Mary Stewart?s The Crystal Cave
The Crystal Cave, begins in medieval Wales in the kingdom of Maridunum. The story then moves to Brittany, or Lesser Britain. He then comes back to Wales, then, the rest of Greater Britain, ending up in Cornwall. Myrddin Emyrs, also known as Merlin Ambrosius was the child to the King?s daughter and the main character. Myrddin is the name of a god; Emyrs, or Ambrosius, means "child of light," and Merlin is the name of Roman bird of prey. As a child, he had the Sight and a talent for remaining unnoticed while he gained information. This miraculous young man, went through a great deal. He experienced danger, magic, and even the fear of losing control of his life to his enemies. Yet could this all be an exaggeration, a tall tale, nothing but a legend? I say that every legend has a beginning, origins can be tacked to every incredible event that a legendary hero go through. The legend of King Arthur is perhaps the greatest myth of them all. It found ready echoes across Western Europe, and even further afield, in medieval times. Parsifal and the Holy Grail story are among the tales that have accumulated around the main legend, and testify to the widespread fascination of the myth for many famous writers from the Middle Ages onwards.
And so it is, that we have come to find that sliver of a past. The story from whence a story came. The seed to the giant oak that now holds the title of The Crystal Cave. We can see that perhaps this whole story will remain a legend, Nennius? account can be considered to be no less corrupt than that of Mary Stewart?s. We may never find the actual origins behind the mysterious Merlin. I myself have read over 5 different accounts of his origins. Perhaps it is better this way, to leave so great a man shrouded in this sea of stories. Whether or not the truth is found, I know one thing. His story inspires the imagination of both young and old. Both the strong and the week are inspired by his deeds, to move on and face lives troubles. He inspires success, and the willingness to continue down the path of progress. These legends were not only meant to entertain the children, or to cause joy in the mature mind. These legends, these stories, these tales; they were created, from real people, to teach and to inspire. There is a point in The Crystal Cave, where on a trip back to Wales, Vortigern, under the council of his advisors, called on Merlin to die and shed his to fortify the walls of his fortress. He proved the advisors wrong by predicting a battle between a white dragon (Vortigern) and a red dragon (Ambrosius), in which the red one came out victorious. This part correlates directly, along with the previous part from the latter paragraph, to an excerpt from Nennius. ? ?Build here a city; for, in this place, it will ever be secure against the barbarians.? Then the king sent for artificers, carpenters, stone-masons, and collected all the materials requisite to building; but the whole of these disappeared in one night, so that nothing remained of what had been provided for the constructing of the citadel. Materials were, therefore, from all parts, procured a second and third time, and again vanished as before, leaving and rendering every effort ineffectual. Vortigern inquired of his wise men the cause of this opposition to his undertaking, and of so much useless expense of labour? They replied, ?You must find a child born without a father, put him to , and sprinkle with his the ground on which the citadel is to be built, or you will never accomplish your purpose.? A meeting took place the next day for the purpose of putting him to . Then the boy said to the king, ?Why have your servants brought me hither?? ?That you may be put to ,? replied the king, ?and that the ground on which my citadel is to stand, may be sprinkled with your , without which I shall be unable to build it.? ?Who,? said the boy, ?instructed you to do this?? ?My wise men,? answered the king. ?Order them hither,? returne
Some common words found in the essay are:
Nennius Build, Merlin Mother, Mary Stewarts, Celtic Lailoken, Emyrs Ambrosius, Geoffrey Ashe, Cave Nennius, Wales Vortigern, Merlin Merlin, Crystal Cave, crystal cave, ground citadel, born father, citadel built, child born father, child born, father sprinkle ground, tent boy, accomplish purpose, sprinkle ground, main character, king sent, citadel built accomplish, born father sprinkle, built accomplish purpose,
Approximate Word count = 1844
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
