Georgic and Merlin
Encyclopedia
Georgic and Merlin is a French fairy tale
collected by François Cadic in "La Paroisse bretonne".
It is Aarne-Thompson type 502. The oldest known tale of this type is Guerrino and the Savage Man
. Another variant is Iron John
.
near a rich lord's castle, a mysterious bird sang. Fascinated, the lord had it captured. It ceased to sing, but he threatened with death anyone who freed it. One day, it pleaded with his son Georgic, who freed it; it told him to call on it, Merlin, in need and then flew off. His mother feared that her husband would kill Georgic. A salt-vendor offered to take him away, and his mother gave him money to do it. He took the money and at the next castle, offered the boy as a shepherd, despite the warnings of wolves that threatened. When the salt-vendor went to leave him, Georgic demanded the money and when it was refused, he called on the bird; it appeared, and a club wielded by an invisible hand struck the man until he gave the money. Then he called on the bird to give him a whistle to summon the wolves and muzzles to keep them from biting, and so he kept the sheep safe.
In the same region, there was a dragon
with seven heads that had to receive a maiden
every year. That year, the lot fell to Georgic's master's daughter, who wept for fear. When she was sent, Georgic asked the bird for a horse, a sword, and a black cloak; he took her on his horse and carried her to the place, where he called for the dragon. It declared it was not hungry that day, she was to come back the next, and left. Georgic carried her back; she had been too upset to recognize him, but she had cut a piece from his cloak. She went back the next day, and this time Georgic wore a gray cloak, but the events went as before. The third
day, Georgic wore a purple cloak, and he stopped and borrowed a long iron fork that a man was using on the stove. He used it to drag the dragon from its lair and cut off its heads with his sword. He cut out the tongues, and the daughter cut off a piece of this cloak as well.
A coal miner
claimed to have done it. The daughter said the dragon slayer had cut out the tongues, and the coal miner claimed to have eaten them. The lord held a great feast, and the daughter saw Georgic in his black cloak, which had exactly the hole in it that she had cut. Georgic vanished. The lord had a second banquet, at which Georgic wore the gray cloak, with the hole just as she had cut it; the lord asked him whether he was the one who had rescued his daughter, and he said he might be. The third banquet, Georgic arrived grandly, and the daughter recognized him by the hole, and they married.
Soon after, her father fell ill. A wizard said that he could be cured with a piece of orange from the orange tree of the Armenian Sea, water from the Fountain of Life, and some bread and wine from the Yellow Queen. Georgic had two brothers-in-law, jealous of him, who set out and became lost. Georgic also set out. In the wood
, he met a hermit
, who gave him a magic wand to lead him. It would take him to the orange tree, where he should cut the orange into four parts, one of which he should take away. Then he would reach the Fountain of Life, but he should go to the Yellow Queen's castle first, taking some wine and bread, and a lance, calling out it was for his father-in-law's health. He would then find a stag which he should ride to the Fountain; if the lion that guarded it woke, he should use the lance to kill it. He retrieved the things in this way.
He met his brothers-in-law along the way, and traded some of what he had won for the ear and wedding ring of one, and the toe of the other. The hermit had warned him that he would have to give what he had taken back to the Yellow Queen after a month. He did not warn them, and when the Yellow Queen came, he was gone, and his brothers-in-law were beaten for having it. They had to run to him and beg his help, which he gave.
. It is not clear what connection this figure has the Merlin of Arthurian legends, either with the legends as a source from the folklore, or the folklore as a source for the legend.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
collected by François Cadic in "La Paroisse bretonne".
It is Aarne-Thompson type 502. The oldest known tale of this type is Guerrino and the Savage Man
Guerrino and the Savage Man
Guerrino and the Savage Man is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giovanni Francesco Straparola in The Facetious Nights of Straparola....
. Another variant is Iron John
Iron John
"Iron John" is a German fairy tale found in the collections of the Brothers Grimm, tale number 136, about a wild man and a prince...
.
