Famous magicians

Merlin

... one of the most famous wizards in the world of legends!

The wizard Merlin is one of the most famous magicians in the world of legends. He is said to have predicted King Arthur and his deeds. He served as a magician, counsellor and seer at Arthur’s court in Camelot. To this day it is being investigated whether King Arthur and his knights ever existed or where Camelot was actually situated. Merlin was first mentioned by

the scholar Geoffrey of Monmouth. He cited the wizard for the first time in 1136 in his History of the Kings of Britain.

Merlin achieved great fame through his role in the Arthurian legend. Among other things, he gave Arthur the quest to search for the Holy Grail. He is also said to have thrust the magical sword Excalibur into the stone from which only Arthur was able to pull it out, thus becoming king. According to some versions of the story, the wizard Merlin also had a lover: the Lady of the Lake. He revealed all his secrets to her, and thus the Lady of the Lake also acquired magical powers, which she used to betray Merlin. Merlin is said to still live at the bottom of the sea today and reside in a palace there.

The magician Merlin is a myth. Is it based on real character? What were his special abilities? Which parts of the legends, then, are based on truth and which have been embellished? Merlin would at least have lived in a world in which magic was popular. Back then, people were still inclined to believe in the supernatural and magicians travelled around with showmen to demonstrate their skills.

Albus Dumbledor

A modern Merlin

The stories around the wizard student Harry Potter have brought wizardry into the public eye to an unprecedented extent, albeit in connection with a very particular fictional parallel world.

One of the most colourful characters in this world is Albus Dumbledore, who is probably the most powerful wizard of his time. It is no coincidence that he holds the Order of Merlin and his domain, Hogwarts, resembles a medieval fortress quite comparable to the legendary Camelot. His role as an advisor to the powerful and his meticulous planning to influence the future are further parallels to Merlin, which were certainly deliberately chosen by the English author Joanne K. Rowling.

A similar character, Gandalf, also appears in the story The Lord of the Rings. Gandalf is also a powerful wizard who influences the fate of humankind as a counsellor and prophet.

This hope for assistance from beings with supernatural abilities is deeply rooted in human imagination. Inseparable from this, however, is the dark, shadowy antagonist who strives for absolute subjugation.