Author Allen M Werner

(Warning: This writing contains spoilers)
I’ve read several interpretations of the Merlin legend by various authors.
The Crystal Cave: Book One of the Arthurian Legend by Mary Stewart is one of the best, if not the best yet.
The book was written in 1970, and it’s only taken me 54 years to get around to reading it.

Even if I had not intended it, it would have happened. The lamp shook in my hand, and hot oil splashed on the coverlet. A burning fragment broke from the wick, fell, caught, hissed. Then I flung the lamp down on the body and watched for five long seconds while the flame ran into the oil and burst like blazing spray.
“Go with your gods, Cerdic,” I said, and jumped for the window.
I landed on the bundle and went sprawling in the wet grass, then snatched it up and ran for the river wall.
– Excerpt from The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

Merlin’s origin story varies from tale to tale. In this book, Merlin (Falcon), Myrddin Emrys, is a bastard son of a princess who sometimes experiences visions. He is raised in luxury but treated poorly as others often say his father must have been a devil. Merlin’s mother was always cryptic when she did say anything about his father, fearful it seemed to reveal it.
Merlin is befriended by Galapas who leads him into a cave of crystal and helps him learn more about his gift of Sight, as well as other natural wonders including healing potions and such.

Merlin’s life is later threatened after the death of his protector.
Merlin’s loyal servant, Cerdic, dies, and Merlin runs. He finds his way into the court of Ambrosius who wants to be High King.

“You must be the Count. You must be Ambrosius himself.”
He did not trouble to answer. “How old are you?”
“Twelve, sir.”
“And who are you, Myrddin, to talk of offering me service? What can you offer me, that I should not cut you down here and now, and let these gentlemen get in out of the cold?”
“Who I am makes no difference, sir. I am the grandson of the King of South Wales, but he is dead. My uncle Camlach is king now, but that’s no help to me either, he wants me dead. So I’d not serve your turn even as a hostage. It’s not who I am, but what I am that matters. I have something to offer you, my lord. You will see, if you let me live till morning.”
“Ah, yes, valuable information, and five languages. And dreams, too, it seems.” The words were mocking, but he was not smiling. “The old King’s grandson, you say? And Camlach not your father? Nor Dyved, either, surely? I never knew the old man had a grandson, barring Camlach’s baby. From what my spies told me I took you to be his bastard.”
“He used sometimes to pass me off as his own bastard – to save my mother’s shame, he said, but she never saw it as shame, and she should know. My mother was Niniane, the old King’s daughter.”
“Ah.” A pause. “Was?”
I said: “She’s still alive, but by now she’s in St. Peter’s nunnery. You might say she joined them years ago, but she’s only been allowed to leave the palace since the old King died.”
“And your father?”
“She never spoke of him, to me or any man. They say he was the Prince of Darkness.”
I expected the usual reaction to that, the crossed fingers or the quick look over the shoulder. He did neither. He laughed.

Ambrosius has a change of heart at this point and a cordial sort of relationship grows between them. They talk periodically as one of Ambrosius servants, Cadal, is assigned to Merlin.
The years pass and Merlin has difficulty making any connection with Ambrosius’ son, Uther. Uther is militant and keeps away most of the time on campaigns so there is no real issue here.
Belsius is assigned to teach young Merlin. Merlin doesn’t understand how learning is of any service to Ambrosius, but he is housed and well-kept.

“You believe me when I say I didn’t know?”
“I believe anything you tell me, my lord.”
“Do you hate me for this, very much, Merlin?”
I said slowly, looking down at my hands: “There is one thing about being a bastard and a no-man’s child. You are free to imagine your father. You can picture for yourself the worst and the best; you can make your father for yourself, in the image of the moment. From the time I was big enough to understand what I saw, I saw my father in every soldier and every prince and every priest. And I saw him, too, in every handsome slave in the kingdom of South Wales.”
He spoke very gently, above me. “And now you see him in truth, Merlin Emrys. I asked you, do you hate me for the kind of life I gave you?”
I didn’t look up. I answered, with my eyes on the flames: “Since I was a child I have had the world to choose from for a father. Out of them all, Aurelius Ambrosius, I would have chosen you.”
Excerpt from The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

Merlin and Ambrosius have both come to the conclusion that Merlin is Ambrosius’s son, and the gods or God has brought them together.

