Lancelot-Grail: 2. The Story of Merlin

The most comprehensive account of the story of Artbur, the Round Table and the Grail is to be found in the work known as Lancelot-Grail or the Vulgate Cycle. It tells the story of the Artburian world from the events of the Crucifixion, where the Grail originated, to the death of Lancelot after the destruction of the Round Table. It draws in many different strands, from the pseudo-historical stories about Arthur to the romances of chivalric adventure and the spiritual quest for the Grail. It consists of five works: the longest is Lancelot, a kind of chivalric history of the Round Table, which leads into the quest for the Grail and Arthur's death. The first two books were added later, and provide an account of events through Arthur's marriage and early military victories. Not long after the cycle was completed, another writer retained the first two books of the Vulgate Cycle but recast the last three books with a rather different emphasis; this version is known as the Post-Vulgate Cycle, and is one of the main sources used by Sir Thomas Malory.

The Story of Merlin depicts the role of the seer Merlin in the conception and birth of Arthur, who is to rescue Britain from the Saxons and establish an ideal kingdom. It follows Arthur's career as he is designated king by the magical sign of the Sword in the Stone, triumphs over his rebellious barons and drives out the Saxons. With his marriage to Guenevere, he acquires the Round Table, and sets up the famous order of knighthood which is at the centre of his power.

The Merlin was written after the last three romances of the Vulgate Cycle were already complete, and serves as a prologue to the history of Arthur, just as the History of the Holy Grail is the prologue to the adventures of the Grail.