Editing Merlin (section)

===Overview===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Select stories and the earliest known sources
|-
! Episode !! Text
|-
|The first mention of Merlin's Welsh prototype [[Myrddin]]
|''[[Annales Cambriae]]'' (est. 10th century)
|-
|Birth from a virgin and a demon
|''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'' (c. 1136)
|-
|Blaise's intervention redeems Merlin from his intended role of the [[Antichrist]]
|[[Merlin (Robert de Boron poem)|Verse ''Merlin'']] (c. 1200)
|-
|[[Vortigern]] seeks a "fatherless child" for a blood sacrifice to strengthen his castle's tower
| ''[[Historia Brittonum]]'' (c. 828)
|-
|Construction of [[Stonehenge]]
|''Historia Regum Britanniae''
|-
|[[Uther Pendragon]] takes on the appearance of the [[Gorlois|Duke of Cornwall]] through a spell by Merlin and conceives [[King Arthur|Arthur]] with [[Igraine]]
|''Historia Regum Britanniae''
|-
|Merlin selects the fifty original knights of Uther's [[Round Table]]
|Verse ''Merlin''
|-
|[[Excalibur]] pulling contest to prove the young Arthur's [[Divine right of kings|divine right]] to the throne of [[King of the Britons]]
|Verse ''Merlin''
|-
|Merlin tutors Arthur's sister [[Morgan le Fay|Morgan]] in magic 
|[[Merlin (Robert de Boron poem)|Prose ''Merlin'']] (c. after 1200) 
|-
|Arthur is warned of [[Mordred]]'s birth and the coming fall of his kingdom
|''[[Post-Vulgate Cycle]]'' (c. 1235)
|-
|Merlin sets up the search for the [[Holy Grail]] by Arthur's [[Knights of the Round Table]]
|{{ill|Prose Perceval|fr|Perceval en prose|lt=Prose ''Perceval''}} (c. after 1200)
|-
|Blaise writes down the story of Merlin
|Prose ''Merlin''
|-
|Entrapment of Merlin by the [[Lady of the Lake|fairy Viviane]]
|Prose ''Merlin''
|}

As summarized by Danielle Quéruel of the [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]],

{{quote box|align=center|The character of Merlin is a mythical figure that was constructed through the fusion of oral traditions of Welsh origin and successive rewritings of the legend during the Middle Ages. Linked to forests and wild places, embodying a sort of universal spirit linked to the cosmic rhythms of nature, the enchanter puts his powers at the service of Britain. Between his appearances among men and at court, he retires to the forest of [[Northumberland]] and a dwelling called [[Esplumoir Merlin|"Esplumoir"]]. There awaits him a priest named Blaise whose mission is to record the history of the British kingdom. 

Merlin reverts to his wild form at certain times of the year. Hairy and shaggy, his appearance recalls his wild and primitive features. He has the ability to thwart the traditional cycle of the ages of life and the passage of time: from the moment he is born, he appears older, capable of reasoning and talking like a wise man. Speaking in riddles, he reveals the future to men in obscure terms. The most important mythical trait that characterizes Merlin is his power of [[metamorphosis]]: being a [[protean]], he can at will take the form of an animal, in particular a deer (linked to forests and a symbol of sovereignty), an appearance of a [[wild man]], or even the aspect of guardian of the woods, half-man half-animal. Depending on the circumstances, he can become a peasant, a monk, a child or an old man. He also has the power to transform others: thus, thanks to him, [[Uther Pendragon|King Uter]] takes on the appearance of his vassal, the [[Gorlois|Duke of Tintagel]], and can thus confound and seduce his wife [[Ygerne]]. Omniscient, Merlin dominates the human condition and places himself at the service of men.<ref name=bnf>{{Cite web|url=https://essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/litterature/moyen-age-1/ed6c3713-b2d5-4b94-8cac-a35fbd9471b1-mythe-arthurien/article/7e3d4a1c-6d00-43da-aac4-c40ec113b3e0-merlin-enchanteur|title=Merlin l'Enchanteur|website=BnF Essentiels}}</ref>}}