between one another many ways to connect the deeper you go the stronger the connection”

• Ryokah as channeled by Tyler Ellison

Merlin the Wild Man of the Woods (Myrddin Wyllt)

Before he was the courtly seer of Arthurian legend, Merlin was known in early Welsh tradition as Myrddin Wyllt, the “wild one.”

• After witnessing a horrific battle, he goes mad and flees into the forest, where he becomes a mad prophet and bard of the woods.
• He communes with animals, hears voices in streams and winds, and utters prophecies, especially about the fate of Britain.

The Architect of Stonehenge

In Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae, Merlin is said to have:

• Moved Stonehenge from Ireland using magic and ingenuity.
• Reconstructed it in England as a memorial to British nobles slain by Saxons.

Merlin the Enchanter of Time and Space

Merlin lives backwards through time—or at least sees the entire arc of time simultaneously.

• He’s portrayed as outside linear chronology, often weeping at joyous events and laughing at disasters.
• His magic operates from a divine view of fate and providence.

Merlin's Laughter and Tears

A recurring motif: Merlin laughs at birth and weeps at marriage—or laughs when others weep and vice versa.

This is because he sees ultimate outcomes, not appearances. He laughs at funerals because he knows the soul's journey continues; he weeps at weddings because he foresees betrayal or tragedy.

This reversal of normal human response marks him as operating from a transcendent perspective, no longer bound by temporal cause and effect.

Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Vita Merlini (c. 1148–50).

In the poem, Merlin asks his sister (Ganieda/Gwenddydd) to build him a secluded house in the woods “with seventy doors and as many windows” so he can watch the heavens and make prophecies — and he even requests the same number of scribes to record what he dictates:

“Before the other buildings build me a remote one with seventy doors and as many windows And let the same number of scribes be at hand

There was a real person in Wales in the sixth or seventh century called Mryddin(?), which is just the Welsh spelling of Merlin. And because he was a real character, and because he was a prince who apparently had fought in a great battle, when he saw his fellows and his brothers being killed around him and ran into the woods and became a wild man who lived in the woods. And everybody went to him because he had wild wisdom. He knew about all kinds of things that people didn't know about. And that was Merlin.

He's a seer. He prophesies things that will happen in the future. And for years and years and years throughout the Middle Ages, every few years someone would bring out a new book called The Prophecies of Merlin. And of course, all it really was, was somebody sat down and went, well, that happened, that happened, that happened. And I'm going to say Merlin saw all this before it happened, and write them out as if he'd prophesied. So they were, to all intents and purposes, fakes. But it shows how Merlin was seen. He was seen as a prophet and a seer. And that makes him, I think, fascinating to a lot of people still.

• From If It Ain't Baroque...: The Book of Merlin with John Matthews

“there are two basic stories about Merlin, one of which is very much about Arthur and the other of which is more about Merlin. The one that's more about Merlin is called The Vita Merlini, The Life of Merlin, and it was written in the 12th century by someone called Geoffrey of Monmouth. And it tells all about the madness, going and living in the forest, eating nuts and talking to the animals in the forest and so forth. But the stories that most people would know about date from a little later than that, late 12th, early 13th century. You get stories for the first time, Robert de Boron was a French author at that time who wrote a book about Merlin, in which he described him as being the son of a demon. A demon cohabits with the princess of Wales and Merlin is born. And when he's born, he's all covered in hair. And it's only when he's baptized that the hair falls off. And at the same time, his mother looks out of the window and sees a Merlin bird, the hawk, flying overhead and that's why she gives him that name.

