Merlin

[TheCursedQuill]

Wow there is definitely a lot I didn't know about Merlin! I'll need to read up on it some more...

I do find the struggle mentioned between paganism and christianity interesting. If Merlin represents the old ways and Arthur the new (remember the knights went in search of the Holy Grail which was Christ's Cup) then that could be where the conflict beteen magical people and Muggles first emerged from.

I love this idea and Sarah's idea of Merlin possibly creating the first muggle-born witch out of Morgan. Maybe he did this to spite Arthur and show him that his new ways weren't right?

But then again, this conflict suggests to me that Merlin wouldn't have liked muggles, and then main accomplishment of Merlin is that he protected muggles and tried to make Wizards see that they should work together.

But I have thought a good deal about Merlin, and I kind of thought of his treatment of Muggles as an extension of the code of chivalry

I think this makes the most sense. I wonder if Arthur was on board with Merlin? Would Arthur have promoted this idea of wizard/muggle relationship? Or did his growing faith put an end to their relationship, thus causing him to cut off his head?

I'm sort of leaning towards mixing the different legands together, as you can tell from above. I've only ever read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which deals a lot about chivalry, and I love the idea so staying with that seems natural for me.

[Sapphire at Dawn]

I think this makes the most sense. I wonder if Arthur was on board with Merlin? Would Arthur have promoted this idea of wizard/muggle relationship? Or did his growing faith put an end to their relationship, thus causing him to cut off his head?

I think that for Arthur to actually cut off his head would contradict so much of what he and his code actually stood for. It was the Golden Age of Camelot, and for the King himself to comit murder would have been scandelous. Though of course we know that five hundred years later, we know that there is dissent between wizards and Muggles.

I think that Arthur would have probably promoted wizard/Muggle relations and that it was after his reign that the troubles between magical and non magical people flared up again. In the legends, Arthur's reign is like a great calm in a storm. There are troubles before he comes to the throne and troubles after, as he leaves no heir to speak of. In most of the tales he has no son except Mordred, who dies with Arthur, but occasionally he does have a son called Loholt, who is his heir, or else it's Galahad. Both Galahad and Loholt die before Arthur does (Galahad when he achieves the Grail Quest and Loholt in the Battle of Camlann), so he leaves England with no heir. I think that this sort of eye of the storm calm would refect somewhat in Muggle/wizard relations, and that their peace and acceptance of each other dies with the end of Camelot.

Of course, you could argue it that Arthur didn't support wizarding rights as he grew more Christian, I think both would fit, but I do think that when he came to the throne he would have supported a relationship.

Actually, you could write it that Arthur was a tyrant and against wizards from the start, despite Merlin's efforts, but I think that JKR, if she was writing it, would have gone with the romances and the legends and had him the good guy.

Sarah x

[ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor]

But then again, this conflict suggests to me that Merlin wouldn't have liked muggles, and then main accomplishment of Merlin is that he protected muggles and tried to make Wizards see that they should work together.

Well, just because Merlin likes Muggles, that doesn't mean that he by any means sees them as equals. He could very well see them like most people regard pets. Yes, they're our friends and companions, but when asked whether we want to spend $200 on a broken leg, about half would just have the pet euthanised. Yeah, it sucks, but it's just the way it is. I think Merlin would see Muggles in a similar light.

I don't ever see wizards and Muggles working together at any point in history, though. Even 'enlightened', non Muggle-hating wizards like Arthur see them as more of a subject of fascination as equals. He doesn't think they should be mistreated, but I don't see him talking about how unfair the ISS is (International Statute of Secrecy of 1689 [possibly the correct year]), despite his fascination.

But, back on the vein of protecting Muggles...I'm sure that, if he were sympathetic to them, Merlin would protect them. That doesn't mean that he sees them as partners in the community.

Hope this helps.