Merlin and Arthurian Legends
I like mythology. I like stories that have been around for ages to the point where they've become part of the human consciousness for certain cultures. One of my favorites that has always sparked my imagination is the Arthurian myths and legends which, with the stories of other legendary kings of Britain is know as "The Matter of Britain". Ever since I was little and I saw Disney's The Sword in the Stone, I've loved the stories of King Arthur, his knights of the round table, Guinevere and Lancelot, and the fall of Camelot. The magic, the mystery, the possibility that there is some truth in the story... it all fascinates and absorbs me. However, the Sword in the Stone just piqued my interest a little bit. In fact, I was disappointed by the way it quite suddenly ended without a further by-your-leave. You don't even see the way things go after Arthur becomes king! How silly is that? That's not the whole story!
So, I read up on the legends. I even picked up T.H. White's Once and Future King, but I still wasn't happy. Mostly, this is because by the time I picked up T.H. White's book, I'd already seen two TV miniseries based on Arthurian Legends. First, I saw the 1998 TV miniseries, Merlin, starring Sam Neill. Then, I saw the 2001 TV miniseries, The Mists of Avalon. They're take on the well-known story telling the whole thing in a way that I hadn't read about in any way before had me absorbed. I literally went on a hunt for books and short stories that were original takes on the Arthurian Saga. Anything that wasn't "Arthur=good, wonderful, talented king" and "Merlin=good, wonderful wizard". Anything that took the tale and twisted it just a teeny bit.
Actually, I think that's when I began to like fairy tales done in a similar way.
Either way, my mind was opened to all the ways you could turn the story in a different direction. The very story of Mordred, based on how you do it, could be compelling in it's own right. What if someone was raised to hate their own father or to believe they had to be evil because they were born of incest? Marion Zimmer Bradley made a whole series off of taking the stories and turning them around in her own way! Diane L. Paxton does the same thing with the same series. I sadly own a couple. Some are interesting and the mythology of the world is cool, but the stories do get rather repetitive.
However, there are some pitfalls one can fall into. For example, there's BBC's series, Merlin. The idea is pretty cool, but based somewhat off an American series called Smallville. The idea is this: take and iconic figure to the general public (with Smallville, it's Superman) and show their beginnings and how they came to be the people they were destined to become. BBC had recently gotten some success with a Robin Hood based series, so this didn't come completely out of no where. Now, there are a lot of iconic figures in Arthurian legend. King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Morgan LeFaye.... They chose Merlin, the old guy with a beard who as supposed to be young before those people previously listed were even born. Instead, the writers and producers thought it'd be a good idea to make them all roughly the same age. So, the Sam Neill miniseries already has an advantage over this new series.
So, then the question becomes... did they do anything new?
The miniseries also called Merlin was cool because it mixed Arthurian legend with faerie lore, playing fast and loose with everything. So... Arthur's enemies are Morgan LeFay and Mordred, his son. Merlin's nemesis is Mab, Queen of the Fairies. Morgan LeFay and Mordred work for her. In fact, Merlin is, in a weird way, Mab's son. Yeah. It's pretty interesting.
So... what new stuff does the TV series Merlin bring to the table? Hmm... dragons... but they've appeared in a lot of Arthurian stories so it's not weird. King Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father hates magic and has banned it's practice in Camelot!
... Wait. Huh?
There's a decent explanation and it's not the simple one that they should've used. The simple explanation would be that Uther was Catholic (Christian) and therefore hated magic because it came from the devil. What explanation does the series give us? Uther used magic to make his barren wife conceive Arthur and it killed her. I really did just type that out.
I know it kind of borders on nitpicking. I know it's just a TV show, but the more I watch it, the more I feel like very little effort went into actually making the story... believable!
Then there's what they did to Guinevere (I mean "Gwen") and Arthur. In the old story, Arthur was raised by a lesser noble to be a squire for his older adoptive brother until the day he pulled the sword from the stone. Guinevere was the daughter of a king or lesser noble who married Arthur and gave him the round table. For some stupid reason, the TV series saw fit to switch it around. So, Arthur's this proud jack-ass and "Gwen" is Morgana's (Morgan LeFay's) maid servant... and the daughter of a blacksmith. Yeah. They really did that. And Merlin looks younger than all of them!
There's original twist... and then there's asinine changes to appeal to the lowest common denominator. I mean, let me paint a picture for you. Merlin starts out a young man during the lifetime of the king or kings that preceded Uther Pendragon. Maybe he's even young with Uther Pendragon who is young and proud and stupid (like Arthur in the series is). The king in charge during that time despises magic, but Merlin has magic so he has to hide himself while somehow knowing (maybe a dragon tells him) that the line of Pendragon will produce a great king that will be remembered for ages to come. The whole first season could be dedicated to Merlin being Uther's manservant, trying to show the young lord the path to greatness and being king while hiding his magic. In season two, Uther could fall in love with Igraine only to watch her go into a loveless marriage with Gorlois. It could go on and on and be mostly original without pandering to the audience that just wants to see the Arthurian saga acted out by a bunch of twenty-somethings!