• From If It Ain't Baroque...: The Book of Merlin with John Matthews

And so his workers start building it. And every night, they've got like four or five loads of stones up, and then every morning, they're on the ground again. They're all scattered. So he goes to his wizards, his druids, and he says, what can I do to prevent this? And they say, you must find a child without a father, and you must sacrifice him. Because when his blood is on the stones, then they'll all stay together. So they go “and they look for him, and they find two boys fighting, and one of them starts saying to the other one, you've got no father. And so they think, ah, it's him. So they grab the other boy, and they take him back to Vortigaen. So this boy, who is, of course, Merlin, stands there in front of the king, completely unafraid, and said, well, I can tell you why your star won't stand. Because under this hill, there are two dragons, one red and one white. And every night, under the ground, they fight and they cause the land to shake and your stones fall down. Well, needless to say, the king is going, well, I'm not sure I believe this. It's the sound of dragons, you know. So the boy says, well, just dig, get your men to dig down and you'll see. And they dig a big hole, and they found at the bottom a stone chest. And they open the stone chest and inside are two dragons, one red and one white. And they fly up into the sky and have a huge battle. And the white dragon is defeated by the red, at which point “the child of Merlin says, right, the white dragon represents those Saxons that are attacking this country at the moment. And they're going to lose because the red dragon represents the British, especially the Welsh. And of course, it's still a symbol of Wales to this day.

• From If It Ain't Baroque...: The Book of Merlin with John Matthews,

And then we have the whole story of Arthur and how Arthur's father, Ussur Pendragon, who's the king, desires someone else's wife and employs Merlin to make him look like the man whose wife he's about to sleep with. And he goes in and the result is a child called Arthur. But the only way that Merlin would allow this to happen, the only thing that you would agree to play this trick is if they gave him the baby. And the baby, of course, is Arthur. So Merlin then takes Arthur and off he goes, takes him into the forest and gives him into the care of a very kind and gentle knight called Sir Hector. And Sir Hector brings this boy up. He doesn't know idea who his parents are. He's just brought up. And then you have eventually moved forward a few years till he's a teenager. They go off to London for a great contest, a great sort of jousting and all that sort of thing. And there's a sword stuck in a stone. And the prophecy is that says whoever pulls out that sword from that stone is going to be, as Thomas Maury later put it, right wise King born of all England. Arthur pulls the sword from the stone. And everybody praises him. He becomes king and there's the beginning of the story. But Merlin is always in the background. He's always one bit behind. He was who stuck the sword into the stone in the first place and made sure that only one person could draw it out with his magic. And that's Arthur. So Merlin is the, is the say, behind all of this. He's the one who makes these things happen.”

• From If It Ain't Baroque...: The Book of Merlin with John Matthews,

“in a way, his legacy is the Arthurian legend, the story of Arthur and all of the knights. Merlin is said to have made the round table. He's said to have built Camelot. So if you think about it, he is a key mover in all of those stories. And without him, they wouldn't be the same. Eventually, he does disappear. He goes off back and live in a tower in the forest from which he can look out and see what's going on in the world. But he doesn't come back in, as in the film Excalibur again. He vanishes for a while because Morgan Le Fay traps him. And then he comes back just briefly and he just appears in Vision to Arthur for a few minutes. And then he's disappeared again. But it's like, I mean, he is the prime mover, really. I mean, after Arthur himself, he's probably the most important character in the whole of the saga. You know, there are others like Lancelot and Guinevere and Gawain, and all of the knights and their ladies have important roles to play. But without Merlin, there would be no Arthur. Simply as simple as that.

• From If It Ain't Baroque Podcast: The Book of Merlin with John Matthews,

Merlin’s Cave

Merlin's Cave is a cave located beneath Tintagel Castle, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south-west of Boscastle, Cornwall, England. It is 100 metres (330 ft) long, passing completely through Tintagel Island from Tintagel Haven on the east to West Cove on the west. It is a sea cave formed by marine erosion along a thrust plane between slate and volcanic rocks. The cave fills with water at high tide, but has a sandy floor and is explorable at low tide. Tennyson made Merlin's Cave famous in his Idylls of the King, describing waves bringing the infant Arthur to the shore and Merlin carrying him to safety

As a young boy, Merlin is sought by King Vortigern, who needs a child’s blood to stabilize a collapsing tower. Merlin’s supernatural insight reveals that the tower’s instability is caused by two fighting dragons beneath it (red and white, symbolizing the Saxons and Britons). His prophecy impresses Vortigern, establishing his reputation as a seer.

The Red & White Dragons

The white and red dragon sleeping under the tower of King Vortigern released by the young Merlin. Symbolic of the internal opposing forces that do battle but must be defeated and harmonized.

That which lies underneath foundation of the castle or tower

Red and white are important colors in Alchemy. Red signifying the solar and white the lunar.

