The magician Merlin is by far the most intriguing character found in the Grail legends. Said to be born from the unholy union of a Virgin nun and demonic incubus, no one matches his supernatural power and abilities. Prophesied to become the Antichrist, the young Merlin was baptized to avert this from being fulfilled. 

Merlin played a role in engineering the birth of Arthur, setting up the Round Table, and instigating the search for the Holy Grail. He was a constant advisor of the king and led him to the Lady of the Lake and the magical sword Excalibur. 

In later Grail legends his absence was explained by creating a complex weave regarding his student Viviane as the Lady of Lake. Merlin was supposedly in love with her, his one fatal weakness, being attracted to younger women. She tricked Merlin into teaching her all his secret knowledge, and then used it to trap him in a tree, cave, or stone. Legends recount this as happening in the fairy forest of Brocéliande in France. 

To complicate matters even further, the Lady of the Lake, or one of the versions, had her head chopped off by one of Arthur’s Knights. Arthur had made a vow to give her anything she wanted in return for Excalibur. When the time came to collect her dues, Arthur refused and the she was decapitated by Sir Balin for being an evil enchantress. Because she was supposedly under the kings protection, this act of violence did not go down well in court and reflected badly on Arthur. 

Slowly over time, the legends moved away from the more magical characters to embrace a Christian worldview. This was mirrored in the Witch Trials that started to spread all over Europe. The concept of the incubus and female succubus was first introduced to a Christian audience in the story of Merlin. In folklore, the Incubus is a demon in human form that seeks to have sex with sleeping women. The union was blamed for the birth of witches, demons, and deformed human offspring. 

According to modern studies, sleep paralysis and hypnagogia can be rather terrifying experiences. Vivid auditory and visual hallucinations can make it appear as if these events are in fact really happening. It was also helpful to explain erotic dreams and nocturnal emissions. The legend of the incubus was also used to hide sexual assault of sleeping victims, usually done by a close relative or friend. Spreading rumors of demonic sexual deviants helped protect demonic/human sexual deviants.

VIVIEN ENCLOSES MERLIN IN TREE Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale