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Paimpont forest |
| Fairy
The concept of fairies is based on the fae of
medieval Western European (Old
French) folklore and romance. |
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Château de Comper a castle located in
Paimpont forest (also known as Brocéliande), three
kilometers to the east of the village of
Concoret in the
département of
Morbihan,
Bretagne,
France. During the
13th century, Comper was considered one of the
strongest castles in Britanny. For this reason, it has
been the object of many battles and sieges. It has also
changed owner several times in its history. |
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Château de Trécesson located in the
commune of
Campénéac near the
Paimpont forest |
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Merlin is best known as the
wizard featured in
Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the
character first appears in
Geoffrey of Monmouth's
Historia Regum Britanniae, and is based on an
amalgamation of previous historical and legendary
figures. Geoffrey combined existing stories of
Myrddin Wyllt (Merlinus Caledonensis), a northern
madman with no connection to
King Arthur, with tales of
Aurelius Ambrosius to form the composite figure he
called Merlin Ambrosius. Geoffrey's rendering of
the character was immediately unpopular; later writers
expanded the account to produce a fuller image of the
wizard. Merlin's traditional biography casts him as born
of mortal woman, sired by
incubus, the non-human wellspring from whom he
inherits his supernatural powers and abilities.[1]
Merlin matures to an ascendant sagehood and engineers
the birth of Arthur through magic and intrigue. Later,
Merlin serves as the king's advisor until he is
bewitched and imprisoned by
The Lady of the Lake. |
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C. S. Lewis used the figure of Merlin Ambrosius in
his 1946 novel
That Hideous Strength, the third book in the
Space Trilogy. In it, Merlin has supposedly lain
asleep for centuries to be awakened for the battle
against the materialistic agents of the devil, able to
consort with the angelic powers because he came from a
time when sorcery was not yet a corrupt art. Lewis's
character of Ransom has apparently inherited the title
of
Pendragon from the Arthurian tradition. Merlin also
mentions "Numinor," a nod to
J. R. R. Tolkien's
Númenor. |
Morgan le Fay
She became much more prominent
in the later cyclical prose works such as the
Lancelot-Grail and the
Post-Vulgate Cycle, in which she is said to be the
daughter of Arthur's mother, the Lady
Igraine, and her first husband,
Gorlois,
Duke of Cornwall; Arthur is her half brother by
Igraine and
Uther Pendragon. Morgan has at least two older
sisters,
Elaine and
Morgause, the latter of whom is the mother of
Gawain and the traitor
Mordred. In Sir
Thomas Malory's
Le Morte d'Arthur and elsewhere, she is married,
unhappily, to King
Urien of Gore and
Ywain is her son. Though she becomes an adversary of
the
Round Table when Guinevere discovers her adultery
with one of her husband's knights, she eventually
reconciles with her brother, and even serves as one of
the four enchantresses who carry the king to
Avalon after his final battle at
Camlann.
The modern image of
Morgan is often that of a villain: a seductive,
megalomaniacal sorceress who wishes to overthrow Arthur.
Mark Twain in
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
depicted her as a degenerate feudal lady, living a life
of luxury while keeping helpless prisoners for decades
in her castle's dungeons. Contemporary interpretations
of the Arthurian myth sometimes assign to Morgan the
role of seducing Arthur and giving birth to the wicked
Mordred, though traditionally Mordred's mother was
Morgause, another sister. In these works Mordred is
often her pawn, used to bring about the end of the
Arthurian age.
Starting in the later
20th century, however, some
feminists adopted Morgan as a representation of
female power; in this context she is sometimes connected
to interpretations of Celtic feminine spirituality. Such
is the case in
Marion Zimmer Bradley's
The Mists of Avalon, which presents a different
view of Morgaine's opposition to Arthur, her actions
stemming from her fight to preserve the native
pagan religion against what she sees as the
treachery and oppression of
Christianity. |
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Mark Twain made Merlin the villain in his
1889 novel
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. He
is presented as a complete charlatan with no real magic
power, and the character seems to stand for (and to
satirise)
superstition, yet at the very last chapter of the
book Merlin suddenly seems to have a real magic power
and he puts the protagonist into a centuries-long sleep
(as Merlin himself was put to sleep in the original
Arthurian canon).
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archaeoastronomy the study of how peoples in the
past "have understood the phenomena in the sky, how they
used phenomena in the sky and what role the sky played
in their cultures. |
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| The Land of Legends |
Prehistoric man has left more evidence of his presence in
Brittany than anywhere else in Europe, and the countryside is
liberally scattered with menhirs (standing stones), dolmens and
gallery graves. In addition to this, Brittany is essentially a
Celtic country, a land steeped in folklore, a place where
fervent religious belief goes hand in hand with deep-seated
superstition.
