"Again, all that feels to me like the last ferocious attempts at asserting its fading power by the Osiris energy of the last 2000 years, now gone rotten and unsustainable but trying harder to keep everything and everybody under increasingly deranged levels of control in every area of our lives."
Cancer Man :
You really don't give up, do you?
But then you have so much to lose.
It's what we have in common.
Salvator Mundi :
We have nothing in common.
Cancer Man :
I need The Boy.
The Boy is mine.
Salvator Mundi :
The Boy would rather die first, now that he knows The Truth.
Cancer Man :
That I'm the one who made him?
That I'm William's creator?
Salvator Mundi :
You'd shoot your own firstborn son?
Cancer Man :
Shot my SECOND-born son once — But I need you to know, Fox,
when I gave you life,
I never fathomed the moment would come when I would need to end it.
Salvator Mundi :
I don't think you can do it.
Cancer Man :
Then you don't know me very well.
In one legend, Merlin was intended to be an Antichrist figure, begotten on a virgin by the Devil. His mother, however, had the boy baptized at birth, freeing him from the Devil's influence. His demonic heritage gave him the ability to see into the past and future, a gift that is often carried over to myths that do not include this origin story. In other myths, his father is an angel, a fae, or even no one.
In most tellings of Arthur's origin story, Merlin's magic helped Uther Pendragon seduce and bed another man's wife (Igraine), leading to the conception of Arthur, whom he prophesized would be a great king. In return, Merlin was given the baby boy, who was fostered by a knight as his own son and later prepared by Merlin for kingship.
Merlin's final fate varies from telling to telling. In some recountings, he loses his wits when Arthur is slain. In others, he is tricked and imprisoned by the witch Niviane (or Nimue), whom he deeply loved and taught magic.
For the 2008 British TV series, see Merlin. For the 1998 miniseries, see Merlin.
Tropes:
Anti Anti Christ: Merlin's mother was raped/seduced by either the Devil or some random demon, but she had Merlin baptized as soon as he was born. This relieved him of his Antichrist status but still let him keep his nifty magical powers. Since Medieval Christianity generally thought any sort of power must come from either God or Satan, this story explained how Merlin performed his magical acts without being a saint.
The Anti-Christ: In some stories, Merlin was the Antichrist but instead of destroying the world, became good and decided to help Arthur become the King of Britain.
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The Archmage: Depending on the version of the tale.
Badass Beard: He's famous for his Wizard Beard, which isn't actually mentioned in the medieval texts. But it is rare to see him depicted nowadays without one.
Badass Long Robe: Standard apparel for wizards, which again isn't explicitly described in the texts.
Barefoot Sage: He's depicted barefoot in many illustrations, including those by Gustave Dore.
Because Destiny Says So: In this case, "destiny" goes by "Merlin."
Born of Magic: Some pre-Christian versions of Merlin's birth never explain how he came to be, his mother suddenly becoming pregnant despite having turned down every advance made to her. When the angry menfolk demanded to know who the father was, Merlin shut them up by demonstrating his magic power. Christian versions make him the son of a demon and a virgin... perhaps because to Christians, having a godless wizard born to a virgin birth (and having multiple stories about supernatural figures born to virgins circulating in general) had bad implication.
Bowdlerise: As Christianity gained more influence, Merlin became less of a trickster and mage and more of a wise old mentor. His demonic parentage, however, became a part of the story because of Christian influence. The point was to explain why a heroic character was able to use godless magic. His moral ambiguity was likewise explained as the goodness of his mother and evil of his father struggling in him.
Canon Immigrant: Merlin did not appear in the earliest stratum of Arthurian myths, although he's been around longer than Lancelot and the Holy Grail. Merlin's legend comes from Welsh roots. The earlier traditions of Myrddin Wyllt (Merlin/Myrddin the Wild) were tied to Merlin in Vita Merlini.
The Chessmaster: Oh so much. He's behind so much of what happens in Arthurian legend.
The Chooser of The One: Merlin is basically behind the creation of King Arthur and why Arthur becomes king.
Composite Character: In his original appearance in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain, Merlin is based on the Waif Prophet Ambrosius from the earlier History of the Britons attributed to Nennius. But Geoffrey renamed him "Merlin" based on the figure of Myrddin from Welsh tales, and later wrote a Life of Merlin equating the two further. Ambrosius in turn appears to be based on a real person, Ambrosius Aurelianus, who Geoffrey also used under the name "Aurelius Ambrosius" as Uther's brother and Arthur's uncle.
