1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:05,240 Welcome back to our podcast going deep into Daily Wire's The Pendragon Cycle, 2 00:00:05,340 --> 00:00:09,340 Rise of the Merlin. We're doing this episode by episode, so if you have not 3 00:00:09,340 --> 00:00:13,660 watched episode five yet, you need to fix that now because we will be plunging 4 00:00:13,660 --> 00:00:17,940 into all of the prophecies, the intrigue, and the family grudges. 5 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:26,620 So we open this episode with a flashback. 6 00:00:26,970 --> 00:00:31,050 Young Merlin and his mother are standing among these ancient stones where 7 00:00:31,050 --> 00:00:35,470 Taliesin once had his mystical vision. And right away, we're reminded that 8 00:00:35,470 --> 00:00:37,730 Britain itself is a character in this story. 9 00:00:37,990 --> 00:00:42,710 These standing stones, often called henges, dot the British landscape, and 10 00:00:42,710 --> 00:00:47,550 were built between 3000 and 2000 BCE during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. 11 00:00:48,110 --> 00:00:51,590 Stonehenge, of course, is the most famous, but there's hundreds more 12 00:00:51,590 --> 00:00:54,210 across England, Wales, and Scotland. 13 00:00:54,490 --> 00:00:59,430 Now, historians will still debate their precise purpose. Some appear aligned 14 00:00:59,430 --> 00:01:03,130 with solstices, suggesting ritual or calendar significance. 15 00:01:03,820 --> 00:01:08,560 Others may have served as communal gathering sites, burial grounds, or 16 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:13,540 where the boundary between the natural and supernatural was believed to be 17 00:01:13,740 --> 00:01:18,100 But what's clear is that by the early medieval period, these places retained 18 00:01:18,100 --> 00:01:22,440 enormous spiritual weight, especially for pagan and druidic traditions. 19 00:01:23,070 --> 00:01:27,690 Christianity didn't erase these overnight, so instead it arrived in a 20 00:01:27,690 --> 00:01:32,090 was already thick with this sacred geography, which is exactly what we see 21 00:01:32,190 --> 00:01:37,290 This is a druid conclave. And yes, I am assuming that those beards are mandatory 22 00:01:37,290 --> 00:01:42,330 for the position because every single one of them has them. The archdruid 23 00:01:42,330 --> 00:01:46,790 his brothers in, quote, the name of the great light. And immediately there's 24 00:01:46,790 --> 00:01:47,790 grumbling about this. 25 00:01:48,030 --> 00:01:51,830 Then you have become a follower of this. 26 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:58,100 He is the great light of whom our forebears spoke. 27 00:01:58,540 --> 00:02:03,300 Christianity is already seeping into pagan spaces, unsettling the old 28 00:02:03,300 --> 00:02:06,040 hierarchies, and that is upsetting some of these druids. 29 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:09,940 No one may set their foot on the sacred seat. 30 00:02:10,300 --> 00:02:13,760 Not even the archdruid himself. 31 00:02:20,700 --> 00:02:25,260 Young Merlin climbs onto the stone chair, and we see history repeat itself. 32 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:31,200 Just as Taliesin once did, Merlin receives a vision. The stones rise, 33 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,080 manifests, and the druids scatter in fear. 34 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:38,980 And I think the message here is unmistakable. Whatever Merlin is, he 35 00:02:38,980 --> 00:02:43,120 belong to them, and he's not going to be controlled by their rituals or their 36 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:44,120 gods. 37 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:49,280 Then we're back in the present, and Merlin and Peleus continue on the road. 38 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:53,160 their mission to rally support for Aurelius, we're starting to hear warning 39 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:58,280 signs in a king who has suffered loss, who will not welcome Merlin, and 40 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:02,740 own resolved grief, which seems to be somehow connected to the lost love who 41 00:03:02,740 --> 00:03:04,240 continues to haunt his visions. 42 00:03:04,500 --> 00:03:08,320 And as we're moving quickly in this episode, we're back to the Saxon coast. 43 00:03:08,540 --> 00:03:09,620 And, wow. 44 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:11,900 That is a lot of boats on the horizon. 45 00:03:12,260 --> 00:03:13,860 10 ,000, Uther says. 46 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:16,540 So this is no longer a raid. It's an invasion. 47 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,900 Aurelius and Uther reunite with hijinks because, you know, no matter how high 48 00:03:25,900 --> 00:03:29,780 the stakes, brothers are going to brother, even in the middle of impending 49 00:03:29,780 --> 00:03:30,780 catastrophe. 