But no... instead it's awful and feels unintelligent most of the time. Bloody TV shows!
So, I read up on the legends. I even picked up T.H. White's Once and Future King, but I still wasn't happy. Mostly, this is because by the time I picked up T.H. White's book, I'd already seen two TV miniseries based on Arthurian Legends. First, I saw the 1998 TV miniseries, Merlin, starring Sam Neill. Then, I saw the 2001 TV miniseries, The Mists of Avalon. They're take on the well-known story telling the whole thing in a way that I hadn't read about in any way before had me absorbed. I literally went on a hunt for books and short stories that were original takes on the Arthurian Saga. Anything that wasn't "Arthur=good, wonderful, talented king" and "Merlin=good, wonderful wizard". Anything that took the tale and twisted it just a teeny bit.
 |
| I have fairies, Martin Short, and young Helena Bonham Carter! |
 |
| I have feminism, Anjelica Huston, and incest! |
Actually, I think that's when I began to like fairy tales done in a similar way.
Either way, my mind was opened to all the ways you could turn the story in a different direction. The very story of Mordred, based on how you do it, could be compelling in it's own right. What if someone was raised to hate their own father or to believe they had to be evil because they were born of incest? Marion Zimmer Bradley made a whole series off of taking the stories and turning them around in her own way! Diane L. Paxton does the same thing with the same series. I sadly own a couple. Some are interesting and the mythology of the world is cool, but the stories do get rather repetitive.
However, there are some pitfalls one can fall into. For example, there's BBC's series, Merlin. The idea is pretty cool, but based somewhat off an American series called Smallville. The idea is this: take and iconic figure to the general public (with Smallville, it's Superman) and show their beginnings and how they came to be the people they were destined to become. BBC had recently gotten some success with a Robin Hood based series, so this didn't come completely out of no where. Now, there are a lot of iconic figures in Arthurian legend. King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Morgan LeFaye.... They chose Merlin, the old guy with a beard who as supposed to be young before those people previously listed were even born. Instead, the writers and producers thought it'd be a good idea to make them all roughly the same age. So, the Sam Neill miniseries already has an advantage over this new series.
So, then the question becomes... did they do anything new?
The miniseries also called Merlin was cool because it mixed Arthurian legend with faerie lore, playing fast and loose with everything. So... Arthur's enemies are Morgan LeFay and Mordred, his son. Merlin's nemesis is Mab, Queen of the Fairies. Morgan LeFay and Mordred work for her. In fact, Merlin is, in a weird way, Mab's son. Yeah. It's pretty interesting.
So... what new stuff does the TV series Merlin bring to the table? Hmm... dragons... but they've appeared in a lot of Arthurian stories so it's not weird. King Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father hates magic and has banned it's practice in Camelot!
... Wait. Huh?
There's a decent explanation and it's not the simple one that they should've used. The simple explanation would be that Uther was Catholic (Christian) and therefore hated magic because it came from the devil. What explanation does the series give us? Uther used magic to make his barren wife conceive Arthur and it killed her. I really did just type that out.
I know it kind of borders on nitpicking. I know it's just a TV show, but the more I watch it, the more I feel like very little effort went into actually making the story... believable!
Then there's what they did to Guinevere (I mean "Gwen") and Arthur. In the old story, Arthur was raised by a lesser noble to be a squire for his older adoptive brother until the day he pulled the sword from the stone. Guinevere was the daughter of a king or lesser noble who married Arthur and gave him the round table. For some stupid reason, the TV series saw fit to switch it around. So, Arthur's this proud jack-ass and "Gwen" is Morgana's (Morgan LeFay's) maid servant... and the daughter of a blacksmith. Yeah. They really did that. And Merlin looks younger than all of them!
There's original twist... and then there's asinine changes to appeal to the lowest common denominator. I mean, let me paint a picture for you. Merlin starts out a young man during the lifetime of the king or kings that preceded Uther Pendragon. Maybe he's even young with Uther Pendragon who is young and proud and stupid (like Arthur in the series is). The king in charge during that time despises magic, but Merlin has magic so he has to hide himself while somehow knowing (maybe a dragon tells him) that the line of Pendragon will produce a great king that will be remembered for ages to come. The whole first season could be dedicated to Merlin being Uther's manservant, trying to show the young lord the path to greatness and being king while hiding his magic. In season two, Uther could fall in love with Igraine only to watch her go into a loveless marriage with Gorlois. It could go on and on and be mostly original without pandering to the audience that just wants to see the Arthurian saga acted out by a bunch of twenty-somethings!
But no... instead it's awful and feels unintelligent most of the time. Bloody TV shows!
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