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Merlin and Shakespeare

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Lyra

unread,

Mar 17, 2008, 3:56:27 PM3/17/08

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I've sent posts to the thread about Shakespeare
(maybe) writing "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in a Welsh cave,

as some of the posts were about Merlin,
I'm sending this as a new thread.

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Address:
Golden Grove
Carmarthen, Dyfed
UK

Golden Grove is where the large green arrow is.

Note, it is a little north-west of Clydach.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=
Golden+Grove+Wales
&ie=UTF8&ll=51.812011,-3.766937&spn=0.388855,0.933838&z=10

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Map for Carmarthen

It is to the west of Golden Grove (which is the green arrow)
and north-west of Clydach.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=
Golden+Grove+Wales
&ie=UTF8&ll=51.812011,-4.143219&spn=0.388855,0.933838&z=10

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Why Carmarthen? The Birth of Merlin.

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Carmarthen's history will be celebrated on Sunday 6 June.

Mysteries of Carmarthen Past will be staged in the town park from 12
noon-5pm.

It will include traditional exhibitions of Welsh dancing, singing and
music, carnival queen style competitions, living statues,
stiltwalkers, magicians, jesters and other entertainers.

A second world record attempt will be made, this time for the largest
pot of cawl.

Local children will bring vegetables for the pot, before taking a turn
to stir it.

Marquees filled with craftspeople, plant sellers, fortune tellers,
apothecaries and traditional Welsh produce like fudge, ice cream,
cheese, ham and other goods will be set up.

Professional chef Nick Davies will cook up a storm using the finest
Carmarthenshire foods.

Stage shows including the Owain Glyndwr re-enactment horse stunt show
and vultures and eagles bird of prey will be put on for the crowds.

There will also be a series of historical re-enactments including The
Knights of Longshanks, Knights et Armis, The Company of Chivalry,
Gwerin Y Gwyr, Medieval Free Company, Chance Encounters and
storyteller Fiona Collins.

And an exhibition entitled 'Two Doctors and A Druid will be staged
from June 7-9 at a town centre venue.

The three woman show features a collection by some of
Carmarthenshire's most well known professional painters.

Art historian Dr Caroline Jones, Llandovery GP Dr Kate Briscoe and
author Jan Fry will display a range of acrylics, oils and watercolour
paintings inspired by the mysteries of Merlin and the landscapes of
Carmarthenshire.

Organisers say the festival will provide something for people of all
ages

Carmarthen entertainer Mike Doyle said: "I am delighted to be part of
this event, organised by the Carmarthen Festival Partnership.

"It is set to capture the hearts and minds of people far and wide with
the magic of Merlin, the greatest magical figure ever known.

"Carmarthen is my birth place and I am proud of the town's connections
with this wizard.

"The Merlin, Magic and Mystery Festival is a definite date for the
diary and I'm sure it will become an annual event with an
international following."

http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/index.asp?locID=7089&docID=7337

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(quote, excerpts)

* Carmarthen was the birthplace of Merlin according to Geoffrey of
Monmouth. The name Carmathen itself is said to derive from the Welsh
name for the town, 'Caerfyrddin', which means Merlin's fortress
("Caer"-Fortress, "Myrddin"-Merlin). There are many places surrounding
Carmarthen with names associating it with Merlin such as Brynn
Myrddin, "Merlin's Wood".

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Places with other associations to Arthurian legend

* Alnwick Castle is a contender for Lancelot's castle Joyous Garde
according to Malory.

o Bamburgh Castle is an alternative contender to Alnwick
Castle for Lancelot's castle Joyous Gard according to Malory.

* The convent at Amesbury in Wiltshire is a contender for the
place of banishment of Guinevere.

* Broceliande Forest is in Brittany
* Carlisle: In Malory, Guinevere's affair with Lancelot was
exposed at Carlisle and there she was sentenced to death.

* Castle Dore is the Cornish castle where the story of Tristan is
set
* Dinas Emrys (Iron Age hill fort in Gwynedd said to have been a
place of refuge of Vortigern and the site of Merlin's vision of Red
and White dragons).
* Stonehenge is said to be the burial place of Ambrosius
Aurelianus and Uther Pendragon.
* The Berth, near Baschurch in Shropshire, is reputed to be a
possible burial place.
* Tintagel Castle in Cornwall (also said to be Arthur's birthplace
by Geoffrey of Monmouth, and later by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in Idylls
of the King) Tintagel is also said to be the stronghold of the Dukes
and Duchesses of Cornwall, namely Duchess, then Queen, Igraine
(Ygraine, Ygerna) and Duke Gorlois.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sites_and_places_associated_with_Arthurian_legend

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Carmarthen

History

Roman

Main article: Moridunum (Carmarthen)

When Britannia was a Roman province, Carmarthen was the civitas
capital of the Demetae tribe, known as Moridunum (meaning sea fort).

