He was a man after all

Greetings Lord and Ladies of the Round Table! What a fantastic tale of honor and magic we have been graced with! It reminds me of the magic that inundates my own home in the Wilderness of Wirral. However, the most amazing things about Merlin’s story were the parts that were not purely feats of magical prowess.

When we think of the amazing wizard of King Arthur’s court we think of the man that knew all that was and will be, and used his power to expose a dishonorable knight in Arthur’s court. Or, we think of the sorcerer who changed the face of King Uther and allowed for Arthur to be conceived. But the most important part of his story is its revelation of the man behind the mask by illuminating his thoughts and feelings through his backstory. One of his first acts as a child is to save the life of his beloved mother, who surely would have died without him. One of his last acts is to fall in love, or perhaps lust, with Viviane the Huntress and serve her every whim. Unlike the episode with his mother, however, Merlin’s emotion for a woman does not end well. We are never sure who is in the wrong in this scenario. Perhaps Merlin in is a lecherous old man intent on dishonoring a virtuous young lady, or perhaps Lady Viviane is a cold-hearted creature who take advantage of Merlin’s love and magical expertise. That question, however, is of little importance. In the end, the fact remains that the great Merlin is destroyed by a woman he never suspected was a danger. In fact he is  still “waiting and hoping to have his way with her” according to the The Prose Merlin, when she is planning his death.

In this way Merlin’s life comes full circle. His first act is motivated by love and saves him; his last act is motivated by love and ends him. While the tales of powerful knights and beautiful ladies may be lost to time because the heroes of these tales were one dimensional, Merlin shall always be remembered. Merlin shall be remembered because he had both strengths and weaknesses. As an infant Merlin was given both infernal and heavenly powers for he was meant to choose between them. In the end, he did as most of us do, and fell somewhere in between.
The blow dealt to the realm  by the loss of such a powerful magician is great indeed, but Camelot was alright in the end. Viviane returns to Camelot and uses her magic to protect KIng Arthur from the sword-thief Morgana and Arthur's challenger.

Until Next Time,

Lady Bertilak