“Merlin reveals the secret to king Vortigern and why the foundation of the castle did not hold. Below were sleeping two dragons who would shake the ground where the tower stood. The king who cannot canalize and direct its vital energy is not able to rule a kingdom (not even its own body).…” - Mike Bais

Merlin & the Kingdom of Faery:

The following excerpt is from a text that according to tradition, comes from Merlin’s testimony after his visit to the Kingdom of Faery:

“To be involved with the anger or any other animal instinct of human nature, is to make those actions very important and live according the fate of the other. The mage knows however, that the mundane and worldly affairs of human beings are of no significance or importance. I am even indifferent to my own fate. He who knows love and beauty let not cloud his view and his inner way; does not allow to let anything take away his power”….

The Esplumoir: Merlin's Celestial Retreat

In Robert de Boron's Merlin and its continuations, the place of Merlin's final retreat is called the Esplumoir—literally "the moulting cage" or "place of moulting."

This is not just imprisonment but spiritual metamorphosis. Like a bird shedding feathers to grow new ones, Merlin withdraws to transform into a higher state—no longer material, but a guiding spirit accessible only to those who seek him inwardly.

The Esplumoir is described as:

• A tower made of air
• Invisible yet everywhere
• Accessible only through love and initiation

Nimue becomes its guardian and priestess, not merely his jailer but the keeper of the mysteries he left behind.

Merlin and the Cosmic Wheel: The Rota Fortunae

Merlin is sometimes depicted as turning the Wheel of Fortune—or standing outside it entirely, observing the cycles without being subject to them.

In medieval iconography and mystical texts, he is the unmoved mover, the axis mundi—while kingdoms rise and fall, he remains, watching, weeping, laughing.

His withdrawal into the Esplumoir or crystal cave represents escape from the Wheel—achieving a state beyond karma, beyond temporal flux.

Some Renaissance and occult traditions link Merlin's prophecies to the precession of the equinoxes—the 26,000-year cycle of astrological ages.

He is seen as having knowledge of the Great Year and the cosmic clock, allowing him to predict shifts between ages (Pisces to Aquarius, etc.).

• Prophetic Automaton & Time‑Mechanics: Merlin is said to have crafted magical machines (automata) and devices that manipulate time or reveal hidden futures.

Merlin and the Thirteen Treasures of Britain

Merlin is linked to the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain (Welsh: Tri Thlws ar Ddeg Ynys Prydain)—magical objects including:

• The Sword of Rhydderch (flaming when drawn by a worthy man)
• The Hamper of Gwyddno (food for one becomes food for a hundred)
• The Chessboard of Gwenddolen (pieces that play by themselves)
• The Cauldron of Dyrnwch (which boils only for the brave)

Merlin is sometimes depicted as the gatherer and guardian of these treasures, hiding them until the time of Britain's restoration. This connects him to the Grail mythos—he is custodian of sacred objects that will return when the land is ready.

Some say he placed them in Myrddin's Precinct, a hidden sanctuary accessible only to initiates.

Merlin’s Imprisonment by the Lady of the Lake (Nimue / Viviane)

• Enamored with Nimue (sometimes Viviane), he teaches her all his magic.
• She eventually traps him in a crystal cave, hawthorn tree, or invisible prison, depending on the version.
• He accepts this fate knowing it must be so, because he has foreseen it.
• The Crystal Cave & Geomantic Chamber: Tales claim Merlin dwelt in a spherical glistening cave, lined with crystals and functioning as an observatory of both stars and inner visions.

In some, it's consensual, with ongoing lovers' visits; others portray it as betrayal,

The Prophetic Books of Merlin

There are entire volumes of Merlin’s prophecies that circulate in medieval Europe:

• Prophetiae Merlini, often cryptic and symbolic.
• These were treated with great seriousness—sometimes even consulted by monarchs.
• They blend astrological, apocalyptic, and allegorical elements—much like biblical prophecy or Nostradamus.

• Three‑fold Death Prophecy: A tradition ascribes to Merlin (or his wild‑man analogue) a “three‑fold death” (falling, drowning, impalement) which he prophesied for himself.

