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Synopsis
A superb collection of stories of magic and adventure from the golden age of Arthurian legend by bestselling writers.
Enter into the darker realms of the age of the Knights of the Round Table, when magic held sway and Merlin vied with Arthur's heroic new world.
Included are: Jane Yolen on Merlin's youth and coming of age; Marion Zimmer Bradley on Nimuë, Merlin's lover and doom; Charles de Lint on Merlin's influence through the centuries; Darrell Schweitzer on the legends of Merlin's birth; plus stories by Tanith Lee, Peter Tremayne, Phyllis Ann Karr, Jennifer Roberson, and many others.
There is also a detailed introduction by Mike Ashley on the mystery and magic of Merlin and his world.
Release date: September 24, 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Print pages: 160
* BingeBooks earns revenue from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate as well as from other retail partners.
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The Mammoth Book of Merlin
Mike Ashley
Mike Ashley is a full-time writer, editor and researcher with almost a hundred books to his credit. He has compiled fifty Mammoth books including The Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction, The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy and The Mammoth Book of Perfect Crimes and Impossible Mysteries. He has also written the biography of Algernon Blackwood, Starlight Man, and a comprehensive study The Mammoth Book of King Arthur. He lives in Kent with his wife and three cats and when he gets the time he likes to go for long walks.
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Constable & Robinson Ltd
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This book was originally published as The Merlin
Chronicles, copyright © 1995 Mike Ashley.
This expanded compilation and all additional material is copyright
© Mike Ashley, 2009 (unless otherwise indicated).
All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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UK ISBN 978-1-84901-111-2
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First published in the United States in 2009 by Running Press Book Publishers All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions
This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher.
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US Library of Congress number: 2009923257
US ISBN 978-0-7624-3830-3
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Acknowledgments
Dramatis personae
Introduction
Dream Reader
Jane Yolen
The Temptations of Merlin
Peter Tremayne
Infantasm
Robert Holdstock
The Pledged Word
Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Horse Who Would Be King
Jennifer Roberson
A Sword for Arthur
Vera Chapman
The Rite of Challenge
Peter Valentine Timlett
Merlin’s Dark Mirror
Phyllis Ann Karr
Merlin and Tom Thumb
Dinah Maria Mulock
The Seven Champions
E. M. Wilmot-Buxton
Morte d’Espier
Maxey Brooke
King’s Mage
Tanith Lee
A Quest Must End
Theodore Goodridge Roberts
Cauldron of Light
Diana L. Paxson
Namer of Beasts, Maker of Souls
Jessica Amanda Salmonson
The Corruption of Perfection
Mike Ashley
The Sleeper and the Seer
H. Warner Munn
Midwinter
David Sutton
The Death of Nimuë
Esther Friesner
The Knight of Pale Countenance
Darrell Schweitzer
The Castle of Kerglas
Emile Souvestre
Ogier the Dane
William Morris
Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood
Charles de Lint
The Dragon line
Michael Swanwick
My thanks to Larry Mandelsburg for his help in the compilation of this volume. The following stories are copyright and are reprinted with permission as stated.
“Dream Reader” © 1986 by Jane Yolen. First published in Merlin’s Booke (New York: Ace Books, 1986). Reprinted by permission of the author and the author’s agent, Curtis Brown Ltd.
“The Temptations of Merlin” © 1995 by Peter Tremayne. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author and the author’s agent, A. M. Heath & Co.
“Infantasm” © 1995 by Robert Holdstock. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Pledged Word” © 1995 by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Freely adapted by the author from chapter 12 of “The King Stag” section of The Mists of Avalon (New York: A. A. Knopf, 1982). Printed by permission of the author.
“The Horse Who Would Be King” © 1992 by Jennifer Roberson. First published in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, Spring/Summer 1992. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“A Sword for Arthur” © 1995 by Vera Chapman. Original story, extracted from the novel The Enchantresses, and first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Rite of Challenge” © 1995 by Peter Valentine Timlett. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“Merlin’s Dark Mirror” © 1995 by Phyllis Ann Karr. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“Morte d’Espier” © 1955 by Maxey Brooke. First published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, June 1955. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate.
“King’s Mage” © 1995 by Tanith Lee. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“A Quest Must End” © 1948 by McCall Corporation. First published in Blue Book Magazine, April 1948. Reprinted by permission of Mrs Dorothy Roberts Leisner.
“Cauldron of Light” © 1999 by Diana L. Paxson. First published in Merlin edited by Martin H. Greenberg (New York: DAW Books, 1999). Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Namer of Beasts, Maker of Souls” © 1995 by Jessica Amanda Salmonson. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Corruption of Perfection” © 2000 by Mike Ashley. First published in The Doom of Camelot edited by James Lowder (Oakland: Green Knight Publishing, 2000). Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Sleeper and the Seer” © 1966 by H. Warner Munn. First published in Weird Tales, September 1939 as part of serial King of the World’s Edge; reprinted New York: Ace Books, 1966. Reprinted by permission of Mr James E. Munn.
“Midwinter” © 1995 by David Sutton. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Death of Nimuë” © 1985 by Esther Friesner. First published in Fantasy Book, June 1985. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Knight of Pale Countenance” © 1995 by Darrell Schweitzer. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood” © 1990 by Charles de Lint. First published in Pulphouse #7, Spring 1990. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Dragon Line” © 1989 by Michael Swanwick. First published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine 1 June 1989. Reprinted by permission of the author.
The following is a short guide to the Arthurian characters and names you are likely to encounter in this anthology. There are so many names in Arthurian lore that it’s not always easy to know whether you’ve encountered someone of significance or not, and when those names can be subjected to so many alternative spellings, it can become very confusing. I hope the following helps. It does not include minor characters or those invented by the writers.
Agravaine. Son of King Lot and Morgause of Orkney, and brother of Gawain, Gaheris and Gareth. Sided with Mordred in the plot to reveal the adultery between Lancelot and Guinevere.
