95

The King Arthur story is a famous and popular blend of history, legend, myth, and fantasy, and part of the Arthur story is Merlin the magician who has his own story, less well-known but interesting—and important—in itself.

Both stories begin with Adam and Eve who sinned and brought us all down with them, but God gave us all a second chance by sending Jesus, our Redeemer, whose mother, Mary, born without sin by virtue of her own ‘Immaculate Conception’ was a sinless virgin. The father of Jesus was not a human but the Holy Spirit. Jesus therefore was both human and divine, uniquely qualified to redeem humankind. 

The Arthur story is not basically about Jesus but it is tied up with the Holy Grail (which is very much about Jesus). The story of King Arthur is a story of courage, virtue, and beauty. 

The Merlin story begins when Lucifer, the Devil, and his disciples gather to discuss their predicament. What can be done? They do not face an ordinary human man and his ordinary human mother, for their enemy is the Son of God and his sinless mother. They decide to fight fire with fire. 

Lucifer and his followers find a pious virgin maiden and arrange for her to be impregnated by an unholy spirit, an ‘incubus’ (a demon). Her child, therefore, would have been both human and spirit,  uniquely qualified to damn humankind. but the reverse of Jesus.  Lucifer’s moment comes when the girl loses her composure because of a mishap at the dressing table. They act, the girl becomes pregnant, a demonic counter to Jesus is almost with us, but the girl repents,  goes to her confessor,  and is forgiven. She will not give birth to the son of Satan. But she is still pregnant! 

A son is born, Merlin. But Merlin is not entirely what Lucifer and his followers wanted. Merlin does have magical powers, he is Merlin the Magician, but he is not evil. He becomes a good and trusted advisor to King Arthur. 

Both stories give us much to think about.