Merlin's Staff and the Hawthorn

The hawthorn tree (also called "the May tree") where Merlin is imprisoned is significant:

• Sacred to Beltane and the faery realm
• A threshold plant—used to mark boundaries between worlds
• Associated with love, sexuality, and binding—Nimue uses the tree of eros to trap the magician

In Celtic lore, sleeping under a hawthorn risks enchantment or abduction by the Sidhe. Merlin's fate is thus both a curse and an apotheosis—he becomes one with the Otherworld.

His staff is sometimes said to have been carved from rowan (protection) or yew (death and rebirth), and in some tales he plants it in the ground where it grows into a living tree—another image of his union with nature and withdrawal from the human world.

The Sister: Ganieda / Gwenddydd

In Vita Merlini, Merlin's sister Ganieda (also called Gwenddydd) is herself a prophetess. After her husband King Rhydderch dies, she joins Merlin in the forest observatory and eventually inherits his prophetic gift when he withdraws.

This suggests Merlin's power is transferable—not bound to one body but a mantle or current that passes between initiates. She represents the continuation of the prophetic line beyond his entrapment.

Some sources claim she was originally his twin, making them a syzygy pair—masculine/feminine wisdom holders.

Merlin as Psychopomp and Death's Companion

In early Welsh poetry (especially Yscolan and Cyfoesi Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei Chwaer), Merlin is deeply familiar with death and the Otherworld. He knows the names of the dead, their fates, and speaks with them.

He is not just a prophet but a psychopomp—a guide of souls. His madness is partly possession by the voices of the dead—he hears them constantly, which is why he cannot stay among the living.

Merlin's Book: A lost or hidden grimoire said to contain all his spells, prophecies, and teachings—sometimes called the Book of Merlin or Liber Merlini. Seekers claim it is hidden in Avalon, Bardsey, or Glastonbury.

Merlin's Mirror: A magical mirror (or crystal) in which past, present, and future could be seen simultaneously—another symbol of his transcendent vision.

Merlin's Tower (Tour de Merlin): In Brittany, a ruined tower is said to be where Merlin was imprisoned or where he still dwells, accessible to those who know the threshold incantations.

Merlin's Grave

Multiple sites in Britain claim to be Merlin's grave:

• Drumelzier, Scotland (near the River Tweed)
• Bardsey Island, Wales
• Marlborough Mound, England (mound linked to his name)
• Bryn Myrddin, Carmarthen (Merlin's Hill)

The multiplicity suggests he has no single grave—or his "death" is symbolic. Like Arthur, he is withdrawn but not dead, waiting in the hidden places.

Some say he lies beneath Bardsey, island of 20,000 saints, in the Isle of Apples (Avalon's counterpart), sleeping until Britain's need calls him forth.

Excerpts from John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

These excerpts gather John Michael Greer’s treatment of Merlin as a layered figure: Welsh Myrddin, Merlin Ambrosius, Merlin Caledonius, Stonehenge master-builder, possible archaic god Moridunos, hidden cave-dweller, and Masonic analogue of Hiram Abiff.

Old Welsh Fragments

“The Old Welsh writings that have to do with Merlin—or rather Myrddin, the Welsh spelling of his name—are a medley of intriguing fragments. A few very ancient poems in Welsh, laments for heroes fallen in battle in the wars of the sixth century, were supposedly written by Merlin; a passage in another ancient Welsh poem, Y Gododdin, refers to ‘the inspiration of Merlin’; the Welsh Triads, a collection of enigmatic texts that summarize old lore in sets of three, mention him a few times; and a strange passage in the White Book of Rhydderch, a medieval book of Welsh stories and poems, states that before Britain was settled by human beings, its name was Clas Myrddin, Merlin’s Enclosure. That is all—enough to make it clear that Merlin was not simply an invention of some medieval poet, but not enough to go much further.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

The Two Merlins

“Geoffrey gives Merlin an oddly divided life. As a child and a young man he is active in Wales and southwestern Britain in the middle years of the fifth century; as an old man he is active in southern Scotland in the last quarter of the sixth century. The obvious conclusion—a conclusion already reached by medieval scholars less than a century after Geoffrey’s time—is that he mistakenly ran together accounts of two different people.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

