Merlin: Priest of Nature

by Jean Markale

Book Overview

Was Merlin a mythical character or a real person? If he was a real person, when and where did he live? In this provocative survey of all the known literary and historical sources, Jean Markale pieces... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892815175
• ISBN13: 9780892815173
• Release Date: June 1995
• Publisher: Inner Traditions International
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A book of substance, depth, and meaning

_If you are primarily looking for the Merlin of the Arthurian romances, you will find little of him here. This book places him far to the north in the Scottish lowlands- 50 years after the time of Arthur. _Yet, this is absolutely the best study of Merlin that I have ever seen. It is not some dry-as-dust "scholarly" work, for Merkale understands the deepest archetypical meaning of Merlin. While he does a thorough job in examining the literary texts, he then proceeds to delve deeper. He sees in Merlin the classic Celtic shaman- the successor to the Druids. Merlin occupies a very specific place in the cult of the ancient Celts- a place in the absolute Center, transcendent of time and space. Here is the archetype of the initiated master of ecstasy who is responsible for the ritual communication with divinity- for the benefit of the community, but apart from it. He is the embodyment of Cernunnos. He is also a madman. Like Dagda or Gargantua, he has to be. He is the Wild Man at one with nature. As such he disturbs the order of the "civilized" world and forces it to re-examine itself. This is the mission of the wise man. Don't be mistaken into thinking that this is "only" a book about Merlin. It is also a study of the deepest and most powerful core of spiritual tradition.

A mythical book for a mythical character

Merlin, the wizard, has always attracted our attention whether as children or adults. Personally, I can't say exactly why, but after reading Markale's book, I was convinced he might have some answers for that question.A wonderful and very complete research work; this book contains quite a lot about Merlin and all the mythology around the character. I started reading this book merely to spend my free time in something insightful, but after a couple of pages, I was really interested in the content.Covering nearly every aspect of Merlin's figure, it analyses not only ancient texts regarding Merlin the wizard, but parallel texts and poems, middle ages' romances and even some doubtful sources. I found quite interesting not only the focus on the legend but also the analysis of related subjects such as Vivian, the Lady of the Lake; or Merlin's druidic heritage and its implications in modern western way of thought.The book might not be the best choice for a neophyte willing to start familiarizing with the myths and truths about Merlin, since it seems to be written in quite a formal and scholar style, but after one gets used to this, the fun part begins. I never was such a fan of Merlin and all the Arthurian legends, but this book turned me into a celtophile!