Merlin (Robert de Boron poem) facts for kids
| by Robert de Boron | |
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Merlin dictating the story of his life for Blaise to record in a 13th-century illustration for the prose version, Estoire de Merlin
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| Written | Est. 1195–1210 |
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| Country | Kingdom of France |
| Language | Old French |
| Series | Little Grail Cycle |
| Subject(s) | Arthurian legend, Holy Grail |
| Preceded by | Joseph of Arimathea |
| Followed by | Perceval |
Merlin is an old French poem written by Robert de Boron. It was created around the late 1100s or early 1200s. Parts of this poem are now missing.
The poem tells the story of the famous wizard Merlin. It explains his special powers, especially his ability to prophesy (predict the future). The story also connects Merlin to the Holy Grail, a very important item in legends.
Robert de Boron's poem describes Merlin's birth and early life. It shows how he helped Arthur become king of Britain. The poem also introduced the famous idea of the sword in the stone. This idea became a key part of the King Arthur legends.
Merlin is part of a group of three poems by Robert de Boron. These are called the "Little Grail Cycle." The other two poems are Joseph d'Arimathie and Perceval.
Later, the poem Merlin was rewritten in prose (like a story, not a poem). This prose version became very popular. It was included in big collections of stories called the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate cycles. These collections were full of knightly adventures. The prose Merlin was also a main source for Thomas Malory's famous book, Le Morte d'Arthur.
Contents
The Story Behind the Poem
The writer, Robert de Boron, was a French knight and poet. He was likely inspired by earlier works. These included Roman de Brut by Wace and Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth.
Merlin is an allegory, meaning it has a deeper, symbolic meaning. It connects Merlin's story to important Christian ideas.
Only 504 lines of the original poem still exist today. However, we know the full story from its prose version. This prose version was written in Old French and later translated into Middle English.
Merlin is the middle part of Robert de Boron's trilogy. This series of stories focuses on the Holy Grail. In these poems, Merlin's role in the Arthurian legend becomes much bigger. Before this, Merlin was only briefly mentioned in other Arthurian poems.
This trilogy also changed the Arthurian myth. It made the Holy Grail the central focus. The Grail was shown for the first time as a Christian relic from the time of Christ. The story says the Grail was brought to Britain by followers of Joseph of Arimathea. Merlin's prophecies in the poem say that Arthur's knight Perceval will eventually find it.
What Happens in Merlin
The story of Merlin begins by introducing a character named Blaise. Blaise is a clerk who writes down all of Merlin's adventures. The text claims it's Blaise's translation of a Latin book. This book was supposedly dictated to Blaise by Merlin himself.
Merlin's Unusual Beginning
The poem starts with a meeting of demons. They plan to create Merlin as their agent on Earth. Their goal is to undo the good work of Christ. But their plan doesn't fully work. Merlin's mother names him after her father, and he doesn't become evil.
Merlin and King Vortigern
Next, the story features a king named Vortiger (Vortigern). He is a usurper, meaning he took the throne illegally. Vortiger is trying to build a tower, but it keeps falling down. The seven-year-old Merlin appears with amazing prophetic powers. He explains why the tower won't stand.
Merlin also predicts Vortiger's death. After Vortiger dies, Merlin helps the new king, Pendragon. He also helps Pendragon's brother, Uter (Uther Pendragon). They fight a bloody war against Saxon invaders.
Stonehenge and the Round Table
After a big battle, Pendragon dies. Uter becomes king and is known as Uterpendragon. Merlin helps build Stonehenge as a burial place for the fallen Britons. He also inspires the creation of the Round Table.
Arthur's Birth and the Sword in the Stone
The poem then tells how Uter falls in love with Ygerne (Igraine). She is the wife of the Duke of Tintagel. Merlin uses his magic, including shapeshifting, to help Uter. This allows Uter to be with Ygerne, and they conceive Arthur. Arthur is destined to become a great ruler.
After Uter defeats Ygerne's husband and marries her, baby Arthur is given to Antor to raise. Ygerne's other daughters marry King Lot and King Ventres. Her illegitimate daughter, Morgan, is sent to a nunnery. She later becomes known as Morgan le Fay. This is the first time Morgan is shown as Igraine's daughter and learning magic in a convent.
The poem likely ends with the famous "sword in the stone" story. Arthur proves he is the rightful king of Britain by pulling a sword from a stone. This event shows his divine destiny. This was the first time this story appeared in Arthurian literature. It became very famous after Thomas Malory repeated it in Le Morte d'Arthur.
Prose Versions and Later Stories
The poem Merlin was rewritten into a prose version around 1210. The authors are unknown, but it might have been Robert de Boron himself. This prose version, called the Prose Merlin, was then expanded. It became the longer Estoire de Merlin (History of Merlin), also known as the Vulgate Merlin.
The Estoire de Merlin became part of the huge Vulgate Cycle of stories. The later Post-Vulgate Cycle also used material from Robert de Boron's Joseph and Merlin.
These prose versions of Merlin led to many other stories. One is the Merlin Continuation, which tells about Arthur's wars and Merlin's role. It also focuses on Gawain. Another is the Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin, which adds more romantic elements. There's also an alternative version called the Livre d'Artus (Book of Arthur).
Today, the Post-Vulgate Suite is best known as the main source for Thomas Malory's first four books of Le Morte d'Arthur. It also influenced Spanish and Portuguese versions of the Grail story. Earlier English poems like Henry Lovelich's Merlin and Of Arthour and of Merlin were also based on different versions of the Vulgate Cycle's Merlin.
Images for kids
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Merlin dictating his story to Blaise in a 13th-century illustration.
See also
- Prophetiae Merlini