Greer then quotes Gerald of Wales:

“There were two Merlins. The one called Ambrosius, who thus had two names, prophesied when Vortigern was king. He was the son of an incubus and was discovered in Carmarthen, which means Merlin’s town, for it received its name from the fact that he was found there. The second Merlin came from Scotland. He was called Caledonius, because he prophesied in the Caledonian Forest.” — Gerald of Wales, quoted in John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

“Many modern scholars who have investigated the Merlin legend have agreed with Gerald’s straightforward summary. According to this theory, we have two different Merlins contributing to the legend: a Merlin Ambrosius who lived in the fifth century, and a Merlin Caledonius who lived in the sixth. The story doesn’t end here, though, for there are more Merlins to consider.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

The Third Merlin: Stonehenge

“In a famous 1965 study of Stonehenge, Gerald Hawkins pointed out the shadowy presence of a third Merlin. He noted that Geoffrey of Monmouth, unlike later authors, had Merlin use machinery rather than magic to haul the stones of Stonehenge by sea from Ireland to Salisbury Plain, and speculated that behind Geoffrey’s story might linger some distant folk memory of the actual builder of the great stone circle.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

“What makes this speculation plausible is that some of the stones of Stonehenge did in fact come by sea, just as Geoffrey claimed.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

The Fourth Merlin: Moridunos

“Behind these three Merlins lies a fourth, the strangest of all. This is the one referenced in the passage from the White Book of Rhydderch mentioned earlier, which says that before the first human beings settled the island of Britain, it was known as Clas Myrddin, Merlin’s Enclosure. This makes no sense if Merlin was the name of a prophet of the fifth century or a madman of the sixth, or even of both of them; it makes only a little more sense if Merlin, or rather some fantastically archaic equivalent of that name, was the master-builder who transported the bluestones by sea and land to Stonehenge. It was Geoffrey Ashe, in a valuable 1987 essay, who pointed out that these quandaries all make perfect sense if Merlin is a god.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

“And the name Merlin or Myrddin? Linguists learned a long time ago that similar words in the same language change in parallel ways over time. If you take the same linguistic transformations that turned Castrum Moridunum into Caerfyrddin and run them in reverse on the Welsh name Myrddin, you end up with the ancient Celtic title Moridunos, ‘He of the Sea-Fortress.’ The sea-fortress mentioned in the name may well have been the island of Britain itself, over which the passage in the White Book of Rhydderch says Merlin ruled. The god’s true name, the name his priests and priestesses invoked in secret, is impossible to guess today.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

Shrines and Hidden Dwellings

“Whether or not this is what happened, at least two shrines of the god Moridunos can be identified from the legends. In his manifestation as Merlin Ambrosius, he has close ties with the town of Carmarthen in southwestern Wales. According to one set of Welsh legends, he lived at a hill named Bryn Myrddin (Merlin’s Hill) near the river Tyfi, two and a half miles from Carmarthen. Local legends speak of a cave under the hill where the wizard lived and worked his magic, and where he descended into the earth and still abides today. Other traditions place him further up the Tyfi near Llandeilo, on the grounds of Dynefor Castle, where a cave close to the river has the same reputation as the one under Bryn Myrddin.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

“The cult of Merlin Caledonius also has a geographical location. In his valuable book The Quest for Merlin, using clues from old Welsh poetry as well as a later Arthurian tale, Nikolai Tolstoy tracked down the site where the Merlin of Geoffrey’s second story spent his woodland days. In the Scottish county of Dumfriesshire lies a hill called Arthuret Knoll, the site of the battle of Arderydd.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

The Descent into the Earth

“At this point it’s necessary to point out another key difference between the Welsh Merlin Ambrosius and the Scottish Merlin Caledonius: the manner of their deaths. Merlin Ambrosius, according to Celtic traditions picked up by medieval writers, went down in the earth—into a crystal cave, as some of the old texts claim—and abides there in an otherworldly form of life. Geoffrey gives Merlin Caledonius a variant of the same fate, in the form of his withdrawal into the observatory with seventy windows. Other sources suggest a far stranger death for the Merlin of Scotland, and Geoffrey himself weaves that motif into The Life of Merlin in a sidelong way.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

