Merlin

mer'lin, in British legend, a celebrated prophet and enchanter who figures prominently in the stories of King Arthur. Merlin was supposed to have flourished toward the latter part of the fifth century. According to the legend, he was the son of a demon and a British princess, and was rescued from the power of Satan by receiving Christian baptism as an infant. He became an adept in magic and was the greatest sage of his time. He was beguiled by the enchantress Nimue, who buried him under a rock. Another story is that Vivien, the Lady of the Lake, became his mistress. She brought him entirely under her magic power and finally imprisoned him in a thorn bush from which he was unable to escape. It was Merlin who instituted the order of the Knights of the Round Table. In his Idylls of the King Tennyson introduces Merlin as a very old man. He is the friend and servant of King Arthur, but is beguiled and enchanted by the wily Vivien. See Arthur; Vivien; Idylls Of The King; Round Table