Merlin

[michelanCello]

According to the legend, King Arthur lived in the 6th century, but there is no written source to proove this. He's first mentionned in Geoffrey of Monmouth's (hope I wrote his name right) Historia Britannea (or was it Brittannae?) where he mentinned a great king, who defeated the saxons. Rumour has it, that Arthur had a powerfull sourcerer, who was very wise and helped the king in his battles. But, of course, it's all just a legend, and no one knows where history ends and poetry begins.


(I know all this because last year - or was it the year before that? - I held a presentation about the arthurian legend...)

 

[Tonyblack]

Just a couple of points there. Arthur was mentioned in early Welsh literature - as was Merlin, but never in the same stories. In these stories, Arthur was never called a king and the details are pretty sketchy - there's more known about Merlin.

Geoffrey of Monmouth was a Norman who was basically rewriting British history and trying to create a unity between the Britons, Saxons and the Normans. The irony is that the Saxons that Arthur beat were the English. Kind of surprising that the English embraced Arthur as their hero.

Most of the Arthur myth was written by the French and such things as Camelot and Lancelot were added then.

 

[Tiffany]

I don't care that it isn't historical correct, it's a fantasy so it doesn't matter.

I'll say it isn't historically correct! Guis was wearing spectacles in Series one, and there were also cans of lager on the banqueting table!I am enjoying it though. I'm just waiting for one of the knights to produce a wristwatch ...

I never noticed those. I must take more notice of the props.

 

[Jugula]

Don't know about the Netherlands, but I live in Hungary (most of the time...), and it sais that it's not available in my area... maybe Sjoerd should check.
But thanks for the link anyway!

Back to the dragon - which scorpions?? (is that already season three?)

Hi I live way down south in Hungary; I have been able to pick it up on a German sat dish channel, but it is maddening cos there are so many adverts!! Jugula

 

[michelanCello]

You live in Hungary? Where?

Anyway, we have this horrible UPC thing and we used to have a lot of german/english/dutch/etc, etc channels, but they changed something, and now they're all gone. We only get hungarian channels (and CNN and BBC news... which if OK, but not enough...)

 

[Jugula]

You live in Hungary? Where?

Anyway, we have this horrible UPC thing and we used to have a lot of german/english/dutch/etc, etc channels, but they changed something, and now they're all gone. We only get hungarian channels (and CNN and BBC news... which if OK, but not enough...)

Down between Pecs and Kaposvar in a small village. I have a sat and it's tuned to Astra 1B 19 2E; gives me loads of German, Austrian, a few French and CNN, BBC News, CNBC, Euronews etc. Hoping to get a second sat which will then be tuned to Astra 28EAST which should then allow me top pick up some UK programs. Jugula

 

[Bouncy Castle]

How can legends be "historically correct"?

OK glasses and a can of lager may be a bit OTT (to say the least!!), but you can't really diss the props (when it first aired, people were complaining that throwing tomatoes at someone is the stocks wasn't historically correct because tomatoes didn't arrive in England until the year UmptyNumpty).

After all, the legends state that Merlin was an old man when he assisted Arthur, who was still a young man when he became king.

This is just a re-working of the legends and doesn't have to be accurate. Heck, the whole premise of Merlin and Arthur being around the same age cancels the legends out entirely.

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

Legends can generally be made to loosely 'fit' history in the way that the bible uses oral tradition from times before the world was officially 'there' and humans learnt to read and write.

Robin Hood could be based on any number of 'bandits' around the time of Richard the Lionheart, who supposedly lived rough in a wood and ambushed the odd taxman. Same with Arthur taken in context with the Romans leaving and the power vacuum they left where the native Britons (so Celts and their druids mainly, but Romano-British too) tried to repel Saxon-type pagan invaders etc.

Anyone remember Arthur of the Britonsback in the early 70s? Apart from the silly posing with swords and stones that's possibly as close as you can get to a reasonably 'historical' re-telling of the Arthur myths which had far more to do with later French knightly stories that owed more to warrior life in the 1200s CE. You could also justifiably argue that, for the possible historical niche, the Grail aspect of the legends are complete and utter cobblers since christianity became distinctly unpopular in Britain almost as soon as the last legion sodded off back to mainland Europe...