Ambrosius Aurelianus, also known as Emrys. Historically “the Last of the Romans”, he governed Britain in the last half of the fifth century and helped stem the tide of Saxon advance in the days immediately prior to Arthur. In Arthurian legend he is sometimes depicted as Arthur’s uncle. It was during his reign that Merlin raised Stonehenge.
Arthur/Artorius/Artos. High-King of Britain, son of Uther Pendragon and Igraine, raised as foster-son of Ector of the Forest Sauvage and foster-brother of Sir Kay. Founded the Fellowship of the Round Table, married Guinevere. By his half-sister Morgause he fathered Mordred who later waged war against him, resulting in the final battle at Camlann where both Arthur and Mordred fell.
Aurelianius, see Ambrosius.
Balin. A Northumbrian knight who was imprisoned by Arthur for killing the king’s cousin. He also angered the king by beheading the Lady of the Lake.
Bedivere/Bedvir/Bedwyr. One of Arthur’s earliest and most trusted knights who served him as his aide. It was he who restored Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake upon Arthur’s Death.
Blaise. A hermit monk to whom Merlin’s mother went for her confession. He became Merlin’s tutor.
Bors. Son of King Bors and cousin to Sir Lancelot. In one tale he is amongst the successful knights in the search for the Holy Grail.
Cae/Cei, see Kay.
Cerdic. A Saxon invader (though his name is Celtic) who landed with his son Cynric near Southampton in AD 495. He is claimed by the annalists as the first king of Wessex, though little is known about him.
Cissa. Son of Aelle, king of Sussex, and his companion in his battles against the British.
Constans. The elder brother (or in some stories father) of Ambrosius Aurelianus and Uther Pendragon, who was raised to the High Kingship of Britain by Vortigern only to be murdered.
Constantine. Son of Cador, duke of Cornwall and the successor to Arthur as High King. He took revenge upon Mordred by killing the usurper’s children.
Culhwch. See Kilhugh.
Cynric. Son of Cerdic and king of Wessex from around AD 534–560.
Drustan, see Tristan.
Dubric/Dubricius/Dyfrig. Celtic bishop of Caerleon (or Carlisle) who crowned Arthur.
Ector. Sir Ector was the foster-father of Arthur and the father of Sir Kay.
Elaine. There are three Elaines in the Arthurian cycle: Elaine of Garlot the half-sister of King Arthur; Elaine de Astolat, a maiden who fell in love with Sir Lancelot; and Elaine of Corbenic, daughter of King Pelles and, by Lancelot, the mother of Sir Galahad.
Emrys, see Ambrosius Aurelianus.
Ewaine, see Owain.
Gaheris. Third son of King Lot and brother to Agravaine, Gareth and Gawain. Half-brother of Mordred.
Galahad. Son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic and the purest of all the Knights of the Round Table. With Sir Bors and Sir Percevale, he was one of the successful Grail Knights. He was the only knight able to sit at the “Siege Perilous” seat of the Round Table.
Gareth. The youngest son of King Lot of Orkney and brother of Gawain, Gaheris and Agravaine. He first arrived anonymously at Camelot and was given the nickname “Beaumains” by Sir Kay, owing to his fine hands.
Gawain/Gwalchmai. The eldest son of King Lot of Orkney and brother of Gareth, Gaheris and Agravaine. He was one of the strongest knights of the Round Table. He features in the earliest legends of Arthur and appears in the Celtic texts as Gwalchmai, meaning the Hawk of May. He undertook the challenge of the Green Knight, Sir Bertilak.
Gorlas/Gorlois/Gorlodubnus. Duke of Cornwall, husband of Igraine, and father of Morgan le Fay, Morgause and Elaine of Garlot.
Grainne. See Igraine.
Guinevere/Gwynhwfar. Daughter of Leodegrance, King of Cameliard, and wife of King Arthur. Her adultery with Sir Lancelot caused the downfall of the Fellowship of the Round Table. She was condemned to death by Arthur but rescued by Lancelot and ended her days in a nunnery.
Gwalchmai, see Gawain.
Gwenddolau. A British chieftain who died at the battle of Arfderydd in around AD 573. Merlin was believed to be his bard and adviser.
Igraine/Igerna/Ygraine. Wife of Duke Gorlois of Cornwall and, by him, mother of Morgan le Fay, Morgause and Elaine. Seduced by Uther Pendragon and became mother of Arthur. Later married Uther.
Iseult/Isolde/Isolt/Yseult/Ysolt. Wife of King Mark of Cornwall but lover of her husband’s nephew, Tristan of Lyonesse. Not to be confused with Iseult of Brittany whom Tristan married after his banishment from Cornwall.
Kay/Kai/Cai/Cei/Caius. Son of Sir Ector and foster-brother of Arthur. He becomes the king’s High Seneschal and is noted for his sour temperament. In the earliest legends Kay is an heroic knight, but in later versions he becomes Arthur’s irascible steward.
Kilhugh/Culhwch. A cousin of Arthur who was under an obligation to marry Olwen. Olwen’s father, the giant Yspadaddan (or Thornogre Thistlehair) would only grant her hand if Kilhugh could complete a set of impossible tasks. The story is told in the Mabinogion.
Lamorack of Gaul. Son of King Pellinore and one of the strongest knights of the Round Table. He became the lover of Morgause after the death of King Lot and was killed by Gawain and his brothers.
Lancelot/Lancelet/Launcelot/Lancot. Son of King Ban and greatest of the Knights of the Round Table. His castle was called the Joyous Gard. His love for Guinevere led to the downfall of the Fellowship of the Round Table. After the deaths of Arthur and Guinevere he became a hermit.
Lanval/Launfal. One of the Knights of the Round Table who is beloved by Guinevere. When rebuffed she beseeches Arthur to punish him. He is saved by his beloved lady of Avalon.
Leodegrance/Lodegreaunce. King of Cameliard and father of Guinevere.
Linet, see Lunetta.
Lot. King of Orkney who opposed Arthur for the crown of Britain. He was the husband of Arthur’s half-sister Morgause and father of Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris and Gareth. He was killed by King Pellinore and his sons.