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| The City of Ploermel
was named after Saint Armel the dragon slayer
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Brittany is a land of legends and cults. For the druids, the
forest of
Broceliande was a place of predilection and the scene of
numerous exploits as mystifying as they were wonderful. Journey
to the enchanted forest of Broceliande, and discover the territory of Merlin the
Magician and the Knights of the Round Table, at the boundaries of the “Ile et Vilaine” and “Morbihan” departments, 31 miles west of Rennes.
This legendary forest lies in the region known today as Paimpont (Penpon meaning bridge head in Breton) which covers an area of 18,000
acres to the south west of Rennes.
It remains a place
of pilgrimage for many lured by its mysterious
nature and myths that still live on today.
The undergrowth rustles with the whispering wind. While the canopy reaches
656 feet and presides over the massif
| Legend
tells us that Merlin's father was a devil. Merlin during
his lifetime turned his back on evil and dark forces to
turn to the power of light and goodness. Merlin is
credited with helping to establish the famous Round
Table where all of King Arthur's knights sat, and played
a major role in the mysteries of the Holy Grail. |
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Merlin the magician is in love
with his student Viviane the fairy who wishes to
preserve this enchanted state they are in.
There is no deception or malice involved in Viviane's
entrapment of Merlin in the beautiful tower. Their story
has been retold in many ways since, the best known
version by Tennyson makes her into a villain but later
retellings more reflect the changing role of strong
women in society and fufilling your destiny.
Merlin made his first appearance in literature in the
early 12th Century in Prophecies of Merlin by Geoffrey
of Monmouth. Monmouth based his Merlin on a legend who
was called Myrddin. |
Let the quest of the knights for
the Holy Grail speak to you. Experience the historic charms of
the
castles and churches in
Josselin, Pontivy and
Ploermel.
Contemplate the moon, as shiny as a silver
chalice, reflecting in the tranquil waters of the pond at the Paimpont abbey. In
the distance, the dark forest of Broceliande nods to you, shrouded in mystery.
On the edge of the largest lake in Brittany near to the Broceliande, the
main city in this area called Porhoët, lit., the country
in the woods is the town Ploermel, founded in the 6th century.
Tales of Arthur are told in
festivals throughout the Morbihan region
as well as Brittany. The woods of the Broceliande contain many well marked
trails to follow just pop into Trehorenteuc and pick up a
leaflet or join a tour.
A wealth of wonders lies within
the region of central Brittany, and gastronomic delights, fine
wines and local Breton cider await the caller at every
restaurant and bar. |
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| Enchanted forest of
Brocéliande -
King Arthurs Forest
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Porhoët,, the
country in the woods
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Ploërmel with a
population of 13,000 and Josselin [about 2,500 inhabitants] are the main cities of the area called Porhoët, literally
-- the country
in the woods. Ploërmel is set on the edge of the largest natural
lake in Brittany and has a 1500 year history associated with the
rulers of the magical Forêt de Paimpont, which legend
proclaims as the home of Merlin the Magician. [more] |
Brocéliande is the remnant of a vast primeval forest which in the
first centuries A.D. covered the interior of Brittany. This dense
shadowy forest has spawned numerous mysteries & legends including one of
the most famous legends in western mythology. This enchanted region is
the setting for the quest by the Knights of the Round Table to recover
the Holy Grail under orders from King
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Ploermel Spectacle: Spectacle équestre : "Rêve médiéval et
oriental en Brocéliande" |
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| The large pond next to Château de
Comper is related to Viviane, the Lady of the
Lake for legend has it that she lives in a crystal
palace, built by Merlin, hidden under the waters of the
lake. It is also the home to: |
Centre de
l’Imaginaire Arthurien 
|
Arthur. One of the best known
inhabitants of the forest was Merlin the Magician. Merlin, a druid was
friend & advisor to the young
Today the forest of Paimpont still covers
27 square miles King Arthur & many places are instilled with his magical
presence. The spring at Barenton to the north of Beauvais is where
Merlin first encountered the enchantress Viviane. Viviane's love for
Merlin was absolute & she bewitched Merlin at the Spring of Eternal
Youth at Jouence using spells learned from the magician himself, turning
the ancient druid's features back into their former youthfulness. The
love was reciprocal & Merlin for his part built a crystal
citadel beneath the lake at Concoret which today reflects the image of
the Chateau of Comper ( it was here that Lancelot was called by the Lady
of the Lake).
