I Tried OK

I tried to make my own concept art however I'm not sure how well I conveyed my ideas...

Scene 1 Wild Man of the Woods

Here Emrys is trapped by the trees, constantly trying to get out but never succeeding until he becoming magical (shown by the orb beginning to glow). It is then he get's out of the trees and goes to the next scene.

Scene 2 Shakespearean Magic

Here Emrys is trapped in a circle (a nod to Shakespeare's Globe) it's set in space to show the vastness of Merlins legend. Next to it is a nod to the incarnation of John Dee by showing astrological constellations, these constellations shown are known for their longevity and are easily recognised.

Scene 3 Gandalf and Dumbledore

Emry's once again is trapped in the enclosure but this time is surrounded by representations of Gandalf and Dumbledore. The enclosure moves but does not let Emrys leave it's confinement - Emrys essentially watches the conversation between his 2 incarnations before freeing himself into the next scene.

Scene 4 Young Merlin

 Here Emrys is young and (seemingly) free. However he is surrounded by other incarnations such as Guais and The Great Dragon - these incarnations are prominent at first but then stay behind as the young Merlin gains knowledge and power.

Finally the animation goes through each scene backwards similar to that of Theory of Everything.

Before going back to a black screen where the original frame is shown - restarting the loop. 

This all matched up to my storyboards;

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 4

Which then matches up to my script;

I split it into 2 columns as this isn't a regular film script, this script relies heavily on the visuals to make sense just as much as the visuals rely on the sound. It also includes the Middle Welsh translation of the poetry which will be mixed in the edit to be spoken at the same time as the English version. Keeping it too it's roots but also making it understandable to the English audience.

Here is a link to my presentation for assessment day where I give brief notes on the entire production.

Also I'm aware that my drawing skills aren't amazing - but I tried OK.

Always Trial and Error

I love researching projects - especially those of a magical quality - however sometimes you get stuck in a rut of writing. I also love writing but for a project of this nature I need to show you something. What I've learnt today is I cannot paint. I tried to come up with the concept through watercolour and it wasn't really working out for me. So I grabbed the painting and shot into photoshop and this happened.

Trial Concept Art: Watercolour and Digital Editing

Trial Animation: Quick animation of the painting 

I also made a GIF of a trial I was working on in After Effects, this is very much a 2D render. In my head the lined structure is 3D and the particles move throughout out.

When creating this I was aiming more towards the opening scene however the more I look at it I see it representing the Shakespearean Age when magic was first introduced to the mainstream narrative. As you can probably tell painting/drawing is not my strong suit so I'm aiming to change it up into digital paintings by the end of the week ready for assessment. 

Merlin's Enclosure | Log Line, Synopsis and Treatment

Title: Merlin’s Enclosure

Log Line: Follow some of the many incarnations of Merlin through British History from concept to modern day sorcerer. 

Synopsis: Merlin’s Enclosure is inspired by the ancient Welsh tales of Emrys and follows the many incarnations of Merlin that have followed since the publication of Geoffrey of Monmouth's stories. This abstract animation, made for gallery installation, follows from the original middle Welsh poetry of the wild man of the woods all the way to the modern world's idea of Merlin within popular fiction such as Harry Potter and the BBC show Merlin. Within the 5 minute piece the audience will be introduced to the wild man of the woods, Shakespearean magic (and John Dee), Gandalf and Dumbledore and young bumbling Merlin. Before eventually have a quick run through of the entire story again, highlighting the connections between the incarnations ending the piece back where it started, wild man of the woods ready to start all over again. 

Treatment : Merlin’s Enclosure starts with Merlin the Wild Man of the Woods. A incarnation of Merlin from the original 14th Century documents of Geoffrey of Monmouth speaking of a crazed man who has been wandering the woods for years alone. Following the battle of Arfderydd, a battle in which killed King Gwenddoleu, the first incarnation of Merlin, a bard named Myrridin, ran into the forest in a frenzy scared of what he had just witnessed. From here he is described as eating grass like an oxen ‘his body wet with the dew of heaven, tell hairs were grown like eagles feathers and his like birds’ claws’. Within the animation it will explore classic poems such as Yr Afallennau (The Apple Trees) a poem written from Myriddins perspective adding ‘After Gewnddoleu, no lords revere me, ano sport delights me, no lover seeks me out. In the battle of Arderydd, my torque gold, today I am no treasure for the swan-like girl’. Along with other poetry including Peiryan Faban (commanding Youth) in which the line ‘Myrddin son of Morfyn was a white hawk’ is written giving the audience a bold, commanding images of the hawk. It is this incarnation of Merlin that goes through turmoil and devastation that leads to the wisdom future incarnations become known for. 