Lunetta/Lynette/Linet/Lunet. Sister of Lady Lyonesse and Sir Gringamore of the Castle Perilous. She led Sir Gareth on his first quest. Although she later fell in love with Gareth she was given in marriage to his brother Gaheris. In Celtic myth she is the mistress of the lady of the Fountain.
Margawse/Margause, see Morgause.
Mark/Marc. King of Cornwall and husband of Iseult.
Medraut, see Mordred.
Merlin/Merrillin/Merdyn/Myrddin. Magician and adviser of King Arthur. He was the offspring of a girl and demon of the air and was raised in a nunnery. His prophecies began in the last days of King Vortigern. He later raised Stonehenge. He put a glamour on Igraine so that she mistook Uther Pendragon for her husband Gorlois. Merlin became guardian to the young Arthur and later contrived the episode of the sword in the stone so that Arthur was recognized as the future High-King. He created the Round Table. He became enamoured of the enchantress Nimuë/Niniane, who imprisoned him in a cave.
Mordred/Medraut/Modred/Modreuant. The incestuous child of Arthur and his half-sister Morgause. He later attempted to seduce Guinevere and claimed the throne of Britain. He met in mortal battle with Arthur at Camlann.
Morgan le Fay/Morgana/Morgaine. Daughter of Gorlois and Igraine and half-sister of King Arthur. She was educated in the sorcerous arts and became Arthur’s major enemy, forever seeking the downfall of the Round Table. By hiding the scabbard of Excalibur, which had previously protected Arthur, she rendered him mortal. She was the mother of Owain.
Morgause/Margawse. Daughter of Gorlois, sister of Morgan le Fay, wife of Lot of Orkney, and mother by him of Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris and Gareth. She was also the mother of Mordred by Arthur, her half-brother.
Nimuë/Niniane/Viviane/Vivienne. An enchantress who is perceived in a number of roles in the Arthurian legend. She is called the Lady of the Lake, the foster mother of Lancelot, who gave Excalibur to Arthur. She also became the lover of Merlin whom she imprisoned in a cave. She is seen by some as a sister to Morgause and Morgan and thus equated with Elaine of Garlot.
Ogier. A Danish knight in the service of King Charlemagne in the eighth century but whose adventures have become linked to Avalon and the magic of Morgan le Fay.
Olwen. Welsh princess, the daughter of a giant, for whom Kilhugh must perform a series of impossible tasks in order to win her hand.
Owain/Ewen/Uwaine/Yvain. Historical king of Rheged who lived at the end of the sixth century, and is remembered in the poems of Taliesin. In Celtic and Arthurian legend, becomes the son of Morgan le Fay and King Urien.
Palomides/Palamides. A Saracen who became one of the greatest Knights of the Round Table. A suitor for Queen Iseult he later became involved in the ceaseless search for the Questing Beast.
Parsival, see Percivale.
Pelles/Pelleas. The King of the Grail Castle and possibly synonymous with the Fisher King. He was the grandfather of Sir Galahad and is sometimes named as the brother of King Pellinore.
Pellinore. King of the Isles and one of the mightiest of the Knights of the Round Table who, in an early episode, overpowered Arthur and would have killed him had he not been enchanted by Merlin. He was involved in the search for the Questing Beast. He was the father of Sir Lamorack and, in some versions, also of Sir Percivale. He killed King Lot and was, in turn, killed by Sir Gawain.
Percivale/Parsival/Parzival/Peredur. The knight most closely associated with the quest for the Holy Grail. Early legends have him raised in the wilds of Wales, but later legends link him with King Pellinore.
Peredur, see Percivale.
Reinwen/Renwein. Daughter of Hengist, the Saxon invader and first King of Kent, who married Vortigern.
Rhydderch. A historical king of Strathclyde who ruled AD 580–612. Rhydderch fought with Urien against the Saxons.
Riothamus. A British king who ruled about AD 470 who has been linked with Arthur. He assisted the Romans against the Visigoths.
Taliesin. A legendary bard and prophet who has become closely linked with Merlin, though belongs to a later generation.
Tom Thumb. The dwarf son of Thomas the ploughman who becomes famous at the court of King Arthur.
Tristan/Tristram/Drustan. Son of King Melodias of Lyonesse and nephew of King Mark of Cornwall, whose wife, Iseult, he fell in love with. Banished from Cornwall he entered King Arthur’s court as one of the mightiest knights, until forced to flee to Brittany, where he married another Iseult.
Urien. King of Rheged in Cumbria at the end of the sixth century, and the father of Owain. He became enmeshed in Arthurian legend as the husband of Morgan le Fay.
Uther Pendragon/Uverian. The brother of Ambrosius Aurelianus whom he succeeded as High-King of Britain. He was the father of Arthur, by Igraine.
Vivian/Vivienne. see Nimuë/Niniane.
Vortigern. King of Britain whose reign preceded Ambrosius in the mid-fifth century. He invited Hengist to Britain to rid the land of Saxons, but Hengist in turn conquered Kent. Merlin first appears in Vortigern’s reign.
Ygraine, see Igraine.
Yseult, see Iseult.
Yvain, see Owain.
Merlin . . . the very name conjures up images of magic and mystery. And what a mystery. Perhaps even more than King Arthur, the real character and person of Merlin remains obscure, lost in fifteen centuries of tales retold. But as a creature of the imagination Merlin lives on, and will forever. We all love to dream, and in Merlin we have the forefather of all our dreams, the master of enchantments, the prophet and kingmaker. To Merlin, the all-seeing, the all-knowing, nothing was impossible. Merlin is the root and branch of all that is magic and wonder in the world.
