Pic: www.celtsand vikings.com

Many people of Celtic origin are intrigued by the history and meaning of the symbols found on Celtic jewelry designs. If you share this very natural curiosity about your ancestry, you may be interested in starting a Celtic jewelry collection of your own. It can be difficult to choose from the many stunning choices currently available in the marketplace. I’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to the common symbols found on today’s special pieces. With this useful outline, you can begin to decide on what means the most to you.

 The Insular Art Period -

The Insular Art Period was a rich period in Celtic art. During the post-Roman era in Great Britain, starting around 600 AD, Celtic artisans crafted unforgettable designs out of precious metals. Each piece was rife with intricate knot work, zoomorphic (animal) symbols, and delicate spirals.

As well as metal work, artisans also carved stone crosses and drew rich, illuminated texts, such as the Irish Book of Kells. The Insular Art Period lives on today in the spirit and quality of modern-day Celtic jewelry designs. For a truly authentic piece, look for jewelry that is handcrafted by the master artisans of Ireland itself.

Today’s designers take their cue from the Insular Art Period, referencing the High Crosses and Celtic crosses that stand in the churchyards of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. They use the influences of the past to create timeless symbols of spiritual faith and dimensional beauty.

Some Irish craftsmen spend years in apprenticeships before they are ever permitted to finish traditional jewelry designs. Their skill and passion add an heirloom quality to today’s collectible rings, pendants, and earrings.

Knot Work In Past And Present -

Knot work is a common feature on today’s Celtic and Irish jewelry – but what does it mean? The hidden symbolism inherent in the curving, never ending lines of traditional knot work has a mysterious quality that leaves us curious.

Celtic knot work is used to symbolize the interconnectness of all things, and the eternal nature of God’s own love. It is a feature on many art treasures, such as the Book of Kells, which features rich, gilded borders. The Book of Kells now rests at Trinity College in Dublin, where onlookers can enjoy its pictorial depictions of the four Gospels of the New Testament.

Celtic knot work is also known as interlace, and it is used to great effect in the Book of Kells. Rich, bold colors make the beauty of the interlace come to life.

On today’s rings, pendants and earrings, knot work is a common feature. It can flank engagement stones, or be found in the careful engraving on Celtic Cross pendants. Its beauty and versatility give great individuality to modern Celtic jewelry.

All over the world, the delicate, interwoven lines of interlace are recognized as uniquely Celtic. By choosing a starter piece of Celtic jewelry that features knot work, you will be choosing an ancient symbol that may have also been worn by your ancestors, thousands of years ago.

Zoomorphic (Animal) Symbols –

On ancient Celtic instruments, such as the Irish bodhran, there are often painted animal symbols that pique the imagination. But what do they symbolize? You may also have wondered at the zoomorphic symbols that appear on today’s Celtic jewelry designs.

Zoomorphic symbols have been used for centuries to illustrate the sacred animal symbols of Great Britain’s most illustrious families. The Clans of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales used animals because of the traits they were thought to possess. For example, the Book of Kells features both a winged lion and a winged bull.

Giving spiritual, magical qualities to animals is a tradition in Celtic art and mythology. Serpents are also a common zoomorphic symbol. The serpent was thought to be a facet of Pagan worship in the ancient times before Christ, when Druid beliefs were commonplace.

Animal symbols are often carved in interlace fashion, combining two time-honored symbols of Celtic history. Jewelry may feature interlace birds, reptiles, or other animals that underscore the Pagan belief in uniting with nature itself.

Shamrocks -

The Shamrock is found throughout Ireland, on objects as diverse as beer bottles, national flags, and gold and diamond pendants. The Shamrock is a symbol of the Patron Saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick grew up in the Pagan faith, but in his teen years he converted to Christianity. His life was spent in the service of Christ, and he spent thirty years building schools, monasteries, and churches that celebrated the power of the Gospel.

Saint Patrick used the trefoil, or three-leaf, design of the Shamrock to convert Pagans to Christ in Ireland. He felt that the three leaves were a natural symbol of the Holy Trinity (The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit). The dedication of Saint Patrick is celebrated each year on March 17th, as Saint Patrick’s Day parades and festivals are held.

