Ebook301 pages4 hours
Scotland's Merlin: A Medieval Legend and its Dark Age Origins
By Tim Clarkson
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this ebook
Who was Merlin? Is the famous wizard of Arthurian legend based on a real person? In this book, Merlin's origins are traced back to the story of Lailoken, a mysterious 'wild man' who is said to have lived in the Scottish Lowlands in the sixth century AD. The book considers the question of whether Lailoken belongs to myth or reality. It looks at the historical background of his story and discusses key characters such as Saint Kentigern of Glasgow and King Rhydderch of Dumbarton, as well as important events such as the Battle of Arfderydd.
Lailoken's reappearance in medieval Welsh literature as the fabled prophet Myrddin is also examined. Myrddin himself was eventually transformed into Merlin the wizard, King Arthur's friend and mentor. This is the Merlin we recognise today, not only in art and literature but also on screen. His earlier forms are less familiar, more remote, but can still be found among the lore and legend of the Dark Ages. Behind them we catch fleeting glimpses of an original figure who perhaps really did exist: a solitary fugitive, tormented by his experience of war, who roamed the hills and forests of southern Scotland long ago.
Lailoken's reappearance in medieval Welsh literature as the fabled prophet Myrddin is also examined. Myrddin himself was eventually transformed into Merlin the wizard, King Arthur's friend and mentor. This is the Merlin we recognise today, not only in art and literature but also on screen. His earlier forms are less familiar, more remote, but can still be found among the lore and legend of the Dark Ages. Behind them we catch fleeting glimpses of an original figure who perhaps really did exist: a solitary fugitive, tormented by his experience of war, who roamed the hills and forests of southern Scotland long ago.
Author
Tim Clarkson
Tim Clarkson gained a PhD in medieval history (2003) from the University of Manchester and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He is the author of many books on medieval history including Scotland’s Merlin, The Picts: A History, The Makers of Scotland and Aethelflaed: Lady of the Mercians.
Read more from Tim Clarkson
The Picts: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Æthelflæd: Lady of the Mercians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Strathclyde and the Anglo-Saxons in the Viking Age Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Columba Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Mighty Fleet and the King’s Power: The Isle of Man, AD 400 to 1265 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Scotland's Merlin
Related ebooks
A New History of the Picts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Earthing the Myths: The Myths, Legends and Early History of Ireland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTHE HIGH DEEDS OF FINN and other Bardic Romances of Ancient Ireland: 20 Celtic tales, myths and legends from the Emerald Isle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStrange Ireland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Long War for Britannia 367–664: Arthur and the History of Post-Roman Britain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Culann Chronicles, Book 2, Picts' Plight Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ireland Series Book 1: Our Roots. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTales of Merlin, Arthur, and the Magic Arts: From the Welsh Chronicle of the Six Ages of the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Reading Book in Irish History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLisia: Vortigern's Island Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSomerled: And the Emergence of Gaelic Scotland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story of King Arthur and Other Celtic Heroes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFractured Emerald: Ireland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodder & Drincan: Anglo-Saxon Culinary History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIreland in Brick and Stone: The Island's History in Its Buildings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSutton Companion to British Folklore, Myths & Legends Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of Northumbria Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scotland's Bloody History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNorthumberland Folk Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKing Lud: The Celtic God Who Founded London Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of Ireland: A History of the Irish People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kings and Queens of England Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKings and Queens of Early Britain Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Short History of Ireland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMagical Folk: British and Irish Fairies - 500 AD to the Present Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Reading Book in Irish History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife in Medieval Ireland: Witches, Spies And Stockholm Syndrome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Myths and Legends of Northern Europe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDarkest England Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPioneers of Scottish Christianity: Ninian, Columba and Mungo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Social Science For You
All About Love: New Visions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A People's History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Verbal Judo, Second Edition: The Gentle Art of Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, & Magnetic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Come As You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Men Explain Things to Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Close Encounters with Addiction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Denial of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (Oprah's Book Club Selection) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Secret Garden: Women's Sexual Fantasies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Questions for Couples: 469 Thought-Provoking Conversation Starters for Connecting, Building Trust, and Rekindling Intimacy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Reset: And the War for the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Scotland's Merlin
Rating: 4.1666665 out of 5 stars
4/5
3 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Scotland's Merlin - Tim Clarkson
f book_preview_excerpt.html |˒8p5&yDOiTzj)2z 'NdHkЛ,7fϹ YYY pq{_vϾx|?{څqvsck
՛`T=n2{|j}HŷCkV.azB熡z75-ݰP]yڣgoC7mWOG%~?_p?opm,^Փ~UO.~'O'qOO.T\=N_!m;UW^t&܌>J"uJ|k0PXMSoZ7V{ngatA}hPjVޑ綪^m[T̄ƅGO~9tc,FyW;<Ĺv|3{1)a4Pm|&ο{[Vl=?z_}O:+E⟼İw]Ɋ<ɢ&~Kx%Uu9r*7יug+!ؿMt76bކ~_JYUw4m:]^y';[0/>7~oh{Wi=+&:hg]Nu,#y-˿aKǰw7`2z|o5V-M!4]릓ۿ{;l/4fɛ2lMsw|HAC-Gk Ab#Ǐt0shޟh
wz0Z^.LJU~i{u--vo
١u'?ϫw8yhnGxWWYY)"Ak>?j?&}8/%WnNR@/3| 4t6d yxKIw첛0/u:ϵa!ѝqXE6B+o@,l"x_ת(lEO$,]\h,P7)q&֍ic7u ȮWo {ܑc2:.2[:KH~gLFUp0(Lj&֙5F`b}CY;H cR٢^dz=NEF ƪ|~kɻs`CVWvJV'y20# >nX977eq࠰cI w#Tk9BEGt2>˅:kQ;<,wa;(xa;oH;3zEoDbuV rյ`"q'5 ӗ iKՇW>y]u}ݫyaɱ9f[BӾcZ莇p#?qCzZځN&tq!x٭[`F'h)wQHZ8>Ap V!Al" 金m8Sy{>mƤk'E0N~/~j" XĴtFIJ#X6o[#s5!8 SK+KDtt7V㈊PdٯY/Q%)FlL:g@uxo.nC5vT~<ƉO%o |vB-wKB?z; &R&<7:H^cS;Iw#blL([{婝ʍc82MtS%%iL!Bޓz~P2TlRz̉jg xlQf3Jd{tņwtYG|/wv#0a9hN 1N-Zkn ۃ8: TKa.n1U9D9g~N1Å250:}%TI{95660bji@lfh`4G @-aQY]r)nZC+Leičkxɗ41K$