This volume looks at both the life and character of Merlin and the world of magic and enchantment that surrounded him. Merlin was not the only being possessed of magic. The Arthurian world also brings us Morgan le Fay, the half-sister of Arthur, who learned her magic skills from Merlin, and who was the queen who ferried Arthur away to Avalon after the Battle of Camlann. There was also Vivienne, sometimes called Nimuë, who became the lover of Merlin and learned his magical craft, and at length imprisoned him in a cave or tomb where he remains trapped to this day. Some link both Vivienne and Morgan le Fay with the Lady of the Lake. To me there is no more glorious image in the whole of Arthurian literature, perhaps even the whole of fantasy, than when, after the battle of Camlann, Sir Bedivere is charged with throwing Excalibur back into the lake. He twice refuses, but the third time throws it far into the lake where an arm rises from the water, catches the sword, brandishes it three times, and then sinks into the lake. Pure magic. This anthology considers all of that mystery and magic from the earliest days of Merlin to his fate . . . and beyond. For magic never dies, and the influence of Merlin and Morgan le Fay lives on in other tales and legends down through the centuries.
I was delighted at the response from authors when I first sent out word of this anthology. My early researches had shown that whilst Merlin features heavily in many Arthurian stories, few have him as their central character. I wanted writers to explore Merlin’s life and character a little more deeply. The response was marvellous, the authors demonstrating their own fascination for Merlin and his influence on the Arthurian world. Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of The Mists of Avalon, reworked an extract from that book to present a story about the childhood of Nimuë. The Celtic scholar Peter Berresford Ellis, who writes fiction under the name Peter Tremayne, recreated Merlin in the historical world of ancient Britain, and considered his early life. Robert Holdstock, who has been developing the myths of the Matter of Britain in his books Mythago Wood, Lavondyss and Merlin’s Wood, brings us his own interpretation of the scheming, artful Merlin, and of the origins of Arthur. Tanith Lee was the first to respond to my enquiries with a story which considers Merlin’s involvement in the quest for the Holy Grail. This raises some of the mystical aspects of Merlin’s world, which are further explored by Darrell Schweitzer, who tackled the thorny problem of the very nature of Merlin’s existence; Peter Valentine Timlett, who considers the mystical import of the Round Table; and Jessica Amanda Salmonson, who explores the enduring myth of the Dark Lady Nimuë. And that’s only half the contents. Inevitably some incidents arise in more than one story, each author developing their own interpretation. This is most true of how Arthur first received Excalibur, and it is fascinating to see the different variations on that theme, all seeking to explore and explain the significance of that episode. And there are similar twice-told tales about Merlin and Nimuë and Merlin’s passing. The result is an intriguing exploration of the Merlin myth.
If that’s whetted your appetite, let me not detain you, but move on and I hope you enjoy the stories. You can always return here later. But if you wish to stay, I want to explore the literary and historical background to Merlin, partly to help set these stories in the context of the legend, but also for the sheer delight of trying to draw back the veils of time and see if we can catch some glimpse of the real Merlin.
The Origins of Merlin
Merlin’s appearance in the ancient writings is patchy, for although some events later ascribed to him are referred to by Nennius in the ninth century, Merlin himself is not named. The Merlin we know was born fully fledged in the writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Geoffrey was a cleric and teacher who lived from about 1090 to 1155, for most of that time being resident in Oxford. He tells us that he was fascinated with the ancient tales of the kings of Britain but was unable to learn much about them until a friend of his, Walter, the Archdeacon of Oxford, gave him an ancient little book written in Welsh which gave a complete history of the kings of Britain. This Geoffrey chose to translate into Latin. Unfortunately this original book has vanished over the years and it is impossible to know how much Geoffrey derived from that source and how much was either of his own muddled research or the product of his own imagination. He started his translation around the year 1130. This was a period of much interest in the early tales and legends. A few years earlier William of Malmesbury had produced his Gesta Regum Anglorum, another history of the kings of Britain, which mentioned the deeds of King Arthur, and at the same time Caradoc of Llancarfan was writing his Vita Gildae, the life of St Gildas, a monk and contemporary of Merlin. This biography mentions Arthur and Guinevere and makes the first links between Arthur and Glastonbury.
Geoffrey found himself pressured to complete his book, but he was determined to be thorough. In order to satisfy demand, in particular that of Alexander, bishop of Lincoln, Geoffrey hurriedly completed a translation of another text he was consulting, the Prophetiae Merlini, or the Prophecies of Merlin, which he issued in 1134. This text he later incorporated into his major work, the Historia Regum Britanniae, or the History of the Kings of Britain, which was eventually completed in 1136. It proved instantly popular with a couple of hundred known copies (and probably many more now lost) in circulation before the end of the century.
This book, which seeks to give the kings of Britain a pedigree going back as far as 1200 BC and the Fall of Troy, devotes much of its space to the story of King Arthur, which is itself presaged by the story of Merlin. Although throughout the book history and imagination fight for supremacy, the appearance of Merlin seems to have allowed Geoffrey to pull out all the stops and deliver a tale for the telling.
We are in fifth-century Britain. The British king Vortigern, whose name was synonymous with evil and corruption, had invited the armies of the Saxon king Hengist to Britain to help fight the Picts. The Saxons took advantage of the situation and Vortigern soon found his kingdom under threat. He fled to the Welsh mountains where he attempted to build a fortress, but no matter how hard he tried the fortress kept crumbling. He consulted his advisers who told him to seek out a boy with no father who should be killed and his blood sprinkled over the site. Vortigern’s soldiers sought high and low and eventually, at Carmarthen, found Merlin, a boy of about eight or nine. Vortigern learned that Merlin’s mother, though herself of royal birth, was a nun who had been visited by demons or incubi, leading to the birth of Merlin. Merlin was aware of the threats against him, but he not only revealed to Vortigern the reason why his tower could not be built, but also issued his prophecies of the future of Britain.
Thus Merlin appears as a supernatural agent, the offspring of demons. This episode had also appeared in the Historia Brittonum of Nennius, but there the character of Merlin is called Ambrosius, presumed to be Ambrosius Aurelianus, the general or leader of the British. This anomaly has been reconciled by some by referring to Merlin as Merlin Ambrosius, or Merlin the Divine.
