Blog Post: Merlin

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New blog post by mickleinapickle

Merlin

A carved wooden statue of Merlin stands in Carmarthen town centre. A mythical Celtic shaman, he was a constant in British folklore between the 5th and 15th centuries. There were reports of him in various guises up and down the west coast from Cornwall to the Scottish isles. Strongest evidence suggests he hailed from Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales.

Picking the bones out of the legend… he was probably a soldier driven insane by war. Today, we recognise this as post-traumatic stress. In his ‘madness’ he roamed the countryside in rags, lived off whatever he could forage, talked to trees and animals, and cursed gods and kings with equal intensity. It appears that living as a hermit immersed in nature allowed him to recover, and he eventually became a healer and sage to the local population.

His mystique grew from there and he was mentioned in stories, sagas and poems over the years until he evolved into the ‘supernatural magician’ we know him as today. This legend still continues in the various literary and cinematic interpretations of him. Not bad for a poor lad traumatised by war. He’s left a far more significant footprint on the world than any of the despots he was fighting for and against.

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war-torn back streets…

an acned soldier

checks his safety catch
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[Hannah F]

No. Merlin really was a supernatural magician. Still is and is waiting for his moment to return.
(Never stop believing in magic. He didn't.)

 

[mickleinapickle]

No. Merlin really was a supernatural magician. Still is and is waiting for his moment to return.
(Never stop believing in magic. He didn't.)

I think you're right, @Hannah F. I spoke to the Tooth Fairy this morning and she mentioned that Merlin was teaming up with Father Christmas for this year's Christmas pressie deliveries to La La Land. Apparently, the Easter Bunny is making a statement about it all on Easter Wednesday.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Very interesting, about the possible PTSD. One thing is for sure, one cannot be entirely socially normal AND exceptionally "psychic", which is not a very helpful word, since it only means "of the mind," or "of the soul", from the Greek "psychikos". Psychic talent is not rare, and in its most common expression can be understood simply as acute intuition. The kind that will save our life if we get a bad feeling and get out of there, RIGHT NOW, without knowing why, exactly. It has saved me before, and it has certainly saved many a bomb disposal expert. I have heard stories. The US navy has been known to use psychics as remote viewers. The eternal seesaw. ESP, true visions, or madness. The outcomes say which, as and where they can be verified, or documented. Time-space is not linear. The mind can and does frequently escape or transcend that linear algorithm. My own father had both things. He was an academic, published, singularly intellectual, very well liked and respected. He also had powerful ESP. And, the tragedy of his life, sometimes he was mad, due to a condition variously diagnosed as schizophrenia, or later, bipolar disorder. As a young man he escaped a lobotomy by reading the newspapers, thereby demonstrating he was functional in the real world.

ADD: I recommend these two Novels by Mary Stewart. They quite scared me as a young reader, especially The Crystal Cave.

The Crystal Cave Fifth century Britain is a country of chaos and division after the Roman withdrawal. This is the world of young Merlin, the illegitimate child of a South Wales princess who will not reveal to her son his father's true identity. Yet Merlin is an extraordinary child, aware at the earliest age that he possesses a great natural gift - the Sight. Against a background of invasion and imprisonment, wars and conquest, Merlin emerges into manhood, and accepts his dramatic role in the New Beginning - the coming of King Arthur.

The Hollow Hills continues the Arthurian Saga, following *The Crystal Cave*. The story centers on Merlin Ambrosius, the prophet entrusted with protecting the young Arthur Pendragon. This narrative picks up directly after Arthur’s conception. Uther Pendragon faces dire consequences due to past decisions, setting the stage for the young prince’s destiny. Merlin is haunted by visions of the legendary sword Caliburn, which plays a pivotal role in Arthur’s future as High King of Britain"

 

[mickleinapickle]

Very interesting, about the possible PTSD. One thing is for sure, one cannot be entirely socially normal AND exceptionally "psychic", which is not a very helpful word, since it only means "of the mind," or "of the soul", from the Greek "psychikos". Psychic talent is not rare, and in its most common expression can be understood simply as acute intuition. The kind that will save our life if we get a bad feeling and get out of there, RIGHT NOW, without knowing why, exactly. It has saved me before, and it has certainly saved many a bomb disposal expert. I have heard stories. The US navy has been known to use psychics as remote viewers. The eternal seesaw. ESP, true visions, or madness. The outcomes say which, as and where they can be verified, or documented. Time-space is not linear. The mind can and does frequently escape or transcend that linear algorithm. My own father had both things. He was an academic, published, singularly intellectual, very well liked and respected. He also had powerful ESP. And, the tragedy of his life, sometimes he was mad, due to a condition variously diagnosed as schizophrenia or later bipolar disorder. As a young man he escaped a lobotomy by reading the newspapers, thereby demonstrating he was functional in the real world.

I think the world would be an insipid place if it was only filled with 'normal' people. In fact, the human race would still probably be hanging from trees and gazing with dull eyes across the African savannah if it wasn't for the 'super-normal' folks. Your dad obviously had/has a very successful life, Katie-Ellen... he produced you!

 

[Katie-Ellen]

You are a kind person, Mick, and something of a Merlin yourself. Yes, my father lived a brave life. He deserved better. A cruel illness, and it took a great deal from him. A boy raised in Greater London, Irish diaspora, born in 1929, he said that the war rescued him and a lot of other poor boys from the life he would otherwise have had. He was evacuated to a family where he was very happy, and went to a school where the head teacher encouraged him, and he went to university. He was a scholar, an artist and a great gentleman. His ESP was off the scale, so much so, I saw his ghost before I or anyone else knew he had died, alone in his house, very suddenly, but somehow he found a way to come tell me.
"There are more things in heaven and earth...." Indeed, there are.