In jewelry designs, Shamrocks are a potent reminder of Saint Patrick, and of Ireland. The Shamrock remains the most recognizable of all Irish jewelry motifs.

About the Author

L Maher is a content writer who writes and researches about gorgeous and extraordinary Celtic jewelry, as well as Irish culture and history. Get more information regarding Celtic jewelry.

Pic: Free Movies Database

I thought it was about time to give you a reminder of some of the resources you’ll find on this website and to offer you the opportunity to contribute. We have lists of books, both fiction and non-fiction, a new page for films has just been added and there are many more things to find. I guess it is important to remember that we are trying to make this a community site which means that we absolutely welcome your additions. If you spot a film that should be in the list and isn’t, for example, drop us an email and we’ll add it! Like wise with books and so on. We try to list all Podcasts that we have covered in the shows as well and we have an extremely out-of-date biography list of characters in Irish Mythology. Let’s list what you can find!

Now although there structure of the menu may change as we try to find ways to make it easier to understand, there are two general categories of things we carry that may help you. There are the Celtic resources and there are the Show resources. The difficulty comes because there is obviously a lot of cross-over between these categories <groan> – we need a time-and-motion expert to come up with a brilliant plan  

The Resources Menu

Image Galleries

Here you will find the galleries of famous Celtic or Fey artists who have been kind enough to submit their work to the site.

Our Photo Galleries

Here is where you will find that we have submitted you to pictures that we have taken – (laughs maniacally!).

Contributor Pages

Now this is probably one of the most exciting places to visit because you can find out all about the artists, musicians and authors who have helped us on our journey. This is is the only place you will find listings of Celtic Musicians only because there are so many of them! Wonderful, isn’t it?

Listener Inspired Work

This is a section that we are very proud of. Anything that you, as a listener, are inspired by the show to create and are then brave enough to send us will be placed here. We have submissions in the artwork, poems and research categories but you can also send us CMP inspired music or stories.

Characters

These are the Biographies of the characters in Irish Mythology. They need some serious updating and probably some re-design as we move into the realms of Welsh Mythology.

Episode Maps

Here you will find maps of the locations mentioned in the first five episodes. Given a lifetime of time or a room-full of staff, these would also be up-to-date but…

Celtic Media

In this section, you will find the foillowing sub-sections:

Celtic & Fae Fiction

Books that are conerning the Celts or the Fey in some way.

Celtic & Fae Non-Fiction

Books that are written to study the Celts or the Fey.

Celtic & Fey Films/TV

Video that has been made that includes both the fantastical and fictional (the majority) but also as many documentaries as we can lay our hands on.

Podcasts

Celtic-related shows, Celtic music shows, stories, audiobooks, Celtic language podcasts and a general catch-all buckewt for any other show we like

Celtic Podcast Music

An incredibly useful offsite link, maintained by Stephen, of Celtic Music that has been played on all the various Celtic Music podcasts around the web. Good work, Stephen – keep it up!

Celtic Charities

To help support the Celtic community in their Charity work, we have included some details of those charities that we have been told about here.

Celtic Languages

Resources and tutors that you can find around the web and eventually lists of books to help you in your studies of the Celtic Languages.

The Song of Amergin

Research that was done by the Show and on behalf of the show to find the earliest version of the Song of Amergin to be used in the Show of the same name, Episode 12.

Wallpapers

Some of the artwork that we have made suitable for use as Desktop Wallpaper on your copmputer.

Fun Stuff

Various funny bits n bobs – at the moment a couple of Bitstrips cartoons.

Hopefully, we’ll be able to tell you more about the rest of the site tomorrow.

Pic: Sacred Texts

During the dark ages the arts of bookmaking, illustration and manuscript illumination were preserved in remote Irish abbeys. A number of unique, exquisite books remain from this period, masterpieces of world art. This includes the ninth century Book of Kells, a manuscript of the Gospel richly illustrated with Celtic motifs and deep symbolism. This book by Edward Sullivan (1920) includes an extended introduction to the Book of Kells, along with its historic and linguistic background. We have included high resolution scans of the illustrations, which include many famous pages from this amazing manuscript. This wonderful Book is now available for us all to read and marvel at on the Sacred Texts website.

