Merlin

Merlin is the famous wizard and adviser to King Arthur. He was also adviser to Arthur's father King Uther Pendragon. In the earliest sources, such as Nennius, Merlin is apparently the same person as Ambrosius Aurelianus, but later these two figures became two distinct individuals.

Merlin, a native of Carmarthen in Wales, was a boy born without a father, but his father was actually a Roman consul (according to Nennius at any rate). After serving as adviser to both Uther Pendragon and Arthur for many decades, Merlin, now a very old man, fell in love with a nymph named Nimue, Maeonia, Vivian, or perhaps even Morgan la Fay, depending on which account you read. She stole his magical power and imprisoned him in a crystal cave, where he still is, it is said. In other sources Merlin's real name is Lailoken, and he lived in Scotland, and went mad after a battle and ran into the woods to live as a hermit.

Many, many different stories are told about Merlin, often completely contradictory. This is still happening today, because it is clear that the wizard Gandalf in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings is based on Merlin.^{[Citation Needed]}