Carmarthen is possibly the oldest town in Wales and was recorded by
Ptolemy and in the Antonine Itinerary. The Roman fort is believed to
date from AD75-77. A coin hoard was found nearby in 2006 [1]. Near the
fort is one of seven surviving Roman amphitheatres in the United
Kingdom.

The name became Carmarthen (Caerfyrddin in Welsh). Someone may have
treated the name as meaning "Royal residence of a man called Myrddin".

Medieval

The strategic importance of Carmarthen was such that the Norman
William fitz Baldwin built a castle probably around 1094. The existing
castle site is known to have been used since 1105. The castle was
destroyed by Llywelyn the Great in 1215. In 1223 the castle was
rebuilt and permission was received to wall the town (a murage).
Carmarthen was probably the first medieval walled town in Wales. In
1405 the town was taken and the castle was sacked by Owain Glyndwr.

The famous Black Book of Carmarthen, written around 1250, is
associated with the town's Priory of St John the Evangelist and
Teulyddog.

The Black Book of Carmarthen includes poems with references to Myrddin
(Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin) and possibly to Arthur (Pa wr yw'r
Porthor?).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmarthen

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Magical Merlin and Carmarthen

Wizard at the 2005 Merlin festival

Last updated: 16 May 2007

Summer 2006 saw Carmarthen stage it's fourth annual Merlin & Magic
festival. But just how is the town connected to the legendary wizard,
and the Arthurian world?

Merlin is an historical figure that has captured the imagination of
people across the world, writes Greg Jones.
His links with King Arthur and the scores of books, cartoons and films
devoted to his adventures have propelled his status to one under the
constant scrutiny of global debate.

Carmarthen is a town said by many academics to be the most closely
connected to Merlin, and 2006 marked the fourth occasion the 'Merlin,
Magic & Mystery' festival was held in his memory.

Ann Dorsett is a senior museums curator at Carmarthenshire Council.
She said:
"Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote the History of the Kings of Britain in
1136 and he links stories about Merlin with those concerning King
Arthur.

"In his story, a boy called Merlinus was found by messengers of
Vortigen, King of the Britons, in a town named Kaermerdin. The boy was
needed as a sacrifice to stop a new tower from mysteriously falling
down. Merlin showed Vortigen that the tower stood upon an underground
pool containing two dragons. When the pool was drained, the dragons
awoke and began to fight. Merlin explained that the red dragon
represented the British people and the white represented the Saxon
invaders. Geoffrey took a lot from earlier legends and histories, and
many Merlin prophecies featured in early Welsh poems."

Professor Stephen Knight is the author of Arthurian Literature and
Society.
He said: "Merlin appears to have been aristocratic and fled to the
woods after being traumatised by a battle that took place close to
Carlisle in 573AD. He became a visionary who prophesied and
represented knowledge. Geoffrey of Monmouth linked him with South
Wales and, in particular, Dyfed.

"He's become especially associated with Carmarthen because of the
town's name along with its standing and dignity. Merlin is a term
that's still connected with power. One only has to recall the Merlin
engines of the World War Two Spitfires to illustrate that."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southwest/sites/carmarthen/pages/merlin_town.shtml

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(quote, excerpts)

Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World

(from) Chapter I

Two Merlins

"What I wanted to ask you was if you had discovered anything linking
Merlin with Shakespeare?" he said.

"Shakespeare! But he was born in the sixteenth century..."

"I don't mean that Shakespeare knew him," Glynn interrupted. "Have
you found anything Shakespeare wrote about him?"

I had researched the life of William Shakespeare some years earlier
for a book in which I examined his private life, but knew of nothing
he had written about Merlin.

"Not that I can think of," I said. "Why do you ask?"

It was then that Glynn hit me with his bombshell. "I believe
Shakespeare was killed because of what he knew about Merlin and the
two serpents on Excalibur's hilt. Serpents exactly like those," he
said, tapping the hilt. I didn't quite know how to handle that one.
As far as I knew Glynn was a sensible and respected historian but this
sounded not only off the point but decidedly odd. "You do think that
Shakespeare was murdered?" he said, when I looked at him bemused. In
my book I had suggested that Shakespeare was killed because of what he
knew about an anti-government conspiracy.

