Merlin

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

“Despite the fact that he is one of the most well-known characters in myth, legend, and literature, Merlin remains one of the most enigmatic and subtle players in the vast tapestry of the Arthurian legends.”

• Arthurian Magic

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 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 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

“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

Birth

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.

• 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.

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 Dragon

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