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Merlin’s tomb |
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Fountain of Barenton
nitrogen bubbles from its waters making the spring a
"bubbling ice-cold water fountain” |
Some of the many
designated sites associated with the legends are easier to find
than others. Merlin’s tomb (a megalith) is just off the
road, but both energy and inspiration are needed to find the
Fountain of Barenton, where Merlin met his beloved fairy
Viviane and where Viviane finally imprisoned Merlin in 9 magical circles "as intangible
as air but as hard as rock" in order to be with the magician for ever. Merlin's tomb forms part of an
alignment of standing stones in the northern part of the forest.
Campénéac which is
associated with legends of the Round Table. La Roseraie nestles on the border of Morbihan near the Paimpont
forest and Broceliande, Arthurian Legend Centre and the Chateau de Trecesson, home to ghosts and hauntings,
set on a lake often bathed in mist.
Here you can take guided tours of
the forest, there are rambles, exhibitions and medieval feasts and
markets. Everything is designed to take you back to the days of Merlin,
Viviane and Le Fay.
the highlight of the year being the Arthurian week
that takes place in July.
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Trehorenteuc
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In the village of Trehorenteuc with its 17th
century church you will find a storyteller and guide to take you to many
of the landmarks from the days of Merlin the Magician who is
still said to inhabit the forest. From the Broceliande invites
you to discover Trecesson, the Giant's tomb, Vivien's house,
the tomb of Merlin, the fountain of Barenton and the many
woodland paths The Church of the
Holy Grail at Tréhorenteuc offers a remarkable mixture of Christianity,
Druidism & Arthurian Mythology. Stained-glass windows combine Celtic and
Christian symbols. The "Thanksgiving" window shows the Apostles around
the Holy Grail, while in "The Appearance of the Holy Grail" the Knights
of the Round Table are seated around King Arthur. Among the four_JPG_small.jpg)
paintings in the choir, one represents the Knights of the Round Table
with the Grail ; Saint-Orenne, King Judicael's sister, is shown with her
family - she chose to live poorly at Trehorenteuc. The forest is still an important site
for numerous groups of witches, both black & white, & druid cult
followers all of whom perform rituals in the forest at appropriate times
of the year.
Places to visit
Forêt de Paimpont off the N24, direction Plelan le Grande
Paimpont on the D773 & D 71
Val sans retour, the Valley of no return, take the footpath from the
second car park on the D134 towards Tréhorenteuc
Etang du Pas du Houx, off the D71
Merlins Tomb on the D31
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Paimpont
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At
the center of Paimpont forest also known by its Arthurian past
as Brocéliande is the French commune of Paimpont with its
landmark Abbey |
At Paimpont the Abbey and Lake nestle close to the town. It is
quite a bustling little thoroughfare full of shops selling Arthurian
books of local folktales and an array of crystals and the finest hand
painted korrigans. (Brittany's goblin folk.) Here too are some fine
tabacs, cafes and restaurants were you can drink some very strong
coffee, the local cider and eat a startling variety of crepes - savoury,
sweet or even doused in liquor and set aflame.
A wealth of wonders lies within the region of central Brittany, and
gastronomic delights, fine wines and local Breton cider await the caller
at every restaurant and bar. Villages and towns of breath taking beauty
abound, set against a backdrop of magnificent countryside. Here is a
magical place where the traveller can rest easy and forget the pace of
modern life, a place where your soul can be recharged with the wonder of
life - the beauty of Brittany. |
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Valley-of-No-Return (Val Sans
Retour)
|
The Valley of No
Return is one of the places most heavily steeped
in legend in the Forêt de Paimpont. The half sister to King Arthur, Morgane Le Fay was
disappointed in love and she avenged this failure by imprisoning Knights
who came to cross the Val Sans Retour (Valley of no Return) or the Val
des Faux- Amants (Valley of Faithless Lovers) in a continuous circuit of
dancing and revelry.
Legend has it that Morgana
the witch, jealous of a knight who had been unfaithful to her,
cast a spell over the valley preventing anyone leaving it. Only
Lancelot, who remained faithful to Guinevere, was able to break
the spell. Paths multiply to transform into a labyrinth in this
domain of Morgan le Fay.
Knights might
eventually find themselves petrified them. “The Faithless Lovers
Rock”, one of the most famous such petrifactions, dominates the
valley.
These poor
Knights were finally freed by the arrival of Lancelot, he being the cause of Morgane's anger & the spell she cast.
The area around Tréhorenteuc is thus considered a centre for black magic
& Morgane Le Fay may still be wandering the region. The timeless
love between Sir Lancelot of the Lake and Queen Guinevere, the
wife and queen of King Arthur, became the most popular and
famous tale of the Arthurian legend.
