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{{Infobox Organisation | {{Infobox Organisation | ||
| image = Merlin.jpg | |image = Merlin Classic.jpg | ||
| aka = | |aka = | ||
| affiliation = [[King Arthur]] | |affiliation = [[King Arthur]] | ||
| origin = [[Camelot]] | |origin = [[Camelot]] | ||
| first = | |first = Dr. Who's Time Tales (DWM 34 comic story){{!}}Dr. Who's Time Tales | ||
| appearances = | |appearances = {{appears}} | ||
| members = {{ | |members = {{il|[[Champion of Neutrality]]|{{Merlin|c}}|[[Merlin (One Fateful Knight)|Renegade Time Lord]]|[[The Doctor (Battlefield)|"Muldwych" Doctor]]|[[Tenth Doctor]]|[[Merlin the Wise]]}} | ||
}} | }}{{you may|The Doctor (Battlefield)|n1=a future incarnation of the Doctor}} | ||
{{you may|The Doctor (Battlefield)|n1=a future incarnation of the Doctor}} | {{Merlins}} | ||
'''Merlin''' was a legendary [[wizard]] connected to [[King Arthur|Arthurian]] legend. | '''Merlin''' was a legendary [[wizard]] connected to [[King Arthur|Arthurian]] legend. | ||
Merlin's identity was debated; in fact, one account outright stated that "the Merlin" of [[King Arthur]]'s court was a title rather than a proper name, passed down when the previous Merlin retired or died. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Creation of Camelot (short story)|The Creation of Camelot]]'') [[The Doctor]] was among the individuals who adopted the name at one point or another, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Legends of Camelot (novel)|Legends of Camelot]]'') in several incarnations including his [[Eighth Doctor|eighth]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[One Fateful Knight (short story)|One Fateful Knight]]'') and [[the Doctor (Battlefield)|a future one]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Battlefield (novelisation)|Battlefield]]'') who believed himself to be "the last". ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Shadow of a Doubt (audio story)|Shadow of a Doubt]]'') | Merlin's identity was debated; in fact, one account outright stated that "the Merlin" of [[King Arthur]]'s court was a title rather than a proper name, passed down when the previous Merlin retired or died. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Creation of Camelot (short story)|The Creation of Camelot]]'') [[The Doctor]] was among the individuals who adopted the name at one point or another, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Legends of Camelot (novel)|Legends of Camelot]]'') in several incarnations including his [[Eighth Doctor|eighth]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[One Fateful Knight (short story)|One Fateful Knight]]'') and [[the Doctor (Battlefield)|a future one]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Battlefield (novelisation)|Battlefield]]'') who believed himself to be "the last". ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Shadow of a Doubt (audio story)|Shadow of a Doubt]]'') According to one account, the "original" Merlin was an ancient entity from [[Dark Times|the universe before universe]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Legends of Camelot (novel)|Legends of Camelot]]'') | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
According to one account, the original Merlin existed in [[Dark Times|the universe before universe]] and was distinct from the Doctor. He was also known as the [[Champion of Neutrality]]. Seeking to end the battle between the [[Guardian of Might]] and the [[Guardian of Magic]] before it destroyed all of reality, he proposed that the two Guardians work out their conflict through human puppets unaware of the cosmic forces shaping their destinies: [[King Arthur]] and [[Morgaine]]. However, the Guardian of Magic kept resetting the game, altering the identity and powers of her avatar, to win at any cost. | |||
To break the cycle, Merlin trapped the two Guardians in [[the Druse]] in [[the Void]] — and himself with them, locking the three of them in eternal sleep, giving them dreams that the game was still going on. However, because there were cracks in the Druse, this was in fact true, with the three entities' dreams continuing to affect events in the physical world. Merlin thus influenced others, most notably [[the Doctor]], to act as his own avatars in the ongoing "game", arranging events so that they would use the name Merlin and do what was needed to prevent the Guardians from escaping their prison. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Legends of Camelot (novel)|Legends of Camelot]]'') | |||
