Tombeau de Merlin

Tombeau de Merlin
Location	Forest of Paimpont, Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, France
Coordinates	48°04′40″N02°07′03″W / 48.07778°N 2.11750°W
Type	Gallery grave
Length	10.5 metres (34 ft)
Width	1.5 metres (4.9 ft)
Height	0.9 to 1.5 metres (3.0 to 4.9 ft)
History
Material	Schist
Periods	Neolithic

Last updated July 02, 2024

The Tombeau de Merlin is a megalithic monument dating from the Neolithic period located in the Forest of Paimpont, at a place called La Marette near the hamlet of Landelles in Paimpont.

A tradition dating from the 12th century has it that Merlin had a tomb in the legendary forest of Brocéliande, Félix Bellamy [ fr ] defining its location in the forest in 1889. Shortly afterwards the Tombeau de Merlin was largely destroyed by grave robbers, but it has nevertheless become an important tourist site.

In Britain, Bardsey Island, Drumelzier and Marlborough also claim to have Merlin's grave.^[1]

Megalithic construction

These are the ruins of a megalithic construction dating from the Neolithic era, of the gallery grave type. According to Félix Bellamy there were originally two gallery graves; of these one, already in ruins, called the Tombeau de Merlin (the second was designated as the Tomb of Viviane) was the subject of a detailed description in the 1920s. It was 10.5 metres (34 ft) long and about 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) wide. The room was delimited by four orthostats on one side, only one on the other and a sixth slab acted as an apse. The height of these supports varied from 0.9 metres (3.0 ft) to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft), the width from 1.25 metres (4.1 ft) to 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) and the thickness from 0.25 metres (0.82 ft) to 0.4 metres (1.3 ft). The covering slabs had all collapsed. All the stones of the monument were of purple schist. Only three stones are now left. The only known graphic records of the full monument are two 19th-century engravings and an old postcard dated 1900.^[2] The Tombeau Merlin is listed on the Base Mérimée, the official French inventory of notable architecture and archaeological monuments.^[3]

History

According to the Lancelot-Grail cycle of medieval romances, Merlin withdrew from the world because of his love for the fairy Viviane. In another version of the legend, he is locked up by Viviane in a cave. The poet Auguste Creuzé de Lesser wrote in 1811 that Merlin was buried in the forest of Brocéliande, a legendary forest whose precise location has never really been identified.^[4]

The modern history of Merlin's tomb begins in 1820, when a judge and scholar from Montfort-sur-Meu, J. C. D. Poignand, published an article in the Brochure des Antiquités Historiques in which he claimed that Merlin was buried in the Forest of Paimpont, in the commune of Saint-Malon-sur-Mel ^[5] and near the abbey of Talhouet. For twenty years the inhabitants searched, hoping to find treasure there.^[6] In 1825, the writer Blanchard de la Musse [ fr ] associated a gallery grave in the north of the Forest of Paimpont with the tomb of Merlin. Théodore Hersart de la Villemarqué also located the tomb of Merlin in these places.^[7] An 1846 Romantic engraving from the Magasin pittoresque shows a stone circle, non-existent in the Forest of Paimpont, named Tombeau de Merlin and located in the forest of Brocéliande.^[6]

The topography of the Forest of Paimpont was defined by Félix Bellamy in 1889.^[4] His research, based on Poignand's article and the statements of the inhabitants, led him to settle on this gallery grave as the location of the tomb. In 1892,^[8] grave robbers digging for the hypothetical treasure of the enchanter destroyed the blocks they could not move.^[5]

Tourist development of Paimpont-Brocéliande began at the same time, though not altogether supported by the local inhabitants. In the 1970s, the Breton writer Yann Brekilien opposed the construction of access roads and the loss of the legendary character of Paimpont-Brocéliande. It was not until the 1990s that a promotion policy was put in place thanks to the mayor of Ploërmel and the Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien, allowing guided tours and the establishment of a protective perimeter around the tomb of Merlin.^[4] In 2008, the European LEADER programme promoted the restoration of the site, which was in an advanced state of disrepair, and the creation of a tourist footpath known as the "Enchanter's Loop" – a circuit including the Tombeau de Merlin and the Fontaine de Jouvence (Fountain of Youth).^[9]

Contemporary folklore

Visitors often leave pieces of paper in the middle of the monument on which they write the wishes they wish to see granted by Merlin.^[10] The ashes of the dead are also sometimes scattered there.^[6]