50 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:35,560 Meanwhile, Morgan's son, Lot, arrives to pledge fealty to Hengist. 51 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:41,420 And here we get a stark contrast between British paganism and Saxon paganism. 52 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,180 The gods have will that they will fight for us. 53 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:01,800 In Hengist's camp, we see divination by reading entrails, horisposy. 54 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,860 which was an ancient practice borrowed from continental Germanic and Roman 55 00:04:06,860 --> 00:04:12,100 traditions. Now, this was not unusual in the ancient world. Leaders frequently 56 00:04:12,100 --> 00:04:17,140 sought signs and animal sacrifice. They believed the gods communicated through 57 00:04:17,140 --> 00:04:21,740 these physical omens. Given Morgan's comfort with blood magic, this 58 00:04:21,740 --> 00:04:26,640 probably feels very familiar to Lot. And we also learned that Hengist has 59 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:28,480 declared himself Lord 60 00:04:29,330 --> 00:04:32,610 Now, that's a bold move and historically risky. 61 00:04:33,270 --> 00:04:37,170 Theologically, well, I will say that is usually when heaven starts paying 62 00:04:37,170 --> 00:04:41,690 attention. Ask Nebuchadnezzar. But it's interesting that we learn here that Lot 63 00:04:41,690 --> 00:04:45,050 is not Morgan's son. The lady Morgan is no mother of mine. 64 00:04:45,650 --> 00:04:47,510 Not a witch's flesh and blood. 65 00:04:47,930 --> 00:04:49,870 Be careful, boy. 66 00:04:50,430 --> 00:04:53,510 That at least makes her kiss in that last episode. 67 00:04:54,180 --> 00:04:58,160 fractionally less disturbing, but, you know, still extremely inappropriate and 68 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:03,720 gross. And speaking of inappropriate and gross, wipe that goat's blood from your 69 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:04,720 beard, Angus. 70 00:05:07,100 --> 00:05:11,240 Then we move back to Aurelius' camp and a major shift occurs. 71 00:05:11,700 --> 00:05:13,000 I learned to pursue the Christ. 72 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:17,660 And I have become his follower. 73 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:22,780 Aurelius tells Uther that he no longer shares their father's Roman ideals of 74 00:05:22,780 --> 00:05:23,780 blood and glory. 75 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,800 Instead, he has become a Christian through Avalac's influence. 76 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:32,620 And even more importantly, Aurelius declares that Britain's future will be 77 00:05:32,620 --> 00:05:36,770 Christian. And historically, this is very plausible timing. As we've been 78 00:05:36,770 --> 00:05:40,890 talking about in the series, by the late 5th century, Christianity was spreading 79 00:05:40,890 --> 00:05:45,750 unevenly across Britain, but it was spreading, often embraced by elites 80 00:05:45,970 --> 00:05:51,590 It offered moral authority, continuity with Rome, and a unifying worldview in a 81 00:05:51,590 --> 00:05:52,549 fractured land. 82 00:05:52,550 --> 00:05:56,490 And, you know, it also offered those minor benefits of being the truth and 83 00:05:56,490 --> 00:05:59,890 guaranteeing eternal life, which, you know, as a Christian, I will say, are 84 00:05:59,890 --> 00:06:03,130 perks. But right now, Uther is not on board. 85 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:08,120 Elsewhere in the camp, Morcant and some of these other petty kings are already 86 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:12,640 plotting. They intend to use the Saxon threat to their advantage, and their 87 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:17,100 loyalty to Aurelius is shallow at best at this point. And Aurelius is 88 00:06:17,100 --> 00:06:21,980 dangerously unaware of the conspiring that is going on against him in this 89 00:06:22,280 --> 00:06:27,880 As Merlin and Peleus enter the Old North, we flash back to Merlin's youth 90 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:29,240 before his fall. 91 00:06:29,460 --> 00:06:31,140 Who can stand against such power? 92 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:40,360 And we see him role -playing as his father, Taliesin. And I love that moment 93 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,560 because it's a little bit like a kid in the 1980s pretending to be Michael 94 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,540 Jordan, just genuinely adorable. 