Next it time jumps to the British Renaissance and the age of John Dee and Shakespearean Magic. John Dee is the second incarnation of Merlin due to looks but also due to his closeness to royalty (mimicking the relationship between Merlin and King Arthur). A mathematician and astrologer by day and a magician by night, he would read the stars for Queen Elizabeth I to give her advice on when to schedule things including the day of her coronation. However he did also practice magic of the old Celtic Religion but was never sent to trial due to the fact he avoided the common give away signs of being a sorcerer which at the time included; flying on a broom, being old and haggered, being a woman who lived on her own, keeping an animal or brewing potions over a cauldron. Having successfully avoided the tell-tale signs he went about life speaking to angels and predicting the future. It was also the era of the magical spectacle and of people being amazed yet still scared of magic would lead the way for Shakespeare and his magical characters including that of The Tempest’s Ariel. This is the first incarnation of Merlin to include magic.

Bringing it closer to modern day the most recognisable face of Merlin is that of a combination of the characters Gandalf and Dumbledore. Both old with a long white beard, wise and powerful, the voice of reason in all the chaos. Gandalf is the creation of J R R Tolkien within his series Lord of the Rings. Gandalf has a similar origin story to that of Merlin including learning more about life and power by traveling in unknown lands, learning from those around him, in this case elves. He uses a staff to conduct magic similar to that of druid paintings ans he moulds himself to be that of which is needed of him at the time. The main difference between Gandalf and Dumbledore is that he lacks faith in himself and requires company to make the biggest difference. Dumbledore, the creation of J K Rowling in the Harry Potter series, is similar in looks and power but is also the safety net that the audience grow to love and depend on along the characters. There’s a familiarity of the overarching archetype which let’s him get away with things other characters couldn’t do, then when he dies the series turns darker leaving Harry and the audience to fend for themselves. These versions of Merlin already have the knowledge and tell you the right thing at the right time, the audience miss the hard part that got them too this position yet the only way the story can continue is if they are no longer there.

Finally the latest version of Merlin from the BBC’s TV show Merlin is the insight to what would have happened if Merlin had arrived in Camelot before he was strictly needed or ready. A bumbling young boy with no control over his powers in a world that wishes him to suppress them, working under the now Prince Arthur as they work together to fulfil the destiny the world knows they must do. Speaking in a mixture of Old Welsh and Gaelic to practice magic, Merlin has his own Merlin’s (the archetype) to help him along the way in the form of Gaius and The Great Dragon. It isn’t until nearing the end of the show that he finally starts to take form of the Merlin the world has came to know, where he can make his own decisions based of wisdom and not impulse, questions the intentions of those around and uses his now honed powers to protect Arthur and the Kingdom. This Merlin is significantly smaller than the rest and audiences need to be on their side, rooting for the underdog to come full circle.

This animation is made for a large scale gallery projection with surround sound speakers in a hope of creating a total art piece that will immerse the audience. Audience target ages is between 15 - 30 hooking onto the feeling of nostalgia and comfort that comes with growing up with the Merlin archetype within the mainstream media. Each phase will have a different abstract incarnation of Merlin which reacts to a carefully curated soundscape but cannot move outside of the designated space given to it by a structure, the structure representing the British historical timeline. At the end of the piece, when all incarnations have been shown, the animation will reverse paying close attention to the connections between incarnations before finishing, with a bit of cinematic flair, back at the beginning with WIld Man of the Woods ready to loop.

Is it too long? It's long. Shortened version coming soon.

Baby Faced Merlin | Merlin's Fourth Incarnation

It is this version of Merlin that truly sparked my interest in the archetype. I watched Merlin just after it finished airing on BBC (2008 -2012) and I remember watching all 5 seasons in about 2 weeks. I had read a lot of about it and friends had been telling me how great it was so I decided to give it a go. Now it's on of my go-to comfort TV shows, the show I can watch anytime, any episode.

