#Caradoc Briefbras

[taliesin-the-bored]

A few things which are “canon” somewhere for people who are worried they’re stretching it too far

Arthur was killed by a giant cat. 

Arthur killed the cat.

Arthur didn’t fight the cat. Kay did.

Kay and Bedivere use salmon as taxis. 

Lucan is half giant, half lion. (This Lucan, Lucano in the original Italian, is evil and not related to Bedivere). 

King Arthur raided the land of the dead.

The human knight Caradoc Briefbras has three half siblings: a dog, a horse, and a pig.

A large portion of Arthur’s troops was killed a while before Camlann by his nephew’s attack ravens in self-defense. Arthur and said nephew were playing chess at the time and neither did much to stop it.

Merlin retired peacefully and went to live in the countryside with Taliesin.

Wherever Arthur walks, plants die. They don’t grow back for years.

Arthur had a spunky (half?) brother who died in battle after making a mysterious oath.

Dagonet is more or less able to run the kingdom when Arthur is gone. His biggest error is overspending on mercenaries.

Guinevere has an evil almost identical twin half-sister.

Hector beat up all the best knights except for Galahad while possessed by a demon.

Gawain plays tennis.

Gawain has used a chessboard as a weapon.

Near the start of his reign, Arthur left Lot in charge of the kingdom and went on a quest with a sassy parrot.

Gawain or Galahad succeeded Arthur as king. 

[poparthuriana]

Cador’s Cornwall Gang: Aalardin du Lac, Cador, Caradoc Briefbras, Guinier/Tegau, and the Maiden of the Pavilion

Lancelot Stans: Bellangere, Blamore, Bliant, Blioberis, Bors, Ector de Maris, Lavaine, Lionel, Palamedes, Safir, and Urre of Hungary

Werewolves Anonymous: Alastrann, Bisclavret, Gorlagon, Marrok, and Melion

[farieshades]

🙂

What are some (say 5 if possible) major differences with the Merlin Lore and the BBC show Merlin?

To make this easier, I’ll list Lore that is, then what the Show has then expand. And I also, perchance, may have ended with 8 rather than 5....  

Now, the lore shifts depending on Author, as such, we have examples of different characters doing the same acts (Lancelot and Mordred) while some characters end up with multiple versions of names due to the myths transforming across lands and space and time (Bedivere/Bedwyr/Bédoier/Bedevere or Caradoc/Caractacus/Caradog Freichfras/Carados Briefbras or Walwanus/Gwalchmei/Balbhuaidh/ Gawain/Hauwaine/Gwaine and possibly more important to what I’m referring to Guinevere/Gwenhwyfar/Gwenivar/Gwynnever/Guenevere/Guenever/Gwen) 

1. Lancelot and Gwen. 

In the show we get the nice blossoming relationship that starts early on. Lancelot is all the things that Gwen comes to love in Arthur, and Lancelot is, as half the characters are, smitten with Gwen. He stands aside, in the show, letting Arthur have her [which is a bullshit interpretation, Gwen has agency, she chose Arthur but whatever]. In the Lore, however, this is more of where Shade!Lancelot shows up, as the Lancelot-Guinevere love story shows up. This is first seen in the 12th century Lancelot, The Knight of the Cart, in which the reader is introduced to adultery being committed with an already married Queen and a knight that was sent to protect her. Now, Chrétien de Troyes’ work invented this affair to counter Mordred-Guinever’s affair (as Mordred is often depicted as Arthur’s nephew in early works), after introducing Lancelot in his earlier work Erec and Enide (roughly 1170).

The Lancelot-Gwen story gets really popular in the 13th century, specifically in France, probably because Lancelot is a french addition, but anyway, this is roughly where we get Sir Thomas Malory’s adaptation which brings in Lancelot as a youthful teen who is knighted by Queen Guinevere and later rescues her from Maleagant (which is similar to The Dark Tower episode in a way) and afterwards the affair between the two eventually leads to the fall of Arthur and themselves. In Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur Guinevere is often portrayed as, honestly, a bitch [lots of annoying jealousy, deciet, adultery]. Within the works Lancelot falls into Madness and later, once revealed as a betraer of his King (for multiple reasons), Lancelot kills several knights and escapes, but then returns to stop Guinevere’s execution at the stake and in the time of battle, Gaheris and Gareth, brothers of Gawain are killed, Gawain falls into a rage that pressures Arthur to confront Lancelot and eventually causes lancelots death at some point. A very long winded thing that is drawn out and also includes Mordred sometimes. 