The French poet, Robert de Boron, who was the first to convert the so-called history of Merlin into genuine romance in the 1190s, made more of this background. He suggested that the demons were seeking to place an anti-Christ on earth, a being of total evil to combat the good that was spreading with Christianity. Their plans were thwarted, though, when they impregnated a nun. This resulted in Merlin being a mixture of old-world paganism and modern Christianity, which perfectly depicts the anguish and turbulence of the Arthurian world.
Merlin remains, thereafter, a schemer. His prophecies begin to come true. Vortigern had previously usurped the throne from King Constantine whose sons, Uther and Aurelianus, had fled to safety in France. Now mature, they return to Britain, besiege Vortigern in his fortress which is set on fire, and the usurper perishes. In celebration Aurelianus, now king, seeks to establish a monument. Uther is despatched to Ireland with Merlin to bring back a massive stone circle. Through his magical arts, Merlin dismantles the circle, transports
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Acknowledgments
Dramatis personae
Introduction
Dream Reader
Jane Yolen
The Temptations of Merlin
Peter Tremayne
Infantasm
Robert Holdstock
The Pledged Word
Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Horse Who Would Be King
Jennifer Roberson
A Sword for Arthur
Vera Chapman
The Rite of Challenge
Peter Valentine Timlett
Merlin’s Dark Mirror
Phyllis Ann Karr
Merlin and Tom Thumb
Dinah Maria Mulock
The Seven Champions
E. M. Wilmot-Buxton
Morte d’Espier
Maxey Brooke
King’s Mage
Tanith Lee
A Quest Must End
Theodore Goodridge Roberts
Cauldron of Light
Diana L. Paxson
Namer of Beasts, Maker of Souls
Jessica Amanda Salmonson
The Corruption of Perfection
Mike Ashley
The Sleeper and the Seer
H. Warner Munn
Midwinter
David Sutton
The Death of Nimuë
Esther Friesner
The Knight of Pale Countenance
Darrell Schweitzer
The Castle of Kerglas
Emile Souvestre
Ogier the Dane
William Morris
Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood
Charles de Lint
The Dragon line
Michael Swanwick
My thanks to Larry Mandelsburg for his help in the compilation of this volume. The following stories are copyright and are reprinted with permission as stated.
“Dream Reader” © 1986 by Jane Yolen. First published in Merlin’s Booke (New York: Ace Books, 1986). Reprinted by permission of the author and the author’s agent, Curtis Brown Ltd.
“The Temptations of Merlin” © 1995 by Peter Tremayne. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author and the author’s agent, A. M. Heath & Co.
“Infantasm” © 1995 by Robert Holdstock. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Pledged Word” © 1995 by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Freely adapted by the author from chapter 12 of “The King Stag” section of The Mists of Avalon (New York: A. A. Knopf, 1982). Printed by permission of the author.
“The Horse Who Would Be King” © 1992 by Jennifer Roberson. First published in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, Spring/Summer 1992. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“A Sword for Arthur” © 1995 by Vera Chapman. Original story, extracted from the novel The Enchantresses, and first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Rite of Challenge” © 1995 by Peter Valentine Timlett. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“Merlin’s Dark Mirror” © 1995 by Phyllis Ann Karr. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“Morte d’Espier” © 1955 by Maxey Brooke. First published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, June 1955. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate.
“King’s Mage” © 1995 by Tanith Lee. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“A Quest Must End” © 1948 by McCall Corporation. First published in Blue Book Magazine, April 1948. Reprinted by permission of Mrs Dorothy Roberts Leisner.
“Cauldron of Light” © 1999 by Diana L. Paxson. First published in Merlin edited by Martin H. Greenberg (New York: DAW Books, 1999). Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Namer of Beasts, Maker of Souls” © 1995 by Jessica Amanda Salmonson. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Corruption of Perfection” © 2000 by Mike Ashley. First published in The Doom of Camelot edited by James Lowder (Oakland: Green Knight Publishing, 2000). Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Sleeper and the Seer” © 1966 by H. Warner Munn. First published in Weird Tales, September 1939 as part of serial King of the World’s Edge; reprinted New York: Ace Books, 1966. Reprinted by permission of Mr James E. Munn.
“Midwinter” © 1995 by David Sutton. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Death of Nimuë” © 1985 by Esther Friesner. First published in Fantasy Book, June 1985. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Knight of Pale Countenance” © 1995 by Darrell Schweitzer. Original story, first published in this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.
“Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood” © 1990 by Charles de Lint. First published in Pulphouse #7, Spring 1990. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Dragon Line” © 1989 by Michael Swanwick. First published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine 1 June 1989. Reprinted by permission of the author.
The following is a short guide to the Arthurian characters and names you are likely to encounter in this anthology. There are so many names in Arthurian lore that it’s not always easy to know whether you’ve encountered someone of significance or not, and when those names can be subjected to so many alternative spellings, it can become very confusing. I hope the following helps. It does not include minor characters or those invented by the writers.
Agravaine. Son of King Lot and Morgause of Orkney, and brother of Gawain, Gaheris and Gareth. Sided with Mordred in the plot to reveal the adultery between Lancelot and Guinevere.
Ambrosius Aurelianus, also known as Emrys. Historically “the Last of the Romans”, he governed Britain in the last half of the fifth century and helped stem the tide of Saxon advance in the days immediately prior to Arthur. In Arthurian legend he is sometimes depicted as Arthur’s uncle. It was during his reign that Merlin raised Stonehenge.
Arthur/Artorius/Artos. High-King of Britain, son of Uther Pendragon and Igraine, raised as foster-son of Ector of the Forest Sauvage and foster-brother of Sir Kay. Founded the Fellowship of the Round Table, married Guinevere. By his half-sister Morgause he fathered Mordred who later waged war against him, resulting in the final battle at Camlann where both Arthur and Mordred fell.
Aurelianius, see Ambrosius.
Balin. A Northumbrian knight who was imprisoned by Arthur for killing the king’s cousin. He also angered the king by beheading the Lady of the Lake.
