Before Merlin was a wizard, he was a wild man, a prophet, a poet, a shaman—and perhaps something stranger still.
Few figures in Western mythology have proved as enduring or as mysterious as Merlin. From the haunted forests of early Celtic tradition to the court of King Arthur, from medieval prophecy and Renaissance magic to Victorian poetry and modern fantasy, the great enchanter has continually changed his shape—while somehow remaining unmistakably himself.
Merlin in the Tide of Time is an extraordinary journey through more than a thousand years of Merlin lore. Acclaimed Celtic and Arthurian scholars John Matthews and R. J. Stewart gather together ancient poems, medieval chronicles, legends, prophecies, literary works, and esoteric traditions to trace the evolution of one of the most fascinating figures in the Western imagination.
Here you will encounter Merlin as the mad prophet Myrddin Wyllt, wandering the wilderness after the horrors of battle; Merlin as bard and seer; Merlin as counselor to King Arthur; Merlin as magician, alchemist, and master of hidden wisdom; and Merlin as the archetypal Wise Old Man whose shadow can still be recognized in the great mentors and magicians of modern fantasy.
Drawing on Celtic tradition, Arthurian romance, folklore, mythology, poetry, drama, occult philosophy, and historical scholarship, this remarkable collection includes:
• Early Welsh traditions of Myrddin and the Wild Man
• Geoffrey of Monmouth’s influential Prophecies of Merlin and Vita Merlini
• Medieval tales of Merlin, Arthur, Nimuë, and the Round Table
• Merlin’s connections with shamanism, prophecy, the Goddess, and Celtic spirituality
• Renaissance and early modern portrayals of the great magician
• Works by Spenser, Drayton, Swift, Tennyson, and other major writers
• Traditional Merlin poems, riddles, legends, and prophetic texts
• Explorations of Merlin in modern fiction and cinema
• Original studies by John Matthews, R. J. Stewart, Caitlín Matthews, and others
Originally published as Merlin Through the Ages, this newly presented edition restores to readers one of the most wide-ranging collections ever assembled on the legendary mage.
For readers of Arthurian legend, Celtic mythology, medieval literature, folklore, Druidry, Western esotericism, and the history of magic, Merlin in the Tide of Time reveals a Merlin far older, wilder, and more mysterious than the familiar wizard of popular imagination.
Merlin has never truly disappeared. He has simply changed with the times—and waits to be discovered again.