Footnotes

↑ Ashe, Geoffrey (1983). Arthurian Britain. London: Longman. p. 159. ISBN 9780582502826 . Retrieved 16 August 2022.
↑ Briard, Jacques; Langouët, Loïc; Onnée, Yvan (2004). Les mégalithes du département d'Ille-et-Vilaine (in French). Rennes: Institut culturel de Bretagne et Centre régional d'archéologie d'Alet. pp. 41–42. ISBN 9782868220929 . Retrieved 11 August 2022.
↑ Base Mérimée : Allée couverte dite le Tombeau de Merlin, près de la Marette (Paimpont) , Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
1 2 3 Calvez 2010.
1 2 Anonymous 2022.
1 2 3 Briard 1997, p. 103.
↑ Hersart de la Villemarqué, Théodore (1837). "Visite au tombeau de Merlin". Revue de Paris (in French). 5: 45–62. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
↑ Myrdhin; Maillet, Gwendaëlle (2008). Brocéliande de A à Z (in French). Ploërmel: Les Oiseaux de Papier. p. 187. ISBN 9782916359236 . Retrieved 15 August 2022.
↑ Kirichdjian, Ludivine (September 2010). "Patrimonialisation des lieux légendaires" (PDF) (in French). p. 68. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
↑ Milot, Alice (18 August 2011). "La Forêt de Brocéliande ou l'imaginaire au pouvoir" (in French). Radio France Internationale. Retrieved 16 August 2022.

Related Research Articles

Merlin is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a magician, with several other main roles. The familiar depiction of Merlin, based on an amalgamation of historic and legendary figures, was introduced by the 12th-century British pseudo-historical author Geoffrey of Monmouth and then built on by the French poet Robert de Boron and prose successors in the 13th century.

The Lady of the Lake is a name or a title used by several either mermaid or mermaid-like but human enchantresses in the Matter of Britain, the body of medieval literature and mythology associated with the legend of King Arthur. She plays several important roles in many stories, including providing Arthur with the sword Excalibur, eliminating Merlin, raising Lancelot after the death of his father, and helping to take the dying Arthur to Avalon. Different sorceresses known as the Lady of the Lake appear concurrently as separate characters in some versions of the legend since at least the Post-Vulgate Cycle and consequently the seminal Le Morte d'Arthur, with the latter describing them as a hierarchical group, while some texts also give this title to either Morgan or her sister.

Ploërmel is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany, in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, the former commune Monterrein was merged into Ploërmel.

Joseph Guy Marie Ropartz was a French composer and conductor. His compositions included five symphonies, three violin sonatas, cello sonatas, six string quartets, a piano trio and string trio, stage works, a number of choral works and other music, often alluding to his Breton heritage. Ropartz also published poetry.

Brocéliande, earlier known as Brécheliant and Brécilien, is a legendary enchanted forest that had a reputation in the medieval European imagination as a place of magic and mystery. Brocéliande is featured in several medieval texts, mostly related to the Arthurian legend and the characters of Merlin, Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and some of the Knights of the Round Table. It first appeared in literature in the Roman de Rou chronicle by Wace in 1160 and today is most commonly identified as Paimpont forest in Brittany, France.

Paimpont Forest, also known as Brocéliande Forest, is a temperate forest located around the village of Paimpont in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany, France. Covering an area of 9,000 hectares, it is part of a larger forest area that covers the neighboring departments of Morbihan and Côtes-d'Armor. It contains the castles Château de Comper and Château de Trécesson as well as the Forges of Paimpont, a national historical site. It has been associated with the forest of Brocéliande and many locations from Arthurian legend, including the Val sans retour, the tomb of Merlin, and the fountain of Barenton.

Paimpont is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.

The Val sans retour, also known as the Val des faux amants or the Val périlleux, is a mythical site from Arthurian legend, as well as a physical site located in central Brittany, in the Paimpont forest. The legend attached to it is primarily recounted in the Lancelot-Grail: in it, Morgan le Fay experiences a disappointment in love with the knight Guiomar, and, in retaliation, creates the Val sans retour in the forest of Brocéliande, where any knights unfaithful in love are imprisoned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Château de Comper</span> Castle in Brittany, France

The Château de Comper is a former castle located in Paimpont forest, three kilometers to the east of the village of Concoret in the department of Morbihan in the region of Brittany, France. It has been rebuilt as a château. The name Comper, like Quimper, probably comes from the Breton word kemper, which means confluence. It is surrounded by several streams and lakes.

La Lande-de-Goult is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.

Jean François Marie Le Gonidec de Kerdaniel was a Breton grammarian who codified the Breton language.

Jacques Briard was a French archaeologist of prehistory. He was a student of Pierre-Roland Giot, the creator of modern Armorican archeology.

The Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien is a cultural centre dedicated to the Matter of Britain. It was founded in 1988 in Rennes through the influence of different specialists in Arthurian legend, local politicians, artists and writers. Since 1990 its headquarters has been at the Château de Comper, in Paimpont Forest.

Guiomar is the best known name of a character appearing in many medieval texts relating to the Arthurian legend, often in relationship with Morgan le Fay or a similar fairy queen type character.

Donatien Laurent was a French musicologist and linguist.

The esplumoir Merlin is a place mentioned in the Arthurian legend in relation with the magician Merlin. It notably appears in the Didot Perceval uncertainly attributed to Robert de Boron, and is also mentioned in Raoul de Houdenc's Meraugis de Portlesguez. Its nature is uncertain, but it probably relates to a metamorphosis into a bird. It is presented as a hut, a tower or a high rock and is sometimes likened to the Hotié de Viviane, a megalithic site in Brittany.