The [[Merlin (One Fateful Knight)|first individual]] to use the name "Merlin" in [[Camelot]] was a [[Renegade Time Lord]] distinct from [[the Doctor]], who used the alias when making a deal with [[Uther Pendragon]] to allow him to [[chameleon circuit|take the appearance]] of [[Igerna]]'s lawful husband [[Gorlois]] to trick her into sleeping with him. This resulted in the conception of [[King Arthur]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[One Fateful Knight (short story)|One Fateful Knight]]'') | |||
After the [[Seventh Doctor]] discovered that one of his future selves would take on the name "Merlin", ([[TV]]: ''[[Battlefield (TV story)|Battlefield]]'') the [[Eighth Doctor]] used the alias when assisting in [[King Arthur]]'s [[birth]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[One Fateful Knight (short story)|One Fateful Knight]]'') The [[Tenth Doctor]] later claimed that he was once called Merlin by [[King Arthur]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Fugitive (comic story)|Fugitive]]'') | After the [[Seventh Doctor]] discovered that one of his future selves would take on the name "Merlin", ([[TV]]: ''[[Battlefield (TV story)|Battlefield]]'') the [[Eighth Doctor]] used the alias when assisting in [[King Arthur]]'s [[birth]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[One Fateful Knight (short story)|One Fateful Knight]]'') The [[Tenth Doctor]] later claimed that he was once called Merlin by [[King Arthur]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Fugitive (comic story)|Fugitive]]'') | ||
A different, presumably [[human]] individual became the Merlin. Shortly after his death, [[The Master | A different, presumably [[human]] individual named [[Blaise]] became the Merlin. Shortly after his death, [[The Master (The Creation of Camelot)|one incarnation]] of [[the Master]] arrived in [[Camelot]] and became the new Merlin, attempting to manipulate the now-adult Arthur for his own ends. The [[Fifth Doctor]] interfered, exposing the Master's schemes and forcing him to flee. Meanwhile, Arthur was inspired to found an order of Knights. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Creation of Camelot (short story)|The Creation of Camelot]]'') | ||
Most sources agreed that [[The Doctor (Battlefield)|a future, red-haired incarnation of the Doctor]] then became Merlin, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Battlefield (novelisation)|Battlefield]]'', ''[[Happy Endings (novel)|Happy Endings]]'', et al.) although according to another account, the Merlin who returned to King Arthur in his adulthood was still the Eighth Doctor. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[One Fateful Knight (short story)|One Fateful Knight]]'') | |||
One Merlin active during the heyday of [[King Arthur]] and his [[knight]]s was the half-brother of [[Ganeida]], who was a [[wizard]] like himself; the two were fond of each other, although they did not grow up together. They were both "half-[[demon]]", granting them their magical abilities and an extended life-span. [[Agamya Akhtar|Agamya]] speculated that the "demon" father of the pair may actually have been an [[alien]] of some kind. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Honeycomb of Souls (short story)|A Honeycomb of Souls]]'') [[Bedevere (The Door We Forgot)|Bedevere]] once noted that the Merlin he was familiar with had ginger hair and a "box of tricks". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Door We Forgot (short story)|The Door We Forgot]]'') He possessed a [[Merlin's lockpick|magic lockpick]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Broken Bonds (audio story)|Broken Bonds]]'') | |||
At any rate, one Merlin had the Doctor's handwriting despite the Seventh Doctor having no memory of having been him yet. Merlin helped Arthur fight the sorceress [[Morgaine]], allegedly until she imprisoned him in "the [[ice cave]]s"; ([[TV]]: ''[[Battlefield (TV story)|Battlefield]]'') however, the Doctor actually escaped this fate because the man Morgaine captured and trapped in the [[Arctic Desert]] was actually the [[Merlin (One Fateful Knight)|other Time Lord using the name]], who had used his [[chameleon circuit]] to make himself resemble the Doctor in order to frame him for a betrayal of Arthur. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[One Fateful Knight (short story)|One Fateful Knight]]'') | |||