Merlin, Freemasonry, and Hiram Abiff

“[The] clue in question is that Freemasonry comes from the same area of the Scottish lowlands as the stories of Merlin Caledonius. The oldest surviving Masonic lodges are in and around Edinburgh. The hereditary Grand Masters of Masons in Scotland in the late Middle Ages, the Sinclair family, had their home in Roslin, south of Edinburgh, and the famous Rosslyn Chapel, with its links to medieval Masonry and the Knights Templar, is in the same area. Merlin’s old refuge on Hart Fell is only fifty miles by road from Rosslyn Chapel.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

“Thus it is unlikely to be accidental that the story of Hiram Abiff includes a garbled version of the threefold death of Merlin Caledonius. Just as Lailoken and Merlin were killed in three different ways, Hiram Abiff was killed by being struck three times by three different weapons. Furthermore, and crucially, the Word of a Master Mason—the secret at the center of the entire ritual—is an easily recognizable mispronunciation of the Celtic divine title Mabon, which as we’ve seen was closely associated with the Scottish Lowlands, and with Merlin.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

Greer summarizes the parallel this way:

Table 2–1: “Merlin and Hiram Abiff.” — John Michael Greer, The Mysteries of Merlin

"And in the wild woods of Broceliande, Before an oak, so hollow, huge and old It looked a tower of ivied masonwork, At Merlin’s feet the wily Vivien lay. (...) There lay she all her length and kissed his feet, As if in deepest reverence and in love. A twist of gold was round her hair; a robe Of samite without price, that more exprest Than hid her, clung about her lissome limbs, In colour like the satin-shining palm On sallows in the windy gleams of March: And while she kissed them, crying, 'Trample me, Dear feet, that I have followed through the world, And I will pay you worship; tread me down And I will kiss you for it'" - Alfred Lord Tennyson, Merlin And Vivian

Books about Merlin

“The best currently available introduction to the Merlin legend and its implications is Nikolai Tolstoy’s The Quest for Merlin, which starts with Geoffrey of Monmouth and goes from there to put the Dark Age figures of Merlin Ambrosius and Merlin Caledonius in their historical context. On a deeper and more magical level, R. J. Stewart’s The Prophetic Vision of Merlin and The Mystic Life of Merlin (now available in a single volume titled, appropriately enough, Merlin) explore Geoffrey of Monmouth’s two Merlin narratives, the Merlin passages in The History of the Kings of Britain and The Life of Merlin, with a keen eye for the many mystical, occult, and psychological meanings concealed in these enigmatic texts. Some readers, especially those who are already familiar with the Western occult tradition, will also find much of value in two works by contemporary occultist Gareth Knight. The Secret Tradition in Arthurian Legend is a detailed analysis of the entire legend of Arthur from the standpoint of one system of Western occultism, the system created by the influential British occult author and teacher Dion Fortune. Knight has also edited a collection of Fortune’s own writings on Arthurian matters, together with those of several more recent writers in the same tradition, under the title The Arthurian Formula. Both are well worth reading.” - The Mysteries of Merlin, John Michael Greer

“Of all the reams of modern fiction written about Merlin, I know of only two novels in the English language featuring him that capture some of the archaic mystery that once gathered around He of the Sea-Fortress: That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis and Porius: A Romance of the Dark Ages by John Cowper Powys. Lewis, though mostly famous today as the author of The Chronicles of Narnia and a friend of iconic fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien, spent his career as a professor of medieval and Renaissance literature, and understood the culture and worldview of the Middle Ages more deeply than any other scholar of his generation. The Merlin of his novel is truly medieval, a figure Geoffrey of Monmouth or Sir Thomas Malory would have recognized. John Cowper Powys’s Merlin is a stranger and mightier figure still. Powys’s friends called him “the Old Earth Man,” and for good reason; Powys saturated himself in the traditional folklore of the British landscape and drew from it the raw material for two novels and a great deal of vivid poetry. The Merlin of Porius is a wild woodland figure, somewhere on the misty borderland[…]” - The Mysteries of Merlin, John Michael Greer

Library of Light Edition 1.0 — Last revised: July 2026