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At the entrance to the Valley-of-No-Return, the “Fairy Mirror”
pond will take an enchanting hold on you. Beyond its reflecting
waters beckons the mysterious world of legends. |
At the entrance
to the Valley-of-No-Return, the “Fairy Mirror” pond will take an
enchanting hold on you.
At the site of the
Château of Comper (where Sir Lancelot was raised in a
crystal palace by the Lady of the Lake) there is now a permanent
Arthurian exhibition – and the church at Tréhorenteuc has
stained glass windows (and much more) blending Christianity with
the legends.
You should
try to walk through this fairy-haunted Val sans Retour (Valley of No
Return) to the hillside where a Neolithic burial site known as
the ‘Hotié de Viviane’ hides.
On the way back
from here along the rim of the valley, a rock known as
Merlin’s seat is the spot where the sorcerer liked to sit in
contemplation as the evening shadows crept through the deep bowl
below.
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Open your
eyes to see, horses in the field
Ridding now for the glory of the “Crown”!!!
Behind the mirror of illusions, of the crowd
Searching for shadows, in the fields around!!!
The valley of no return!
Where braves fall and the faith disband
And the mask of lies, deep inside your heart (in your
mind)…
In the valley of no return.
Crossing labyrinths of the new reality
Despair and hunger in the essence of sin!!!
Holy sacrifice to the sanctuary
Words written in blood here echoes in me!!!
The valley of no return!
Where braves fall and the faith disband
And the mask of lies, deep inside your heart (in your
mind)…
In the valley of no return.
“Captain, listen to me…
I cannot wake up to see…
To see my friends dying in vain!
Captain, you’re not alone…
We’ll get hold of the throne
The throne of Your Highness’ Crown!”
Now the invaders are revealing your secrets…
Ancestral idols were burned in flames.
Come to the new order, new order of soldiers…
Where the knights domain their lives!
The valley of no return!
Where braves fall and the faith disband
And the mask of lies, deep inside your heart (in your
mind)…
In the valley of no return. |
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The Golden Tree, Forest of Broceliande
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 In
the legendary forest of Brocéliande, at the entrance of the
Val-sans-Retour in which the fairy Morgan imprisons the
unfaithful lovers, stands the Golden Tree. |
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In September 1990, a disastrous fire burnt the Valley of No
Return during five days. After the fire, thousands of donations
poured in from all over the world to save the Valley’s mythical
heritage. In 1991, to pay tribute to this international
cooperation, a Parisian sculptor, François Davin's
symbolic Golden Tree was created in August 1991 : a gilt
chestnut surrounded by five black trees are protected from close
approach by a circle of sharp stones.
“The Gold of Broceliande”, is an enormous golden
chestnut tree, with pure gold leaves. It symbolizes the
immortality of the dreams of men of goodwill. Its branches evoke
the antlers of stags, the wild animals who led the knights
through the enchanted forests. |
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The Holy
Grail
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It was Merlin who advised the young King Arthur to recover the Grail, that sacred and hidden object credited with such magical
properties as the power to grant immortality, but also the power
to bring peace and harmony between people. According to the
legend, the Grail was the chalice from which the Christ drank
during the Last Supper with the apostles.
The King put up a circular table around which the
most courageous knights of his kingdom gathered. It was round so
that all were equals facing the King, with no other distinction
than their individual accomplishments. Only the purest among
them could find the Grail and place it in the center of the
table.
The hero must prove himself
worthy to be in its presence. In the early tales, Percival's
immaturity prevents him from fulfilling his destiny when he
first encounters the Grail, and he must grow spiritually and
mentally before he can locate it again. In later tellings the
Grail is a symbol of God's grace, available to all but only
fully realized by those who prepare themselves spiritually, like
the saintly Galahad.
The church at Trehorenteuc, deeply nested in the forest
of
Broceliande, is probably the place that most vividly
recaptures the past Quest for the Holy Grail. Above the southern porch
an enscription reads: “The
door is inwards”. |
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Carnac
|
 Carnac
is the most dramatic of all the Breton sites, with more than
3,000 prehistoric stone monuments. These include long avenues of
menhirs (single standing stones) and dolmens (multi-stone
arrangements supporting horizontal slabs). Most of the stones
are within the French commune of Carnac, but some to the east
are within La Trinité-sur-Mer. The stones were erected at some
stage during the Neolithic period, probably around 3300 BC, but
some may date to as old as 4500 BC.