95 00:06:46,220 --> 00:06:49,120 A little less adorable is his plunge down the hill. 96 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:53,680 And, you know, for a moment I went, what do we have here? Are these hobbits? Are 97 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:58,620 they dwarves? And then, no, okay, it's a tribe of hill people who kidnap him. 98 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:03,000 And I think we're about to learn how Merlin came to have that blue face 99 00:07:03,850 --> 00:07:09,210 But as they close in for an apparent human sacrifice, we hear Merlin reciting 100 00:07:09,210 --> 00:07:10,610 the words of Psalm 91. 101 00:07:15,170 --> 00:07:21,830 And very 102 00:07:21,830 --> 00:07:26,950 quickly, these people learn that Merlin's God is not a God to be trifled 103 00:07:27,130 --> 00:07:29,950 And I love the way that this scene surprises us. 104 00:07:30,170 --> 00:07:34,570 At first, we assume that Merlin is still riding and talking with Peleus, but 105 00:07:34,570 --> 00:07:39,110 then as the camera pulls back, we see it is, in fact, that pretty girl who has 106 00:07:39,110 --> 00:07:42,970 been haunting his visions, and we get this glimpse of how cute they are, 107 00:07:42,970 --> 00:07:47,590 hands while riding horses, and just a very charming couple, even though we 108 00:07:47,590 --> 00:07:51,710 yet know who this woman is. And then another cool twist of the scene as the 109 00:07:51,710 --> 00:07:56,090 camera again comes back into focus, and we see that Merlin is back to the 110 00:07:56,090 --> 00:07:57,570 present, riding with Peleus. 111 00:07:58,140 --> 00:08:03,560 Next, we move on to the Confederation of Kings and a debate erupts over who will 112 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:07,620 be Dux Britanniarum. Now, that is the military commander of Britain. 113 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:13,320 Historically, it was a Roman title created by Diocletian or Constantine for 114 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:16,480 commanding northern border troops along Hadrian's Wall. 115 00:08:16,780 --> 00:08:22,540 Well, there has not been a Dux Britanniarum since Maximus marched to 116 00:08:22,540 --> 00:08:23,540 yet there is one now. 117 00:08:23,690 --> 00:08:28,510 Now, it was used during these times of crisis to unify regional forces under a 118 00:08:28,510 --> 00:08:33,370 single war leader. And remember, back in Episode 3, that Elfin told Merlin that 119 00:08:33,370 --> 00:08:38,409 Magnus Maximus was a Dux. So that title confers historical authority. 120 00:08:38,830 --> 00:08:43,309 And as Aurelius argued for Uther as Dux, Morcant pushes back. 121 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:48,420 we learn that Aurelius' claim to high kingship comes through both Roman and 122 00:08:48,420 --> 00:08:49,420 British lineage. 123 00:08:49,460 --> 00:08:54,680 Now, that's really key because Aurelius' claim unites the two surviving sources 124 00:08:54,680 --> 00:08:59,800 of legitimacy in post -Roman Britain, Roman authority and native British 125 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:04,480 kingship. And in the 5th century, that combination is extraordinarily powerful 126 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:09,180 because we know that part of the reason Britain is in this mess is because the 127 00:09:09,180 --> 00:09:14,160 Romans withdrew and with them went law, infrastructure, and military order. 128 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:19,360 Aurelius can claim to be an heir to that order, but he can also claim to be a 129 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:24,300 native chieftain. So he can say, I am the lawful continuation of what Britain 130 00:09:24,300 --> 00:09:28,480 was, and also the rightful guardian of what Britain must become. 131 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:33,420 But King Gorlos raises some serious objections here about Aurelius and 132 00:09:33,420 --> 00:09:36,160 father, and honestly, they sound pretty legitimate. 133 00:09:36,500 --> 00:09:40,300 Your father did nothing to make us stronger. 134 00:09:40,860 --> 00:09:43,400 He took more from our harvest than any Saxon raider. 135 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:50,600 In Vortigern, he sold us to the barbarians and betrayed our brothers at 136 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:51,600 treason of the Longknives. 137 00:09:51,820 --> 00:09:57,860 Now, this is drawing from Nennius' 9th century Historia Britannum, where 138 00:09:57,860 --> 00:10:03,340 orchestrates the infamous treachery of the Longknives, massacring Britons at a 139 00:10:03,340 --> 00:10:04,700 quote -unquote peace feast. 140 00:10:04,940 --> 00:10:09,100 And that may be where George R .R. Martin got his famous idea for the quote 141 00:10:09,100 --> 00:10:10,160 -unquote Red Wedding. 142 00:10:10,730 --> 00:10:15,710 Gorloth represents a good number of their troops, and Aurelius cannot afford 143 00:10:15,710 --> 00:10:19,930 lose him. But then, what do we have here? It's Gorloth's pretty daughter. 