So says the introduction to this amazing 1920’s version of the Book of Kells along with the glorious colour plates that tell so much about the development of early Celtic Christianity.

The town of Kells, in County Meath in Ireland, lies some twenty miles west of Drogheda and the Irish Channel. It was known in days as early as St. Patrick’s in the Latinised form of Cenondæ, bearing at a somewhat later date the name of Cenannus and Kenlis. Kennansa was its old Irish appellation. Within its narrow precincts to-day there are still standing three very ancient and well-known Irish stone crosses with characteristic carvings on them; an old church, the rebuilt remains of which date from the year 1578; a round tower—one of the many to be found still in Ireland; and a building which has long been described as the House of St. Columb.

ITS weird and commanding beauty; its subdued and goldless colouring; the baffling intricacy of its fearless designs; the clean, unwavering sweep of rounded spiral; the creeping undulations of serpentine forms, that writhe in artistic profusion throughout the mazes of its decorations; the strong and legible minuscule of its text; the quaintness of its striking portraiture; the unwearied reverence and patient labour that brought it into being; all of which combined go to mate up the Book of Kells have raised this ancient Irish volume to a position of abiding preeminence amongst the illuminated manuscripts of the world. Many attempts have been made to reproduce its unique illuminations; and, so far as form and outline are concerned, the reproductions have been as far as possible successful. But all such efforts have up till now failed to give a living representation of its marvellous pages—for without its colour harmonies no reproduction can be regarded as adequate from the point of view of art. The last important attempt at reproduction in colour was made about forty years ago; but the scientific knowledge of the time was unequal to the strain sought to be put upon it. In the years which have since elapsed the science of light, photography, and colour-reproduction has made rapid advances towards an accuracy which was unknown when the earlier attempts were published; and it is only by the aid of such advancement that the production of the present volume has become possible.

In this respect the work now published differs from all its predecessors; for, though still distant from absolute perfection, the reproductions here given will be found to be infinitely closer to the originals in the important matter of actual colour than any of the so-called facsimiles which up to the present have been included in any published work. For this reason the present volume should not be regarded as in any sense a rival of the uncoloured reproductions which have already appeared of the Book of Kells. Its office is rather to supplement in colour what has already been accomplished by ordinary photography and monochrome; to add a new value to previous efforts with the assistance of the most recent methods and processes of polychromatic photography and colour-printing. Looked at from this standpoint one may fairly claim for the work here produced that it fills with some measure of satisfaction a gap in the pictorial history of Celtic illumination, and affords as it were a nearer view of one of the most interesting and beautiful manuscripts which have yet come from the hands of man.

Any student of Celtic Art and early Christianity amongst the Celtic peoples just has to read this wonderful book on the Sacred Texts website.

Pic: My Guide Ireland   The sculpture photographed above is from a 1988 commission entitled Tóraigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne (The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne), a large bronze relief in Sligo.

Taken from the magical article by Brendan Patrick Keane on Irish Central. We would like to apologise to Brendan Patrick Keane and www.irishcentral.com for inadvertently breaching copyright and thank them for their understanding and patience in this matter. Ruth & Gary

"Marriage is not a love affair. A love affair is a totally different thing. A marriage is a commitment to that which you are. That person is literally your other half. And you and the other are one. A love affair isn’t that. That is a relationship of pleasure, and when it gets to be unpleasurable, it’s off. But a marriage is a life commitment, and a life commitment means the prime concern of your life. If marriage is not the prime concern, you are not married…..When you make the sacrifice in marriage, you’re sacrificing not to each other but to unity in a relationship."

[Read more of this magical article by Brendan Patrick Keane on Irish Central]

This young adult trilogy based on the early life of Merlin, is now available as a single volume and most of the following introduction comes from Amazon. Nobody writes Merlin like Jane Yolen, whether it’s the old man or a starry-eyed little child. And here the fantasy master’s “Merlin Trilogy” is brought together in one volume: the ethereal, beautifully-written fantasy stories “Passager,” “Hobby,” and “Merlin.”