Bedivere/Bedvir/Bedwyr. One of Arthur’s earliest and most trusted knights who served him as his aide. It was he who restored Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake upon Arthur’s Death.
Blaise. A hermit monk to whom Merlin’s mother went for her confession. He became Merlin’s tutor.
Bors. Son of King Bors and cousin to Sir Lancelot. In one tale he is amongst the successful knights in the search for the Holy Grail.
Cae/Cei, see Kay.
Cerdic. A Saxon invader (though his name is Celtic) who landed with his son Cynric near Southampton in AD 495. He is claimed by the annalists as the first king of Wessex, though little is known about him.
Cissa. Son of Aelle, king of Sussex, and his companion in his battles against the British.
Constans. The elder brother (or in some stories father) of Ambrosius Aurelianus and Uther Pendragon, who was raised to the High Kingship of Britain by Vortigern only to be murdered.
Constantine. Son of Cador, duke of Cornwall and the successor to Arthur as High King. He took revenge upon Mordred by killing the usurper’s children.
Culhwch. See Kilhugh.
Cynric. Son of Cerdic and king of Wessex from around AD 534–560.
Drustan, see Tristan.
Dubric/Dubricius/Dyfrig. Celtic bishop of Caerleon (or Carlisle) who crowned Arthur.
Ector. Sir Ector was the foster-father of Arthur and the father of Sir Kay.
Elaine. There are three Elaines in the Arthurian cycle: Elaine of Garlot the half-sister of King Arthur; Elaine de Astolat, a maiden who fell in love with Sir Lancelot; and Elaine of Corbenic, daughter of King Pelles and, by Lancelot, the mother of Sir Galahad.
Emrys, see Ambrosius Aurelianus.
Ewaine, see Owain.
Gaheris. Third son of King Lot and brother to Agravaine, Gareth and Gawain. Half-brother of Mordred.
Galahad. Son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic and the purest of all the Knights of the Round Table. With Sir Bors and Sir Percevale, he was one of the successful Grail Knights. He was the only knight able to sit at the “Siege Perilous” seat of the Round Table.
Gareth. The youngest son of King Lot of Orkney and brother of Gawain, Gaheris and Agravaine. He first arrived anonymously at Camelot and was given the nickname “Beaumains” by Sir Kay, owing to his fine hands.
Gawain/Gwalchmai. The eldest son of King Lot of Orkney and brother of Gareth, Gaheris and Agravaine. He was one of the strongest knights of the Round Table. He features in the earliest legends of Arthur and appears in the Celtic texts as Gwalchmai, meaning the Hawk of May. He undertook the challenge of the Green Knight, Sir Bertilak.
Gorlas/Gorlois/Gorlodubnus. Duke of Cornwall, husband of Igraine, and father of Morgan le Fay, Morgause and Elaine of Garlot.
Grainne. See Igraine.
Guinevere/Gwynhwfar. Daughter of Leodegrance, King of Cameliard, and wife of King Arthur. Her adultery with Sir Lancelot caused the downfall of the Fellowship of the Round Table. She was condemned to death by Arthur but rescued by Lancelot and ended her days in a nunnery.
Gwalchmai, see Gawain.
Gwenddolau. A British chieftain who died at the battle of Arfderydd in around AD 573. Merlin was believed to be his bard and adviser.
Igraine/Igerna/Ygraine. Wife of Duke Gorlois of Cornwall and, by him, mother of Morgan le Fay, Morgause and Elaine. Seduced by Uther Pendragon and became mother of Arthur. Later married Uther.
Iseult/Isolde/Isolt/Yseult/Ysolt. Wife of King Mark of Cornwall but lover of her husband’s nephew, Tristan of Lyonesse. Not to be confused with Iseult of Brittany whom Tristan married after his banishment from Cornwall.
Kay/Kai/Cai/Cei/Caius. Son of Sir Ector and foster-brother of Arthur. He becomes the king’s High Seneschal and is noted for his sour temperament. In the earliest legends Kay is an heroic knight, but in later versions he becomes Arthur’s irascible steward.
Kilhugh/Culhwch. A cousin of Arthur who was under an obligation to marry Olwen. Olwen’s father, the giant Yspadaddan (or Thornogre Thistlehair) would only grant her hand if Kilhugh could complete a set of impossible tasks. The story is told in the Mabinogion.
Lamorack of Gaul. Son of King Pellinore and one of the strongest knights of the Round Table. He became the lover of Morgause after the death of King Lot and was killed by Gawain and his brothers.
Lancelot/Lancelet/Launcelot/Lancot. Son of King Ban and greatest of the Knights of the Round Table. His castle was called the Joyous Gard. His love for Guinevere led to the downfall of the Fellowship of the Round Table. After the deaths of Arthur and Guinevere he became a hermit.
Lanval/Launfal. One of the Knights of the Round Table who is beloved by Guinevere. When rebuffed she beseeches Arthur to punish him. He is saved by his beloved lady of Avalon.
Leodegrance/Lodegreaunce. King of Cameliard and father of Guinevere.
Linet, see Lunetta.
Lot. King of Orkney who opposed Arthur for the crown of Britain. He was the husband of Arthur’s half-sister Morgause and father of Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris and Gareth. He was killed by King Pellinore and his sons.
Lunetta/Lynette/Linet/Lunet. Sister of Lady Lyonesse and Sir Gringamore of the Castle Perilous. She led Sir Gareth on his first quest. Although she later fell in love with Gareth she was given in marriage to his brother Gaheris. In Celtic myth she is the mistress of the lady of the Fountain.
Margawse/Margause, see Morgause.
Mark/Marc. King of Cornwall and husband of Iseult.
Medraut, see Mordred.
Merlin/Merrillin/Merdyn/Myrddin. Magician and adviser of King Arthur. He was the offspring of a girl and demon of the air and was raised in a nunnery. His prophecies began in the last days of King Vortigern. He later raised Stonehenge. He put a glamour on Igraine so that she mistook Uther Pendragon for her husband Gorlois. Merlin became guardian to the young Arthur and later contrived the episode of the sword in the stone so that Arthur was recognized as the future High-King. He created the Round Table. He became enamoured of the enchantress Nimuë/Niniane, who imprisoned him in a cave.
