History Myth / Merlin

* PowerCreepPowerSeep: Though centuries of stories, Merlin has grown in popular perception, especially in SuperHero story worlds like Franchise/TheDCU and the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, from a mere mage to becoming the Sorceror Supreme of his time with almost godlike power.
* PublicDomainCharacter: A very old one at that. He has been done and redone dozens of times in various media, from legendary badass, to newbie mage, to a female version of himself.

* OracularUrchin: It is said that God Himself granted Merlin powers of prophecy that, coupled with his already expansive knowledge of the past and present, rendered him functionally omniscient.

* ''ComicBook/Camelot3000'': Merlin explicitly described as the son of the Devil.

** "[[https://soundcloud.com/doug-mcarthur/merlin Merlin]]" by Doug [=McArthur=] (no relation to the American WWII general), which was later [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98Tr5H1jvQU popularized among filkers by Kathy Mar]]. In the song, Merlin is portrayed as an [[NatureIsNotNice animalistic]] and [[TallDarkAndSnarky saturnine]] NatureSpirit[[note]]possibly a last survivor of the DeathOfTheOldGods after the destruction of the [[{{Druid}} Druids]][[/note]], feared by the populace and betrayed by a scheming Queen Guinevere and a weak-willed Arthur. The song shows him patiently awaiting the arrival of a construction crew whom he has sensed are working near [[SealedBadassInACan the cave which Arthur sealed him into]] at Guinevere's behest, and whom he hopes will unwittingly break into the cave, allowing him to escape into the modern world.

* One of the pre-made Wizards in ''VideoGame/MasterOfMagic'', where he is a Sage Master (has bonus to spell research) specializing in [[WhiteMagic Life]] and Nature magic. The intro cutscene featured him in [[YouAreTooLate one of rgw winning conditions]].

'''''[[TropeCodifier THE]]''''' [[WizardClassic Wizard Classic]]

Before there was [[Franchise/HarryPotter Dumbledore]]... before there was [[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms Elminster]]... before there was [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Gandalf]]... there was '''Merlin'''. This PublicDomainCharacter was added to the [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Arthurian mythos]] around 1100 AD. Merlin -- sometimes called Ambrosius in older sources -- was the trusted advisor and surrogate parental figure to Myth/KingArthur.

Before there was [[Franchise/HarryPotter Dumbledore]]... before there was [[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms Elminster]]... before there was [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Gandalf]]... there was '''Merlin'''. The [[UrExample original]] [[WizardClassic bearded old wizard]] (unless you're counting [[Myth/NorseMythology Odin]]), this PublicDomainCharacter was added to the [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Arthurian mythos]] around 1100 AD. Merlin -- sometimes called Ambrosius in older sources -- was the trusted advisor and surrogate parental figure to Myth/KingArthur.

* TheProphecy: Key to his OriginStory, though it's subverted. The tyrant King Vortigern has a tower that keeps falling down, and he's told by his mages that the foundation needs [[HumanSacrifice the blood of a boy]] with no (human) father before the tower can be built. When Merlin (or earlier, Ambrosius) is brought forth, he reveals that there are two dragons battling beneath the earth in an underground lake, causing the site to be unstable. But then Merlin makes a prophecy himself about the two dragons, one red and one white, as symbolic for the Britons vs. the Saxons.

** Merlin is mentioned as a background figure in the distant past, a wizard of immense power -- which is unsurprising, considering the influence he has on two of the constituent canons, ''Literature/HarryPotter'' and ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. It's repeatedly hinted that he's actually still alive, hanging around in the background and doing who knows what.
** ''Ghosts of the Past'', mentions him in passing as a natural born Omega Class being (in other words, in the same weight class as Jean Grey, Magneto, Loki, and Thor, if not above), with the additional note that he [[HalfHumanHybrid probably wasn't just human.]] It also reveals that originally, broadly speaking, he was based on ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}''. According to Doctor Strange, he was the greatest Wizard of all time... [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments but he had a tin ear for music.]] Strange also reveals that Merlin was his main mentor and that Strange's own real name is [[spoiler: Taliesin.]] Yeah, ''that'' one. Unsurprisingly, per Wanda, Merlin is the one person with even the slightest chance of actually controlling Strange.

* ''Literature/TheWarlordChronicles'' by Bernard Cornwell, which has Merlin as a hilariously irreverent and very powerful (politically, definitely. Magically, possibly) druid, whose performances owe a lot to charisma, reputation, and the fact that a lot of his tricks are MaybeMagicMaybeMundane. Unlike most depictions
* Similar to the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' example, Merlin is a historical personality in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' (as is Arthur), a founder of the White Council of wizards, and one time guardian of the holy sword Amoracchius (aka Excalibur). The head of the White Council is traditionally given the title of "The Merlin". The current bearer of the title is Arthur Langtry, whom Harry notes that he "resembles what you'd think Merlin would look like". The general consensus by the time of the series is that while he was probably pretty badass, his reputation - akin to magical Superman (quoth Dresden, "leaping tall cathedrals in a single bound") - was somewhat exaggerated. ''Cold Days'' turns this on its head and makes it abundantly clear that if anything, it was ''drastically'' underestimated, with Merlin being the Archmage's Archmage. He constructed [[spoiler:a prison for {{Physical God}}s and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s so hard that {{Skinwalker}}s are in ''minimum security'']]. It was constructed [[spoiler:at once during at least five different moments in time to make sure it was protected over ''time'' and ''space'']]. It was said his mentor was Odin, Norse God, Winter King of the wyldfae. [[spoiler: [[MasterApprenticeChain And his direct line of students who grow to teach new wizards reaches to Harry Dresden himself]]]].

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9048823/1/Harry-Potter-and-the-Four-Heirs Harry Potter and the Four Heirs'', Merlin/Myrddin knows what the timeline should have been, what it's going to be "thanks" to Manipulative!Dumbledore's meddling, and what it can be with suitable intervention. He scoops Harry up at age 4 and gives him training that puts him at pretty much GodMode.

* PowerCreepPowerSeep: Though centuries of stories, Merlin has grown in popular perception, especially in SuperHero story worlds like the Franchise/TheDCU and the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, from a mere mage to becoming the Sorceror Supreme of his time with almost godlike power.

* BarefootSage: He's depicted [[DoesNotLikeShoes barefoot]] in many illustrations, including those by Gustave Doré.

* Thomas Mallory (or Malleore) and his ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur'' is the primary source for T.H. White's Arthurian works, and consequently includes him extensively.
* Creator/MaryStewart's ''Literature/TheMerlinTrilogy'', based on Geoffrey of Monmouth, has Merlin telling his own story, as she fills in some gaps left by Geoffrey and by Mallory. A fourth book, "The Wicked Day", follows with Mordred's story.

* T.A. Barron's ''Literature/TheLostYearsOfMerlin'' series explores Merlin's growth from a clever and talented brat, to a humbler and wise Wizard, on the mystic Isle of Fincayra. Notably, this Merlin learns much of the legend of Arthur in a magic mirror, and it's said things may go differently with this foreknowledge.

In most tellings of Arthur's origin story, Merlin's magic helped Uther Pendragon seduce and bed another man's wife (Igraine), leading to the conception of Arthur, whom he prophesized would be a great king. In return, Merlin was given the baby boy, who was fostered by a knight as his own son and later prepared by Merlin for kingship.