Merlin: Shaman, Prophet, Magician

by John Matthews

MERLIN remains the most famous and familiar image of the magician that we possess. Best known as the adviser of the young King Arthur, he was also a famous seer, whose books of prophecies have been reprinted countless times since the Middle Ages. he continues to appear in modern times, in film--most recently in the blockbuster King Arthur--TV, and fiction, and is still the subject of study today, as an exponent of shamanism and ancient wisdom.


Arthurian expert John Matthews examines the many guises of Merlin--as seer, prophet, lover and magician, and as an inspiration to people from all walks of life. Here we see the possible historic origin of Merlin as a Celtic leader, the later literary forms of his growing legend in the myths of King Arthur, and his more recent manifestations in visionary works, as the prototype of characters such as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars films, Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series, and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Arthurian, Mythology

176 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

John Matthews is an historian, folklorist and author. He has been a full time writer since 1980 and has produced over ninety books on the Arthurian Legends and Grail Studies, as well as short stories and a volume of poetry. He has devoted much of the past thirty years to the study of Arthurian Traditions and myth in general. His best known and most widely read works are ‘Pirates’ (Carlton/Atheneum), No 1 children’s book on the New York Times Review best-seller list for 22 weeks in 2006, ‘The Grail, Quest for Eternal Life’ (Thames & Hudson, 1981) ‘The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom’ (Element, 1994) and ‘The Winter Solstice’ (Quest Books, 1999) which won the Benjamin Franklin Award for that year. His book ‘Celtic Warrior Chiefs’ was a New York Public Library recommended title for young people.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a challenge to rate a popular book giving general information about a subject you have studied. You want the writer to present the material in a way that allows you to easily review familiar material. I was hoping for a more chronological account of the Merlin legends, but Matthews instead looks at the celebrated wizard's various manifestations, devoting chapters to his incarnations as a shaman, prophet, magician, lover and sage.

And for the brevity of the book, it is a pretty comprehensive account, wonderfully illustrated, presenting modern and medieval representations of this prototypical Western wizard. In his research, Matthews was even able to tie Merlin to biblical prophets. And in the concluding chapter, he looks at representations of Merlin in fantasy literature -- and on the silver screen. He explains why he believes such literary/movie characters as Gandalf and Obi-wan Kenobi (and even Yoda) manifest the Merlin archetype.

This is a great book, particularly for those, fascinated by the Arthur legend, but unfamiliar with the background of the legendary British monarch's sage counselor. It is a solid introduction.

My biggest problem with the book is the references. For example, he cites something, indicating in the text that it is from Legends of the Jews, yet I could not find that work in the bibliography. And Legends is a six-volume work.

Maybe I started the book with false expectations of what it was going to be, but it turned out to be very good for what it was. A good resource. And it makes it a lot easier should I seek to explore how modern story-tellers envision the medieval wise man.

[Yasmin]

It has come to my attention the problematic use of shamanism, which I had felt uncomfortable with, and other things. It has also come to light from a very reliable source that John and Caitlin Matthews make up their sources/knowledge. From here on in I have chosen to forego reading any further books by either Matthews.

[Charis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won't lie, I have something of a bias regarding both John and Caitlín Matthews' works. Namely, they are a priority go-to when I'm researching Arthurian lore. If I see they've had a hand in other authors' works on the mythos, I'm officially interested. So, seeing as I'm currently writing a fantasy novel adapting the mythology, this book was a must, living comfortably on my shelves.

The real question is why I didn't read this sooner!

It was so fascinating to explore the various sides of Merlin, my favourites being those of the Shaman and the Sage. As a fan of Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle (I couldn't recommend those books enough), looking at Merlin from a more Druidic lens filled me with wonder. Personally, I enjoyed the more chronological presentation of Merlin's evolution, while the art to be found here is stunning.

Do I hope that one day, an updated version can be explored with the more recent boom of (admittedly sometimes questionable) portrayals of the legendary figure? Absolutely. After all, while I may not agree with some of the modern choices creators are adopting for their Merlins, watching so many new storytellers take his character in new and different directions has been exciting all the same. That said, for what we do have here, I adore.

Ultimately, I come out the other side of this with countless new ideas for where to take my Merlin. So, if you're looking for inspiration for your own work, or even if you're simply intrigued about the character, I do absolutely recommend this title. Happy day, all!

[Jbondandrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading John and Caitlin Matthews' books. This one was particularly interesting and I hope to be able to learn more about Merlin and the others.

[Riversue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and very complete. Beautifully illustrated.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very good introduction to all of the different incarnations of Merlin from the earliest sources right up to the present day. As someone who hasn't read anything on the subject before i learnt a huge amount. The author is very familiar with all the main sources and makes some interesting comparisons such as with Virgil who people thought in the medieval period was a magician, and the earliest sources are the prophetic poems ascribed to Myrddin Wyllt (Merlin the wild) Merlin is also associated with the poet Taliesin. The first two chapters i found the most interesting concentrating on Merlin as a shaman and prophet rather than the magician he later became. The author is rightly sceptical about the prophecies as they were written down after the events being predicted so contain obvious interpolations and shows how later writers have twisted them to show events predicted many centuries after but then curiously then goes on to speculate about how one prophecy could be about the Thames barrier. I was slightly confused by his translation of llogres as Britain when lloegr in modern Welsh is England and prydain is the name for Britain. At the end of the book is a translation of the full poems of Myrddin Wyllt the early poems attributed to Merlin specially translated by the author and his wife Caitlin. If you are looking for the most authentic Merlin then these are very interesting. However there appear to be some mistakes such as a mention of Myrddin Vrych which looks like it should be Merfyn Frych (edit: after finding an online translation by Skene and transcript of the original Welsh it appears this is in the original manuscript so not a mistake) and a very obvious typo "many breastplates, many helmets on heads, intent on cattle" in a verse all about a battle. but despite these faults I would still recommend it as a good introduction to all the sources and to get creative inspiration and do further reading. It is also beautifully illustrated with reproductions of paintings and illustrations from manuscripts.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful insight into the historical Merlin and the early history of Britain and Wales. Also as an English Teacher I found the poetry interesting. With Merlin and Arthur all the rage today, it's nice to see someone trying to get to the bottom of the legened rather than the myth.

[Hannah Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lost this in the move from Japan back to the states and was so happy to have found it at last. Now I have my complete collection of the Matthews' books! I remember really liking this. I want to reread it sometime in the future.

[Sarah Fournier]

Very interesting. Not an academic source however. Some of his information does not match up with other sources I used in researching Merlin.