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Prose Merlin
The Robert
de Boron Section
What is the Prose Merlin?
The Prose Merlin is a history
or chronicle of the life of Merlin from
his conception by an incubus and a virtuous
virgin to his involvement with King Arthur
until his end. It focuses on the importance
of Merlin’s role in designing and
shaping Arthur’s court, kingdom,
and the ultimate quest for the Holy Grail.
The Prose Merlin more deeply
Christianizes the Arthur legends. It
presents Merlin as half-devil and half-human,
a playful prophet and seer. He is still
the Celtic trickster figure who mysteriously
appears, works his wonders, and disappears.
Yet in the Prose Merlin, he
works to bring order and peace to the
Britons as well as to guide them on a
quest towards salvation.
The Prose Merlin was written
in Middle English around the mid-fifteenth
century. A single manuscript text survives:
Cambridge University Library MS Ff.3.11.
This was a translation of the Merlin section
of the Old French Vulgate Cycle, a collaborative
work written in France during the early
part of the thirteenth century. Scholars
believe it was written between 1210 through
the 1230s. The Vulgate Cycle tried to
give order to the plethora of Arthurian
legends and stories. It contains five
main sections: 1) The History of
the Grail; 2) Merlin; 3) Lancelot;
4) The Quest for the Holy Grail;
and 5) The Death of Arthur.
The Merlin section of the Vulgate
Cycle itself has two parts. The first
tells of Merlin’s conception and
birth through the sword in the stone
and Arthur’s coronation. It is
based on the poem Merlin, written
around 1200, probably by Robert de Boron.
Only a fragment of the opening 500 or
so lines remains. It is a straight, single-threaded
narrative, written in octosyllabic verse.
The second part of the Merlin section
of the Vulgate Cycle, which tells of
the rise of Arthur through Merlin’s
imprisonment, was written by an unknown
author. It was most likely written to
complete the story for the Vulgate Cycle.
It is more complex and multi-threaded,
with a wide array of characters. Another
sequel to Robert de Boron’s portion
exists, which is known as the Suite
du Merlin. It covers similar material,
is anonymous, and was written during
the early part of the thirteenth century.
What is the Story?
The Robert de Boron Section from the Prose
Merlin contains five episodes.
The Birth of Merlin
A council of devils meets because they
are angry with Christ’s Harrowing
of Hell, where he freed Adam and Even
and Old Testament patriarchs. The devils
decide to have their own agent on Earth
to undo Christ’s work. This would
be a sort of Antichrist, who has knowledge
of all things past. He would be born
of a human mother impregnated by one
of the devils. They find a virgin who
is actually a virtuous, religious girl.
While she is asleep and in a vulnerable
state because she is sad and angry and
not keeping her thoughts on God, one
of the devils begets Merlin on her. She
goes to her spiritual mentor Blase (Blaise),
a hermit, for advice. She knows that
she will be judged, condemned, and executed
because of her pregnancy. He is unsure
of the truth of her story, but he records
the date and time of conception. He intercedes
on her behalf and has her put in a tower
until the child is born. Because she
confesses and repents to Blaise, God
foils the devils’ plan. He lets
her child be a force for good rather
than evil. He endows the child with knowledge
of future events in addition to his knowledge
of the past. Merlin is born in the tower
and baptized by Blaise. He is hairy and
amazes all by speaking at a very young
age. He also shows that he knows what
others think, knows their past, and can
foretell events. Also, unlike Cassandra
who was doomed not to have people believe
her, Merlin is believed. Merlin goes
on to defend his mother and her virtue
at her trial. He proves to the judge
that he knows his parentage better than
the judge knows his own. An important
relationship between Merlin and Blaise
is established. Blaise records Merlin’s
prophecies, adventures, and deeds in
a book for posterity. Merlin tells him
that those who read the book will save
themselves from sin. Blaise goes off
to Northumberland.
Vortiger’s Tower
Vortiger (Vortigern) steals the throne
of Britain after King Constance dies.