"There are mysterious circumstances surrounding Shakespeare's death
which might imply that someone murdered him, but I can't see how that
could have anything to do with Merlin," I said.

"I think you were right about Shakespeare's death. You said you
thought Shakespeare knew about plots against the English government
but the whole thing was bigger; much bigger than you ever
considered." Glynn's easy-going and cheerful expression had dropped
from his face and he looked positively concerned. He even glanced
around at the drinkers on at the other tables as if to make sure they
could not hear what he was saying. "There are still people today who
would kill to find out what Shakespeare knew."

"Sorry, I'm not with you." I said.

Glynn looked down to the map of Britain he had been using to point out
various locations associated with the Merlin legend and stabbed his
finger in the area of Stratford-upon-Avon in central England where
Shakespeare had lived. It seemed he was about to say something but
decided against it.

"I thought someone like you might have arrived at the same
conclusions, independently," he said, ignoring my question.

"Someone like me?"

"A person who's researched both the Arthurian legend and the life of
Shakespeare."

"Sorry," I said, now having difficulty disguising the fact that I
thought Glynn was acting a bit weird. "I don't know what you mean.
Not unless you explain."

It seemed that Glynn had decided he'd said enough. Apparently, he had
assumed that I must have known what he was talking about and as I had
no idea it was best I didn't know. He changed the subject back to the
literary evidence for an historical Merlin and returned to his usual
self.

http://www.grahamphillips.net/Merlin/merlin_chapter.htm

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Merlin is not, at any rate, a personal name but a place name - the
Welsh Myrddin comes from Celtic Maridunon (Carmarthen) - which was
applied to the magician because, according to Geoffrey, he came from
that city. Elsewhere it is averted that the city was founded by, and
named after, the wizard. Robert has him born in Brittany. Geoffrey
makes him King of Powys, and the idea that he was of royal blood is
also found in Strozzi's VENETIA EDIFICATA (1624).

This contrasts with the earlier theory of E. Davies that Merlin was a
god (the evening star), and his sister Ganieda a goddess (the morning
star). There is some evidence that Merlin may originally have been a
god, for in the TRIADS, we are told that the earlieast name for
Britain was Merlin's Precinct, as though he were a god with
proprietorial rights. G. Ashe would connect him with the cult of the
god Mabon. Because of his association with stags, there may be a
connection with Cernunnos, the Celtic horned god.

Merlin's mother was called Aldan in Welsh tradition. The Elizabethan
play THE BIRTH OF MERLIN - which may have been partially authored by
Shakespeare - calls her Joan Go-to-'t.

That he had no father does not seem to be a feature of Welsh tradition
in which he is given the following pedigree: Coel Godebog - Ceneu -
Mor - Morydd - Madog Morfryn - Myrddin (Merlin). He was also said to
be the son of Morgan Frych who, some claimed, had been a prince of
Gwynedd. Both Welsh poetry and Geoffrey have him speaking with
Taliesin, with whom he seemed to be considerably connected in the
Welsh mind.

Thus one Welsh tradition asserted he first appeared in Vortigern's
time, then was reincarnated as Taliesin and reincarnated once more as
Merlin the wild man. The idea that there were two Merlins, wizard and
wild man, is found in Giraldus Cambrensis (the Norman-welsh chronicler
of the twelfth century), doubtless because of the impossibly long
lifespan assigned to him by Geoffrey. A modern relic of the Merlin
legend was to be found in the pilgrimages made to Merlin's Spring at
Barenton in Brittany, but these were stopped by the Vatican in 1853.

MERLIN'S ENCLOSURE

Merlin is the tutelar of Britain which is anciently called Clas Merdin
or Merlin's Enclosure. # 454

MERLIN'S HILL CAVE

A Carmarthen cave where Merlin is said to be buried. # 156

http://www.celticgrounds.com/chapters/encyclopedia/m.html

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Lyra

unread,

Mar 17, 2008, 5:18:47 PM3/17/08

Lyra wrote:

(quote, excerpts)

> Places with other associations to Arthurian legend
>
> * Alnwick Castle is a contender for Lancelot's castle Joyous Garde
> according to Malory.

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sites_and_places_associated_with_Arthurian_legend

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To Alnwick Castle

(anagram)

Was Lancelot? - tick!

Saw Lancelot? - tick!

(a tick for yes)

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