Few authors can mix fantasy and history as Jane Yolen can, and she doesn’t drop the ball in this. On the fantasy side, we have a boy of mysterious origins who dreams of the future; on the other hand, we have medieval lords and underlings, not to mention her skilful use of the wodewose.

These three very, very short novellas are lushly, dreamily written. And most intriguing of all, the first one is almost entirely in Merlin’s own mind — every little event or emotion is seen through the eyes of a wild boy. The second and third are more grounded, but they retain that vague mistiness and sweetness, like a half-remembered dream. Her writing is descriptive and almost sensuous.

Jane Yolen brings the preadolescent Merlin to life in the “Merlin Trilogy,” a magical and beautifully written trio of novellas. Rather short, but thoroughly lovely. [Source]

As well as the excellent review and description found on the Amazon site, I have also quoted from Robin’s reading blog: A Fondness for Reading – a fascinating read in its own right!

Passager

Passager introduces us to a nameless, homeless boy who has been abandoned for sketchy reasons. The boy lives wild in the woods, but gradually rediscovers his human nature when he encounters a woodsman, who takes him in and gives him a name and a home… [Source]

Abandoned by his mother, eight-year old Merlin survived alone in the woods for a year, a feral child, before being found by a kindly falconer and cared for and trained to be a falconer himself. It was not an uncommon practice in the Middle Ages for families to abandon a child in the woods, and when the child is found to be taken in and raised by people who found him. [Source]

Hobby

Hobby opens with Merlin losing his new adoptive family in a fire. With no one to take care of him, he wanders through the woods again, calling himself Hawk. But then he suddenly encounters a vicious man called Fowler, who kidnaps him — and not even taking refuge in the circus can keep him safe. [Source]

In the second book, Merlin is 12 years old and once again on his own after his adopted family was killed in a fire. On the road, Merlin is captured by a cruel thug who calls himself Fowler. Merlin is able to escape from him and meets a traveling performing couple, a magician named Ambrosius and a singer named Viviane. They see that Merlin has special abilities, that he is a “dream reader,” and they use his power to earn money. They abandon him and take all the money with them, and Merlin, being pursued by Fowler, returns to the safety of the deep woods. [Source]

Merlin

Merlin takes us to a different part of the Arthurian legend. Hunted by Fowler, he runs back into the woods and takes refuge there. Unfortunately, he is captured by a village of the wodewose, the wild people who live apart from civilization, and they want to harness his magical dreams. When the village is invaded, Merlin must try to keep himself alive — and the little boy who will change his life forever. [Source]

In the final book, Merlin eludes Fowler, but is captured by the wild folk of the wood — the wodewose. He is caged and forced to drink a potion to make him dream so that he can relate the future to them. One of the children, called “Cub,” befriends him and helps him escape. They flee into the forest and help each other survive. Merlin names the child “Artus,” and the story of Merlin and Arthur begins. [Source]

About the Author: Jane Yolen and Folklore

Her Amazon biography states:

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother.

For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer’s workshop for new children’s book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that “throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration–folk culture.” Folklore is the

…perfect second skin.

writes Yolen.

From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world.

Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen’s stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self.

Yolen’s graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children’s Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society’s Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy’s Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children’s Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents’ Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille.

With a versatility that has led her to be called “America’s Hans Christian Andersen,” Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself:

I don’t care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told.

If you go and have a look at her website, you’ll see that the Amazon information is out of date! She is preparing to publish her 300th book! What a prodigious and hard-working lady!

"Sangreal" Pic: Wiki

Arthur Rackham was born in 1867 into a Victorian age that he perpetuated and documented by way of his art. He was one of twelve children. He studied at the City of London School where he won prizes and a reputation for his art. At the age of 18, he became a clerk. It was, after all, a Dickensian world as well, where clerks played a significant role in both fiction and real life. He clerked and in his spare time studied at the Lambeth School of Art. He made occasional sales to the illustrated magazines of the day like Scraps and Chums. In 1891 and 1892, he had a close association with the Pall Mall Budget as one of this weekly’s main illustrative reporters.

