• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Was Merlin From Glasgow?

Tintagel Castle Merlin carving sparks 'Disneyfication' row

A rock carving of Merlin at a coastal cave reputedly linked to the legend of King Arthur has been branded a "Disneyfication" of the site.
English Heritage, which commissioned the artwork, has been accused of "commercialising" Tintagel Castle, the rumoured birthplace of King Arthur.
Cornwall councillor Bert Biscoe has written to the charity to complain about the "comic-book face".
It said the carving would help visitors understand the history of the site.

The work sits at the mouth of the so-called Merlin's Cave, where it is said the wizard took Arthur as a baby to keep him safe.

In his letter, independent councillor Mr Biscoe also complained about a proposed 8ft (2.45m) model of an Arthurian knight which is set to be bolted into rocks near the castle.
"This is one of the most heavily designated pieces of landscape and archaeology in Britain," he said.
"If we start carving comic book characters into the geology, where do we stop? This is not Disneyland, it's Cornwall."

The carving was finished in February by local craftsman Peter Graham.
English Heritage said plans for its "outdoor interpretation scheme" received planning permission last year, and include plans for "several artistic installations inspired by the legends of Merlin, King Arthur and Tristan and Iseult".
"These legends have all had a profound impact on shaping Tintagel, and will help visitors to understand how the site grew and developed over the centuries," it said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-35837271
 
Tintagel Castle Merlin carving sparks 'Disneyfication' row

A rock carving of Merlin at a coastal cave reputedly linked to the legend of King Arthur has been branded a "Disneyfication" of the site.
English Heritage, which commissioned the artwork, has been accused of "commercialising" Tintagel Castle, the rumoured birthplace of King Arthur.
Cornwall councillor Bert Biscoe has written to the charity to complain about the "comic-book face".
It said the carving would help visitors understand the history of the site.

The work sits at the mouth of the so-called Merlin's Cave, where it is said the wizard took Arthur as a baby to keep him safe.

In his letter, independent councillor Mr Biscoe also complained about a proposed 8ft (2.45m) model of an Arthurian knight which is set to be bolted into rocks near the castle.
"This is one of the most heavily designated pieces of landscape and archaeology in Britain," he said.
"If we start carving comic book characters into the geology, where do we stop? This is not Disneyland, it's Cornwall."

The carving was finished in February by local craftsman Peter Graham.
English Heritage said plans for its "outdoor interpretation scheme" received planning permission last year, and include plans for "several artistic installations inspired by the legends of Merlin, King Arthur and Tristan and Iseult".
"These legends have all had a profound impact on shaping Tintagel, and will help visitors to understand how the site grew and developed over the centuries," it said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-35837271
Merlin... or Kenny Rogers?


It is indeed very shit. If you've been there you don't need crap like this to help you imagine what the castle was like in ages past. Crass - what are people thinking?
 
Went to Tintagel last year. It's a very nice place (even when covered in the Dragon's Breath - the sea fog) - wild, rugged, natural. Your imagination can run around freely in the caves and on the cliffs. Read the stories, the myths, let your mind fill in the blanks. Adding nonsenses like this just sticks a foot out to trip you up.
 
The new bridge has been approved. Yeah, it'll make the site a little more accessible (no more having to climb loads of steep, damp steps) but it'll ruin the view. Will also be a real bugger if the rescue helicopter has to fly down there to rescue people on the cliff (it did when we were there).

Be interesting to see how it holds up in a storm too...

Tintagel-Castle.jpg


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/king-arthurs-tintagel-castle-death-7616188
 
Meet Gallos, the new king watching over Tintagel Castle
By ScottHarrison | Posted: April 25, 2016

One of the Westcountry most-treasured historic landmark has a new king watching over it.
An 8ft bronze sculpture inspired by both the legend of King Arthur and the royal past of Cornwall's Tintagel Castle's has been hoisted into place to serve as the centrepiece of a new visitor experience.

The sculpture, named Gallos which is the Cornish word for power, had to be helicoptered into position in a highly-secretive operation which has seen it positioned on Tintagel's famous windswept island headland.
"It's just spectacular," said Jeremy Ashbee, head curator at English Heritage, which manages Tintagel Castle. "It is eye-catching and tasteful and something that celebrates what Tintagel is all about."

Created by artist Rubin Eynon, the already-weathered figure is just one element of the new outdoor interpretation experience which invites visitors to explore the 18-acre site in a brand new way.

It is complimented by a series of bronze and Delabole slate information panels, which pay homage to Tintagel's true history as a royal stronghold and thriving trading port while still embracing the King Arthur legend which has seen the castle ruins preserved through time.

The new interpretation of Tintagel seeks to highlight the castle's role as one of Britain most significant centres of commerce as a stronghold of the kingdom on Dumnonia during the 5th and 6th century.

Archaeological digs have uncovered several thousand pieces of exotic Mediterranean pottery at Tintagel, which further strengthens its position as a high status settlement where ancient kings flexed their economic wealth through the important of luxury goods from North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean.

