![]() Britain is the island of immigrants, but Merlin provides an autochthonous voice - naturally evil advisers try to trick the king into murdering him, but the boy Merlin outwits them and orders that a great pit be dug - in which the assembled notables see two dragons coiled together - all the symbolism bangs our heads on the notion of rootedness, which itself is a curious turn of events in a text dedicated to one of King Henry I's (many) bastard children. It is an entirely remarkable book coming from a remarkable place, from the edge of Norman rule, it creates or assumes a new identity, rooted in the mythical past of Wales but looking deep into mainland Europe. Very odd, but popular medieval English work it survives in a (relatively) large number of manuscripts and is mostly fictional. ![]()
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