One account depicted [[Merlin (Dr. Who's Time Tales)|a Merlin]] whose "[[black magic]]" included a spell that could [[time travel|transport]] a man through [[time]], although he had to obey the [[Laws of Time]]. He had a long white beard and moustache, and wore a black robe and pointed cap embroidered with star symbols. This Merlin was apparently [[Immortality|immortal]], surviving into the [[20th century]], but he had to go into hiding, living as the obscure, elderly owner of a curiosity shop in the [[Balkans]]. By then, he had cut his beard shorter, and taken to wearing a [[fez]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Dr. Who's Time Tales (DWM 34 comic story)|Dr. Who's Time Tales]]'') Interestingly, several incarnations of [[the Doctor]] were fond of fezzes. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'', ''[[Kerblam! (TV story)|Kerblam!]]'') | |||
The "Merlin" Doctor left instructions that would help the [[Seventh Doctor]] defeat Morgaine in [[Carbury]] in [[1997]]. [[Ancelyn]] from [[Arthur's World]] identified the Seventh Doctor as Merlin, even though he did not recognise his face; thus, the Seventh Doctor essentially succeeded his probable future self as Merlin. ([[TV]]: ''[[Battlefield (TV story)|Battlefield]]'') | |||
[[File:Mervin Merlin.jpg|thumb|right|"Mervin Merlin" in [[1965]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Who Killed Death? (comic story)|Who Killed Death?]]'')]][[1965]] [[Los Angeles]] was home to many magicians and conjurers. One of them went by the name of "[[Mervin Merlin]]"; he had a bushy | [[File:Mervin Merlin.jpg|thumb|right|"Mervin Merlin" in [[1965]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Who Killed Death? (comic story)|Who Killed Death?]]'')]][[1965]] [[Los Angeles]] was home to many magicians and conjurers. One of them went by the name of "[[Mervin Merlin]]"; he had a bushy mooustache and wore a classic wizard's hat and cape over a more modern smoking jacket. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Who Killed Death? (comic story)|Who Killed Death?]]'') | ||
A humanoid with a long white beard and pointed ears who called himself [[Merlin the Wise]] was encountered by the [[Fourth Doctor]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Neutron Knights (comic story)|The Neutron Knights]]'') Merlin sat on a council of the [[Higher Evolutionary|Higher Evolutionaries]] in [[the Matrix]] alongside [[Rassilon]]; the [[Fifth Doctor]] reacted with surprise upon seeing him in this position. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Tides of Time (comic story)|The Tides of Time]]'') | A humanoid with a long white beard and pointed ears who called himself [[Merlin the Wise]] was encountered by the [[Fourth Doctor]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Neutron Knights (comic story)|The Neutron Knights]]'') Merlin sat on a council of the [[Higher Evolutionary|Higher Evolutionaries]] in [[the Matrix]] alongside [[Rassilon]]; the [[Fifth Doctor]] reacted with surprise upon seeing him in this position. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Tides of Time (comic story)|The Tides of Time]]'') | ||
[[Sigma-063]] briefly merged with Merlin when [[Auteur]] brought life to all of the [[fiction]] contained within the [[Cupid Archives]]. He helped [[Pythagoras-858]], who had merged with [[King Arthur]], to hone [[Excalibur|the sword]] he pulled from the stone. The effect was reversed after [[Herodotus-724]] managed to expel Auteur from the [[Cupid Homeworld]]. ([[POEM]]: {{cs|Auteur and the Homeworld (poem)}}) | |||
=== Legacy === | |||
An item labelled as the [[foreskin]] of Merlin was contained in the [[Hecht Museum of Unexplained and Occult Material]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Project Longinus (comic story)|Project: Longinus]]'') | An item labelled as the [[foreskin]] of Merlin was contained in the [[Hecht Museum of Unexplained and Occult Material]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Project Longinus (comic story)|Project: Longinus]]'') | ||