King Constance’s eldest son Moyne
is killed, and Vortiger banishes the
other two sons, Pendragon and Uther,
to Gaul. Vortiger allies himself with
the Danes and marries the daughter of
a Danish leader. He tries to build a
tower as a fortress against his own people,
but the tower rises only to a certain
height and then collapses. Vortiger calls
upon his sages to help him. They tell
him to sprinkle the blood of a fatherless
boy on the tower. Merlin, still a child,
is found and brought before Vortiger.
Merlin reveals the evil of the sages.
The tower will not stand because it is
above a pool of water in which a red
and a white dragon live. Once the dragons
are uncovered, they begin to fight each
other until the red dragon burns and
kills the white one. Merlin explains
that the white dragon represents Vortiger
and the red dragon the sons of Constance.
In fact, Pendragon and Uther are on their
way with legions to seek vengeance against
Vortiger.
Vortiger’s Demise; The Battle
of Salisbury; and The Death of Pendragon
Pendragon and Uther arrive. The people
desert Vortiger and he is burned in his
tower as Merlin predicted. Pendragon
becomes king and fights the Danes. All
of this is recorded in Blaise’s
book, and the people begin recording
Merlin’s prophecies in a book as
well. A large, important battle against
the Danes is waged at Salisbury. Merlin
gives the brothers a strategy for winning
the battle, but he tells them that only
one of them will survive the fight. Pendragon
dies, and Uther becomes king. Merlin
remains as Uther’s advisor. Uther
appends his brother’s name to his
own and becomes Utherpendragon. He also
takes the red dragon as his emblem. Merlin
insists on a monument to honor Pendragon
and those who died in the Battle on Salisbury
Plain. Merlin sails to Ireland to retrieve
giant stones. He magically transports
the heavy stones to Salisbury, and there
Stonehenge is built and the soldiers
buried.
One of the most important parts of this
episode includes Merlin’s advice
to Utherpendragon to have a Round Table
in Cardoll, Wales. Merlin states that
God wills Utherpendragon to do this.
The Round Table is more than just a way
to foster equality among the knights
and barons. This mystical Round Table
is based on the table of Joseph of Arimathea,
which was itself was built in memory
of the table used by Christ and his disciples
at the Last Supper. At Joseph’s
table, his brother-in-law Bron places
a fish in the center next to the bowl,
called the Grail, in front of Joseph.
Through the Grail the evil members around
the table are separated from the good.
Utherprendragon’s table is to be
the third table, representing the Holy
Trinity. Merlin chooses fifty worthy
men from the kingdom to sit at the table.
One seat is left empty, as had been at
the other tables. At Christ’s table,
this was the place left by Judas, who
betrayed him. Merlin tells Utherpendragon
that the seat will remain empty at the
Table of the Grail throughout Utherpendragon’s
lifetime. The seat is for someone who
will come after him. The worthy men are
very taken with the table and want to
remain allied with each other. Merlin
leaves to see Blaise in Northumberland.
Uther and Ygerne
Utherpendragon falls in love with Ygerne,
wife of the Duke of Tintagel. She is
shown to be a very virtuous woman, who
is faithful to her husband, and she rejects
Utherpendragon’s advances. Since
he is so lovesick, Utherpendragon asks
Merlin for help. Merlin displays his
sense of humor by appearing to Utherpendragon
and his counselor Ulfin in a number of
disguises. Merlin makes them swear oaths
on reliquaries and then uses his shape-shifting
abilities to make Utherpendragon appear
as the Duke of Tintagel to Ygerne so
she will accept him in her bedroom. Ulfin
appears as Jordan and Merlin as Bretel,
two of the Duke’s knights. That
night Arthur is conceived. Merlin records
the date and time of conception. The
Duke is killed. The pregnant Ygerne and
Utherpendragon marry. Utherpendragon
does not tell her about how he tricked
her that night. Merlin instructs that
the child be called Arthur and that he
should be raised by a good man, Antor,
and his wife. Utherpendragon rules for
many years. On Utherpendragon’s
deathbed, Merlin tells him that his son,
Arthur, will be the new king and will
fill the empty seat at the Round Table.
