How Is Merlin Alive In T. H. White's The History Of Merlin

Throughout the books The History of The Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth and The Book of Merlin by T.H White, the authors attempt to bring the legend of Merlin alive. The History of The Kings of Britain was written in 1136, while The Book of Merlin was created in 1977. There is a clear connection between Geoffrey of Monmouth’s ideas of women and religion related to his writing as well as T.H White’s anti-communist beliefs with Merlin's attributes.
In The History of The Kings of Britain there is a large focus on how Merlin was conceived and how he received his powers. In this text there is an insight to Merlin’s conception through his mother’s eyes, where she explains how “appeared to [her] a person in the shape of a most beautiful young man, who often embraced [her] eagerly
The author attempts to break down the stereotype that single parent households cannot succeed in their society. Monmouth related Merlin's conception to the mysterious immaculate conception just like Mary with Jesus. In a way Monmouth is promoting Women's rights because he is telling the story as though Merlin's mother raised him to be powerful all on her own, furthermore giving her a strong motherly role. In 1136 women were still being blamed for original sin and were seen as lesser than men, which means Geoffrey of Monmouth went out on his own beliefs to get his point across. Monmouth did this because he had a higher education than most others at the time so he could see that women were no less than men. In The History of The Kings of Britain, while the king was having his wizards build a tower, Merlin takes his chance to explain a parable from the Bible in his own way. He goes on to mention how “[the king] will find a pond which causes the foundation to sink”, therefore one cannot build upon unsturdy ground. The way the story is written reflects that the author was a cleric. The story and Merlin’s ideas were formed around what was going