Hotié, Hostié or Maison de Viviane, also known as Tombeau des Druides is a megalithic tomb in Paimpont, Ille-et-Vilaine, in Brittany. The Hotié de Viviane is one of the prehistoric monuments in the Forest of Brocéliande cursorily described in the 19th century, but more recently, following the fires that have periodically devastated the forest, rediscovered and excavated by local groups. Legend makes it the home of the fairy Viviane, where she held the enchanter Merlin imprisoned. Another legend equates it with the esplumoir Merlin. When the location of the Val sans retour, a place figuring in medieval Arthurian literature, was identified with the Val de Rauco in the 19th century, the megalithic site near the Gurvant valley took the name of Hotié de Viviane. Hotié de Viviane is also sometimes identified as Tombeau de Viviane.

The Église Sainte-Onenne, or Église Saint-Eutrope, also known as the Église du Graal, is a parish church in the commune of Tréhorenteuc in Brittany. It is the only church dedicated to a local Breton saint, St Onenne. However, it is best known for its fittings and stained glass windows commissioned by the Abbé Gillard between 1942 and 1962 which mix pagan themes from Arthurian legend with Christian elements.

Henri Gillard, also known as Father Gillard, the abbé Gillard or as le recteur de Tréhorenteuc, was a Breton priest attached to the Église Saint-Onenne in Tréhorenteuc from 1942 to 1962. As soon as he arrived, he had this small communal church in the department of Morbihan restored, decorating it with paintings that mixed the wonders of Celtic legend with the Christian faith, through the symbolism of the Holy Grail. He popularized the Arthurian legend through his numerous works and the guided tours of the nearby Val sans retour which he organised. During his years of ministry he guided visitors and lodged them in the church. His efforts energized the commune of Tréhorenteuc, at that time suffering a major rural exodus, to make it a popular tourist destination. Disavowed and ejected from his post by the Catholic hierarchy in 1962, Father Gillard was finally rehabilitated after his death in 1979, and buried in the church of Tréhorenteuc. A statue of him has been erected and an association has been formed to defend his works and his heritage.

Saint Onenne is a local Breton saint whose cult exists only in Tréhorenteuc. The church of the municipality partly bears her name. Initially associated with the image of a "Celtic saint," her cult has been linked to symbols of the swan-maiden or the bird goddess close to the goddess Ana, hence her connection with ducks and geese, birds that have retained an important place in her hagiography. Although she is said to have lived in the 7th century, her first written mention dates back to the 11th century. Over time, the removal of original elements brings her cult closer to that of the Virgin Mary associated with grace and purity.

References

Anonymous (2022). "Le Tombeau de Merlin". Brocéliande guide (in French). Retrieved 14 August 2022.

Briard, Jacques (1997). Les mégalithes, ésotérisme et réalité (in French). Paris: Éditions Jean-Paul Gisserot. ISBN 9782877472609 . Retrieved 14 August 2022.

Calvez, Marcel (October 2010). Druides, fées et chevaliers dans la forêt de Brocéliande: De l'invention de la topographie légendaire de la forêt de Paimpont à ses recompositions contemporaines (PDF). Festival international de géographie. Programme scientifique, Oct 2010, Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France (in French). Retrieved 14 August 2022.

External links

Media related to Tombeau de Merlin at Wikimedia Commons

Le Tombeau de Merlin at Encyclopédie de Brocéliande (in French)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Ashe, Geoffrey (1983). Arthurian Britain. London: Longman. p. 159. ISBN 9780582502826 . Retrieved 16 August 2022.

[2] Briard, Jacques; Langouët, Loïc; Onnée, Yvan (2004). Les mégalithes du département d'Ille-et-Vilaine (in French). Rennes: Institut culturel de Bretagne et Centre régional d'archéologie d'Alet. pp. 41–42. ISBN 9782868220929 . Retrieved 11 August 2022.

[3] Base Mérimée : Allée couverte dite le Tombeau de Merlin, près de la Marette (Paimpont) , Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)

[FOOTNOTECalvez2010-4] 1 2 3 Calvez 2010.

[FOOTNOTEAnonymous2022-5] 1 2 Anonymous 2022.

[FOOTNOTEBriard1997103-6] 1 2 3 Briard 1997, p. 103.

[7] Hersart de la Villemarqué, Théodore (1837). "Visite au tombeau de Merlin". Revue de Paris (in French). 5: 45–62. Retrieved 15 August 2022.

[8] Myrdhin; Maillet, Gwendaëlle (2008). Brocéliande de A à Z (in French). Ploërmel: Les Oiseaux de Papier. p. 187. ISBN 9782916359236 . Retrieved 15 August 2022.

[9] Kirichdjian, Ludivine (September 2010). "Patrimonialisation des lieux légendaires" (PDF) (in French). p. 68. Retrieved 16 August 2022.

[10] Milot, Alice (18 August 2011). "La Forêt de Brocéliande ou l'imaginaire au pouvoir" (in French). Radio France Internationale. Retrieved 16 August 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]