During a entries on the era of invasions and because of the presence or absence of a real Arthur, Kike commented the other day with plenty of wisdom that should not be mixed history and myth in the same post. And because it gave me an idea for me to publish another.
could talk about how a legend does yield historical information, but not about the actual facts allegedly told, but rather about the mentality of the era in which the public is told and what heard: it matters little what really made an obscure sixth-century warlord, Arthur embodies the values \u200b\u200bof the ideal ruler of the twelfth century, the fruit of imagination of bards of the twelfth century for a twelfth-century audience. And it is famous for that.
But no. Today we will talk about poop. Poop ... and magic. And, Merlin the magician par excellence, of course, is also believed remotely based on real characters, especially two, or at least around these two are set up his legend, and legend did not get along with the facts. Realized that in the twelfth century someone who knew stories sell well: Geoffrey of Monmouth .
One of these characters was a certain The iloko : A bard who performed late sixth century prophecies for a Celtic king of southern Scotland. Tradition says that after the battle of Arfderydd (573) went crazy and went to the woods of Caledonia where in his madness let go prophecies.
The other was Myrddin Emrys, which appears in the History Britonum of Nennius (ninth century, long before the appearance of King Arthur, in any letter) This was Myrddin said the tyrant Vortigern's famous prophecy of the two dragons facing each other. Have been born in Caemarthen Myrddin in Welsh: Caermyrddin, the name comes from the Brythonic Moridonum (hard by the sea) but as that name was very bland he invented a translation as " the strength of Myrddin "to spread the legend that was born there, and if streamed, to attract tourism revenue.
When Geoffry of Monmouth wrote his History Regum Brittaniae in the thirties of the twelfth century, puts this Myrddin as a counselor to King Uther Pendragon and godfather his son Arturo. But they encounter a problem: he wrote in French. For a court of Norman lords who spoke French. The Normans, to legitimize their invasion of England sought to identify with King Arthur and his court, and emerge with his new subjects as restorers of a tradition older than the Saxons. Which is always nicer to say you come to restore something to say that you come to invade it. He played
for "Frenchify" the character to please the Norman
s. Well, Myrddin was Latinized into "Merdinus" , which sounds like it sounds. Indeed, THE Supersage magician par excellence-powerful and would be known by posterity as " The Shit." Real history and aura of wonder does not end up marrying well. Good old Geoffrey of Monmouth recochineo noticed the widespread it was going to lead in Europe when they saw that the King issue, and model of the Normans, was advised by a shit.
without thinking twice, changed the "D" with an "L", made him Merlinus (Merlin in Castilian), was spared the ignominy and became a recurring character in emerging romances. Geoffrey of Monmouth, has deprived many people of many jokes, but instead, contributed to the birth of a myth, and that's beautiful man.
So while I advocate that if you document a little, everything is best, when you criticize a series or film solely because of their low historical accuracy, you have to think to sacrifice truth for the sake of spectacle and epic is something has been done since the beginning of time, and of course, also in the Middle Ages. Because every time you need your little legend.
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