Merlin the Magician has remained an enthralling & curious individual since the idea was first invented in the twelfth century in the pages of Geoffrey of Monmouths History of the Kings of Britain". But although the Merlin of literature & Arthurian myth is well known Merlins historical impact & his relation to medieval magic are less familiar. In this book Anne Lawrence-Mathers explores just who he was thought to be & what he has meant to Britain. The twelfth-century Merlin was no folk soothsayer: he was a learned figure at the cutting edge of medieval science & adept in astrology cosmology prophecy & natural magic as well as being a seer & proto alchemist. He was a convincing & powerful figure & his famed prophecies helped to add credibility to the long lost history of Britain first revealed here to a European public. Merlins prophecies reassuringly foretold Britains path establishing an ancient ancestral line & linking biblical prediction with more recent times. Merlin helped to place British history within world history. Lawrence-Mathers also explores the meaning of Merlins magic across the centuries arguing that he embodied ancient Christian & pagan magical traditions recreated for a medieval court & adapted to fit a new moral climate. Linking Merlins perceived reality & power with the culture of the Middle Ages this remarkable book reveals the true impact of the most famous magician of all time."