Prophecy of Merlin facts for kids

Prophecy of Merlin (also known as Prophetia Merlini) is a long poem from the 12th century. It was written in Latin by a scholar named John of Cornwall. He wrote it using a special style called hexameters, which means each line has a specific rhythm. John said his poem was based on an old book written in the Cornish language that had been lost. The only copy of this poem is kept in a special old book, called a codex, at the Vatican Library.

What is the Prophecy of Merlin About?

This poem is an example of popular writings that claimed to be prophecies from the wise wizard Merlin. These prophecies were believed to tell about events happening in the author's own time. In this poem, Merlin's predictions are about a big fight for the throne between Stephen of Blois and Empress Matilda. The poem also includes interesting details about Cornwall, where John of Cornwall lived.

How the Prophecy of Merlin Was Made

The poem was written sometime between the years 1141 and 1155. Robert Warelwast, who was the Bishop of Exeter, asked John of Cornwall to write it. John took on the task of explaining Merlin's prophecies "according to our British tongue."

He created a poem with 139 lines of hexameter verse. He also wrote notes in prose (regular writing) for the first 105 lines. Less than a third of the prophecies in John's poem came directly from another work called Prophetiae Merlini, which was written around 1136. The rest of the prophecies were likely translated directly from old Welsh or Cornish writings.

Discovering the Ancient Language

For a long time, this old book didn't get much attention from scholars. But in 1876, a scholar named Whitley Stokes looked closely at it. He studied the Cornish and Welsh words that John had written in the margins of his commentary. These notes are very important because they are some of the earliest known writings in the Cornish language. They help us understand how the language was used long ago.

See also

• Vita Merlini (The life of Merlin) by Geoffrey of Monmouth
• Merlin by Robert de Boron
• Mouldwarp