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The Narrator / The Boatman
Merlin is a legendary wizard who practiced alchemy and magic in Arthurian England. Merlin was a valued friend of King Arthur and was highly respected by Arthur’s knights. During one of the bloodiest battles between the Saxons and Britons, Arthur ordered Merlin to take Sir Gawain and a group of knights to find Querig, cast a spell on her, and trap her on the mountain. Merlin conjured a special spell on Querig that gave her breath the ability to make any who breathes it in forget their pasts. After his success, it is unclear where Merlin goes or what happens to him, but Sir Gawain insists that Merlin was never a “dark” man, but had followed both the will of God and King Arthur by agreeing to enchant Querig’s breath.
Merlin Quotes in The Buried Giant
The The Buried Giant quotes below are all either spoken by Merlin or refer to Merlin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 15
Quotes
“A dark man he may have been, but in this he did God’s will, not only Arthur’s. Without this she-dragon’s breath, would peace ever have come? Look how we live now, sir! Old foes as cousins, village by village. Master Wistan, you fall silent before this sight. […] Her breath isn’t what it was, yet holds the magic even now. Think, sir, once that breath should cease, what might be awoken across this land even after these years! Yes, we slaughtered plenty, I admit it, caring not who was strong and who weak. God may not have smiled at us, but we cleansed the land of war. Leave this place, sir, I beg you.”
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“Foolishness, sir. How can old wounds heal while maggots linger so richly? Or a peace hold for ever built on slaughter and a magician’s trickery? I see how devoutly you wish it, for your old horrors to crumble as dust. Yet they await in the soil as white bones for men to uncover.”
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Get the entire The Buried Giant LitChart as a printable PDF.
Merlin Quotes in The Buried Giant
The The Buried Giant quotes below are all either spoken by Merlin or refer to Merlin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 15
Quotes
“A dark man he may have been, but in this he did God’s will, not only Arthur’s. Without this she-dragon’s breath, would peace ever have come? Look how we live now, sir! Old foes as cousins, village by village. Master Wistan, you fall silent before this sight. […] Her breath isn’t what it was, yet holds the magic even now. Think, sir, once that breath should cease, what might be awoken across this land even after these years! Yes, we slaughtered plenty, I admit it, caring not who was strong and who weak. God may not have smiled at us, but we cleansed the land of war. Leave this place, sir, I beg you.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Foolishness, sir. How can old wounds heal while maggots linger so richly? Or a peace hold for ever built on slaughter and a magician’s trickery? I see how devoutly you wish it, for your old horrors to crumble as dust. Yet they await in the soil as white bones for men to uncover.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