[[Ruby Sunday]] recalled that her [[Ruby Sunday's gran|gran]] once told her that the legends of Merlin came from [[Wales]]. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|73 Yards (novelisation)}}) | |||
== Behind the scenes == | == Behind the scenes == | ||
* | * [[Colin Morgan]] played a young version of Merlin in the [[BBC Wales]] series {{wi|Merlin (TV series)|Merlin}}, starring Morgan alongside [[Anthony Head]], [[Angel Coulby]], [[Richard Wilson]], and [[John Hurt]], with [[Alexander Vlahos]], [[Michelle Ryan]], and [[Lindsay Duncan]] playing recurring characters. [[Julie Gardner]] was an executive producer, and various episodes were directed by [[Jeremy Webb]], [[Alice Troughton]], [[Justin Molotnikov]], [[Ashley Way]], and [[James Hawes]]. [[Matt Smith]] and [[Karen Gillan]] auditioned for Merlin and Guinevere. | ||
* [[Daniel Brocklebank]] played a young version of Merlin in the 1998 miniseries {{wi|Merlin (miniseries)|Merlin}}. | * [[Daniel Brocklebank]] played a young version of Merlin in the 1998 miniseries {{wi|Merlin (miniseries)|Merlin}}. | ||
{{NameSort}} | {{NameSort}} | ||
[[Category:Aliases of the Doctor]] | [[Category:Aliases of the Doctor]] | ||
[[Category:Aliases of the Master]] | [[Category:Aliases of the Master]] | ||
Latest revision as of 22:17, 4 September 2024
- You may be looking for a future incarnation of the Doctor.
Merlin was a legendary wizard connected to Arthurian legend.
Merlin's identity was debated; in fact, one account outright stated that "the Merlin" of King Arthur's court was a title rather than a proper name, passed down when the previous Merlin retired or died. (PROSE: The Creation of Camelot) The Doctor was among the individuals who adopted the name at one point or another, (PROSE: Legends of Camelot) in several incarnations including his eighth (PROSE: One Fateful Knight) and a future one (PROSE: Battlefield) who believed himself to be "the last". (AUDIO: Shadow of a Doubt) According to one account, the "original" Merlin was an ancient entity from the universe before universe. (PROSE: Legends of Camelot)
History[[edit] | [edit source]]
According to one account, the original Merlin existed in the universe before universe and was distinct from the Doctor. He was also known as the Champion of Neutrality. Seeking to end the battle between the Guardian of Might and the Guardian of Magic before it destroyed all of reality, he proposed that the two Guardians work out their conflict through human puppets unaware of the cosmic forces shaping their destinies: King Arthur and Morgaine. However, the Guardian of Magic kept resetting the game, altering the identity and powers of her avatar, to win at any cost.
To break the cycle, Merlin trapped the two Guardians in the Druse in the Void — and himself with them, locking the three of them in eternal sleep, giving them dreams that the game was still going on. However, because there were cracks in the Druse, this was in fact true, with the three entities' dreams continuing to affect events in the physical world. Merlin thus influenced others, most notably the Doctor, to act as his own avatars in the ongoing "game", arranging events so that they would use the name Merlin and do what was needed to prevent the Guardians from escaping their prison. (PROSE: Legends of Camelot)
The first individual to use the name "Merlin" in Camelot was a Renegade Time Lord distinct from the Doctor, who used the alias when making a deal with Uther Pendragon to allow him to take the appearance of Igerna's lawful husband Gorlois to trick her into sleeping with him. This resulted in the conception of King Arthur. (PROSE: One Fateful Knight)
After the Seventh Doctor discovered that one of his future selves would take on the name "Merlin", (TV: Battlefield) the Eighth Doctor used the alias when assisting in King Arthur's birth. (PROSE: One Fateful Knight) The Tenth Doctor later claimed that he was once called Merlin by King Arthur. (COMIC: Fugitive)
A different, presumably human individual named Blaise became the Merlin. Shortly after his death, one incarnation of the Master arrived in Camelot and became the new Merlin, attempting to manipulate the now-adult Arthur for his own ends. The Fifth Doctor interfered, exposing the Master's schemes and forcing him to flee. Meanwhile, Arthur was inspired to found an order of Knights. (PROSE: The Creation of Camelot)
