AT the heart of this book is an investigation or quest: the search for the origins of Merlin. This is primarily a journey through the literature of the legend in the hope of tracing its roots. The key objective is to identify the “real” Merlin, the historical figure upon whom the original version of the legend was based.

The prime candidate was first put forward in the Middle Ages, in a Latin text called Vita Merlini Silvestris, Life of Merlin of the Forest. His name, however, was not Merlin, even though the Vita observes that he was already regarded in medieval times as the original figure behind the legend. The Vita instead calls him Lailoken, a name that may seem strange to modern readers familiar with the medieval Merlin.

It seems undeniable that the roots of the Merlin legend lie in Scotland. They seem to begin with Lailoken, the wild man of Strathclyde, whom we can identify as the Merlin-archetype – the historical figure behind the Arthurian wizard. This is neither a new theory nor a particularly radical one, being based on information in medieval texts that are well-known among historians. Indeed, the case for an original “Scottish Merlin” has been made many times before, not only by modern writers but also by medieval predecessors. The idea that Merlin’s primary geographical context is southern Scotland rather than Wales or Cornwall is almost as old as the first appearance of his name in the 12th century. My investigation of Lailoken leads me to conclude that modern ideas about him being a pagan druid or shaman who resisted the spread of Christianity are mistaken.

The growth of the Merlin legend gradually obscured its origins in the story of Lailoken. The name Merlin appears to be unknown before the 12th century. It seems to have been invented by Geoffrey of Monmouth, a writer of Anglo-Norman stock, who essentially created the legends of both Merlin and Arthur in the forms we know them today. Geoffrey drew information on these characters from older traditions of Celtic (mostly Welsh) origin but distilled them into something new and different. His bestselling work Historia Regum Britanniae (‘History of the Kings of Britain’) was completed c.1139 and provided a template for other writers to use and adapt. Through Geoffrey and those who came after him, Merlin became part of a much larger body of legend and pseudo-history known as the Matter of Britain, in which Arthur played a central role.

Geoffrey of Monmouth later wrote Vita Merlini (Latin: Life of Merlin) which included a lot of information from the Welsh legend of Myrddin (Geoffrey changed the name to Merlin). The legend was mostly contained in ancient Welsh poetry supposedly composed by Myrddin himself and is one of our most important sources on the real or original Merlin. Another important source, however, is the Scottish legend of St Kentigern (St Mungo of Glasgow), who died in 614 AD. The first of the two tales that make up the Vita Merlini Silvestris tells of the saint’s encounter with the wild madman Lailoken, the strange figure at the root of the Merlin legend. The story, which I summarise below, demonstrates Lailoken’s Christian beliefs and prophetic powers:

KENTIGERN greeted the madman and asked him to explain who he was and why he lived alone as “a companion to wild beasts”. Lailoken then told his story, beginning with the assertion “I am a Christian”. He explained that he had committed a terrible crime and must henceforth dwell in loneliness, “since I do not deserve to suffer my punishment in the company of men”.

The crime in question was to cause the deaths of all those who had fallen in a great battle “well known to all the inhabitants of this country, which was fought in the plain that lies between Liddel and Carwannok”. During the fighting, the sky had opened and a voice from Heaven had spoken to Lailoken, informing him that he alone was responsible for the slaughter and must pay the price. Looking up at the sky, he had seen a dazzling light and an army of celestial warriors brandishing fiery spears. This terrifying vision had so unnerved him that he had been seized by an evil spirit who consigned him to the wilderness. After hearing this tragic tale, Kentigern was so moved by pity that he began to weep. He prayed that Lailoken would find peace and healing in the afterlife.

After this initial encounter, the madman frequently appeared to Kentigern. He would emerge from the wilderness to sit on a steep crag “which rises on the other side of the Molendinar Burn, overlooking Glasgow, to the north of the church of that place”. Kentigern and his monks were often disturbed by Lailoken’s wild shrieking as he uttered obscure, garbled prophecies that none of them could comprehend. On one occasion, amid a cacophany of wailing and shouting, Lailoken demanded the holy sacrament so that he might be “fortified with the body and blood of Christ before he passed over from this world”. When Kentigern sent a monk to tell the madman to be quiet, Lailoken again begged for the sacrament, prophesying that his death would occur on that same day. This was reported to Kentigern, who sent another monk to ask Lailoken how he would die.

The reply came back: “I shall die today, crushed by stones and cudgels”. But the saint did not believe this, so he told the monk to ask again, hoping a more truthful answer might be given. Lailoken’s response was indeed different: “Today my body will be pierced by a sharp wooden stake and thus my spirit will fail”. Again he was disbelieved, so a third request was sent. This time the madman said: “Today I will terminate my present life by drowning” which brought a furious reaction from the monk, who accused him of lying. Lailoken burst into tears, insisting he was merely relaying a prophecy given to him by Jesus Christ. He requested that Kentigern come to him in person, bringing the sacred bread and wine that he so fervently desired.

As the saint approached the crag, Lailoken came down to prostrate himself on the ground. Kentigern listened while the madman claimed to be now free of the demons that had formerly taken hold of his mind. The saint’s prayers, he insisted, had been heard by God. He, Lailoken, had thus been liberated from “Satan’s angels”. He was now a committed Christian and therefore deserving of the sacrament. Kentigern duly offered the bread and wine. Afterwards, Lailoken spoke another prophecy in which he foresaw the deaths of “the most outstanding of the kings of Britain, the holiest of the bishops and the noblest of the lords” before the year’s end. He then dashed off into the wilderness.

Sure enough, even as he had foreseen, he died that same day. He was stoned and beaten by shepherds in the service of a king called Meldred. Mortally injured, he fell down the bank of the River Tweed near the fortress of Dunmeller [Drumelzier] and was impaled on a sharp wooden stake. His head fell forward into the water and he drowned, thus fulfilling his prophecy of a triple death.