Myrddin is a Legendary Kinain Mage of Cymru, the land mortals call Wales.
Overview[]
Known today as Merlin, some people question if he is the same as Arthur's Merlin. Hermetic scholars like Professor Twidmarch of House Merinita claim he is not that Merlin.
What we do know about him is that he was named High King of the Principality of Gwynedd between 500-15.
Myrddin found Llyn Brianne in the good soil deep within a cavern by the Swallow Falls of the River Llugwy. With its magic, he might have ruled the mortals of Wales. But instead he used it to establish a wondrous secret freehold in Gwynedd.
Yet Myrddin had not much interest in ruling Gwynedd, and as soon he felt Banality threaten, or whatever it is that threatened mages then, he gave over the precious Llyn Brianne and his whole principality to Caerna, who was none too sorry to take either. She asked him why he gave them over and where he would go, but he said not a word.
Then Myrddin packed a fortnight's worth of food, a hot coal, and a lodestone. He rode on a pale horse to the ruins of Segontium, a Roman fort on the coast near what is now Caernarfon. And then, it is said, Myrddin rode on his horse straight into the sea. The surf rose for a day and a night, and then the sea went calm. Not a bit of Myrddin did anyone see for many centuries, though some have claimed sighting him more recently.
The Hamper of Gwyddno[]
King Gwyddno, the last High King in Cymru, always claimed that in a vision he'd given Myrddin one of the 13 Treasures of Britain, what's now known as the Hamper of Gwyddno: a cornucopia of bread. This legend seems a bit out of sorts. If I were Myrddin coming to Gwyddno in a dream, I should have demanded Caer Cerdigion, certainly one of Britain's greatest treasures, and not some overblown bread-making machine. Nonetheless, no one's sure if the Hamper was lost in the Flood, or if Myrddin really does have it. I'd wager, though, that skin-diving in Cardigan Bay's the way to bet....
Hermetic View[]
Mages of the Order of Hermes believe that the historical Merlin was actually named Merlinius, a Celtic-born magus trained by continental Hermetic masters. Merlinius embodies the Hermetic magickal ideal of the wise advisor to a great leader.
References[]
- MTAs: Isle of the Mighty, p. 14, 133-134, 139
- MTAs: Tradition Book: Order of Hermes, p. 11
- DA: Dark Ages: British Isles, p. 22