2. Geoffrey of Monmouth

Not really a ‘difference’, more of a nod to the British cleric from Wales who helped develop and popularise the Arthurian stories. The show has him working the library in Camelot (which is roughly anywhere from 410AD to 1066AD I’d have to imagine with the Anglo-Saxony problems occurring in post-Roman Britania) whereas the actual Geoffrey would have been roughly born 1095, dying maybe 60 years later. His depiction, interestingly, is often that of a bearded old man, not because this would be exactly how he looked, but in the era beards were a show of knowledge and wisdom (and ‘oh look at me I’m old and know things’) which has a standing tradition which goes back to ancient Greece when the beard was a symbol of masculinity and virility and being beardless was a symbol of youth and effeminacy (and possibly further back but I know ancient greek stuff so I’m sticking with my knowledge), although, in the show, he definitely looks maybe 100 but that might be just me looking at him like “wow he’s old.”

Anyway, his works were so influential that there is the idea of Pre-Geoffrey and Post-Geoffrey arthurian works (or rather Pre/Post Galfridian as that is his name in latin and classical languages are how works that clerics wrote are usually done thusly). Historia Regum Britanniae, the wonderful history of the kings of Britain from the settlement of Brutus of Troy, descended from Aeneas, to the Julius Caesar invasions and to real kings and fictional kings. Most of the work is based off other works like Historia Brittonum (attributed to Nennius), Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Bede), and De Exidio et Conquestu Britanniae by Gildas, along with oral works that would be traditionally passed down in communities. Now, it wasn’t his only work that remains prominent in the Series we know, as Prophetiae Merlini (Prophecies of Merlin) are utterances attributed to Merlin which have some popping up relevance in the show. Not much, to be sure, but we do have the White/Red dragon fight from this (with Aithusa/Kilgharrah not actually fighting however, but the symbolism is there).

3. Morgan Le Fey and Lancelot

In the show we briefly get this touched on with Shade!Lancelot doing a heckin bow of loyalty to Morgana (whom shall be referred here as Morgan) and kinda having heart eyes. However, in Prose Tristan, Lancelot is Morgan’s love interest/desire although he refuses her obsessive advances as he is in love with Guinevere. However, Morgan courts, drugs, enchants, and even goes so far as imprisoning Lancelot to keep him with her (in a parallel to Morrígan and Cú Chulainn). Now to the ‘shade’ aspect, there is a nice parallel to Queste del Saint Graal in which, within a vision Lancelot (and the audience) see a vision of Hell with Morgan controlling demons in the afterlife, which is similar, but also wildly different than the necromancy Show!Morgana has done to Shade!Lancelot.

4. The Isle of the Blests

This is the best parallel and difference watchers of the shows can see I’d imagine. Of course, in the show we have the Isle of the Blessed where members of the Old Religion would have gone to worship, the Isle was inhabited by high priestesses of the triple goddess and their Blood Guards and held at one point, most of the artifacts that Arthur and Merlin stumble across (Rowan Staff, Horn of Cathbhadh, Cup of Life which would be better known as the Holy Grail). 

In our wonderful vast accounts of Arthurian lore, however, the Isle of the blest, or perhaps the Fortunate isles, is synonymous with the Isle of Apples, or as we more commonly know it, Avalon. Of course, in the show, Avalon was the land of the otherworld, of the sidhe, but in the lore, the isle of Avalon was where women live who know all the world’s magic. Rather, this was also where Morgan lived with her nine sisters. From Geoffrey’s Vita Merlini, we see Morgan connected with Avalon, specifically in the role of a healer to Arthur after having been injured at the Battle of Camlann, and Morgan, as the leader of the nine magical sisters (unrelated to Arthur at this point), heals him after Taliesin delivers him there [Really it’s not until the late 12th century when morgan is transformed into the supernatural elder sister of Arthur]. 

This account, however, of nine sisters (supposedly named Moronoe, Mazoe, Gluten, Glitonea, Gluten, Tyrone, Thiten, and Thiton)  is very similar to the nine Gaulish priestesses or druidesses of Île de Sein, in which the Roman Chronicaler Pomponius Mela noted that the maidens venerated a god of prophecy and were known for their powers of 'sight' and as healers, along with having the ability to shapeshift into animals and raise storms at sea. On the note of sisters, however, it should be noted that Morgan, or rather Morgana, gains multiple different sisters from Morgause and Elaine of Garlot, along with the interesting history that surrounds Gwyar (as either a replacement for Morgause or Anna, a mother of Gawain/Gwalchmei ap Gwyar, and supposedly daughter of Amlawdd Wledig.)

