So, then, given the sparse sources we’ve got, we can’t know for sure. There’s a sizable school of thought which holds that Arthur is as purely legendary as Merlin. If Arthur did really exist, we know next to nothing about him. read more
To determine when Merlin may have lived, one way would be to date King Arthur, the legendary king with whom Merlin is associated. Geoffrey Ashe, a historian, and co-founder and secretary of the Camelot Research Committee wrote about Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Arthurian legend. read more
Like King Arthur himself, Merlin did not exist exactly as he is depicted in Arthurian stories (first by Geoffrey of Monmouth and then later by French chroniclers), but is rather a product of the telling and re-telling of a few very old legends. read more