Merlin: Three Versions of His Birth


Merlin is one of the most revered spiritual figures in written history. In this article series, we will discuss the many conflicting and fascinating aspects of his life and lore.

There are three different versions of Merlin's birth.

The first story of Merlin's birth: Geoffrey of Monmouth
The first written record of Merlin's birth comes from Geoffrey of Monmouth, a cleric who taught at Oxford schools between 1129 and 1151 CE, and became the Bishop of St. Asaph in 1151.

Geoffrey presents Merlin as the son of an intensely Christian princess--perhaps the daughter of King Demetius or King Conaan--who was seduced by a demon or devil, or became pregnant without her knowledge. Thus, Merlin had super-human powers, but was raised to be a strong Christian by his mother, who later entered a convent.

This imagery fits nicely into the Christian concepts of Light v. Dark, with references to the Virgin Birth as well.

This Merlin was called Merlin Ambrosius in Geoffrey's earliest writings, when he mixed a fifth-century Merlin-like figure with his more famous sixth-century Arthurian counterpart.

Geoffrey was the first to call him "Merlin," in Latin, Merlinus. The original name was Myrddin, which would have Latinized to Merdinus. Geoffrey knew that his Norman readers would link the name to the French word, merde, a word which scholars euphemistically translate as dung.

To avoid this embarrassment, Geoffrey decided to alter one letter, so today we call King Arthur's mentor "Merlin."

The second story of Merlin's birth: His Welsh family tree According to Welsh history, Merlin's ancestry was human, with strong links to the gods. Merlin's earliest known ancestor in this family tree, was Coel Godebog.

Merlin's Welsh Family Tree

Coel Godebog
|
Mor (or Dylan Eil Ton?)
[has twin brother, Lleu Llaw Gyffes]
|
Morydd
|
Madog Morfryn (or Morgan Frych), Prince of Gwynedd/Vendotia
|
Merlin
[has twin sister, Gwenddydd]

One intriguing part of this story is Merlin's great-grandfather, Mor. According to legend, he may be Dylan Eil Ton, the son of the goddess, Arianrhod. Mor's (or Dylan's) twin brother was Lleu Llaw Gyffes, the Welsh counterpart of the Irish god of light, Lugh, for whom Lughnasa was named.

Arianrhod was the daughter of the great god, Don (or Danu). She is one of the leading figures in the pre-Celtic and Celtic mythological history, the Mabinogion.

Arianrhod is the goddess of the starry wheel, who rules at Caer Siddi, the magical realm of the north. In some legends, this land is also called Annwfn, the site visited by King Arthur and Taliesin.

In this family tree, Merlin was a twin, just as his great-grandfather was. Merlin's sister was Gwenddydd, also called Ganieda in Latin. She was the wife of King Rydderch of Strathclyde (Scotland), and she features in additional Merlin lore.

The copyright of the article Merlin: Three Versions of His Birth in Spirits, Ghosts & Legends is owned by Fiona Broome. Permission to republish Merlin: Three Versions of His Birth in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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