Cool Old Guy: In some incarnations.
Court Mage: To King Arthur.
Depending on the Writer: There are so many different depictions of Merlin that it's hard to reconcile them as the same person.
Distaff Counterpart: According to the earliest Welsh legends 'Myrddin' had a twin sister Ganeida or Ganicenda.
Divine Parentage: According to some myths, Merlin is said to be the son of a deity or the son of The Devil.
Eccentric Mentor: In some depictions.
Functional Magic: Well, yeah. He's a wizard.
Half-Human Hybrid: Merlin is traditionally depicted as a cambion — the son of a woman (sometimes a witch, occasionally a nun) and an incubus, or sometimes a man and a succubus, a Christianization of the legend given as an explanation for his magical and prophetic abilities. The woman incidentally is nearly always a raped nun who dunks her newborn into holy water to wash evil away from him as soon as he is born, but he still grows up a horny bastard with a taste for young virgins — the modern versions tend to forget that aspect of his character (with an exception or two). Modern interpretations of the legends vary significantly on Merlin's parentage.
Hermit Guru: Before his Bowdlerisation. Myrddin Wyllt was a wild, hairy man living out in the wilderness, receiving prophecies and talking to the wildlife.
Human Mom, Non-Human Dad: Merlin was born to a mortal human woman and a non-human father. The species of Merlin's father varies from legend to legend.
I Have Many Names: Too many to count.
Last of His Kind: Merlin is revealed as the last of the shape-changers in his childhood, before Arthur's birth.
Magic Staff: Merlin's Weapon of Choice in many depictions, though the medieval stories don't really mention it.
The Man Behind the Man: In regards to Arthur. According to legend, many thought that Arthur was Merlin's puppet and that Merlin was the one who was actually in control of Arthur and his reign as king. Which might be true, considering how much of a strong influence Merlin is in Arthurian legend and all the events that happened.
May–December Romance: With Niviane.
The Mentor: To King Arthur.
Merlin and Nimue: The Trope Maker, Codifier, and Namer.
Merlin Sickness: Also the Trope Namer, Maker and Codifier, thanks to T.H. White, who introduced it in The Once and Future King.
The Omniscient: Through a combination of being born with a nigh complete understanding of the past and present and being gifted the power to see the future.
Parental Substitute: To Arthur, especially in modern retellings, codified by The Sword in the Stone. Most medieval versions have him showing himself to Arthur around the time he becomes king, drawing the sword from the stone.
Power Creep, Power Seep: Though centuries of stories, Merlin has grown in popular perception, especially in Super Hero story worlds like the The DCU and the Marvel Universe, from a mere mage to becoming the Sorceror Supreme of his time with almost godlike power.
Public Domain Artifact: He is credited as the creator of Excalibur in later myths.
Public Domain Character: A very old one at that. He has been done and redone dozens of times in various media, from legendary badass, to newbie mage, to a female version of himself.
Rasputinian Death: In his earliest incarnation, it was said this was the only way to kill him.
Sealed Good in a Can: When betrayed by Niviane. Can be King in the Mountain when the myth says she sealed him in a cave.
Seer/Oracular Urchin: It is said that God Himself granted Merlin powers of prophecy that, coupled with his already expansive knowledge of the past and present, rendered him functionally omniscient.
Semi-Divine: Merlin is often portrayed as the child of a demon and mortal.
Shapeshifting: One of his many magical powers.
The Smart Guy: Merlin is a wizard after all.
Stealth Hi/Bye: One of his many magical powers. He seems to really enjoy appearing out of nowhere, and disappearing in front of everyone.
Trickster Mentor: He is frequently depicted teaching Arthur and others, while having a trickster's personality.
Waif Prophet: His first appearance in the medieval stories is as one.
Wizard Beard: As part of his Wizard Classic attributes, whenever he's old. If he is depicted in his youth, he will usually be clean-shaven.
Wizard Classic: The Trope Maker and one of the most iconic examples. Notable because the medieval texts don't actually describe his appearance except sometimes when he's in disguise, so the wizard image must have been formed throughout the ages and been taken for granted.