Merlin (Colin Morgan) anad Arthur (Bradley James)

Merlins magic in the show is the main focus for a lot of the first season as this incarnation of Merlin is a young boy (around 17/18 when the show begins) and is brought to Camelot before it's Golden Years. Here magic is banned but Merlin cannot control it - so he heads to see Gaius an old family friend who has extensive knowledge on magic but it also the court physician and advisor to King Uther. A King who we meet condemning a man to death after allegedly using magic within the kingdom.  

Merlin is quickly using his magic in secret and even helps save the princes life, resulting in him becoming Prince Arthur's personal servant. Setting up the ancient tale of Arthur and Merlin - however both of them have a lot of learn if they are to become the famous duo, this TV show gives them the time to learn and grow together.

Merlin performing magic

Merlins magic charms/spells are told in Old Welsh with the spells including the dragon in Old Gaelic, sounding different enough for them to sound different to those who don't understand the languages but magical all the same. The magic is done through a mixture of VFX and practical, in camera effects. The most iconic being the glowing of Merlins eyes when he does magic. 

Within the show alongside Merlin there is also 2 other incarnations of Merlin within Gaius and The Great Dragon. Gaius is Merlins advisor on all things magic and moral but it isn't until later in the show that Merlin starts using his own knowledge and experience to make his decisions. If Gaius doesn't know the answer The Great Dragon does, The Great Dragons has access too hundreds of years of knowledge including the future destiny's of the key characters. Including the Lady Morgana turning into the evil sorceress, Mordred being the end of Arthur and is the creator of excalibur. It isn't until The Dragon is freed by Merlin and causes havoc for Camelot that Merlin is given the powers of a dragon lord and can now control and hail the dragon when he's needed. 

Merlin speaking to the Dragon - 'Two sides of the same coin'

Merlin is also not a huge fan of Arthur, in fact the first time they meet they get into a bit of a fist fight. Which for some reason don't go in Merlins favour... eventually he learns his lesson.

Within this incarnation you have baby Merlin, clumsy and not refined, knowledgeable and wise at  times but causes mischief alongside it. Then you have the classic Old Man Merlin, the age altered version of himself that Merlin uses when he needs to use magic on a larger scale and interact with Arthur without revealing his true identity. This version of Merlin gives the audience the Merlin they are used too, he's calm and collected then giving advice. But also very mischievous and likes to get away with saying and doing things young Merlin could never get away with.

Colin Morgan as Old Man Merlin aka Dragoon the Great

It is this version of Merlin that terrifies Morgana when she connects him to her destiny of being killed by the Great Emrys. Who has been Merlin all along but it isn't until this incarnation (Baby Merlin 2.0) that she makes the connection - because it couldn't possibly be Merlin Arthurs bumbling manservant who's going to kill here now is it?

He grows alongside Arthur and the rest of the characters, he's always trying to fix things which the majority of the time don't work as he planned them to. He's constantly trying, open to helping in whatever means necessary, a little gullible at times, empathetic, bumbling and loveable. People are always rooting for this Merlin, along side his own advisors who are also kind of Merlin.... a lot of Merlins but one main one. That makes sense.

Within the project this Merlin will be slightly smaller, clumsy and not fully formed. Yet I want the audience to be rooting for Merlin because ultimately he will prevail.

Gandalf the Grey (with added Dumbledore) | Merlin's Third Incarnation

Merlin by name wasn't used in mainstream, successful media for a significant amount of time. Possibly it's links to the British monarchy (or King Arthur, no matter how made up he may be) or because for a long time Hollywood was the leading distributer of films rather than the UK.

Of recent years the biggest, and most notable, incarnation of Merlin has been Gandalf the Grey from J. R R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series.

Seen here are some of the most notable quotes said by Gandalf throughout the series;

Throughout the series Gandalf, unlike many of Merlins incarnations is still learning. He lives amongst the elves to learn more until he ultimately reveals himself to one of the most powerful people in the world. However at first he is surpassed by Saruman, seemingly in power and in wisdom. But it is the lessons he receives from the people around him e.g. Elves and Hobbits that he becomes wise beyond his power. Which freaks Saruman out a little bit leading to this betrayal but that's a different story.

Gandalf is the perfect example of Merlin, wise beyond what the audience and himself believes him to be, kind and courageous (even if he needs a bit of help occasionally), old and grey with a rather long beard and the source of encouraging words. Merlin is the one with the answers when nobody else has one, he got those answers after many years searching through the woods/world and piecing it together..... sound familiar?

Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey

Gandalf uses a staff to conduct his magic/rituals similar to what is shown in the early paintings of Merlin the druid. Tall and menacing when needed but also soft and understanding when taking into consideration the needs of those around him. Peter Goodrich has commented, "one of the most fascinating aspects of the literature on Merlin is its multiplicity and how it transforms the core details of his legend to create a panoply of mages who are remarkably varied" (Merlin: A Casebook) Gandalf is very much a creation of Tolkein under the influence of Merlin much more so than a version of Merlin Tolkien has worked around. Unlike a lot of the Merlin characters Gandalf is flawed and the flaw is in fact a big storyline for the series - Gandalf doesn't really have faith in his wisdom or powers, in fact he is scared of a lot of the situations he get's placed in. It's his closeness with others that give him the courage to believe and go fourth.

Gandalf's intentions are pure, he believes in the hobbits and their hidden abilities more so than his own, he believes in the average person (represented through the hobbits) and that's what draws readers/viewers too him. Viewers are drawn to Albus Dumbledore for slightly different reasons.

Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter series. He is the source of all knowledge, the worlds protector and the only wizard to scare the great Lord Voldemort. When it is rumoured (or known if you're counting Harry himself) that Voldemort has/is planning to return to kill Harry Hermione says;

Because not only is Dumbledore the voice of reason and wisdom, he is also the most power wizard on earth and the only one Voldemort will not mess with making Hogwarts the safest place for Harry to be. Dumbledore does however have some faults, since he has this overarching wisdom he often makes decisions on behalf of the entire wizarding world. Decisions that weren't too great and there was probably another way to handle the situation. Including; leaving Harry with abusive relatives, not telling Harry about being connected to Voldemort, not telling Harry about horcruxes even though he knew were they were before he died and ultimately using Harry as bait to kill Voldemort. So nothing too major.

Audiences are drawn to Dumbledore because for the majority of the movies/books Dumbledore symbolises bravery and safety. Hence when Dumbledore dies the movies/books become very dark and unnerving - they don't have their protection anymore, they're on their own. Dumbledore resembles Merlin once again in looks but also in power and wisdom. He is often the person to tell you what you need to hear a the right time. J K Rowling has even gone on record saying that Dumbledore would often tell her what she needed to hear, like he came from the back of subconscious whilst writing. 

However it is the sheer power he possesses that connects him most directly with Merlin, the most powerful and knowledgeable man on earth with a traumatic past trying to do good. Now where have head that before?

Even though you could argue that Harry Potter himself resembles Merlin to some extent Merlin does actually have his own role by name in the series. The phrase 'Merlin's beard' is used to show amazement, The Order of Merlin is one of the highest organisations to be a part of in the wizarding world and it's a great honour to receive it. Merlin is the most famous wizard of all time and was apparently a charms specialist in Rowlings world - he was also a Slytherin. Nice to have some house diversity going on.....

Dumbledore is the only incarnation we see on screen that has the style of Merlin and the characteristics, Merlin has the name but no body, Harry has the characteristics in training to be come the next incarnation. But for now Dumbledore is the incarnation that is the most loyal to the idea and the most popular in the modern world. 

Plus when he breaks the rules he always leaves with a bit of flair.

Shakespearian Magic | Merlin's Second Incarnation

Did Shakespeare believe in magic? 

Rather unlikely.

However in renaissance England the belief that witches and wizards lived amongst us was real, which is a solid explanation of the sudden appearance of Merlin the wizard. 

In the original text/incarnation of Merlin it's never actually mentioned that he is a wizard or has any magic of any kind. It never occurred to people to ask how he was doing these amazing things until the renaissance because until that point the average person never really questioned the elders (elders being priests, older generations etc..). But the idea of Stonehenge being brought to England by magic was just too believable to question plus they didn't really have any other logical explanation. In fact that is a running theme within Merlin, he's always the answer when there is no answer.

John Dee: Mathematician, astrologer and magician.

John Dee was a mathematician, astrologer and magician known for standing alongside Queen Elizabeth I whilst demonstrating magic (but not official magic because that was punishable by death). She trusted him to the point of having Dee choose her coronation date after consulting the starts to make sure that the day was not going to give her and the country misfortune. 

John Dee was seen by many as one of the many incarnations of Merlin. 

Trusted by royalty but practicing magic of the Celtic religion. He also matches the new-age desciption of Merlin complete with the long white beard. 