Merlin’s ability to See proves to be helpful to his father as he helps Ambrosius destroy his enemies and move and raise stones of the Giant’s Dance.
And still, many of the things about this Merlin are about his ability to learn and understand nature and use information he gains from even the most insignificant sources. People continue to interpret his abilities to be magical although he keeps telling everyone he has the Sight when God gives him the Sight like an arrow of light he can’t control. He can’t conjure up anything. These visions even lead him to portend Ambrosius’ death.
Uther takes power and not liking Merlin much, allows him to go home to Maridunum. He wants Merlin to stay away.
That is until he has use of Merlin.
Uther falls in love or lust or both with Ygraine, a married woman. Uther can and does take every woman he wants, but taking Ygraine would lead to war, and the kingdom is only recently stabilized. Uther wants Ygraine without risking war.
Ygraine’s husband, an old protective knight named Gorlois, keeps her well-guarded.

Ygraine feigns illness and calls upon Merlin. She confides in him her desire to be with Uther, so Merlin devises a way to sneak Uther in to visit her one night, but the Sight is limited and comes with a cost, a cost no one cares to search out.
Uther just wants to lay with Ygraine.
Ygraine wants to lay with Uther.
And Merlin has a vision that tells him that the offspring of this union will be a special sort of King, a King unlike any before. And he, Merlin, will be given the child to raise as he sees fit.

Merlin navigates and plots and conspires a way to get Uther inside Tintagel. Uther lays with Ygraine but there is battle at Dimilioc and Gorlois is killed. A few of Gorlois’ men return find out the deception, and more men die, including Merlin’s dear companion, Cadal.
Uther, being the militant, shortsighted man he is, blames Merlin for all this death. He accuses Merlin of being nothing more than a trickster.
Merlin argues that it is God who keeps the price secret.

“God? God? What god? I have heard you speak of so many gods. If you mean Mithras – “
“Mithras, Apollo, Arthur, Christ – call him what you will,” I said. “What does it matter what men call the light? It is the same light, and men must live by it or die. I only know that God is the source of all the light which has lit the world, and that his purpose runs through the world and past each one of us like a great river, and we cannot check or turn it, but can only drink from it while living, and commit our bodies to it when we die.”
Excerpt from The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

Uther tells Merlin to once again keep away from him, and states that he will not acknowledge any bastard born of his union with Ygraine tonight to be his own.
When Uther leaves, Merlin sits beside Cadal whom he believes is already dead but was only near death and heard the conversation.
Before Cadal dies, Merlin assures him that his death was not in vain. That there was significance to this night and all that has been accomplished.

“It will happen, Cadal, as my father wished and as God willed through me. You heard what Uther said about the child. That alters nothing. Because this night’s work Ygraine will bear the child, and because of the night’s work she will send him to me, and I shall take him out of the King’s reach and keep him and teach him all that Galapas taught me, and Ambrosius, and you, even Belasius. He will be the sum of all our lives, and when he is grown he will come back and be crowned King at Winchester.”
Excerpt from The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

I found this book to be a pure delight, poetic at times.
Author Mary Stewart has a masterful command of the English language that waters the appetite for more. And I listened and read along to the Chirp audio version of the book with narrator Derek Perkins whose voice was the perfect fit for this piece of fiction. His voice truly became that of young Merlin.

At the very end of the book, the author reminds us that this is not a scholarly work nor historical. It is woven from legend and based on a 12th century Welsh account.
I highly recommend this book to all who embrace the wonderful myths of the dark ages, the magic and the Merlins.
I’m off to read the next book in the saga. The Hollow Hills.

Allen M Werner is the author of the epic fantasy series The Crystal Crux