Merlin's Grave Finally Discovered Near Tinnis Fort in Scotland

Embark on a fascinating journey as we look into the latest archaeological discoveries that are shedding new light on the legendary figure of Merlin in the Scottish Borders. Known mostly as the wise and powerful advisor to King Arthur, recent excavations in the village of Drumelzier reveal a much darker and more complex portrayal of Merlin, painting him not as the grand sorcerer of legend but as a tragic figure imprisoned by a local ruler and ultimately meeting a gruesome end. Could this remote Scottish village be the true resting place of Merlin?

In this video, we explore the incredible findings from the Tinnis Fort excavation, which dates back to the 6th and 7th centuries—the very time period Merlin is believed to have lived. The team from GUARD Archaeology has unearthed fascinating evidence, including a burial-like feature near the supposed site of Merlin’s grave and artifacts from ancient hillforts that suggest the area was a significant seat of power in those centuries. The nearby Thirlestane Barrows also reveal elite burials, offering further context to this compelling story.

With each new discovery, the connection between Merlin and this historic landscape grows stronger, though more research is still needed to fully unravel the truth. Could the legends of Merlin have originated right here in Drumelzier, evolving over the centuries from local folklore into the epic tales we know today? Watch to learn about the ongoing research, the intricate ties between history and legend, and what might lie ahead in the quest to uncover the real story behind one of history’s most enigmatic and enduring figures.

#Merlin #ScottishBorders #KingArthur #ArchaeologicalDiscoveries #AncientHistory #TinnisFort #ScottishLegend #MythAndHistory #MedievalFolklore #DarkLegends #AncientMysteries

[theoriginaltimetraveller]

So basically, nothing to do with Merlin. At least tells us what the archaeologists are actually looking for that would be more interesting.

[recursr]

Good text, well summarized, good contextualized, but the clickbaith is unnecessary- just state what was found, wgat archeologists assume at this stage, and may be relate to Merlin at the end with a question mark.
Facts so far: an fort from ~ 6th BC abd two skeletons from nobles, thats little- what artefacts have been found with them? What can be concluded from this? Etc.
Thank you.

[barrybarlowe]

A Merlin or Myrridin, was also, as I understand it, a druidic title for a wandering Druid or a druid with a specific mission.

[dadthejedi]

Nicely produced video but OP forgot to add a question mark after the title.

[wegladstone]

The connection betwen Merlin and Drumelzier was known and analyzed long (even centuries) before 2022.

A good summary of the history of Merlin is in the book 'Arthur and the Lost Kingdoms' by Alastair Moffat first published in 1999 though there were others prior. Basically this Merlin (a.k.a. Lailoken) was a pagan bard to King Gwenddolau pagan king of Carlisle one of the sub kings of Rheged and incolved in the bloody battle of Arthuret (between Longtown and Carlisle) in 572 with Peredur of York another ( but Christian ) sub-king of Rheged. In this Merlin was so affected he went mad and fled into the woods in the then forest of Celidon. The cave in which he reputedly sheltered is called Merlin's cave on the Ordnance Survey maps to this day. He was later healed and converted to Christianity by St Kentigern, and the event is recorded also elsewhere, e.g. in a stained glass window in the kirk at Stobo not far away. And there are a numner of ghost names in the area that recall Merlin also. Tinnis (in Tinnis Castle) is simply a corruption of Dinas (=city/fort): that area was at the time a P-celtic spoken and being a very old form of Welsh (this being also the language of the Gododdin by Aneirin written in about 601 in Edinburgh).

The largest house in Drumelzier is called Merlindale and it is reached by Merlindale Bridge. And there is an old local rhyme quoted by Sir Walter Scott in 1807: "When Tweed and Pausyl meet at Merlin's grave Scotland and England shall one monarch have" so the connection and tradition must be pre 1603 at least, possibly via Thomas the Rhymer Powsil Burn is the former name of the Drumelzier Burn so this pins the grave to Tinnis Castle almost exactly, though there is also a standing stone in the flood plain at the confluence which is another contender.. There is a lot more evidence in this vein especially from local nomenclature..

However all this means that this Merlin cannot have been connected or contemporaneous with Arthur who had perished prior: per the Annales Cambriae this was at the battle of Camlann in 517 at the hands of his kinsman Mordred in which they were both slain. So either this Merlin has been conflated with a different Merlin with the same name or he just became associated with Arthur only by later writers such as the notoriously unreliable Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1135 who attributed to him allk sorts of fanciful stories (as G of M also did to Arthur and to sundry others) and also associated him with South Wales or nearby. Incidentally, the original name for Merlin was in fact Myrddin; but there was a problem with G of M transcribing to a Latin name as Merdinus means 'shitty one' so requiring the changing of D/DD to L to be acceptable fo contemporaneous readers.
"

[fierceperedur]

So glad I caught this video. It adds reality to a subject people like to call fable. I believe in this story with all my heart. Gonna paint a picture of St. Kentigern. Myrddyn foretold these times and some others.

[PlayNowWorkLater]

Interesting video. A reminder that facts change over time as stories are passed through the generations.

[NathanielCrockett-bn]

Spoiler alert! Merlins' grave not "finally discovered".

[greendragonreprised]

Thanks for posting this. I'll need to check out these sites soon, I'm only a 30 minute drive away.

[Biketunerfy]

I’m British and I know the legend well but it remains just that - a legend. Historians cannot confirm there ever was a “King Arthur”. If he was alive then he probably led the fight against Saxon invaders but every bit of King Arthur’s court and existence was destroyed by the Saxons if that was the case. It’s still a legend but legends have a habit of having some cornels of truth in them. Who knows maybe it is but then may be not. Arthurian legends will have been embellished as well over the thousands of years it’s been told.

[garryferrington]

Congratulations on finding the grave of a fictional character.

[lazykipper]

Don't need to watch the video. Just read the comments. BS.

[andrewgillespie]

Talks a lot, but doesn't say much...

[adrienneanderson-smith]

The notes & comments are fascinating 👍

[laupernut]

I'm still waiting for them to discover the watery tart who gave Arthur the sword. 🗡️

[BarrySuridge]

Merlin (Welsh: Myrddin, Cornish: Merdhyn, Breton: Merzhin). NOT an Alban but a Briton!! Oh, and he is a mythical character: Merlin is a composite of earlier Welsh tales of Myrddin and Ambrosius, two legendary Briton prophets. He (Merlin) was created by the 12th-century Welsh pseudo-historical author Geoffrey of Monmouth.

[TheDanEdwards]

Don't know what you intend for this channel. If you want to be serious about archeology the you should link your sources in your description. In this case it looks like you are lifting your information from the Medievalists website or the GUARD website, so if you use what you find there without attribution then that is plagiarism.

[samuel]

It's pronounced like " mirthin withd ", not " murdin wilt " . Myrddin was changed to Merlin by later writers because they thought Continental readers would use the ( wrong ) " murdin " pronunciation, which was too reminiscent of the French " merde " .

[margomoore]

Generalities and cliches; few details. Bye-bye!

[allisonshaw]

I thought Arthur lived in Cornwall and that Tintagel Castle was the probable site of Camelot. He was a Brythonic Celt, not a Gael.