By Elizabeth Rodriguez
Arthur first appears approximately four hundred to five hundred years after the death of Christ. At this point in time, Christianity has undergone a shift into becoming a major religion that was being practiced in Western Europe. It is not uncommon for readers of Arthurian literature to notice Christian aspects in Arthurian texts and Arthurian characters. One main goal of an author is make sure that their text will draw a large audience and this is sometimes done by allowing readers to relate and connect to the text. This essay is not meant to prove or disprove the existence of either King Arthur or Jesus, but to draw a parallel between the Arthurian characters, Merlin and Arthur, with the Christian view of Jesus and to explore the influence that the character of Jesus could have had on Arthurian characters in literature.
It would be beneficial to point out that Arthur believed in the Roman Catholic Church and not just because the Church held a lot of power during King Arthur’s reign. There are several depictions of him in battles “in which Arthur carried an image of St. Mary the Perpetual Virgin on his shoulders, and the pagans were put to flight on that day, and there was a great massacre of them through the power of Our Lord Jesus Christ and his mother Mary” (Lacy & Wilhelm 3). Through battles in which Arthur had a painted image of Mary on his shield, Arthur relied heavily on God to bring him victory and protection.
While these descriptions of King Arthur bring Christianity into the world of Arthurian literature, the reader must delve deeper to draw parallels between this religion and the characters. Peter Meister does an excellent job of pointing out the main parallels of the characters from Arthurian texts with Jesus: “the supernatural birth (Merlin); the amazing deed at a young age (Arthur); the gifts of leadership (Arthur) and the prophecies (Merlin); burial in a cave that is sealed with a stone (Merlin); and then, of course, the expectation that the hero will return (Arthur)” (38). A few of these parallels will be discussed in further detail in the following paragraphs, but the similarities between Arthur and Merlin with Jesus are clear. Arthur and Merlin can be seen as Christ-like figures with these parallels which would serve as a good way for a largely Christian public to relate to Arthurian texts.
Let’s begin with Merlin’s supernatural birth and prophecies. Merlin’s parentage shows up in Wace’s Roman de Brut when the king is looking for a man without a father:
We have found it written that between the moon and the earth there is a certain kind of peculiar spirit. If you want to know what they’re like – they’re partly human and partly celestial. These spirits are known as incubi. Their territory is in the air, but their home is the earth. They are not capable of great evil, and they can’t hurt us, except to tease and annoy us. But they can easily assume our human shape and nature. They have deceived many a young girl and tricked her by this disguise. This is the way that Merlin was probably fathered and probably born (Lacy & Wilhelm 90).
Jesus’ parentage is not only from the Virgin Mary, but from the Holy Spirit, “…what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Holy Bible: New International Version, Matthew 1:20). Of course, there are obvious differences between the conceptions such as the virginity of the mothers and the form of the father, but both were conceived as what most people would call an unnatural birth. It is not necessary to go into detail of what a natural birth entails of, but it is important to point out that if such forces, worldly or unworldly, go to that much trouble for a person to be born there is most likely an important reason.
In Merlin’s case, his ability for prophecies plays a significant role in Arthurian history just as Jesus plays a key role in Christian history. For example, if King Arthur would have listened to Merlin about not marrying Guenivere, “but Merlin warned the King covertly that Guenivere was not wholesome for him to take to wife, for he warned him that Lancelot should love her, and she him again,” (Malory 50) Arthur would have saved himself a lot of trouble, maybe even his life. Others heavily relied on Merlin for direction in making choices and for help. One main example of Merlin’s vital role is when he helps Uther Pendragon disguise himself as Igraine’s husband so that he can be with her. Arthur would not have been born otherwise. In the Bible, there are multiple instances when prophecies were made in the Old Testament and later fulfilled in the New Testament: “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). If what was prophesized was never fulfilled, then the people would not have enough credibility to believe the power of Jesus. This can also be said for Merlin as others turned to him again and again for help.
Arthur’s character draws more obvious parallels to the Christian Jesus than Merlin’s character does. “Arthur was a youth of fifteen years, of remarkable valor and generosity, whose natural goodness displayed such grace that he was loved by virtually all the people” (Lacy &Wilhelm 64). At such an early age, Arthur became a revered and powerful king who ruled over many countries, but also shared his wealth with his people. Jesus was also loved by his followers and he returned that love. He performed miraculous deeds such as healing: “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man…Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy” (Matthew 8:3) and restoring the sight of the blind: “the man they call Jesus made some mud and put it in on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see” (John 9:11). Noticeably, there are differences in the miraculous deeds performed by King Arthur and Jesus. Yet, those deeds both led to showing their power and allowed their people to love them.
It is said that Jesus came down from heaven to save us, “for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10), which is much like Arthur becoming king, “the myth of Arthur grew where he properly belonged: among the common people who had been displaced in Wales and Cornwall and who were looking desperately for a messianic figure of salvation” (Lacy & Wilhelm 7). Both King Arthur and Jesus are seen as “saviors” in their people’s eyes and both brought hope for a better life when they came. Arthurian literature has most likely evolved because of all the times the legend of Arthur came back into light. It evolved throughout time and cultural changes. While several of Arthur’s characteristics changed also, him bringing salvation to his people always stayed the same. Not only did the people look for a “messianic figure of salvation” during the time of King Arthur’s reign, but also to this day. They await King Arthur’s return when they find themselves in dark times and need hope. About every single Arthurian text says that one day he will return. This line of thought is parallel to the Christian belief that Jesus will also one-day return. As Matthew 24:27 says “for as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
However, Meister also brings into notice that “neither Arthur nor Merlin alone compares satisfyingly with the figure of Jesus, because each of the medieval figures renders only a single aspect of the New Testament Messiah” (38). This could be due to the fact that King Arthur himself was a follower of Christ and that entailing all of Jesus’ characteristics would lessen the significance of Christ during the period of Arthur’s life. The Catholic Church was too vital during the medieval times. It is a possibility that authors of Arthurian texts put enough Christ-like aspects into their characters to draw in a large reading public, but also not enough to overshadow Jesus. The parallels between Arthur and Merlin with Jesus are too significant to overlook and must be studied further. It is important to know how great the influence the figure of Jesus had on Arthurian characters because this would most likely change how readers perceive Arthurian literature.
Works Cited
Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Print.
Lacy, Norris J., and James J. Wilhelm. The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation. New York City, New York, Routledge, 2013. Print.
Malory, Thomas. Ed. Helen Cooper. Le Morte Darthur: The Winchester Manuscript. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1998. Print.
Meister, Peter. “Arthurian Literature As A Distorted Model of Christianity.” Quondam Et Futurus, vol. 1, no. 2, 1991, pp. 32–43. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27870119.
Arthurian Literature 