Music for Merlin

I really like to listen to instrumental music while writing or reading. While I read this long reading on Merlin, I was listening to the Game of Thrones soundtrack, and found the tone to be very fitting. This song especially was a joy to listen to towards the end of the reading, with the quote:

"His cry came from the pain he felt when he realized that he was being killed by a woman's cunning and that a woman's craft had defeated his own. The echo of the cry was heard throughout the length and breadth of the kingdom of Logres..."

Nothing better than a woman defeating a man who thinks he knows everything! To make this song even more befitting (for any GoT fans), this is the song that was playing during the scene where (SPOILER ALERT) Cersei killed off a massive amount of people in a church to save herself. This super long song has a super slow beginning that builds to a great climax of instrumentals, so if you're going to play it in class, I would recommend starting around 8:15 to see how grand it gets!

So. Much. God.

The author of Prose Merlin does a really good job of including God as a character of this story of Merlin to reconcile religion with supernatural. God is literally everywhere as a way of telling the reader, “Hey, I know a lot of weird stuff is happening. But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re super Christian. Super. Christian.” Some of this is demonstrated just in the dialogue. On page 310, a woman says, “unless God puts it right.” On page 341, there’s a “God willing...” And, on page 350, Queen Helaine is the most beautiful and worthy woman “know to either God or man.” And there are SO many more examples. Basically, these moments of referencing God show that no matter what is happening, God is at the forefront of everyone's mind, and that is why they’re able to accept Merlin’s supernatural abilities. It’s explained over and over: “[Merlin has] knowledge of all things done and said in the past and that it comes to [him] from [his] demonic origin. Our Lord, who is all-powerful, has also given [him] the wisdom to know the things that are to come” (327). Every time this is mentioned, I imagine the writer saying, “MERLIN ISN’T SPECIAL. YOU KNOW WHO IS SPECIAL? GOD’S SPECIAL.” Because even though there is some demonic stuff going on, God is always presented as the stronger of the two. Demons gave Merlin “knowledge;” God gave Merlin “wisdom.” There’s a difference. By saying “demonic origin,” there is an absence of action. In comparison, God “has given” Merlin his ability, which casts God into more of an active role.  Also, Merlin doesn’t just say, “God gifted me this cool thing.” He has to add in that side note, “WHO IS ALL-POWERFUL," in case people forget that God’s a big deal.  

Magic or Mysticism?

In reading “The Prose Merlin” the reader can clearly see that Merlin is capable of doing some pretty magical things. He speaks only a few months after birth, moves some heavy stones, and predicts the future. Despite being the son of a demon, he attributes his abilities to God. For it is He who gifted Merlin the ability to know the future in order to prevent him from serving the devil. Despite his evil father, Merlin is saved from Hell by God. In fact, this is not the only time religion comes up. It appears later in Merlin’s making of the third round table where he says that in its creation, the Trinity will be represented (328). It is also spoken about the empty space left at the round tables to represent the spot for Judas who turned his back on Jesus during the Last Supper. With all the religious shadowing in the text, it creates a larger idea. That Merlin is not some magical man whose powers come from an unknown source. Instead, it creates the idea that perhaps like Margery Kempe or Julian of Norwich that he is a mystic. Everything that he sees is by the grace of God. Overall, this allows to author to show the idea that everything that happens in the world is by the grace of God and not magic or the will of the devil. 

Merlin's Foreshadowing

The analogy of the lake of Diana is clearly foreshadowing for future events that happen between Merlin and the Lady of the Lake. The way Faunus dies parallels the way Merlin meets his end at the end. If I had to guess who Felix represents I would say it is Lancelot since she seems taken by him as a child when she meets him in the tower where she talks to Lancelot's mother. Now, as to who the father of Faunus would parallel I can't say. It could be Arthur that eventually seeks out vengeance for Merlin's death or it could be a character not introduced in the reading. I think it's really interesting that Merlin was the one to deliver the foreshadowing to his own death, because, as the reader, it was kind of frustrating to see someone with so much foresight not see that his own story was a story of his own demise. But I guess that's the point, his heritage, his reliance on his foresight, and his human vices were all used against him... in the end he was his own weakness.

A 2-year-old lawyer....? Nah that's not weird or anything

Okay, so why did they just blow over the fact that Merlin was only 18-months-old when he started to defend his mother in court? That's just not a normal thing that happens and people are only a little bit surprised. Also they really just let a two-year-old be his own mothers lawyer, cool.

Merlin is a mad man

This song talks about being crazy. In the text Merlin goes a little coo coo for cocoa puffs and runs into the woods to live like a secluded wild animal.

Empty Chair at Empty Tables

I couldn't get a video to work I'm really sorry

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables from Les Miserables, reminded me a lot of this following passage. It's the act of coming together and fighting for something bigger, similar to what Geoffrey quotes, but not without some tragedy mixed in. It's about losing companions and people you love and fighting for something greater than yourself.  At that time, and moving throughout history, one of the most prideful things that you could do was fight for your nation. Granted, Merlin's time and the French Revolution are centuries apart, but it's easy to recognize the similar sentiment these two populations share.

“Could injurious fate be so harmful as to take from me so many and such great companions, whom recently so many kings and so many remote kingdoms feared?  O dubious lot of mankind!  O death ever near, which has them always in its power, and strikes its hidden goad and drives out the wretched life from the body!  O glorious youths, who now will stand by my side in arms, and with me will repel the chieftains coming to harm me, and the hosts rushing in upon me?  Bold young men your audacity has taken from you your pleasant years and pleasant youth!  You who so recently were rushing in arms through the troops, cutting down on every side those who resisted you, now are beating the ground and are red with red blood!”  So among the hosts he lamented with flowing tears, and mourned for the men, and the savage battle was unceasing.  The lines rushed together, enemies were slain by enemies, blood flowed everywhere, and people died on both sides.  But at length the Britons assembled their troops from all quarters and all together rushing in arms they fell upon the Scots and wounded them and cut them down, nor did they rest until the hostile battalions turned their backs and fled through unfrequented ways."