Most obvious, in retrospective, is the calm and good humor of the drawings. They seem imbued with a gentle joy that must have been reassuring to both the children and their parents. Rackham had found his niche. His drawings would convey a non-threatening yet fearful thrill and a beauty that was in no way overtly sexy or lewd. It was a perfect Victorian solution and he seems to have taken to it with an impish delight.

Through the teens and twenties he continued to create wonderful images and books. Many of vellum-bound limited editions of the era are from Rackham. Many of his books were revised and re-released. There was even a Peter Pan portfolio. It seems like every classic was fair game for him. Through 1940 he did versions of Aesop’s Fables, Mother Goose, A Christmas Carol, The Romance of King Arthur, English Fairy Tales, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, Irish Fairy Tales, A Fairy Book, The Allies Fairy Book, Comus, A Wonder Book, The Tempest, The Vicar of Wakefield, The Chimes, The Night Before Christmas, The Compleat Angler, The Arthur Rackham Fairy Book, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, The King of the Golden River, Goblin Market, The Pied Piper, Peer Gynt, The Wind in the Willows and more. Note how many of these same titles were also issued with illustrations by Edmund Dulac. [Source]

Rackham and Mythology

Although most famous for his work on Norse, Wagnerian myth and the Rheingold, he also illustrated many of the myths of Celtic lands. Illustrtating works like English Fairy Tales and Irish Fairy Tales. The latter link contains the text of the book but sadly not the Rackham illustrations. As the book contains the story of Tuan the Immortal which we covered in Episode 16, we still haven’t seen these images and cannot show any of them to you! His Arthurian imagery, as seen above and in the book The Romance of King Arthur is haunting and beautiful.

"Norns Weaving" Pic: Wiki

Last minute update: I have just found an incredible collection of Rackham art, including the illustrations from Irish Fairy Tales! Pop over to ArtPassions.net and see them! 

Rackham’s Fairies, Elves and Goblins 

"Fairies never say, "We feel happy"; what they say is, "We feel dancey." " Pic: Wiki

From our point of view, his illustrations of the Fey are the key-note of his life and work. Moving away from the cutesy images of Fairies with gossamer wings and fairy-dust, his images are often full of tricksters, ethereal fey and dark trees. He captures the wild beauty of the fey, as seen in the ‘dancey’ image to the left. The best example of his Fey art can be found in the book, Rackham’s Fairies, Elves and Goblins [Amazon] about which we learn: The great Victorian illustrator is at his most radiant in this beguiling collection of otherworldly illustrations from magazines, periodicals, and novels such as Milton’s Comus and Hawthorne’s Wonder Book. Rackham’s unmistakable artistry and style bring life to a phantasmagoric parade of more than 80 creatures from both dreams and nightmares.

Most recently, we learn (from Wiki) that Rackham’s work influenced the creation of the Faun in the disturbing modern fairy/horror tale, Pan’s Labyrinth. To finish off, let’s have a look at some of his most characteristic Fey work!

"Often Mischief You" Pic: Art Passions

Elderberry chatting with a quince Pic: Artsy Craftsy

Arthur Rackham died of cancer in his home on September 6, 1939. The most distinctive qualities of his illustrations was the way in which he told the story through his illustrations. His eye for detail and gift of imagination and creativity, which are characteristic of his illustrations, were an influence of the sixteenth century German artists Albrecht Durer and Albrecht Altdorfer. The illustrator left behind a legacy of over 60 illustrated books including the works of Shakespeare, Charles Dickins, James Barrie and Lewis Carroll. He is known and beloved internationally for his work in Classic fiction and Children’s literature. [Source]

Sources listed:

Wikipedia
The Illustrator’s Project
Sur La Lune Fairy Tales
Amazon
Project Gutenberg
Art Passions

Pic: Wikipedia

The Fair Folk “The fair folk” were most covetous of new-born children and their mothers. Till the mothers were “sained” and churched, and the children were baptized, the most strict watch and ward had to be kept over them to keep them from being stolen. Every seven years they had to pay “the teind to hell,”

and to save them from paying this tribute with one of themselves they were ever on the alert to get hold of human infants.

