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Merlin
Merlin (also known as Myrddin, Merlinus) is the great wizard of the Arthurian Legends best known from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur (1469 CE). The character was created by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his History of the Kings of Britain...
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Vortigern & Merlin
Merlin reads his prophecies to King Vortigern.
British Library MS Cotton Claudius B VII f.224, Geoffrey of Monmouth's Prophetiae Merlini.
Unknown illustrator, c. 1250-1270 CE.
Definition
Vortigern
Vortigern was a 5th-century British ruler best known for inviting the Saxons to Britain to stop the incursions of the Picts and Scots and allowing them to take control of the land. 'Vortigern' is a title, not a given name, and means 'Great...
Definition
Excalibur
Excalibur is the sword of King Arthur in Sir Thomas Malory's iconic work Le Morte D'Arthur published in in 1485 CE. The sword was originally introduced in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136 CE) as Caliburnus (or...
Definition
King Arthur
King Arthur is among the most famous literary characters of all time. The Arthurian legend of the Knights of the Round Table, Camelot, the Quest for the Holy Grail, the love affair of Lancelot and Guinevere, and the wizard Merlin have informed...
Definition
Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory (c. 1415-1471 CE) was an English knight during the War of the Roses (1455-1487 CE) best known for his highly influential work of medieval literature, Le Morte D'Arthur regarded as the first novel in English, the first in...
Definition
Guinevere
Guinevere is the Queen of Britain, wife of King Arthur, and lover of Sir Lancelot in the Arthurian Legends best known in their standardized form from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur (1469 CE). She first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's...
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The Literary Development of the Arthurian Legend
The Arthurian legend begins with the Welsh cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1100 - c. 1155 CE). Earlier history writers such as Gildas, Bede, and Nennius had already established the existence of a British war-chief who defeated the Saxons...
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Merlin and His Mother Before King Vortigern
A detail of an illustration from a 14th Century CE manuscript of Roman de Brut, a legendary history of Britain by the Norman poet Wace (c. 1110 - c. 1170 CE). The young Merlin is depicted, alongside his mother, approaching King Vortigern...
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Merlin Reveals the Dragons to Vortigern
Merlin showing King Vortigern (c. 5th Century CE) the dragons beneath his castle. From the Vulgate Cycle manuscript (1316 CE) in the British Library, London.