It was also the age of the 'magical spectacle' in which characters like Shakespeare's Ariel was coming to stage and producing grand literary illusions. People weren't really scared of magic anymore they were entertained by it, but at the same time they didn't want to repeal the death sentence... so they just lightend it. Now people practicing magic would only be sentenced to death if they had injured someone, if you had just been caught using it then you would simply have a lifetime prison sentence. Which was nice of them. 

In regards to this project I see this stage as the true magical revolution, gone are the trees and suffering here you have magic and astrology. Out of this world understanding and amazement at magic, with just a hint of holding back. 

It was also in this era that some fairly standard imagery came into the idea of magic and superstitions in general;

Witches in the Elizabethan era

1. Using a broom to fly
2. Withes being old/haggard without a man to protect them
3. Women who live alone are withes
4. Known to keep animals, known as their familiar 
5. Brew potions over a cauldron (Wise women could mix herbs into different potions)

Whilst none of these directly address John Dee (because he was a man and women were the only ones seen to be evil enough to practice magic), it does give us an idea of how he went unseen for so long. 

1. Didn't fly.... in general.
2. Wasn't an old woman
3. He had a family, was married multiple times (not alone). 
4. Not known to keep animals.
5. Didn't create 'potions' he did however speak to angels/read the stars

So he wasn't a woman basically but that's an argument for another day. All in all this incarnation was a step above the other magicians of his time, meaning he got away with it. John Dee is the incarnation that started the idea of magic but didn't see it to it's full literary potential due to the fact that he was a real, documented person. 

I hope to take forward the higher quality of this incarnation, conducting magic but in a way that was widely accepted as truth in a world otherwise prosecuting people for attempting it. Merlin trying to help but still trapped within a social structure. 

Download Knowledge from the Tree

Coming up the visuals of the piece is driving me slightly insane because I'm not sure I feel comfortable leaving it as a 'Radio piece with visuals' but at the same time I don't want to over estimate my ability to make something 'graduation show' worthy through animation.

As I learnt in Y2 my animation skills are few and far between with my actual design skills lacking more so. This is something I'm trying to fix but it's not something that I can change over night, hence why I'm playing to my strengths within technical drawings and abstract shapes. I'm aiming to have storyboards done for this piece around Nov 22nd with the hope of animating them to a brief soundtrack in time for assessment. But first I need to do some research, so here that is.

Flow, A Short Abstract Animation from Snowleopard24 on Vimeo.

Like here for instance, I love the ending scene with the pink plants glowing and swaying.

Still image from 'Flow, A Short Abstract Animation

I like the vastness of the image and the serenity it brings with it's colour. It feels magical but is also representing science and structure, with nature and the human body being represented through the organisms glowing like electrodes in the brain. To me this demonstrates knowledge something Merlin without fail has throughout history. It's a similar idea to Avatar (2009 Dir James Cameron) in which the Na'vi are creatures who can connect to nature and acquire (download) knowledge from their ancestors.

Avatar (2009) GIF Found here

Here the Na'vi connect themselves to nature to help save one of the films main Characters

Nokta . from Onur Senturk on Vimeo.

In this film I'm drawn to the fact that the sculptures created still feel real, the audience is connected to the object and enthralled by it, they want to know more. One of the aims I have with this project is to make people are curious as I was when I was first starting to learn about Arthurian legends.

Whilst researching I found a really interesting tutorial that I may have to look at soon so I'm keeping it here for safe keeping.

After Effects Tutorial - Abstract Plexus Shape from graphicINmotion on Vimeo.

What I'm getting from this (very brief) piece of research is the flow of the piece and the colours I'm aiming to use. The colours will change throughout the piece but this has helped a lot with coming up with the colour scheme and getting ideas of the motion of the piece.

I also think I'm going to come up a narrative/story/script to this piece to help it flow a bit better, that will be coming soon! 

Wild Man of the Woods | Merlins First Incarnation

For Merlin right now I'm still researching and pulling out ideas/legends that I can visualise myself, in my tutorial with Kathleen we were trying to distinguish what I was actually aiming for. What we came up with is as follows;

Merlin in the Woods by Alan Lee

These texts describe imagery and origin Myths of Merlin’s incarnations. Symbols such as dragons, speaking to apples, pigs. The work explores pantheism (I will understand this at one point.....soon). I want to concentrate on Merlins madness and disassociated states, which shamanic madness. Experimental radio piece with a moving image.

The piece will focus on several incarnations/states of the Merlin myth, some more visual than others, acting as a timeline to this legend as he comes into the 21st century.

