{"product_id":"the-true-history-of-merlin-the-magician","title":"The True History of Merlin the Magician","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWho was the historical Merlin?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Merlin the Magician has remained an enthralling and curious individual since he was first introduced in the twelfth century though the pages of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s \u003ci\u003eHistoria Regum Britanniae\u003c\/i\u003e.  But although the Merlin of literature and Arthurian myth is well known, Merlin the \"historical\" figure and his relation to medieval magic are less familiar. In this book Anne Lawrence-Mathers explores just who he was and what he has meant to Britain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe historical Merlin was no rough magician: he was a learned figure from the cutting edge of medieval science and adept in astrology, cosmology, prophecy, and natural magic, as well as being a seer and a proto-alchemist. His powers were convincingly real—and useful, for they helped to add credibility to the \"long-lost\" history of Britain which first revealed them to a European public. Merlin’s prophecies reassuringly foretold Britain’s path, establishing an ancient ancestral line and linking biblical prophecy with more recent times. Merlin helped to put British history into world history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLawrence-Mathers also explores the meaning of Merlin’s magic across the centuries, arguing that he embodied ancient Christian and pagan magical traditions, recreated for a medieval court and shaped to fit a new moral framework. Linking Merlin’s reality and power with the culture of the Middle Ages, this remarkable book reveals the true impact of the most famous magician of all time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Anne Lawrence-Mathers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42851732783165,"sku":"9780300253085","price":24.26,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0597\/7689\/2989\/files\/9780300253085_7fa0c41f-40a4-410d-b707-2bf58f8b259c.jpg?v=1767073684","url":"https:\/\/www.palmleaf.com.au\/products\/the-true-history-of-merlin-the-magician","provider":"Palmleaf","version":"1.0","type":"link"}