Arthur and the Sword in the Stone
The people pray for a new king, because
they believe that Utherpendragon did
not have an heir. In front of a church
where they are praying, where there had
been an empty place, a great stone topped
by an anvil in which is fixed a sword
appears. On the sword in gold letters
is written that whoever takes the sword
from the stone shall be king by election
of Jesus Christ. Many barons and knights
try to pull the sword from the stone.
Even Kay, the son of humble Antor, tries.
Arthur, while looking for a sword for
Kay, easily manages to take the sword
from the stone. After numerous tests,
the people finally believe that Arthur
has been elected as king. As gratitude
towards Antor for raising him, Arthur
makes Kay his steward. The barons test
Arthur’s nature by showering him
with rich gifts. However, he gives them
away and becomes known for his generosity.
They accept him as their king and he
is coronated. Merlin tells Arthur to
use the sword to keep justice, defend
the Holy Church, and to maintain the
Christian faith.
What Does the Story Bring to Arthurian
Literature?
Robert de Boron’s Merlin differs
from the Arthurian stories as written
by Geoffrey of Monmouth in The History
of the Kings of Britain, Wace in Roman
de Brut, La3amon in Brut, or
Chrétien de Troyes in The
Story of the Grail is as follows:
- Upholding faith in Christ and Christian
morality is emphasized throughout the
work.
- Merlin is a sort of Antichrist. God
changes the devils’ plan because
Merlin’s mother is a virtuous
woman who repents.
- The ultimate purpose for Merlin is
bring about and guide the rule of King
Arthur for spiritual reasons, although
Merlin retains some of his playful
trickster character. He is a central
character who foresees, shapes, and
participates in events.
- The bowl or “graal” of
Chrétien becomes the Holy Grail,
which Merlin explains to Arthur as
a holy relic that must be found.
- The Round Table is one of three tables.
It is fashioned after the table of
Joseph of Arimathea, which was in memory
of the table at the Last Supper.
- Arthur becomes king by removing the
sword from the stone.
- Blaise, the hermit, keeps Merlin’s
prophecies and deeds in a book.
Why Does the Prose Merlin Have
These Differences?
We can speculate on why Robert de Boron
changed the Arthurian stories based on
information we have regarding the author
as well as the history and culture of
his time.
Robert de Boron was a poet from the
village of Boron near Montbéliard
in Burgundy, France. He wrote on Joseph
of Arimathea and the origin of the Grail,
Merlin (only a fragment remains), and
Perceval (no manuscript has been found).
In his Joseph d’Arimathe,
he claims that he was a clerk and, at
another point, a knight. Scholars believe
that he might have been in service to
Gautier de Montbéliard who fought
in the Fourth Crusade in the early part
of the thirteenth century. Robert de
Boron writes about the Holy Grail as
being taken to Glastonbury by Joseph,
where his family was to guard it until
the rise of King Arthur and the coming
of Perceval. This has caused scholars
to speculate that he might have known
about the monks who found the tombs of
Arthur and Guinevere at Glastonbury.
The question remains as to why, as a
Frenchman, he preferred to write about
the Matter of Britain and Arthur rather
than the Matter of Britain and Charlemagne.
Geography might give some insight. Burgundy
around the time of 1200 was part of the
Germanic Holy Roman Empire. The Dukes
of Burgundy often allied themselves more
with Britain rather than the King of
France. This was true for Hugh III, who
was Duke of Burgundy from 1162 – 1192.
He had border disputes with King Louis
VII and King Philip II of France. (However,
his son, who succeeded him, Eudes III,
made peace with Philip II.) Robert de
Boron’s writing shows sympathies
with Britain not only in its subject
matter, but also in showing the Britons
in a positive light and their enemies,
such as the Danes, as villains.
Also interesting is the Christian focus
that Robert de Boron gives to the material.
In the late twelfth century and early
thirteenth century, Christianity and
Christian morality permeated all aspects
of life, although that was not unique
to Robert de Boron. Monks prayed not
only for their own salvation but saw
themselves as “soldiers of Christ,” concerned
with the Christian welfare of their neighbors.