Wild man of the Woods (14th Century Merlin)

Before wise old Merlin we have, crazy wild man Merlin.

'Did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, tell hairs were grown like eagles' feathers , and his nails like birds' claws' (Merlin: A Casebook)

'After the battle of Arfderydd (a real one, in c. 573) Myrddin is no longer in the world of lords and warriors, and ladies, but along, in nature; in self-chosen exile and weary melancholy he represents a wisdom that a reject his society and its values.'  (Merlin: Knowledge and power through the ages)  

Poems relating to this period (aka the few stanzas I can actually find);

Yr Afallennau 
(The apple trees)

I'm still hunting for the original poem, I can only find the first verse in Welsh.
A poem written as if form Myriddin's (Merlin) perspective

Awallen peren a tif in llanerch.
y hangert ae hargel rac riev Ryderch.

amsathir in y bon. maon yn y chilch.
Oet aelav vtvt dulloet diheueirch {ibid:, lines 35-38). 

(Sweet apple tree, growing in a glade,

a treasure hidden from the lords of Rhyddrech.

With a crowd round its base, a host around it,

delight to them, brave warriors.

Now Gwenddydd loves me not, nor welcomes me,

and I am hated by Gwasawg, Rhyddech's ally.

I have destroyed her son and daughter, 

death takes everyone; why does he not welcome me?

After Gwenddolau, no lords revere me, 

ano sport delights me, no lover seeks me out.

In the battle of Arferydd, my torque gold,

today I am no treasure to a swan-like girl.)

Yr Oianau (The Greetings)

I'm still looking for this one... I'll find it eventually.

Ymddiddan Myriddin a Thalsiesin 

(The dialogue of Myriddin and Talisen)

Conversation between Merlin and Welsh archetypal poet Tailspin, alter ego of Merlin,
 discussing the aftermath of the battle of Arferydd.

Seith ugein haelon. A aethan ygwllon.

yg coed keliton. y. daruuan 

(Jarman 1982: 2, lines 35-36).

(Seven score generous nobles went into madness; 

in Celyddon Wood they died.)

Cyfiesu Myriddin a Gwenddydd ei Chwaer

 (The conversion of Myriddin and his siter Gwenddydd)

Myriddin speaking from the grave about his death and the death of his brothers. 

Och annwylor oer esgar.

 gwedy dyuot yn drydar. 

gan unben dewr diarchal. 

dy ylodi y dan dayar....

Och leas di veduaeth.

neut ym dianmaeth.

hoet da adoet pandygir clot vino. 

pwy draetho gwir.

Olochwyt kyuot a thauot

llyfreu awen heb arswyt

achwdyl bun a hun breudwyt 

Marw morgeneu marw kyfrennin moryal. 

marw moryen mir trin.

trymaf hoet am dy [ad]oet ti vyrdin.

Digones douyd digued arnaf

marw morgeneu. marw mordaf.

marw moryen. marw agaraf (Evans 1911: 4, col. 583).

( [Gwenddydd]

Alas, dear one, for the separation; 

after going into battle

with a brave, unconquerable lord,

you will be buried under the earth....

[Gwenddydd]

Alas, for your death, mead-nourished one,

I am destitute (lit., ‘totally lacking in nourishment’); 

[There is] grief for [the news of] your death,

[You of] excellent fame, who utters the truth?

[Myrddin]

From a sequestered place rise up 

and speak of books of divine inspiration without fear,

and a tale of a maiden and a dream in sleep. 

[Gwenddydd]

Morgenau dead, strong Morial dead, 

Morien dead, the wall of battle; 

heaviest [is] the grief for [the news of] your death, Myrddin. 

[Myrddin]

God has brought death upon me. 

Morgenau dead, Mordaf dead, 

Morien dead, dead those that I love.)

Gwasgargerdd Fryddin yn y bedd 

(The Diffused Songs of Myrddin in the Grave)

Gwr aleueir yny bed.

a dysgwyt kyn seith mlyned. march marw eurdein googled.

Eryueis i owin owydyr gwynn.

gan rieu ryuel degynn.

myrdin yw vy enw uab moruryn (Evans 1911: 5, col. 584).

(A man speaks in the grave

what will come to pass before seven years: 

March dead, supreme lord of the North.

