A "familiar face" has suddenly appeared among the rocks at Tintagel Castle, but despite the legends of old that have preserved his name for centuries, it looks like some would rather that the sorcerer Merlin stay well in the past. The English Heritage Foundation has unveiled a sculpture of the infamous sorcerer's face carved into the cliffs that limn the peninsula and isles where the historic site is located - and an ensuing objection to the artwork has led to accusations of vandalism.
Opponents of the sculpture have accused the Heritage Foundation of prioritizing fantasy over historical reality, especially in light of the fact that Tintagel, located in the county of Cornwall, has been traditionally cited as the location where Merlin's acolyte and "once-and-future king" Arthur was born. Despite the centuries-old associations with the founder of the Knights of the Round Table, notable historians like Charles Thomas have denounced the connection, citing lack of archaeological evidence, despite the fact that a number of excavations have taken place at Tintagel over the years.
Even with the lack of physical evidentiary support, the area is known for its Arthurian-themed landmarks, like Arthur's Footprint, a petrosomatoglyph (or a hollowed rock, this one in the shape of - you guessed it - a footprint) said to belong to the King of Camelot himself, as well as Merlin's Cave, where the sorcerer supposedly once dwelled, and fitttingly, where the sculpture is located.
"This official vandalism has been condemned by people who love Cornwall, both at home and as far away as Australia," declared a spokesperson for Kernow Matters To Us (KMTU), an organization dedicated to preserving the history of Cornwall and its surrounding areas ("Kernow" is a historic name for the area). "This is nothing but 'false' history and diminishes our heritage. It is a disgrace. No doubt it will enhance tourist numbers for a season or two - but at the cost of further denuding the Cornish cultural and historical context of this location."
But many, like the people behind the project, don't see it that way.
"Merlin's face is just the beginning of our exciting new project here at Tintagel - but what a start," stated Matt Ward, a property manager at the site, to the Heritage Foundation.
"Tintagel is a place of landscape and legend, and Merlin, emerging so organically from the rock, sums that up perfectly," he added. "We've got lots more to come over the next few months and I can't wait to see it all take shape."
The artist behind the sculptural reimagining is a local craftsman named Peter Graham, who spent three months on the project - more precisely, chiseling pieces of the rock face away to bring the visage of the infamous sorcerer to life.
"Recreating Merlin has been a wonderful challenge. You are working in this amazing place, but with the elements, too - enduring tides, gales, and winter storms," he continued. Usually you would choose the perfect stone from a quarry, but here I have worked into the rock of Tintagel's landscape. Merlin has emerged organically out of that rock, to see him now is really rather satisfying."
The figure of Merlin has been an enduringly popular figure for centuries, from the first known tales about Camelot and the Round Table written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1136 CE, to the Italian 13th-century tome The Prophecies of Merlin, which served as a Merlin-centric spinoff and contained fictional predictions of the future, to the 1998 Merlin miniseries starring Sam Neill and Helena Bonham-Carter.
The most recent popular adaptation of Merlin and the Arthurian mythos was the 2008-2012 BBC fantasy series Merlin, which starred Colin Morgan as the titular warlock. The show reimagined Merlin and King Arthur as contemporaries, rather than the traditional portrayal of a mentor-mentee relationship.
Then again, some think that there might be wizards out there more deserving of having their face chiseled into a rock.
Of course it is a disgrace! Merlin who? They should have carved Gandalf or Dumbledore! :tuck_out_tongue: https://t.co/ifmsHeOZT5
— Luis Andrade (@YiJingMan) February 17, 2016
Learn more about Merlin's return to Tintagel in the video clip below, courtesy of the Heritage Foundation.
Source: English Heritage Foundation