5.Sir Ector Vs King Uther

In many of the lore surrounding Arthurian legends, Arthur is raised by Sir Ector as a brother of Sir Kay after joining the house as a baby to keep him safe from assassins (which Disney’s Sword in the Stone kinda gets at). Often times, when Arthur finally ascends to the throne, Sir Kay rises very quickly in prominence at court (although it’s said Kay has magic of indurance in that “nine nights and nine days his breath lasted under water without sleep” and “when it pleased him he would be as tall as the tallest tree in the forest [...] because of the greatness of his heat, and when his companionswere coldest, he would be as fuel for them to light a fire”). Although, he’s not the best knight around, nor a good role model in his actions. Nevertheless, Sir Ector is, in the works of Robert De Boron and Thomas Malory, given Arthur by Merlin who, with permission (usually or believed) by Uther and Igraine, brought Arthur to safety. Merlin doesn’t reveal the identity of the boy to Ector, and Ector raises him as a son, next to his own. This differs of course from the Princely raised Show!Arthur the audience watches. Not the biggest difference about, for Sir Ector is actually not that big of a ‘player’ in the scheme of their universe, but it is interesting to note nonetheless.

6. Minor Characters: Tristan and Isolde / Elaine of Astolat

Tristan and Iseult/Isolde have an entire prose cycle (Prose Tristan) based around them, and this was limited to a few scenes in the show. Understandable, as we are focusing on Arthurian progression from Prince to King, but the characters are based off the Cornish Knight Tristan falling in love with the Irish Princess Iseult (daughter of another Iseult, cause we love repetitive names in families. Definitely keeps family lines clear to see). Now, some versions have them ingesting a love potion, others have it as true love between them. Nevertheless, Tristan isn’t supposed to be in love with her because he’s delivering her to Cornwal to marry his uncle, King Mark. In one version the potion was supposed to be ingested by Iseult and King Mark to make a love-match between the two, but things got fucked up. Anyway, most times Iseult does marry King Mark and then we got adultery on the side which then the king’s advisors catch onto and try to convict them of. And this does madness stuff and what-not and at some-point you have a Hepheastus moment where King Mark is trying to trap Ares and Aphrodite, sorry, I mean Tristan and Iseult for proof. Tristan is to be hung and Iseult is to be burnt at the stake (or sent to a leper colony or both), anyway, Tristan escapes, rescues Iseult, and now they’re in the woods as outlaws. Which, in the lore they sometime return to have Iseult marry Mark properly as Tristan fucks off to adventure somewhere and Iseult has a happyish marriage until Mark dies and Tristan returns. Anyway -- Kinda similar to what we see, we just have them at the outlaw part of existence when Tristan is cursing the name of his Kingly Uncle and swearing off nobility. 

Elaine of Astolat/Ascolat supposedly is a figure who dies from unrequented love of Lancelot - bear with me - and drifts down the river to Camelot in a boat in the Mort Artu 13th century French romance - bear with me - while clutching a lily in one hand and a letter in the other. Elaine is found by King Arthur’s court, the letter is read, Lancelot feels ashamed and pays for a burial. The reason I mention this is it’s a similar death scene to many of the imporant characters we see die in BBC Merlin, and in particular, Lancelot and Freya. One, very important to Merlin, not quite an unrequited love, but near enough. The Other, the very man who broke Elaine’s heart in the prose. 