I drank wine from a splendid glass with resolute lords of war;

Myrddin is my name, son of Morfryn. )

Peiryan Faban

(“Commanding Youth”) 

Myrddin vab morwrynn oedd hebawc gwynn

pen vei yr rym wrthryn. ar ymdaraw

pan vei varw llonn pann vei ysgwyd tonn.

 pann vei waet callonn ky noe gilyaw.

O gof gyndoleu ae gyt gynedeu.

gwae vi am angheu hwyret y daw
 (Jarman 1951a: 105, lines 28-33).

Myrddin son of Morfryn was a white hawk (hebawc)

when the mighty battle would be fought,

when there would be joyful death, 

when there would be a broken shield,

 when there would be heart’s blood before he would flee.

Because of the memory of Gwenddolau and his kinsmen [?], 

great misery to me for my death-how slowly it comes. 

As per usual I'm still reading but this is the one incarnation that I believe leads to the rest existing, it's interesting and gives some amazing visual aids such as the white hawk. Whilst I've been researching I'm been making notes of key areas I would like to look further into.

My next venture is into renaissance Merlin complete with John Dee and Shakespeare (because what project of mine would be complete without Shakespeare).

Merlin: A History

Is Merlin the pinnacle point of wisdom we don't wish to have ourselves, we would just like access too it? Pandoras box of knowledge and power that is the most terrifying yet awe inspiring sight, demanding to be investigated yet at the same time with caution.

These powers, together with apparently unlimited knowledge of past, present and future, enable him to guide the destinies of kings, to provide magical weapons and to prophesy the future of kingdoms. With his powers he ensures the birth of King Arthur, and then shapes him into an ideal, if tragically fated, ruler. Yet Merlin is human enough to be fallible, and to feel love and desire – and it is this capacity which makes him vulnerable to the seductions of the ‘damsel of the lake’, even though he knows that she will destroy him once she has learnt all his secrets.

Lawrence-Mathers, Anne. The True History of Merlin the Magician. : Yale University Press, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central. Web. 19 October 2016.

Stories of the wonder child Ambrosias (Translated into Welsh as Emrys ) and the bard Myrddin Wyllt came together to create the archetype Merlin Emrys (Myrddin Emrys) by Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1136. Becoming popular when a story of him advising a king of the Dragons that lived beneath his land causing a tower to constantly fall down. The Dragons each representing the British and the Saxtons were fighting in a hidden underground cave, Merlin informs the king of their existence and that it is a metaphor for the creation of a great nation. The Saxtons would be Britain's greatest opposition in becoming a united nation - Merlin informed the King and went on his way.

Illumination of a 15th century manuscript of Historia Regum Britanniae showing king of the Britons Vortigern and Ambros watching the fight between two dragons.
 Merlin is pictured to the right of the King.

A mixture of welsh and celtic history, Merlin was created by Geoffrey of Monmouth as a character in Historia Regum Britannia (c.1136) to in short, give the French a reason to invade Britain. It's within these books that Arthurian legends became known and book 7 of Historia Regum Britannia was in fact dedicated to telling the prophesies of Merlin. When writing the book he claimed that he had merely translated the stories into Latin after receiving them in 'a very ancient book in the British tongue' given to him by Walter, Archdeacon of Oxford. However a lot of the stories are in fact derived from Welsh poetry and celtic legends, so most scholars today don't take the claim seriously. 

When the legends eventually brought him together with King Arthur (he made Uther look like the husband of Irgaine so he could sleep with her on the condition if there was a child, Merlin would take the child and raise him to be the 'Once and Future King' of Albion - it was all rather dramatic) he served by Arthurs side as his advisor before Arthur perished in battle. Legend says The Giants Dance (Stonehenge to the everyday reader) was built by Merlin as the resting place for Ambrosius Aurelianus, then Uther Pendragon, and finally Constantine III. Built using stones from the Celtic Goddess Erin (the goddess of Ireland) the stones were said to have healing powers. But there was never anything in literature confirming how Merlin got the stones from Ireland to Wiltshire. In fact there isn't ever a mention of Merlin having magic at all - deciding how the stones got there was left entirely down to the audience.