These days it is much more widely accepted, through the ground
breaking work of
archaeoastronomy that the stones marked the changing night
sky but no one has yet divined a plausible theory for Carnac
whose stones are arranged in rows.The
stones are set back from
a renowned seaside
resort. The
beautiful beaches are famous for their fine sand,
gentle shops and invigorating crystal-clear water...not
forgetting the benefits of sea water therapy.
This is also near France's best wind-surfing beach.
There is a local tradition claims that the
reason they stand in such
perfectly straight lines is that they are a Roman legion turned
to stone by Merlin.
There is likely a connection with
Malta
which has more sophisticated but similar megaliths built
during the same broad period. In fact the cart marks leading to
the megalithic structures on Malta indicate that the
Mediterranean communities may have one gathered periodically on
Malta for worship and perhaps a Carnaval! |
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Spring of Youth |
The Spring of Youth, both legend and history tells us,
has the ability to make it rain.
Its water has the amazing power to give youth back to
anyone who drinks it. Many legends born from the Quest
for the Holy Grail credited certain waters with this
ability to give eternal life. In fact, the first mention
of such a power appears in the Bible. This fountain is
originally found in the Garden of Eden where it allowed
bodies to preserve their youth and beauty. In the
Arthurian legend, this source allowed wizards to live
for centuries without having to suffer the mark of time.
Eventually forgotten, it was Sir Lancelot who kept this
treasure for a while, thereby preserving his strength
and robustness for the final battle at his King’s side.
At the time of the druids, oddly enough, this trickle of
water was used for baptisms and to take a census of the
children born in the year. When a child was left out, he
or she was counted the following year…and made one year
younger in the process.
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Merlin became very popular in the Middle Ages. He is central
to a major text of the thirteenth-century French Vulgate cycle,
and he figures in a number of other French and English romances.
Sir Thomas Malory, in the Morte d'Arthur presents him as the
adviser and guide to Arthur. In the modern period Merlin's
popularity has remained constant. He figures in works from the
Renaissance to the modern period. In The Idylls of the King,
Tennyson makes him the architect of Camelot. Mark Twain,
parodying Tennyson's Arthurian world, makes Merlin a villain,
and in one of the illustrations to the first edition of Twain's
work illustrator Dan Beard's Merlin has Tennyson's face.
Numerous novels, poems and plays center around Merlin. In
American literature and popular culture, Merlin is perhaps the
most frequently portrayed Arthurian character. |
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A Connecticut Yankee |
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by Mark Twain |
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A parody of the
legend |
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Merlin
(magician) |
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versus |
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Hank (technocrat): |
| Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee"
derives its brilliance, its humor and its themes from a
juxtaposition of times and its attendant values between the
mythic King Arthur age of romantic chivalry and the technocratic
Hank Morgan who is "nearly barren of sentiment," freedom
minded, shrewd and technocratic. |
| Their constant rivalry is the embodiment
of the larger social project that Hank is trying to achieve in
making England into an industrialized nation. But in proclaiming
the eclipse and in the restoration of the Holy Fountain, Hank
uses the same reliance on superstition that Merlin does against
him. |
| Twain's Yankee's greatest fear and
ultimate enemy is the Roman Catholic Church, which to him
embodies the evils of manipulating religion for political
purposes. He states that "the established church is only a
political machine," bereft of the spiritual functions that it
purports to serve. Hank accuses the church for shoring up the
ills of the sixth century society: superstition; hereditary
nobility; social inequality; the meek subservience of the masses
to authority and tradition. |
| Arthur is described as a "just and fair"
judge who does the best "according to his lights." Twain himself
seems to acknowledge the best part of the Arthurian canon the
sense of honor and valor that surrounds the person of Arthur
himself, even as he ravages the time and its conventions and
laws. |
| Although Merlin appears to be soundly
defeated each time he challenges Hank's authority, he gets the
last laugh as Hank's civilization destroys itself. |
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"The very bludgeoning to which the ideals are exposed makes
the satire less than effective. Hank describes himself as void
of sentiment and poetry, acts in a rather Philistine manner, and
despite being swept centuries into the past and across the
ocean, refuses to believe that magic exists. Being unwilling to
yield, he is unable to compromise with Camelot on anything,
leading to chaos, and in the end, though he characterizes Merlin
as a 'doddering old fool', Merlin is able to send him back with
a few passes in the air."
—Brian Attebery, The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature. |
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Knights of the Round Table |
Sir Thomas Malory describes the
Knights' code of chivalry as:
- To never do outrage nor
murder
- Always to flee treason
- To by no means be cruel but
to give mercy unto him who asks for mercy
- To always do ladies,
gentlewomen and widows succor
- To never force ladies,
gentlewomen or widows
- Not to take up battles in
wrongful quarrels for love or worldly goods
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