Best known for his links to Arthurian legend, the earliest mentions of the wizard Merlin date back to the 6th century
One of the most enigmatic figures in British folklore, Merlin’s history is as tangled as his beard. Many of the earliest tales in which he features are in old Welsh from a time when Britain was made up of small kingdoms. When the Cumbrian King Gwenddoleu was killed during the Battle of Arfderydd at Arthuret in 573, his warrior-bard, Myrddin Wyllt, went mad with grief. He ran into the forest where he became a ‘wild man’ and made prophecies. The medieval Black Book of Carmarthen says his only friends were an apple tree and a pig.
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