The true history of Merlin the Magician

Sobre el libro The true history of Merlin the Magician de Anne Lawrence-Mathers publicado por Yale University Press al 2012:

Merlin the Magician has remained an enthralling and curious individual since the idea was first invented in the twelfth century in the pages of Geoffrey of Monmouth´s "History of the Kings of Britain". But although the Merlin of literature and Arthurian myth is well known, Merlin´s historical impact and his relation to medieval magic are less familiar. In this book Anne Lawrence-Mathers explores just who he was thought to be and what he has meant to Britain. The twelfth-century Merlin was no folk soothsayer: he was a learned figure at the cutting edge of medieval science and adept in astrology, cosmology, prophecy and natural magic, as well as being a seer and proto alchemist. He was a convincing and powerful figure and his famed prophecies helped to add credibility to the ´long lost´ history of Britain, first revealed here to a European public. Merlin´s prophecies reassuringly foretold Britain´s path, establishing an ancient ancestral line and linking biblical prediction with more recent times. Merlin helped to place British history within world history. Lawrence-Mathers also explores the meaning of Merlin´s magic across the centuries, arguing that he embodied ancient Christian and pagan magical traditions, recreated for a medieval court and adapted to fit a new moral climate. Linking Merlin´s perceived reality and power with the culture of the Middle Ages, this remarkable book reveals the true impact of the most famous magician of all time.