As you may know, behind Aeternum is a small business based in Brittany (specifically in the south of Finistère). It is well known that this region lives to the rhythm of legends, myths, and magical practices, some more or less known. Thus, to highlight our beautiful region, we will regularly publish little-known legends from Breton history. This week, we explore one of the most famous characters: Merlin and his true story. By the way, I highly recommend visiting the Suscinio Castle, which retraces this story in a very successful staging.
Once upon a time, in the ancient lands of Brittany (then called Armorica), there was a woman whom the clergy called pure, but who bore a child without ever having known a man. The wise men of the kingdom suspected her of a pact with a malicious spirit, and it was true: she had been visited by a demon. This child, half man, half spirit, received gifts that no one else possessed: he saw the past and the future, read minds, and understood the language of the stars. His name was Merlin.
From childhood, he showed signs of strange wisdom. A king named Vortigern summoned him because his builders failed to erect a tower that collapsed every night. Merlin explained that two dragons slept beneath the earth: one red, the other white. When they were unearthed, they fought. The red dragon lost. Merlin read the future in this: the white dragon represented the Saxon invaders, but one day, a king from among their own would drive them back. This king would be Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon.
Merlin then became the advisor to King Uther. When the latter fell in love with Ygraine, wife of the Duke of Cornwall, Merlin used his magic to give him the appearance of the duke. That night, Arthur was conceived. In exchange for this service, Merlin demanded that the child be entrusted to him at birth.
Arthur grew up far from the court, raised without knowing who he was. When Uther died, the kingdom fell into chaos. Merlin had a sword set in a stone. Only the true king could pull it out. Arthur, still young, accomplished the feat. The lords submitted.
Merlin stayed by his side, helping him establish peace, found the Round Table, and guide the knights. But his own days of light were darkening. He met a young woman, Viviane, at the
Since that day, it is said that his tomb rests in Brocéliande, very close to the Valley of No Return. It was once a group of megaliths, erected like menhirs. From this legendary burial site, two stones still remain, separated but considered to be the remnants of the monument that sealed the fate of the great enchanter.
And some, even today, claim that at dusk, Merlin whispers to those who know how to listen to the song of the wind in the oaks of Brocéliande...
