Merlin's Wood by Robert Holdstock
Merlin's Wood is a novel that explores themes of magic through a lens of animism and shamanism, diverging from traditional fantasy conventions. The story centers on Martin and his adoptive sister Rebecca, who return to their childhood village near the mystical Broceliande forest, rumored to be the resting place of the legendary enchanter Merlin. Their lives intertwine as they confront a haunting evil tied to the woods, which has impacted their family deeply. After the birth of their son Daniel, who is initially unable to hear, see, or speak, a tragic dynamic unfolds between him and Rebecca, as Daniel's emerging abilities seem to drain Rebecca of her own.
The narrative delves into complex family relationships, the consequences of past actions, and the struggle between powerful spirits—Merlin and the enchantress Vivien. As Martin uncovers the tragic history of these entities, he faces a choice that could alter the fate of his family. Ultimately, Merlin's Wood presents a unique take on the interplay of magic and personal sacrifice, inviting readers to reflect on the nature of power and connection within a haunting yet enchanting setting.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Merlin's Wood
First published: 1994
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—mythological
Time of work: Primarily the present, with flashbacks to indeterminate prehistory
Locale: Brittany, France
The Plot
Merlin’s Wood echoes themes from, but is not really a part of, the author’s popular Mythago Cycle, consisting of Mythago Wood (1984), Lavondyss (1988), and The Hollowing (1993). Merlin’s Wood is at its heart an attempt to evoke a “vision of magic” (as the book is subtitled) quite different from standard fantasy fare, based more on a foundation of animism and shamanism than on pseudo-medieval sorcery and enchantment. A variation on a story first told in The Hollowing, where it appeared in much briefer form as the background of the character Arnauld Lacan, it is here expanded into a short novel. Two short stories (“Earth and Stone,” 1980; and “The Silvering,” 1992) that reflect similar themes but are otherwise unrelated to the novel are contained in the same volume.
Martin and his adoptive sister Rebecca grew up near the edges of Broceliande, a forest haunted by an evil buried at its heart and that legend claims is the last resting place of Merlin, the legendary enchanter of King Arthur’s court. At the age of sixteen, fleeing from the shadow that lay over the area, Martin left his home.
As an adult, Martin returns to the village to attend the funeral of his mother. Rebecca returns, too, and the two renew the relationship they had begun as young adults, eventually marrying. Their son Daniel is born shortly thereafter. He is born without the powers of hearing, sight, and speech. As an infant, he begins to sing; his music is atonal gibberish at first, but as the years pass his singing becomes stronger. Eventually hearing and sight come to him. As Daniel strengthens, however, Rebecca fades, first losing her songs, then her language, sight, and hearing, as if Daniel were stealing them from her. In the end Daniel is whole but Rebecca is left a shell.
To his horror, Martin learns that his younger brother, who died mysteriously as a child, was killed by Rebecca while she was possessed by a spirit from the forest, the spirit of the sorcerer that later ages came to call Merlin. Another spirit, that of the enchantress Vivien, now has his son and is warring with the element of Merlin that lingers in Rebecca. Still locked in combat after centuries, Merlin and Vivien continue to strike at each other, and their vessels, mother and son, are destroyed.
Desperate, Martin travels to the heart of the haunted wood and finds the grave of Merlin. In unearthing the grave, he releases the spirit trapped there by Vivien in ages past. The spirit tells the story of its long relationship with Vivien, of its coming to Britain in antiquity, and of its relationship with the man who would become known as King Arthur. Finally, it offers Martin the chance to be reunited with his wife and child, free of the controlling forces of Vivien and Merlin himself. There is a price to be paid, that for a time Martin himself must serve as the vessel for Merlin. Together they set out, each to find his vision of magic.