7. Princess Gwenhwyfar

I’m using this name as a nod to The Dragon’s Call, in which when Gwen introduces herself to Merlin in the stocks, that is what the subtitles say. The lore surrounding Gwen is wild. She is a villainour opportunistic traitor. She is a loving wife. She is ‘if she were a spice she’d be flour’. And she is a fatally flawed but noble and virtuous lady. Too many versions. Each author changes her character the most as compared to literally all others. The biggest shift from Merlin’s show to the lore, however, is Gwen is never a servant/maid, and she is Elyan the White’s sibling. The main thing here, I’d say, is her father King Leodegrance (in some versions) and sister Gwenhwyfach (false Guinevere). Different traditions have her with different family (Cywryd of Gwent / Gwythyr ap Griedawl / Gogrfan Gawr (specifically Gwenhwyfar ferch Ogrfan Gawar Drwg yn fechan, gwaeth yn fawr or ‘Gwenhwyfar, daughter of (G)Ogrfan Gawr, bad when little, worse when great ) / Garlin of Gore / King Madaglan (although he is an uncle I think?)) Lots of fathers nevertheless. Too many. Head hurts trying to look at genealogy for Gwen. Now, in addition to this, as mentioned above, Elyan the White (Helyan le blanc/Elain/Elayn/Helain/Hellaine/Helin - the pale / le blank) is the son of the Knight Bors the younger, and his mother Claire, daughter of King Brandegore. Anyway, with Elyan, he doesn’t interact much with Gwen until having to help his cousin Lancelot rescue her after the affair is exposed, then also joins Lancelot in exile, and later, (following the vulgate cycle) he becomes Emperor of Constantinople. 

8. Excalibur/Caliburn

Arguablly these are the same sword with different names. However, typically, Caliburn is the Sword that is stuck in the stone while Excalibur is given by the Lady of the Lake after Caliburn breaks in a fight. Although, then again, naming issues. Caliburn is the latin from the Breton Kaledvoulc’h, Welsh Caledfwlch, and Cornish Calesvol. The name Excalibur derives from the Caledfwlch, however the two are still depicted as different swords most often. Generally, the sword in the stone is the whole divine right of kings bullshit that keeps monarchy in power for most of history. Sometimes when Caliburn breaks in a fight, Merlin takes the same sword to the Lady of the Lake to make it whole again, reforged into Excalibur (nearly seen in the name ex-calibur(n) - out of caliburn). From what we watched back in… 2009-2013+ Excalibur is forged by Tom, Gwen’s father, breathed magical by Kilgharrah, given by Merlin (accidentaly to Uther), tossed into the Lake, returned by Freya (thus given by the Lady), then struck into Stone to give Arthur belief that he had god’s will on his side because of old prophecies that Merlin definitely made up but made everyone believe.

[taliesin-the-bored]

The back of my Siege Perilous

Going from left to right and down, the symbols stand for Galahad, Percival, Ragnell, Blanchefleur, the Grail Heroine, the Lady of the Lake who gives Arthur Excalibur, Guinier, Gawain, Dinadan, Ector de Maris, Morgan le Fay, Caradoc Briefbras, Griflet, Isolde, Vivian, Taliesin, Tristan, Brunnisend, the Nine Witches, Laudine, the Three Queens or Morgause, Kay, Dagonet, Merlin, Palamedes, Sebile, Guinevere, Igraine, Melora, Yvain, Mordred, and Arthur.

If you’re confused about some or all of them, here’s my rationale/what the symbols are: 

Galahad and Percival have slightly different Grails. I think Ragnell is found sitting under a tree, and another story has Gawain in a relationship with the queen of Avalon, isle of the apples. Blanchefleur means “white flower”. The square with the spiral in it is the Grail Heroine’s box of hair. The sword under the wave is fairly obvious. That is the drinking horn from Guinier’s chastity test. Gawain’s is a SGatGK reference. Dinadan’s is an aro ring. Ector de Maris, Griflet, Kay, and Palamedes all have symbols or patterns from their attributed arms. Morgan le Fay takes Arthur to Avalon on a boat. Caradoc has to be saved from a serpent which is wound around his arm. The torch is a Wagner reference. Nimue traps Merlin, whose symbol is the bird who shares his name, so she is represented by a birdcage. Taliesin got his wisdom from a cauldron, and there’s a cauldron in the Preideu Annwfn. Tristan plays a harp. The formation of the relationship between Brunnisend and her eventual husband is defined by their dire yet mutually exclusive needs for a good night’s sleep. The Nine Witches’ symbol seemed cool and has a threefold element. Laudine has a magic fountain. The evolution of the nature and deeds of Anna/Morcades/Morgause/etc. seemed to sort of go with the Maiden, Matron, Crone archetype and I really couldn’t think of anything else. Dagonet eventually became a jester. Yblis, who has a magic mantle, is Sybil scrambled, and there is a strong modern association between magic and capes. Guinevere is sometimes given authority over the knights of the vergescu. My justification for Igraine’s is particularly weak and would take too long to explain. Melora wields the Lance of Longinus. Yvain befriends a lion. Mordred has a broken table because he helped break the Round Table. Arthur is King.