The Giants Dance (Stonehenge) in 2014

Merlins next incarnation is in the first entirely Welsh manuscript 'The Black Book of Carmarthen' a book of poetry from just before 1250. In the poem The Elegy of Gereint son of Erbin Merlin joins Arthur in the battle of Llongborth a battle which drove Merlin to the point of insanity. The poems Yr Afallennau and Yr Oianau bring fourth the Merlin suffering from what we would call today PTSD. He's talking to apple trees and pigs, he's a tortured man holding up a tragic character. He speaks of icicles and snow in his hair, he lives amongst the trees and shuns human company. However it is this tragic story that gives him the wisdom he is now known for. It is from this incarnation of Merlin that we get his most famous prophesies as he became a wild man in a poetic frenzy, writing anything that came to mind. All of this before the end of the 14th century.

It was these prophesies and the invention of the printing press (1450?) that made Merlins story into the legend he became. The character of Merlin and the Arthurian legends became a part of mainstream Christian Europe being translated into French, telling the stories for the first time not in Welsh. It was here that arthurian romance began to take off, the birth of Merlin was re-told using a Pagan tradition but within a Christian concept (his birth has never really had a solid storyline, but the christians use of the Pagan religion was known). It was given no historian context and morphed into love stories between Merlin and a lady magician who stole all of his secrets and used them against him, eventually resulting in his demise. 

Merlin however lived on. In 1485 William Claxton wrote La Morte D'Arthur, a retelling of the arthurian legends in English and the most well known versions of the stories to date. It was here that the round table and excalibur became known and there is also a more detailed telling of Arthurs birth (the Uther drama but in more detail really). It is also the first incarnation of old man merlin. Dressed in a hooded coat with long white beard - the archetype began forming.

The Death of King Arthur by James Archer (1823–1904), who began painting Arthurian subjects in about 1859.
Merlin can be seen on the right, at the back.

Many men have claimed to be Merlin (or have had the idea thrust upon them) in tudor times a man named John Dee a physician and astrologer. He was known to practice ritual magic, something that at the time hadn't completely been debunked, he had a seemingly magical knowledge and angelic presence. As if he was assessing knowledge that was beyond human capabilities. This was also during the renaissance so plays such as Shakespeare's The Tempest were just being performed - magic was cool back then basically. Today it is more widely known that Merlin would be a troubled artist, gaining knowledge from his amazing yet painful art work. Well that's what 'Merlin' says aka a guy in Wales who believes he's Merlin reincarnated. There is some truth to his world however.

In Celtic history Merlin was depicted as either a druid or a bard (or both), he was known as the chief druid who also wrote poetry that carried the nation.

Richard Wilson 'Solitude' depicting Merlin (bottom left) as a druid by the lake. 1750s

The Bard by Thomas Jones. Based off the the poem The Bard by Thomas Gray. Showing a Merlin like figure place a curse on the English after their war against Welsh Bards leaves one standing. 1774

'The Last Bard' John Martin. 1817 Again depicting the last bard (a Merlin incarnation) placing a curse on the English after the massacre of Welsh Bards by Edward I

'The Last Bard' is my personal favourite. Post-apocolypic in it's colours. Merlin rising above the army. Showing off the countryside in it's basic beauty as Merlin seeks revenge on those who seek to destroy it. It's an amazing painting and I hope to see it when I head home as it's currently on display in Newcastle - I may have to take a trip there! Merlin has not always been used for good however, he was actually used by Nazi Germany as part of propaganda to rally support. He was used as a symbol for the light that would lead them out of the forest....but let's pretend that didn't happen for a second.

Merlin is omnipresent within media as 'Powerful Merlin' is always the extreme example of good within the good v evil argument. Today we have incarnations of him in Gandalf, Dumbledore and Harry Potter - the person who has a great destiny and access to this vast history, knowledge that will help the incarnation in question out of whatever situation they find themselves in. He is always more than what is brought to argument. He is more than christian knowledge, more than science, more than religion and today more than art. As a society we turn to Merlin (and his incarnations) to explain things we have no answer for. He is our back up plan for when things go wrong. 'It doesn't matter if we can't figure it out, Merlin will have the answer'.

Harry Potter, Dumbledore and Gandalf. Modern day examples of Melin within the media.

We all want access to Merlin. We don't want to be him, we don't want that pressure. We just want his knowledge, his wisdom and his power. To another a person we could be 'Merlin'. You reading this could be 'a Merlin' to someone else for Merlin becomes anything we need him to be, in any form and at anytime.

So there's my brief history lesson on Merlin. I've got some books on order from the British Library that should be able to tell me more but this is what I've found online and in the BBC Documentary Merlin: The Legend. It's very interesting seeing all of his incarnations at once, how I'm going to use those incarnations is still a mystery... rather like the man himself.