Synopsis
In the woodsEnchanted forest
In literature, an enchanted forest is a forest under, or containing, enchantments. Such forests are described in the oldest folklore from regions where forests are common, and occur throughout the centuries to modern works of fantasy...
near a rich lord's castle, a mysterious bird sang. Fascinated, the lord had it captured. It ceased to sing, but he threatened with death anyone who freed it. One day, it pleaded with his son Georgic, who freed it; it told him to call on it, Merlin, in need and then flew off. His mother feared that her husband would kill Georgic. A salt-vendor offered to take him away, and his mother gave him money to do it. He took the money and at the next castle, offered the boy as a shepherd, despite the warnings of wolves that threatened. When the salt-vendor went to leave him, Georgic demanded the money and when it was refused, he called on the bird; it appeared, and a club wielded by an invisible hand struck the man until he gave the money. Then he called on the bird to give him a whistle to summon the wolves and muzzles to keep them from biting, and so he kept the sheep safe.
In the same region, there was a dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
with seven heads that had to receive a maiden
Princess and dragon
Princess and dragon is a generic premise common to many legends and fairy tales. It is not a fairy tale itself, but along with Prince Charming, is a repeated cliché...
every year. That year, the lot fell to Georgic's master's daughter, who wept for fear. When she was sent, Georgic asked the bird for a horse, a sword, and a black cloak; he took her on his horse and carried her to the place, where he called for the dragon. It declared it was not hungry that day, she was to come back the next, and left. Georgic carried her back; she had been too upset to recognize him, but she had cut a piece from his cloak. She went back the next day, and this time Georgic wore a gray cloak, but the events went as before. The third
Rule of three (writing)
The "rule of three" is a principle in writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. The reader/audience of this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of...
day, Georgic wore a purple cloak, and he stopped and borrowed a long iron fork that a man was using on the stove. He used it to drag the dragon from its lair and cut off its heads with his sword. He cut out the tongues, and the daughter cut off a piece of this cloak as well.
A coal miner
False hero
The false hero is a stock character in fairy tales, and sometimes also in ballads. The character appears near the end of a story in order to claim to be the hero or heroine and is, therefore, always of the same sex as the hero or heroine. The false hero presents some claim to the position. By...
claimed to have done it. The daughter said the dragon slayer had cut out the tongues, and the coal miner claimed to have eaten them. The lord held a great feast, and the daughter saw Georgic in his black cloak, which had exactly the hole in it that she had cut. Georgic vanished. The lord had a second banquet, at which Georgic wore the gray cloak, with the hole just as she had cut it; the lord asked him whether he was the one who had rescued his daughter, and he said he might be. The third banquet, Georgic arrived grandly, and the daughter recognized him by the hole, and they married.
Soon after, her father fell ill. A wizard said that he could be cured with a piece of orange from the orange tree of the Armenian Sea, water from the Fountain of Life, and some bread and wine from the Yellow Queen. Georgic had two brothers-in-law, jealous of him, who set out and became lost. Georgic also set out. In the wood
Enchanted forest
In literature, an enchanted forest is a forest under, or containing, enchantments. Such forests are described in the oldest folklore from regions where forests are common, and occur throughout the centuries to modern works of fantasy...
, he met a hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
, who gave him a magic wand to lead him. It would take him to the orange tree, where he should cut the orange into four parts, one of which he should take away. Then he would reach the Fountain of Life, but he should go to the Yellow Queen's castle first, taking some wine and bread, and a lance, calling out it was for his father-in-law's health. He would then find a stag which he should ride to the Fountain; if the lion that guarded it woke, he should use the lance to kill it. He retrieved the things in this way.
He met his brothers-in-law along the way, and traded some of what he had won for the ear and wedding ring of one, and the toe of the other. The hermit had warned him that he would have to give what he had taken back to the Yellow Queen after a month. He did not warn them, and when the Yellow Queen came, he was gone, and his brothers-in-law were beaten for having it. They had to run to him and beg his help, which he gave.
Commentary
Many French variants of this tale feature a wild man instead of a bird, but in Brittany, it is very common that this figure, whether a bird or a man, is called MerlinMerlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
. It is not clear what connection this figure has the Merlin of Arthurian legends, either with the legends as a source from the folklore, or the folklore as a source for the legend.
See also
- The Thirteenth Son of the King of ErinThe Thirteenth Son of the King of Erin"The Thirteenth Son of the King of Erin" is an Irish fairy tale collected by Jeremiah Curtin in Myths and Folk-lore of Ireland.Ruth Manning-Sanders included it in A Book of Dragons.-Synopsis:A king had thirteen sons...
- The Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of LifeThe Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of LifeThe Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of Life is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki.-Synopsis:...