Sometimes they succeeded in carrying off an unbaptized infant, and for it they left one of their own. The one left by them soon began to “dwine,” and to fret and cry night and day. At times the child has been saved from them as they were carrying it through the dog-hole.

A fisherman had a fine thriving baby. One day what looked like a beggar woman entered the house. She went to the cradle in which the baby was lying, and handled it under pretense of admiring it. From that day the child did nothing but fret and cry and waste away.

This had gone on for some months, when one day a beggar man entered asking alms. As he was getting his alms his eye lighted upon the infant in the cradle. After looking on it for some time he said,

“That’s nae a bairn; that’s an image; the bairn’s been stoun.”

He immediately set to work to bring back the child. He heaped up a large fire on the hearth, and ordered a black hen to be brought to him. When the fire was blazing at its full strength, he took the hen and held her over the fire as near it as possible, so as not to kill her. The bird struggled for a little, then escaped from the man’s grasp, and flew out by the “lum.”(chimney) The child was restored, and throve every day afterwards.

Another. A strong healthy boy in the parish of Tyrie began to “dwine.” The real baby had been stolen. A wise woman gave the means of bringing him back. His clothes were to be taken to a south-running well, washed, laid out to dry beside the well, and most carefully watched. This was done for some time, but no one came to take them away. The next thing to be done was to take the child himself and lay him between two furrows in a cornfield. This was carried out, and the child throve daily afterwards. All this was annoying to the “fair folk,” and rather than submit to such annoyance they restored the child, and took back their own one.

One day a fisherwoman with her baby was left a-bed alone, when in came a little man dressed in green. He proceeded at once to lay hold of the baby. The woman knew at once who the little man was and what he intended to do. She uttered the prayer,

“God be atween you an me.”

Out rushed the fairy in a moment, and the woman and her baby were left without further molestation.

Source: Walter Gregor, Notes on the Folk-Lore of the North-East of Scotland, (London: Folk-Lore Society, 1881), pp. 60-62.

Pic: Paws and reflect

There is no historical evidence that Merlin the Wizard existed states the Castles.me.uk website in its excellent educational resource about English Castles. The Arthurian legends were based on the books written by the clerics and poets of the Medieval era or the Middles Ages. These legends and myths about "the one, true King of the Britons" – King Arthur – and the mystical magical and prophetic world of Merlin were used by Kings of England to authenticate their claims to the both the Welsh and English thrones!

The Legend begins – How Merlin the Wizard got his name!

Merlin the Wizard, Merlin the Sorcerer, Merlin the Magician are just some of the titles given to the prophet in the Legend of Merlin. The the ninth-century chronicler Nennius wrote the Historia Brittonum in which a character called Ambrosius was featured. This character was combined with a 6th Century Welsh fictional bard called Myrddin ( who was mentioned in many Welsh poems ). The man who invented Merlin the Wizard was a Welsh cleric called Geoffrey of Monmouth. In 1136 Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote a book called Historia Regum Britanniae – the History of the King’s of Britain. The Latin form of the name Myrddin was Merdinus. Geoffrey of Monmouth ‘Latinised’ the legendary character’s name to Merlinus ( because the word ‘merde’ was viewed as vulgar and obscene). Further credence was given to the stories about Merlin the Wizard by the ‘Black Book of Caernarvon’ (Welsh: Llyfr du Caerfyrddin). This book was written, in Welsh, in 1250 and contained stories and poems relating to the heroes of Britain in the Dark Ages including those connected with the legend of King Arthur and Merlin the Wizard.

Who was Merlin the Wizard?