Mordred/Medraut/Modred/Modreuant. The incestuous child of Arthur and his half-sister Morgause. He later attempted to seduce Guinevere and claimed the throne of Britain. He met in mortal battle with Arthur at Camlann.
Morgan le Fay/Morgana/Morgaine. Daughter of Gorlois and Igraine and half-sister of King Arthur. She was educated in the sorcerous arts and became Arthur’s major enemy, forever seeking the downfall of the Round Table. By hiding the scabbard of Excalibur, which had previously protected Arthur, she rendered him mortal. She was the mother of Owain.
Morgause/Margawse. Daughter of Gorlois, sister of Morgan le Fay, wife of Lot of Orkney, and mother by him of Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris and Gareth. She was also the mother of Mordred by Arthur, her half-brother.
Nimuë/Niniane/Viviane/Vivienne. An enchantress who is perceived in a number of roles in the Arthurian legend. She is called the Lady of the Lake, the foster mother of Lancelot, who gave Excalibur to Arthur. She also became the lover of Merlin whom she imprisoned in a cave. She is seen by some as a sister to Morgause and Morgan and thus equated with Elaine of Garlot.
Ogier. A Danish knight in the service of King Charlemagne in the eighth century but whose adventures have become linked to Avalon and the magic of Morgan le Fay.
Olwen. Welsh princess, the daughter of a giant, for whom Kilhugh must perform a series of impossible tasks in order to win her hand.
Owain/Ewen/Uwaine/Yvain. Historical king of Rheged who lived at the end of the sixth century, and is remembered in the poems of Taliesin. In Celtic and Arthurian legend, becomes the son of Morgan le Fay and King Urien.
Palomides/Palamides. A Saracen who became one of the greatest Knights of the Round Table. A suitor for Queen Iseult he later became involved in the ceaseless search for the Questing Beast.
Parsival, see Percivale.
Pelles/Pelleas. The King of the Grail Castle and possibly synonymous with the Fisher King. He was the grandfather of Sir Galahad and is sometimes named as the brother of King Pellinore.
Pellinore. King of the Isles and one of the mightiest of the Knights of the Round Table who, in an early episode, overpowered Arthur and would have killed him had he not been enchanted by Merlin. He was involved in the search for the Questing Beast. He was the father of Sir Lamorack and, in some versions, also of Sir Percivale. He killed King Lot and was, in turn, killed by Sir Gawain.
Percivale/Parsival/Parzival/Peredur. The knight most closely associated with the quest for the Holy Grail. Early legends have him raised in the wilds of Wales, but later legends link him with King Pellinore.
Peredur, see Percivale.
Reinwen/Renwein. Daughter of Hengist, the Saxon invader and first King of Kent, who married Vortigern.
Rhydderch. A historical king of Strathclyde who ruled AD 580–612. Rhydderch fought with Urien against the Saxons.
Riothamus. A British king who ruled about AD 470 who has been linked with Arthur. He assisted the Romans against the Visigoths.
Taliesin. A legendary bard and prophet who has become closely linked with Merlin, though belongs to a later generation.
Tom Thumb. The dwarf son of Thomas the ploughman who becomes famous at the court of King Arthur.
Tristan/Tristram/Drustan. Son of King Melodias of Lyonesse and nephew of King Mark of Cornwall, whose wife, Iseult, he fell in love with. Banished from Cornwall he entered King Arthur’s court as one of the mightiest knights, until forced to flee to Brittany, where he married another Iseult.
Urien. King of Rheged in Cumbria at the end of the sixth century, and the father of Owain. He became enmeshed in Arthurian legend as the husband of Morgan le Fay.
Uther Pendragon/Uverian. The brother of Ambrosius Aurelianus whom he succeeded as High-King of Britain. He was the father of Arthur, by Igraine.
Vivian/Vivienne. see Nimuë/Niniane.
Vortigern. King of Britain whose reign preceded Ambrosius in the mid-fifth century. He invited Hengist to Britain to rid the land of Saxons, but Hengist in turn conquered Kent. Merlin first appears in Vortigern’s reign.
Ygraine, see Igraine.
Yseult, see Iseult.
Yvain, see Owain.
Merlin . . . the very name conjures up images of magic and mystery. And what a mystery. Perhaps even more than King Arthur, the real character and person of Merlin remains obscure, lost in fifteen centuries of tales retold. But as a creature of the imagination Merlin lives on, and will forever. We all love to dream, and in Merlin we have the forefather of all our dreams, the master of enchantments, the prophet and kingmaker. To Merlin, the all-seeing, the all-knowing, nothing was impossible. Merlin is the root and branch of all that is magic and wonder in the world.
This volume looks at both the life and character of Merlin and the world of magic and enchantment that surrounded him. Merlin was not the only being possessed of magic. The Arthurian world also brings us Morgan le Fay, the half-sister of Arthur, who learned her magic skills from Merlin, and who was the queen who ferried Arthur away to Avalon after the Battle of Camlann. There was also Vivienne, sometimes called Nimuë, who became the lover of Merlin and learned his magical craft, and at length imprisoned him in a cave or tomb where he remains trapped to this day. Some link both Vivienne and Morgan le Fay with the Lady of the Lake. To me there is no more glorious image in the whole of Arthurian literature, perhaps even the whole of fantasy, than when, after the battle of Camlann, Sir Bedivere is charged with throwing Excalibur back into the lake. He twice refuses, but the third time throws it far into the lake where an arm rises from the water, catches the sword, brandishes it three times, and then sinks into the lake. Pure magic. This anthology considers all of that mystery and magic from the earliest days of Merlin to his fate . . . and beyond. For magic never dies, and the influence of Merlin and Morgan le Fay lives on in other tales and legends down through the centuries.
