by Pa Rock
Reader
A few weeks ago in this space I noted that I am in the process of re-reading the Arthurian collection of novels by British author, Mary Stewart. At that time I reviewed the first book in the series, The Crystal Cave, which gives a fictionalized account of the childhood of Merlin, the "enchanter," who would go on to become the essential and driving force behind the establishment of Arthur as King of Britain and the creation of Camelot.
The second novel in Mary Stewart's Arthurian collection, The Hollow Hills, begins as Merlin, the narrator, is fleeing the scene of Arthur's conception, an event which he arranged between his uncle, King Uther, and Ygraine, the Duchess of Cornwall. Merlin used disguises and deception to get Uther into the bedchamber of the Duchess while her husband, the Duke, was in the field of battle defending his wife's honor against the advances of the King. Unfortunately for the royal lovers, and unknown to them, the Duke had been killed in battle hours before their assignation, and a child was conceived on that fateful night - a child whose legitimacy was brought into question by the circumstances of the royal rendezvous.
When the King learned of the Duke's death later that evening and realized that all would have been well if he had only waited a couple of days to lie with Ygraine, he was enraged - and blamed Merlin - and announced that if Ygraine was pregnant and the child turned out to be a boy, he would not recognize him as heir to the throne of Britain.
The child who was conceived that night was a boy, and his mother chose to name him Arthur. He was then, at the King's command and the mother's agreement, given to Merlin to be hidden away and raised in secret in the event that the couple produced no other male heirs. King Uther feared that his enemies might move to eliminate Arthur, or that the child growing up in the Court might become involved in palace intrigues against his father who was denying him his rightful place in the line of succession.
Arthur was hidden abroad in a household of limited means during his infant years, and then Merlin had him brought to the home of a noble in a remote corner of Northern Britain where he was raised as the noblemen's foster child. Merlin had no personal contact with Arthur until the boy was nine-years-old, and then Merlin showed up as the caretaker of a shrine in the woods near where young Arthur was living. They met soon after and Merlin gradually inserted himself into Arthur's life as a mentor and tutor.
Five years later Arthur would suddenly be given the opportunity to prove himself on the field of battle as the frail King Uther threw his own sword to the young warrior and he went on to lead the troops of Uther into a glorious victory - before he even had any idea that he was the king's son and heir. Uther died the following day and the rest, as they say, is history - or at least legend.
Lady Stewart was an historical scholar and a devotee of the various Arthurian legends - and she crafted some of the most beautiful prose ever put to paper, particularly with these tales. Her books about Arthur and Merlin are already classics and will be seen for generations as the definitive literary presentation of the rise and fall of Camelot. They are truly sumptuous novels.
Reader
A few weeks ago in this space I noted that I am in the process of re-reading the Arthurian collection of novels by British author, Mary Stewart. At that time I reviewed the first book in the series, The Crystal Cave, which gives a fictionalized account of the childhood of Merlin, the "enchanter," who would go on to become the essential and driving force behind the establishment of Arthur as King of Britain and the creation of Camelot.
The second novel in Mary Stewart's Arthurian collection, The Hollow Hills, begins as Merlin, the narrator, is fleeing the scene of Arthur's conception, an event which he arranged between his uncle, King Uther, and Ygraine, the Duchess of Cornwall. Merlin used disguises and deception to get Uther into the bedchamber of the Duchess while her husband, the Duke, was in the field of battle defending his wife's honor against the advances of the King. Unfortunately for the royal lovers, and unknown to them, the Duke had been killed in battle hours before their assignation, and a child was conceived on that fateful night - a child whose legitimacy was brought into question by the circumstances of the royal rendezvous.
When the King learned of the Duke's death later that evening and realized that all would have been well if he had only waited a couple of days to lie with Ygraine, he was enraged - and blamed Merlin - and announced that if Ygraine was pregnant and the child turned out to be a boy, he would not recognize him as heir to the throne of Britain.
The child who was conceived that night was a boy, and his mother chose to name him Arthur. He was then, at the King's command and the mother's agreement, given to Merlin to be hidden away and raised in secret in the event that the couple produced no other male heirs. King Uther feared that his enemies might move to eliminate Arthur, or that the child growing up in the Court might become involved in palace intrigues against his father who was denying him his rightful place in the line of succession.
Arthur was hidden abroad in a household of limited means during his infant years, and then Merlin had him brought to the home of a noble in a remote corner of Northern Britain where he was raised as the noblemen's foster child. Merlin had no personal contact with Arthur until the boy was nine-years-old, and then Merlin showed up as the caretaker of a shrine in the woods near where young Arthur was living. They met soon after and Merlin gradually inserted himself into Arthur's life as a mentor and tutor.
Five years later Arthur would suddenly be given the opportunity to prove himself on the field of battle as the frail King Uther threw his own sword to the young warrior and he went on to lead the troops of Uther into a glorious victory - before he even had any idea that he was the king's son and heir. Uther died the following day and the rest, as they say, is history - or at least legend.
Lady Stewart was an historical scholar and a devotee of the various Arthurian legends - and she crafted some of the most beautiful prose ever put to paper, particularly with these tales. Her books about Arthur and Merlin are already classics and will be seen for generations as the definitive literary presentation of the rise and fall of Camelot. They are truly sumptuous novels.
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