There are many magical legends which surround Merlin the magician and wizard. Merlin was enchanted by the Lady of the Lake, became the guardian of the young Arthur. He appeared as an old, wise man, giving his wisdom to four successive British kings. He was known as the Wild Man of the Woods during which time he learned to talk to the animals. Merlin was reputed to be a mystical Druid, a Celtic priest, Merlin the Wizard, Merlin the Sorcerer, Merlin the Magician a man who possessed the knowledge and secrets of the ancients. The mystical advisor to King Arthur at Camelot. The population knew, and believed, the old legends and myths about Merlin and he was especially revered as a great prophet. Enter the Medieval ‘Spin Doctors’ of the English Kings!

The Prophecies of Merlin!

Merlin the Wizard was credited with making many prophecies. The Medieval ‘Spin Doctors’ of the English Kings, especially King Edward I and the Tudors used these prophecies to substantiate their claims to both the English and Welsh thrones. King Edward I went to the tremendous trouble and expense to build Caernarvon castle in such a way that it fulfilled a prophecy of Merlin the Wizard see Caernarvon Castle Welsh Mythology The Druid Wizard, Merlin, and several prophecies, were strongly associated with Caernarvon! Merlin was believed to have been born in a cave outside Caernarvon. The name Caernarvon is believed to be derived from ‘Caer Myrddin’ meaning Merlin’s town or fortress. Merlin the Wizard was closely linked with King Arthur and was even linked with the transportation of the great Stonehenge stones! It was in the political interests of the Medieval ‘Spin Doctors’ and the English Kings to be seen to "fulfill" these ancient prophecies of Merlin the Wizard!

The Prophecies of Merlin – Fiction turns into Fact!

The stories, legends and myths about Merlin the Wizard, Merlin the Sorcerer, Merlin the Magician and Merlin the Prophet play an important role in the History of the Britons. The character of Merlin the Wizard was invented by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Other Medieval writers, poets and Chroniclers used the character of Merlin the Wizard in their works and the stories of the Knights of the Round Table appeared. The Kings of England encouraged the belief in King Arthur and Merlin to meet their own ends. The legends and myths about Merlin continued to grow. Of course the stories were true – the King said so! The King has fulfilled the ancient prophecies of Merlin! Even up to the present day people are confused as to whether Merlin the Wizard was an actual person – which might be the reason you are reading this text! The legend of Merlin is a perfect example of Fiction being turned into Fact!

Merlin the Wizard and the Medieval ‘Spin Doctors’

The Medieval ‘Spin Doctors’ of the old English Kings elevated Merlin the Wizard, Merlin the Sorcerer, Merlin the Magician and Merlin Prophet to a position of high, unassailable prominence. Merlin was surrounded with magic and mystery. People did not question his existence – until now…

Find out more about English Castles at the castles.me.uk website from where this article was sourced.

BBC News reports that a Devon author who took more than 20 years to complete a book has won the UK’s oldest children’s book award. Philip Reeve was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Here Lies Arthur, an adventure story for teenagers. The legendary figure of King Arthur is presented in Reeve’s tale as a war-mongering, self-interested “thug”.

The 42-year-old writer, who lives on Dartmoor, said to win such a highly regarded award was “startling” and “very nice indeed”. Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2008-06-28 09:54:10. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Here is a ten min video of Neil showing you around Orkney Faerie Museum and Gallery. The only Faerie Museum in the UK! All paintings and drawings shown are available for sale at www.neilgeddesward.com One of a Kind Faerie Sculptures featured are from www.weefairytales.com. Email Neil at neil@geddesward.co.uk

More about Neil, the Artist

Neil Geddes-Ward draws inspiration from standing stones, dreams, witchcraft, Green Men and more, to paint beautiful images of what is now becoming known as Pagan and Visionary Art.

Other TV appearances include Carlton Country, Kilroy, Neil has been commissioned by many organisations as well as individuals, including The Children of Artermis, a witchcraft coven service.

Currently Neil is working on Faerie illustrations for a book called Faeriecraft : Treading the Path of Faerie Magic with his wife, Writer and Faerie Priestess; Alicen Geddes-Ward. This is due out on June 21st 2005 and is to be published by Hay House.

Neil has many prints and cards of his work on sale in the UK and outlets abroad, however these can also be bought direct from the artist on his site, please click here to view the catalogue.

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