I was delighted at the response from authors when I first sent out word of this anthology. My early researches had shown that whilst Merlin features heavily in many Arthurian stories, few have him as their central character. I wanted writers to explore Merlin’s life and character a little more deeply. The response was marvellous, the authors demonstrating their own fascination for Merlin and his influence on the Arthurian world. Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of The Mists of Avalon, reworked an extract from that book to present a story about the childhood of Nimuë. The Celtic scholar Peter Berresford Ellis, who writes fiction under the name Peter Tremayne, recreated Merlin in the historical world of ancient Britain, and considered his early life. Robert Holdstock, who has been developing the myths of the Matter of Britain in his books Mythago Wood, Lavondyss and Merlin’s Wood, brings us his own interpretation of the scheming, artful Merlin, and of the origins of Arthur. Tanith Lee was the first to respond to my enquiries with a story which considers Merlin’s involvement in the quest for the Holy Grail. This raises some of the mystical aspects of Merlin’s world, which are further explored by Darrell Schweitzer, who tackled the thorny problem of the very nature of Merlin’s existence; Peter Valentine Timlett, who considers the mystical import of the Round Table; and Jessica Amanda Salmonson, who explores the enduring myth of the Dark Lady Nimuë. And that’s only half the contents. Inevitably some incidents arise in more than one story, each author developing their own interpretation. This is most true of how Arthur first received Excalibur, and it is fascinating to see the different variations on that theme, all seeking to explore and explain the significance of that episode. And there are similar twice-told tales about Merlin and Nimuë and Merlin’s passing. The result is an intriguing exploration of the Merlin myth.
If that’s whetted your appetite, let me not detain you, but move on and I hope you enjoy the stories. You can always return here later. But if you wish to stay, I want to explore the literary and historical background to Merlin, partly to help set these stories in the context of the legend, but also for the sheer delight of trying to draw back the veils of time and see if we can catch some glimpse of the real Merlin.
The Origins of Merlin
Merlin’s appearance in the ancient writings is patchy, for although some events later ascribed to him are referred to by Nennius in the ninth century, Merlin himself is not named. The Merlin we know was born fully fledged in the writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Geoffrey was a cleric and teacher who lived from about 1090 to 1155, for most of that time being resident in Oxford. He tells us that he was fascinated with the ancient tales of the kings of Britain but was unable to learn much about them until a friend of his, Walter, the Archdeacon of Oxford, gave him an ancient little book written in Welsh which gave a complete history of the kings of Britain. This Geoffrey chose to translate into Latin. Unfortunately this original book has vanished over the years and it is impossible to know how much Geoffrey derived from that source and how much was either of his own muddled research or the product of his own imagination. He started his translation around the year 1130. This was a period of much interest in the early tales and legends. A few years earlier William of Malmesbury had produced his Gesta Regum Anglorum, another history of the kings of Britain, which mentioned the deeds of King Arthur, and at the same time Caradoc of Llancarfan was writing his Vita Gildae, the life of St Gildas, a monk and contemporary of Merlin. This biography mentions Arthur and Guinevere and makes the first links between Arthur and Glastonbury.
Geoffrey found himself pressured to complete his book, but he was determined to be thorough. In order to satisfy demand, in particular that of Alexander, bishop of Lincoln, Geoffrey hurriedly completed a translation of another text he was consulting, the Prophetiae Merlini, or the Prophecies of Merlin, which he issued in 1134. This text he later incorporated into his major work, the Historia Regum Britanniae, or the History of the Kings of Britain, which was eventually completed in 1136. It proved instantly popular with a couple of hundred known copies (and probably many more now lost) in circulation before the end of the century.
This book, which seeks to give the kings of Britain a pedigree going back as far as 1200 BC and the Fall of Troy, devotes much of its space to the story of King Arthur, which is itself presaged by the story of Merlin. Although throughout the book history and imagination fight for supremacy, the appearance of Merlin seems to have allowed Geoffrey to pull out all the stops and deliver a tale for the telling.
We are in fifth-century Britain. The British king Vortigern, whose name was synonymous with evil and corruption, had invited the armies of the Saxon king Hengist to Britain to help fight the Picts. The Saxons took advantage of the situation and Vortigern soon found his kingdom under threat. He fled to the Welsh mountains where he attempted to build a fortress, but no matter how hard he tried the fortress kept crumbling. He consulted his advisers who told him to seek out a boy with no father who should be killed and his blood sprinkled over the site. Vortigern’s soldiers sought high and low and eventually, at Carmarthen, found Merlin, a boy of about eight or nine. Vortigern learned that Merlin’s mother, though herself of royal birth, was a nun who had been visited by demons or incubi, leading to the birth of Merlin. Merlin was aware of the threats against him, but he not only revealed to Vortigern the reason why his tower could not be built, but also issued his prophecies of the future of Britain.
Thus Merlin appears as a supernatural agent, the offspring of demons. This episode had also appeared in the Historia Brittonum of Nennius, but there the character of Merlin is called Ambrosius, presumed to be Ambrosius Aurelianus, the general or leader of the British. This anomaly has been reconciled by some by referring to Merlin as Merlin Ambrosius, or Merlin the Divine.
The French poet, Robert de Boron, who was the first to convert the so-called history of Merlin into genuine romance in the 1190s, made more of this background. He suggested that the demons were seeking to place an anti-Christ on earth, a being of total evil to combat the good that was spreading with Christianity. Their plans were thwarted, though, when they impregnated a nun. This resulted in Merlin being a mixture of old-world paganism and modern Christianity, which perfectly depicts the anguish and turbulence of the Arthurian world.
Merlin remains, thereafter, a schemer. His prophecies begin to come true. Vortigern had previously usurped the throne from King Constantine whose sons, Uther and Aurelianus, had fled to safety in France. Now mature, they return to Britain, besiege Vortigern in his fortress which is set on fire, and the usurper perishes. In celebration Aurelianus, now king, seeks to establish a monument. Uther is despatched to Ireland with Merlin to bring back a massive stone circle. Through his magical arts, Merlin dismantles the circle, transports
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Mike Ashley
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