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    Learn English > English lessons and exercises > English test #33575: The Legend of Merlin, by Castaner Pauline.
    > Other English exercises on the same topic: United Kingdom [Change theme]
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    The Legend of Merlin, by Castaner Pauline.



    MERLIN :

     

     

    Merlin was a sorcerer, a prophet, a tutor or an advisor. He was born from a nun and a Devil.

     The nun was the daughter of the king of Demetia (a kingdom in south Wales).

    So, he was the son of a Devil but he was at the same time a servant of God, which gave him both  big wisdom and  power .

     

     

            The legend :

     

    Vortigen, king of Great Britain, had to escape after he lost battle against the Saxons. He escaped to Wales where he built a fortress, but the walls of this fortress kept crumbling down the day following  their building.

     

    The elder advised Vortigen to kill a boy without a father and to mix his blood with the mortar. They were thus  thinking of having Merlin killed  because they knew that he was going to bring about their death.

     

    Once Merlin had been brought before Vortigen to be executed, he told him  that the elders were plotting against him .

    Then he explained that the walls of his fortress always collapsed because there was a pool under the ground and two dragons, one red and one white,fighting and making the castle tremble.It was true.

     

    After that he made a lot of other prophecies that came true, among which the victory of Arthur, son of Uther, over the saxons. He also foretold that six sons of Arthur would reign before the Saxons invaded Britain again.

     

    After the death of Vortigen, Merlin advised Aurelius Ambrosius  now king of Great Britain, to create a circle near Salisbury in England,  with the large bluestones from Mount Killaraus in Ireland. It was to be known as Stonehenge (the giant's ring).

     

    One night Merlin and Uther saw a comet in the sky with a dragon-like tail and Merlin was able to predict that Aurelius Ambrosius  had died from poisoning and that now Uther, his brother, had become king of Great Britain. The dragon became the symbol of Uther's kingship.

     

    Merlin is said to have been involved in king Arthur's birth, it was also him who predicted that only the true king would be able to withdraw the magic sword Excalibur from the stone where it was encased.

      

     

                      The death of Merlin :

     

    There exists a lot of versions of the death of Merlin.

     

    Merlin was sitting  at the Round Table in front of Galahad, a knight, and when he saw the Grail he was aspirated through the ground because only Galahad was allowed to see the Grail.

     

    OR

     

    He fell in love with the lady of the lake. He taught her his magic and in return she would give love to him. But  once she had learned all the magic tricks of Merlin she entombed him in a rock.






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    1. Who was the father of Merlin ?

    2. Who was Merlin ?

    3. Where did king Vortigen go to escape the Saxons?

    4. What was his problem once he had built his castle?

    5. What was he advised to do to solve the problem?

    6. What is the name of the circle of bluestones in Salisbury ?

    7. What does it mean?

    8. Where is it?

    9. Who was the brother of Aurelius Ambrosius ?

    10. What is the symbol of royalty ?

    11. What was excalibur?

    12. Who was Galahad ?

    13. What was the colour of the two dragons ?

    14. Vortigen was the king of :

    15. What does 'wisdom ' mean?

    16. What does 'mortar ' refer to?

    17. What does 'kingship ' refer to?

    18. What does 'grail ' refer to?










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