The Book of Magic (17 page)

So this was what the Otherworld was like! Layers upon layers of shifting, wandering worlds. I could plunge endlessly outward among the billows or travel endlessly inward in the mist itself Timeless. Limitless. Endless.

Arthur (King Arthur)

After the struggles, triumphs, losses, and gains of his
Lost Years,
the wizard
Merlin
was ideally suited to become the mentor of this young king. For King Arthur needed more than just guidance in how to rule a troubled realm on mortal
Earth
. He needed to build bridges between different faiths, just as Merlin's mother,
Elen,
had done, finding strength in the new religion of Christianity as well as the ancient religion of the Druids—along with the wisdom of the Jews, the Greeks, and others. He needed to communicate with royalty and aristocrats as well as craftsmen and peasants. He needed to speak the language of written texts as well as that of trees, rivers, and stones. And he needed to understand the darker sides of humanity, which make us fall on our swords—as well as our lighter sides, which help us reach for the stars.

In Merlin, Arthur gained all this . . . and more. For Merlin taught this lad about courage, power, and honor—and even sent him (disguised as Factor) to the lost world of
Fincayra
. Most important of all, Merlin inspired Arthur to create
Camelot,
a new society founded on a radical ideal—the ideal of justice for all people. The wizard understood that, even if Camelot failed in its own time, it might yet succeed in a future time. As Merlin explained to his younger self, who had traveled to the future through Fincayra's magical Mirror: "A life—whether wizard or king, poet or gardener, seamstress or smith—is measured not by its length, but by the worth of its deeds, and the power of its dreams."

Excalibur

Never has a sword claimed a greater destiny than Excalibur. Wrought by the magic of
Merlin,
protected by the
Lady of the Lake,
and wielded by
King Arthur,
it represented the highest ideals of
Camelot
—ideals as indestructible as its blade.

Camelot

In this faraway realm on mortal
Earth
, young
King Arthur
joined his mentor, the great wizard
Merlin
, to create a new society based on the ideal of justice for all people. Although they knew that the realm might not succeed, Merlin declared, "A kingdom that is banished from the land may yet find a home in the heart." And that is precisely where Camelot has lived—and thrived—to this very day.

During his
Lost Years
on
Fincayra
, Merlin gained considerable wisdom, born of losses as well as gains, tragedies as well as triumphs. And he also found a sword—the sword that he would place in a stone for the future king. And so he brought to Camelot a true understanding of human weakness . . . as well as greatness. He also brought some rather unusual ideas for teaching the young king: He planned to turn Arthur into a fish, to teach him about power; and into a bird, to teach him to see beyond human boundaries. On top of this, he brought an ability to live backward in time (which he'd learned from
Gwri of the Golden Hair)
.

As much as he had hated to leave Fincayra, his first true home, Merlin knew that this world held his higher destiny. He would always love Fincayra, and the newer world of
Avalon
that would grow from the magical seed he had planted just before departing. But Camelot, even as an idea, also claimed a piece of his heart. For Camelot could be, in time, a place of great hope and inspiration—a place that would honor the best in humanity, just as it would honor the land that people would someday call Merlin's Isle.

Earth

… The fates of these worlds may well be connected in surprising ways.

Homeland of humanity, Earth is a world of stark and subtle contrasts. It holds sublime beauty as well as horrid ugliness; it contains both mortal and immortal qualities; it knows both the short reach of human memory and the long reach of geologic time. There is war, poverty, and destruction of the very planet that supports all living creatures. And yet there is also natural wonder, diversity of life, and the most lovely expression of the human soul. Throughout history, humanity's qualities of creativity, compassion, generosity, courage, and wisdom have struggled against the darker sides of human nature: arrogance, greed, bigotry, ignorance, and hostility. In the end, the fate of this world rests with humanity's ability to choose its own future, to create its own destiny, through free will.

In all these ways, Earth is perhaps not so different from the worlds of
Fincayra
and
Avalon
—worlds that exist in between mortal and immortal, physical and spiritual. And the fates of these worlds may well be connected in surprising ways. Perhaps that is why the greatest wizard of all times,
Merlin
, chose to make Earth his home. For despite its many troubles, Earth remains a place that inspires our highest hopes.

Year 0:

Merlin plants the seed that beats like a heart. A tree is born: the Great Tree of Avalon.

Year 1:

Creatures of all kinds migrate to the new world, or appear mysteriously, perhaps from the sacred mud of Malóch. The first age of Avalon, the Age of Flowering, begins.

Year 1:

Elen of the Sapphire Eyes and her daughter, Rhiannon, found a new faith, the Society of the Whole, and become its first priestesses. The Society is dedicated to promoting harmony among all living creatures, and to protecting the Great Tree that supports and sustains all life. The new faith focuses on seven sacred Elements—what Elen called "the seven sacred parts that together make the Whole." They are: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Life, LightDark, and Mystery.

Year 2:

The great spirit Dagda, god of wisdom, visits both Elen and Rhia in a dream. He reveals that there are seven separate roots of Avalon, each with its own distinct landscapes and populations—and that their new faith will eventually reach into all of them. With Dagda's help, Elen, Rhia, and their original followers (plus several giants, led by Merlin's old friend Shim) make a journey to Lost Fincayra, to the great circle of stones that was the site of the famous Dance of the Giants. Together, they transport the sacred stones all the way back to Avalon. The circle is rebuilt deep in the realm of Stoneroot and becomes the Great Temple in the center of a new compound that is dedicated to the Society of the Whole.

Year 18:

The Drumadians—as the Society of the Whole is commonly called, in honor of Lost Fincayra's Druma Wood—ordain their first group of priestesses and priests. They include Lleu of the One Ear; Cwen, last of the treelings; and (to the surprise of many) Babd Catha, the Ogres' Bane.

Year 27:

Merlin returns to Avalon—to explore its mysteries, and more important, to wed the deer woman Hallia. They are married under shining stars in the high peaks of upper Olanabram. This region is the only place in the seven root-realms where the lower part of Avalon's trunk can actually be seen, rising into the ever-swirling mist. (The trunk can also be seen from the Swaying Sea, but this strange place is normally not considered part of the Great Tree's roots.) Here, atop the highest mountain in the Seven Realms, which Merlin names Hallia's Peak, they exchange their vows of loyalty and love. The wedding, announced by canyon eagles soaring on high, includes more varied kinds of creatures than have assembled anywhere since the Great Council of Fincayra after the Dance of Giants long ago. By the grace of Dagda, they are joined by three spirit-beings as well: the brave hawk, Trouble, who sits on Merlin's shoulder; the wise bard, Cairpré, who stands by Elen's side throughout the entire ceremony; and the deer man, Eremon, who is the devoted brother of Hallia. Even the dwarf ruler, Urnalda, attends—along with the great white spider known as the Grand Elusa; the jester Bumbelwy; the giant Shim; the scrubamuck-loving creature, the Ballymag; and the dragon queen, Gwynnia; plus several of her fire-breathing children. The ceremonies are conducted by Elen and Rhia, founders of the Society of the Whole, the priest Lleu of the One Ear, and the priestess Cwen of the treelings. (Babd Catha is also invited, but chooses to battle ogres instead.) According to legend, the great spirits Dagda and Lorilanda also appear and give the newlyweds their everlasting blessings.