LSZ writes...

Another Camelot-influenced question:

What were the weather conditions of Camelot?

LSZ writes...

A weird question, but I just finished the movie version of Camelot, so: can King Arthur of the Gargoyles universe sing well?

Anonymous writes...

How old is Merlin biologically in 1996?

Oberon writes...

1) Why did Morgana Le Fay and Nimue ever agreed to take Arthur to Avalon?
2)Did someone have to convince them?
3) if so, who?

Todd Jensen writes...

Somebody asked you earlier about Merlin's connection with the "Merlin Wylt" of pre-Geoffrey of Monmouth Welsh legends, and you mentioned that you didn't remember the details too well. I thought that I'd give a little information here (Merlin being a subject that I've always been strong on).

Merlin Wylt (also known as Myrddin or Lailoken) was apparently "the original Merlin", though he lived a few decades after Arthur's time period; he served as a bard and advisor to one King Gwenddolau, who lived in what is now Scotland in the late 6th century. When Gwenddolau was killed at the Battle of Arderydd in 573, Merlin Wylt went mad with grief and fled into the woods nearby, where he began uttering prophecies about Britain's future.

His name became so well-known, and attached to prophecies, that when Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote "The History of the Kings of Britain", he decided to bestow the name "Merlin" upon Ambrosius, the boy prophet who met with Vortigern, and thus created the familiar figure of Merlin, who was afterwards known as "Merlin Ambrosius". (I recall that Mary Stewart mentioned once that the "Merlin Ambrosius" version of Merlin's name was what inspired her with the notion that Ambrosius, Uther Pendragon's older brother and Arthur's uncle, was Merlin's real father, in "The Crystal Cave").

Of course, because of the dates, the two Merlins were probably not the same person (and indeed, I doubt that "Merlin Wylt" could have been the same as *the* Merlin in the Gargoyles Universe given that, from what you've said, Arthur's Merlin has been in the Crystal Cave since before Arthur's departure for Avalon, which was about thirty years before the Battle of Arderydd; it would have to have been a different guy with the same name).

Ithica writes...

I was reading through the PENDRAGON archive, and came across a statement of yours that interested me. My question, based on the statement, is why do you think that Gawain fills the "Bastard" Achetype?

Ithica writes...

Now for some silly, irrelevant PENDRAGON questions:

You'll recall that in Gawain's adventure with the Green Knight, the said Knight rode on a courser (whom I affectionately call the Green Horse) that was as green as he was. I liked that horse, for some reason, so I'm going to ask some questions about him.

1. Seeing as normal horses do not occur in the color of green, and I doubt that the Knight would paint a normal bay or chestnut, is the Green Horse a magical creature, like a Odin's horse Sleipnir?

2. We know the Green Knight is a survivor. What about the Green Horse? (A knight can't go about without his horse!)

3. If the Horse isn't around, what does the Knight use instead?

3. Did you know that in Roger Lancelyn Green the Green Knight's name was revealed to be Sir Bernlak?

Okay, no more silly, irrelevant questions.

KW Keller writes...

Pendragon questions:

1. Who created Excalibur?

2. Why was it created?

3. Given that Excalibur was the Sword in the Stone and the one held by the Lady of the Lake:
a. How did Merlin acquire Excalibur?
b. How did the Lady of the Lake acquire Excalibur?

4. Was Ambrosius (Latinized from Emrys), Vortigern's child prophet in Nennius' texts, Merlin, as Geoffrey of Monmouth said, or was he someone different?

5. Was Merlin (or Myrddin) Wylt connected to the Arthurian Merlin?

LSZ writes...

Which of the songs in Camelot do you particularly enjoy?

Todd Jensen writes...

Since Aris recently brought up the part of the Arthurian legend where Arthur attempts to drown Mordred as a baby, I thought that I'd ask you on where you stand on one aspect of the story that often arises here.

Some Arthurian buffs have blamed Merlin for the whole "May Day Decree" business, on the grounds that it was his prophecy about Mordred's future evil and treason that led to Arthur making the attempt to get rid of him. I felt that this was rather harsh on Merlin, and felt that it was Arthur who was responsible for the incident instead. I was wondering what your take on the matter was (by which I mean, not whether Merlin was responsible in the Gargoyles Universe, but whether you consider him to blame for the incident in the original legend).