Tale 40 -- A Trip to Ancient Britain

"What are you reading?" Ben asked his sister Carol.

"I'm reading about King Arthur, and Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table," Carol answered.

"You're reading a story book?" Ben asked. "I thought you said story books are a waste of time."

"This isn't really a story book," Carol said. "Story books are for children. This is history."

"Those stories are full of magic," Ben said. "History books don't have magic in them."

"Well, some of it is history," Carol said. "Arthur was a real person. Maybe they had magic back in those days."


YOUNG MERLIN (British legend)

Merlin was the son of a mortal woman and a spirit of the air. A priest baptized him as soon as he was born, and he lost some of his father's nature. However, he still retained some magical powers, including the ability to shape-shift.

The Saxon King Voltigern ruled Britain in those days. He had rebelled against his liege lord, the British King Moines. The dead king's brothers, Uther and Pendragon, fled before he could kill them. Voltigern was worried that they would return with an army, and began building a fortified tower to keep himself safe. Every time the walls reached a certain height, they would collapse for no apparent reason.

After the walls had fallen the third time, Voltigern consulted his astrologers. They told him that the walls would not stand unless the foundation was bathed in the blood of a child born without a mortal father.
Voltigern sent his messengers all over the kingdom. They discovered Merlin and brought him to the king. As soon as Merlin saw the unfinished tower, he told the king that the foundation would never be stable, because it was built over the lair of two dragons who shook the earth with their battles.

Voltigern ordered his men to dig beneath the foundation. They discovered two dragons, one red, and one white. The dragons emerged from the earth and began a fight to the death. Everyone was terrified except Merlin, who watched the combat until, finally, the white dragon killed the red one. The white dragon slipped back into the earth through a cleft in the rock.

"The time of the red Saxon dragon is at an end," Merlin told Voltigern. "The white British dragon will rise again to rule the land."

After that, Voltigern was afraid to harm Merlin. When Uther and Pendragon arrived with their armies, Merlin joined them. Voltigern was defeated and Pendragon became king.

The struggle between the Britons and Saxons was far from over. Soon another war broke out. Pendragon was killed, and his brother Uther became king. Uther took the title "Uther Pendragon" to honour his brother, and asked Merlin to build a mighty monument for the fallen king. Merlin magically transported enormous stones from Ireland, and built Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain.

Merlin became a valued advisor to Uther and his son Arthur, the most famous British king of all.