Merlin

[dinadan]

OK, Merlin is my favorite character in all of SRL's books. But, there are a few things about him that are mysterious, which I think could be fun to talk about.

(1) How is he immortal?
(2) How is it that he makes it to the early 21st century before government officials figure him out (this question may also entail some of our friends who live across the pond letting us know if the Brit government is really this inefficient)?
(3) What is the nature of his magic?

Of course, we can talk about more than just these--they're kind of primer.

[Child of Immanuel]

1) Something probably to do with his Fair Folk heritage, they live much longer than we. Who knows what Taliesin was, either?

[calixar]

Is he immortal, or long-lived? The point about his Atlantean heritage and the whatever-Taliesin-was factor is good.

He gets to the 21st century unnoticed in the way people in real-life, right here, manage to change identities... he gets caught for the same reason... technology improving makes it harder to change your identity without getting caught.

What really is magic? I don't see it as some anti-science thing. Arthur C. Clarke wrote:
"Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic."
Angels, demons, whatever else... only use rules of the existing universe that are not accessible to us (normally). "Supernatural" does not mean "unnatural." A conductor conducts... a superconductor conducts more.
Again... Taliesin may have passed something to him.

[dinadan]

The subject of Taliessin's origin is interesting; I suppose it might be that he was the child of an otherworld being.

But yes, Merlin is more than long lived, he is immortal. Emrys, after all, means "eternal."

And, I'll be the first one to agree that supernatural does not mean unnatural (check out the Magic and Literature thread); and while Mr. Clarke may be right that advanced technology would appear magical to less advanced people, I've never been one to buy the idea that power is power whether the means of achieving it are techological or mystical. And, do you really think Merlin was employing some kind of advanced science? His power seems to me to be based pretty firmly in the supernatural.

Taliessin, of course, is a genetic wild card; I suppose we should devote part of the thread to him.

[Riothamus]

Here's my take on the three points:
(1) How is he immortal? Ditto above. Atlantian heritage and Taliesin. And he probably recieved a special dispensation as his fate was tied to the coming of the Summer Realm. Perhaps this was imparted upon the occasion of his visit from the Great Winged Servant?

(2) Again, ditto above. And he's always been in the shadows a bit, one of those people one doesn't notice.

(3) What is the nature of his magic? Well, in the context of the books, it's clearly on some level a sort of sanctified druidism. His fire-gazing, et cetera, is derived from his druidic training; however, it's (argh, for lack of a better term,) "born-again" druidism. He recieves an anointing for the accomplishment of the Summer Realm, and this lifts his magic above that of his predecessors. IMHO. Partly, too, I think his power is word-based; he speaks the "dark tongue," the language which calls the essence of things. To name a thing is to command it, or to discern its essence--this was the signifigance of Adam's naming the animals, for it showed a perfect understanding of the natural world. And with Merlin, it allowed him to command the elements.

Taliesin I'm not so certain of. Mythologically, as we all no doubt know, he was Gwion Bach (ahh, Bach....) who tasted of the Cauldron of somthing-or-other, and led Caridwen on a wild hare chase, culminating in Caridwen ingesting him and giving birth to him. I somehow doubt this is what Lawhead had in mind, but perhaps he left the backstory blank to allow those myths room to grow. Which is all a very semi-erudite and wordy way of saying "I don't know."

[Child of Immanuel]

Riothamus said:

...Gwion Bach (ahh, Bach....) who tasted of the Cauldron of somthing-or-other, and led Caridwen on a wild hare chase, culminating in Caridwen ingesting him and giving birth to him.

Storytellers in ancient cultures must have regularly ingested a hallucinogen, because their myths make NO SENSE whatsoever. lol.


Liking the rest of your post, though, Riothamus!

[Riothamus]

Child said:

Storytellers in ancient cultures must have regularly ingested a hallucinogen, because their myths make NO SENSE whatsoever. lol.

LOL (would you believe that's the first time I've ever used that expression?)

But seriously, say rather that they delved deep into the subconcious and produced some great stories about themselves (Jung) or their mothers (Freud)....

[Child of Immanuel]

Riothamus said:

But seriously, say rather that they delved deep into the subconcious and produced some great stories about themselves (Jung) or their mothers (Freud)....

haha... it still makes no sense. But it's fun to read!

[calixar]

Riothamus said:

Gwion Bach (ahh, Bach....) who tasted of the Cauldron of somthing-or-other, and led Caridwen on a wild hare chase....

Being somewhat "into" Celtic mythology, that gave me a good laugh! ;D

Child said:

Storytellers in ancient cultures must have regularly ingested a hallucinogen, because their myths make NO SENSE whatsoever. lol.

No.
The stories are very heavily "encrypted," so to speak. You don't "get" them because you don't understand the symbols and metaphors of that culture.
To a Scots or Irishman 2,000 years ago the story of Gwion Bach would mean something.

If I say I chose to delay an important journey because a wild goose died in front of my house this morning, it would sound like errant nonsense to you... but to someone steeped in Celtic lore...

[Child of Immanuel]

I bow to your superiority based on studying.

[Riothamus]

Calixar said:

If I say I chose to delay an important journey because a wild goose died in front of my house this morning, it would sound like errant nonsense to you... but to someone steeped in Celtic lore...

...it would mean.... (I confess, I know considerably less about this subject than I would like.)

[dinadan]

Celtic "logic" is also hard for us to grasp at times; Lawhead uses the idea of "naud" in The Paradise War, which seems absurd to our sense of justice--but the "geas" is another great piece of Celtic tradition that seems really odd to us; like the one on CuCulain about eating dog.

[calixar]

The Wild Goose is a symbol of the Divine to the Celt. It also hold connotations of journeying, because of the whole migration thing. Celtic tradition forbade the eating of geese because of their connection to the Divine.
When Christianity came to Scotland the symbol of the dove seemed meaningless to the natives, so it was often replaced with a goose. So, when Jesus is being baptized, it is a Wild Goose that descends on Him as God says, "This is my Son..."
If you look at the Book of Kells you'll see geese. Very perplexing until you understand the significance.

[Riothamus]

Ah.... Thanks. ;D

[dgan]

Merlin, I believe, at one point calls out something similar to, "Great Light, how long must I endure?!" I defer to those much more knowledgeable than me as to Celtic mythology, magic, etc... However, I believe this statement reveals he is not immortal, and that he graces the earth so long as God employs his services. To a point, it may be out of Merlin's control.

That being said, there is some reason to believe it could be his Atlantean heritage. Charis wrote that Annubi had served Avallach, Avallach's father, and his father's father, and we know that peace had reigned on Atlantis for over 2000 years. Who's to say Annubi was not alive a significant amount of that time?