So this current Merlin's of a possible magical background and pushed into the knightly take without the christianity - it's fun and pure fantasy because it's all myth rather than 'quasi-real' or probable legend

 

[Tonyblack]

I remember it. I think that was more like Arthur actually was - or as in the Bernard Cornwell books.

Incidentally, there's no evidence that Arthur and Merlin ever met. And there's at least two possible Merlins in Welsh ledgend.

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

I remember it. I think that was more like Arthur actually was - or as in the Bernard Cornwell books.

Definitely - Stephen Lawhead as well although he fuses that with Atlantean themes (so it's more technology rather than magic) with the surviving high caste Atlanteans taking the Fisher King and Lady of the Lake posts and 'civilising' the Celts (though they weren't at all savage) and taking to christianity more readily.

 

[The Mad Collector]

Merlin to return for a fourth series

From the BBC web site

Saturday night family hit Merlin is to return for a fourth series, BBC One bosses have announced. The third series of the retelling of the Arthurian legend has regularly attracted average audiences of more than six million. "Merlin continues to perform outstandingly well against The X Factor," the BBC's controller of drama commissioning Ben Stephenson said. The show stars Colin Morgan, John Hurt, Richard Wilson and Anthony Head. The BBC said the show had been sold to 180 countries. The third series, which ends on 4 December, has featured guest appearances from actors including Warwick Davies and Miriam Margolyes. Filming for the new 10-part series will begin in March.

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

"Merlin continues to perform outstandingly well against The X Factor"

And there guys 'n' gals is the reason - anything's better than watching the Simon Cowell ego show!

Except when we had a visitor down who's obsessional about the silly circus I have never watched one full programme of the X Factor since it started and never felt the need to, except to marvel at the supposed lost 'talent' of the failed contestants during daytime magazine shows the week after they're so tragically kicked off... :twisted:

The one episode I did watch had Wagner in it - what an all-round miraculous entertainer! PMSL

Actually I'm being unfair - I would willingly watch Merlin even if they didn't have the X factor on at the same time. Now that Morganna's secret out in the open it's also starting to get closer to the original mythology too. But Merlin's still waaaaay too young in there! But he's a decent actor and I like the comic touches they put in so it's all good :twisted:

 

[michelanCello]

We have X-factor too, but I don't watch it...

But hey, MERLIN CONTINUES!!

 

[StevenF50]

I have watched all the Merlin's. The series is great. I hope they make a series about when Arthur becomes king! Morgarna is really evil, why can't Uther and Arthur notice it?? I thought I was the only fan

 

[Bouncy Castle]

You and about 7 million others, Steven!

 

[Bouncy Castle]

Merlin the Movie.......... set in modern day.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/ ... orks-43957

Oh dear.

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

Actually there's nothing new in the idea of a contemporary Merlin - T.H. White's spoofy Arthurian series that inspired Disney's Sword in the Stone classic animation had the old guy living backwards in time and so his Merlin wasn't magic so much as technologically astute.

Then there's Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee at the Court of King Arthur which has the ancient/modern contrast as well

Actually it's been a while since I read T.H. White's Arthur books - they really are terrific books and I think Terry and he would have got on like a mason in flambay as Nanny would say

 

[Manxnancy]

One of my favourite programmes

The series takes a bit of an artistic license with regard to Arthurian legend, but it is really good fun and quite comical at times. I honestly love the series and the casting is good as well. I am delighted and often surprised with the new characters and the all-star guests playing heros or villains each week, even John Hurt as a dragon - gotta love that!

 

[michelanCello]

Welcome to the forum, Manxnancy!

 

[unseenu]

Merlin is one of my favourite shows atm,i recently learnt viking futhark runes which allows me to translate a lot of the runes that appear in the show.I feel really geeky for pausing the manticor episode and spending an hour interpretting the book on manticors.