Merlin and Wales: A Magician’s Landscape

The name of Merlin lives on as powerfully as that of King Arthur himself in tales and place names that span Wales, Cornwall, Cumbria, and Caledonia. Michael Dames shows us here the many aspects of this elusive and mercurial enchanter and sage, at ease in the royal court and in the wilderness, on land and in water. With illustrations of the art and artifacts pertaining to the Merlin legend as well as the author’s own evocative photographs of mythic sites, the book guides us through the many versions of the story of Merlin and his sister/lover—from the mysterious boy on Dinas Emrys who aroused the embattled red and white dragons in their hidden pool, to the metaphor of his retreat to the holy land of Bardsey off the coast of Wales. The myths about this most famous of magicians carry Egyptian and Roman traces, and emerge in several languages across the centuries, in oral tales, folk rites, early literatures, and visual symbols. Especially loved by the people of rural Wales, as their folklore shows, Merlin is often subversive, a maverick, and a trespasser. All those entranced by Celtic lore and locations will want to own this book and use it to visit the places that still seem to echo with Merlin’s name. 160 illustrations and maps, 22 in color.