Who was Merlin the Wizard?
According to the Brittanica.com: “Merlin first appears in extant records (Armes Prydein, Y Gododdin) from the early 10th century as a mere prophet, but his role gradually evolved into that of magician, prophet and advisor, active in all phases of the administration of King Arthur’s kingdom. He was apparently given the name Emrys (or Ambrosius) at his birth in Caer-Fyrddin (Carmarthen). He only later became known as Merlin, a Latinized version of the Welsh word, Myrddin, taken from the place of his birth.”(1) Merlin has as almost many interpretations as there are Arthurian legends. My favorite one is the “Crystal Cave” series by Mary Stewart. Merlin is the central figure in the early books (there are 4), until Arthur grows up. According an article in Wikipedia on Geoffrey of Monmouth: “It was Geoffrey of Monmouth who introduced Merlin into the myths of King Arthur. The name Myrddin is altered to Merlin to avoid a resemblance to the obscene French word merde (meaning excrement, i.e., sh*