And it is these early kings who seem to have inspired early legends about the site, becoming the setting for the love story of Tristan and Iseult and for Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century description of the conception of King Arthur.
These legends, in turn, prompted Richard, Earl of Cornwall, to determine that Tintagel and all its charms, fact, fiction or otherwise, must become the site of his medieval castle in the 1230s.

etc...

http://www.cornishguardian.co.uk/Me...gel-Castle/story-29157838-detail/story.html#1

Several pics on page.
 
Gallosus was what I used to 'old me pants up with when I were a child...
 
Archaeologists get set for new excavations at Tintagel, legendary home of King Arthur
By cg_graham | Posted: July 14, 2016

Archaeologists are about to start a fresh quest to dig at Tintagel for clues about King Arthur.
Work is due to start on Monday on a new project at Tintagel Castle. The excavations could take five years.

Although the castle itself is thought to be medieval, and therefore more recent than any historic Arthurian figure, the archaeologists hope research into carefully selected parts of the site will reveal more about how the people of Tintagel lived in the Post-Roman period from 5th to 6th centuries AD. Experts think that if King Arthur really existed, it was probably during this era – but opinion is divided over where he might have been based.

Next week's work sees the start of the first major dig for nearly 20 years. Archaeologists from Cornwall Archaeological Unit will be working with English Heritage until August 2 to explore two previously unexcavated terrace areas of the island settlement.

Since the major explorations of the 1930s, opinions have changed as to the function of post-Roman Tintagel. The original lead archaeologist, C. A. Ralegh-Radford, claimed that the site was an early Christian monastery from the fifth through to the eighth century.

But Tintagel is now seen as a very important fifth-to seventh-century fortress belonging to the post-Roman kings of Dumnonia. Tintagel was also the leading centre in Cornwall for trade with the eastern Mediterranean merchants, receiving tin from many places in Cornwall as "tribute," with this then being traded for luxury goods.

The new project will use cutting edge scientific techniques to delve deeper into Tintagel's past. Once the trenches are dug, samples of soil, ceramics, glass, iron, bone and molluscs will be collected and sent for analysis, and tiny samples of carbon will be used for accurate radiocarbon dating.

"This is the most significant archaeological project at Tintagel since the 1990s" explains English Heritage's Properties Curator for the West, Win Scutt. "The three week dig this summer is the first step in a five year research programme to answer some key questions about Tintagel and Cornwall's past.
"We'll be testing the dig sites to plan more advanced excavations next year, getting a much clearer picture of the footprint of early medieval buildings on the island, and gathering samples for analysis. It's when these samples are studied in the laboratory that the fun really starts, and we'll begin to unearth Tintagel's secrets."

http://www.westbriton.co.uk/archaeo...-king-arthur/story-29512549-detail/story.html
 
Well...I'm just an uncultured American but I quite like that carving of Merlin on the rock face.
:D
 
Author Ralph Ellis puts forth a theory that an exiled King named Jesus was imprisoned somewhere in Britain and he is the source of the Arthur legends. I like this theory, but I will take it further and state that if this theory is true, then Jesus is also the source of the Merlin myths, since in Jewish Tradition Jesus is considered an evil sorcerer.
 
I heard another story on the origin of Merlin. A 'Merthin' was a generic term for a village respected wise man/elder/shaman. Nearly every village had one. Over time the term Merthin morphed into Merlin, became a single person rather a class of people, and tales of prowess got added to the narrative with each retelling one generation to the next. My knowledge of ancient Briton language is weak, so I cannot vouch for the veracity of the story.
 
Merlin certainly comes across as an archetype, so it's not too farfetched to suppose he was based on many a community's shaman (for want of a better word).
 
ver time the term Merthin morphed into Merlin, became a single person rather a class of people, and tales of prowess got added to the narrative with each retelling one generation to the next.

interesting! can you remember roughly when/where/how you heard it?
 
Researcher Ralph Ellis theorizes that King Arthur represents "Ursa Major" and the 12 knights are the Zodiac. This is because an ancient zodiac was found in Chester that has "Ursa Major" at its center instead of the usual sun. Ellis thinks that the name Arthur means Bear. This would make Merlin possibly an astrological sign.
 
Researcher Ralph Ellis theorizes that King Arthur represents "Ursa Major" and the 12 knights are the Zodiac. This is because an ancient zodiac was found in Chester that has "Ursa Major" at its center instead of the usual sun. Ellis thinks that the name Arthur means Bear. This would make Merlin possibly an astrological sign.
Well, Ursa Major is near the centre of the Zodiac. Arthur's father was supposed to have been Uther Pendragon, And the constellation of of Draco the Dragon lies beneath (or south of) Ursa Major, as seen from the true celestial Pole (in Ursa Minor).

On the other hand, the legendary Round Table was devised to give equality to the King and all his knights, and Ursa Major does NOT lie on the Zodiac!
 
I highly recommend Alastair Moffat's book about Merlin. Like most of his stuff, a very interesting read.
 
If merlin was a Glaswegian, then he would have died at 54, normal mortality age for Glasgow. If Jesus had his last supper in the Gallowgate, that's only due to him being "knifed" after the meal.:rofl:
 
Back
Top