Perhaps Robert de Boron, as a clerk with
some church duties, saw fit to edify
and inform as well as entertain with
his poetry. As a clerk, he might also
know the value of recording events. If
he truly were in service to someone who
went off on a Crusade to the Holy Land.,
he might be interested in defending the
Holy Church, as Merlin instructs Arthur.
Bibliography
Primary Source
Conlee, John, ed. Prose Merlin. Kalamazoo:
Medieval Institute Publications, 1998.
Secondary Sources
Tolstoy, Nikolai. The Quest for Merlin.
London: Hamish Hamilton, 1985.
This book explores the origins of Merlin.
It also looks for an historical basis
for a real Merlin as well as the nature
of Merlin in myth and literature. Merlin
is considered as the Trickster archetype.
It is interesting when reading the Prose
Merlin to see how the mythological
figure became Christianized.
Loomis, Roger Sherman. The Development
of Arthurian Romance. New York: W. W.
Norton & Company, Inc.
Roger Sherman Loomis looks at the history
of medieval Arthurian literature in Europe.
He looks at the historical and cultural
events at the time the literature was
written too see how it influenced Arthurian
literature. The historical approach and
method is a sound way to view the literature.
Stewart, R. J., ed. The Book of Merlin.
Poole: Blandford Press, 1987.
This collection of essays from the First
Merlin Conference in London, June 1986,
tries to dispel some of the modern views
of Merlin as a wizard in a pointed hat
by exploring his origins in the earliest
literature, as an archetype, and in later
literature, for example, the seventieth
and twentieth centuries. It provides
background information on the evolution
of Merlin’s character.
Webliography
Primary Source
http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/confront.htm
This is the complete Middle English
Prose Merlin online, edited by John Conlee.
The introduction contains information
Robert de Boron, the Vulgate Cycle, and
discusses differences between the Prose
Merlin and Sir Thomas Malory’s Le
Morte D’Arthur.
Secondary Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_%28wizard%29
This web page contains background information
on the evolution of Merlin from Celtic
traditions to modern fiction.
http://www.arthurian-legend.com/more-about/more-about-arthur-10.php
This page describes the origins of Merlin
and discusses how he is portrayed by
Geoffrey of Monmouth, Robert de Boron,
and Sir Thomas Malory.
http://www.legends.dm.net/kingarthur/merlin.html
This contains information and lists
resources regarding the Matter of Britain
and Merlin.
http://www.pantheon.org/areas/folklore/arthurian/articles.html
This contains background information
on Merlin by Brian Edward Rise.
http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/digital_guides/arthurian_legends/Editorial-Introduction.aspx
Professor Norris J. Lacy discusses the
influence of French prose romance on
Arthurian literature.
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/4186/Arthur/htmlpages/legendliterature2.html
This gives information on contributions
of Robert de Boron to Arthurian literature,
such as placing the Holy Grail in the
Arthurian tradition through Merlin and
the sword in the stone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_de_Boron
This page provides biographical information
on Robert de Boron.
http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/arthur/boron.html
This is a brief biography of Robert
de Boron by David Nash Ford.
http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/polpint.htm
This introduction to Poems of Political
Prophecy by James M. Dean looks
at the prophetic tradition in English.
At the bottom of the page are links
to Poems of Political Prophecy,
including Prophecy of Merlin.
http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=3369
This provides information on the Vulgate
Cycle.
http://www.digitalmedievalist.com/bibs/arthbib.html#artreading
Lisa L. Spangeberg looks at Arthurian
literature with a Celtic bias.
http://www.csuohio.edu/english/malRT1.html
This discusses the round table as written
about by Wace, La3amon, and de
Boron.
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture24b.html
This essay gives historical background
on the medieval worldview.
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture26b.html
This essay gives information on the
twelfth century Renaissance in Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_III%2C_Duke_of_Burgundy
This page gives a brief history of Hugh
III, a Duke of Burgundy from 1162 – 1192. |