Most sources agreed that a future, red-haired incarnation of the Doctor then became Merlin, (PROSE: Battlefield, Happy Endings, et al.) although according to another account, the Merlin who returned to King Arthur in his adulthood was still the Eighth Doctor. (PROSE: One Fateful Knight)
One Merlin active during the heyday of King Arthur and his knights was the half-brother of Ganeida, who was a wizard like himself; the two were fond of each other, although they did not grow up together. They were both "half-demon", granting them their magical abilities and an extended life-span. Agamya speculated that the "demon" father of the pair may actually have been an alien of some kind. (PROSE: A Honeycomb of Souls) Bedevere once noted that the Merlin he was familiar with had ginger hair and a "box of tricks". (PROSE: The Door We Forgot) He possessed a magic lockpick. (AUDIO: Broken Bonds)
At any rate, one Merlin had the Doctor's handwriting despite the Seventh Doctor having no memory of having been him yet. Merlin helped Arthur fight the sorceress Morgaine, allegedly until she imprisoned him in "the ice caves"; (TV: Battlefield) however, the Doctor actually escaped this fate because the man Morgaine captured and trapped in the Arctic Desert was actually the other Time Lord using the name, who had used his chameleon circuit to make himself resemble the Doctor in order to frame him for a betrayal of Arthur. (PROSE: One Fateful Knight)
One account depicted a Merlin whose "black magic" included a spell that could transport a man through time, although he had to obey the Laws of Time. He had a long white beard and moustache, and wore a black robe and pointed cap embroidered with star symbols. This Merlin was apparently immortal, surviving into the 20th century, but he had to go into hiding, living as the obscure, elderly owner of a curiosity shop in the Balkans. By then, he had cut his beard shorter, and taken to wearing a fez. (COMIC: Dr. Who's Time Tales) Interestingly, several incarnations of the Doctor were fond of fezzes. (TV: The Day of the Doctor, Kerblam!)
The "Merlin" Doctor left instructions that would help the Seventh Doctor defeat Morgaine in Carbury in 1997. Ancelyn from Arthur's World identified the Seventh Doctor as Merlin, even though he did not recognise his face; thus, the Seventh Doctor essentially succeeded his probable future self as Merlin. (TV: Battlefield)
1965 Los Angeles was home to many magicians and conjurers. One of them went by the name of "Mervin Merlin"; he had a bushy mooustache and wore a classic wizard's hat and cape over a more modern smoking jacket. (COMIC: Who Killed Death?)
A humanoid with a long white beard and pointed ears who called himself Merlin the Wise was encountered by the Fourth Doctor. (COMIC: The Neutron Knights) Merlin sat on a council of the Higher Evolutionaries in the Matrix alongside Rassilon; the Fifth Doctor reacted with surprise upon seeing him in this position. (COMIC: The Tides of Time)
Sigma-063 briefly merged with Merlin when Auteur brought life to all of the fiction contained within the Cupid Archives. He helped Pythagoras-858, who had merged with King Arthur, to hone the sword he pulled from the stone. The effect was reversed after Herodotus-724 managed to expel Auteur from the Cupid Homeworld. (POEM: Auteur and the Homeworld [+]Loading...["Auteur and the Homeworld (poem)"])
Legacy[[edit] | [edit source]]
An item labelled as the foreskin of Merlin was contained in the Hecht Museum of Unexplained and Occult Material. (COMIC: Project: Longinus)
Ruby Sunday recalled that her gran once told her that the legends of Merlin came from Wales. (PROSE: 73 Yards [+]Loading...["73 Yards (novelisation)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Colin Morgan played a young version of Merlin in the BBC Wales series Merlin, starring Morgan alongside Anthony Head, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson, and John Hurt, with Alexander Vlahos, Michelle Ryan, and Lindsay Duncan playing recurring characters. Julie Gardner was an executive producer, and various episodes were directed by Jeremy Webb, Alice Troughton, Justin Molotnikov, Ashley Way, and James Hawes. Matt Smith and Karen Gillan auditioned for Merlin and Guinevere.
- Daniel Brocklebank played a young version of Merlin in the 1998 miniseries Merlin.