144 00:10:20,230 --> 00:10:25,330 Now, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, King Gorloth was Duke of Cornwall and 145 00:10:25,330 --> 00:10:26,510 Egrain's husband. 146 00:10:27,010 --> 00:10:28,010 Here, 147 00:10:29,210 --> 00:10:33,290 we hear her name as Egerna. So Lawhead may be changing up the legend a little 148 00:10:33,290 --> 00:10:38,620 bit. So next, Merlin and Peleus arrive in Gathe, a kingdom that is still 149 00:10:38,620 --> 00:10:43,540 worshipping Bel, just as Carus once did. So we know that we're dealing with 150 00:10:43,540 --> 00:10:44,540 Atlanteans here. 151 00:10:44,680 --> 00:10:50,000 And they get something less than a warm welcome from the king. We're about to 152 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:54,400 learn why Peleus had that premonition that Merlin would not be welcome in 153 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:57,640 lands. Your hall has changed little these past 50 years. 154 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:01,920 Did you think to find it still different, Merlin Wilt? 155 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:06,840 With King Custodon's history of Merlin, we get the first king who truly 156 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:09,760 remembers him and who believes in his abilities. 157 00:11:09,980 --> 00:11:14,960 And yet, this doesn't win Merlin any favor because clearly we have some 158 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:19,480 bitterness that for the past 50 years, Merlin has not expended these abilities 159 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:20,880 on behalf of this kingdom. 160 00:11:21,260 --> 00:11:24,300 Are you not the mighty Merlin? 161 00:11:25,740 --> 00:11:28,520 Terrible to meet on the field of battle. 162 00:11:28,740 --> 00:11:30,140 You know I cannot. 163 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:31,440 I've seen. 164 00:11:32,620 --> 00:11:38,240 So we see that Peleus was absolutely right when he warned of just how poor a 165 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:42,620 welcome Merlin was going to get in this kingdom, because he's actually getting a 166 00:11:42,620 --> 00:11:43,720 murderous welcome. 167 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:51,660 Now, at this point, the action is beginning to come fast and furious, and 168 00:11:51,660 --> 00:11:55,780 two storylines are starting to intercut very quickly. Now, back at Aurelius' 169 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,200 camp, Uther has made some progress with the other men through the... 170 00:11:59,420 --> 00:12:01,760 Time -honored tradition of drinking and gambling. 171 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:04,900 But he's not made progress with Gorlus. 172 00:12:05,380 --> 00:12:10,820 Morkant is stirring up insurrection, flattering Gorlus and arguing that he, 173 00:12:10,820 --> 00:12:15,640 Uther, should be warchief. So they demand that Aurelius make Gorlus dux 174 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,500 Britanniarum. Aurelius' authority is hanging by a thread here. 175 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:25,480 Then we come back to Merlin and Peleus, now imprisoned over King Custanin's long 176 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:30,800 -nursed but still unnamed grudge. We learn that Merlin was once close with 177 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:32,800 Custanin. You were a father to me. 178 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:35,700 And you were a son. 179 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:40,400 So whatever caused the break between these two men was clearly profound. 180 00:12:40,660 --> 00:12:45,440 We think he's sentencing both Merlin and Pelley as to capital punishment. But as 181 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:49,740 the scene plays out, we discover that what he's actually doing is goading 182 00:12:49,740 --> 00:12:51,860 here. And he gets exactly what he wants. 183 00:12:52,700 --> 00:12:54,780 Show me you could have saved us! 184 00:12:57,560 --> 00:12:59,420 A display of Merlin's power. 185 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:04,640 And then we also learn that Custanin and Merlin are sharing a common grief over 186 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:05,640 the same woman. 187 00:13:06,010 --> 00:13:07,010 Finish it. 188 00:13:08,790 --> 00:13:12,510 This is the second time you've found yourself beneath my blade, King Stannan. 189 00:13:14,290 --> 00:13:15,610 There will not be a third. 190 00:13:16,970 --> 00:13:23,210 So one lost a daughter and one lost a love. But thankfully, Merlin does get 191 00:13:23,210 --> 00:13:24,159 he came for. 192 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:28,840 Custinan pledges to follow Aurelius, though with some trepidation, but he 193 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:33,500 believe in Merlin, and Merlin believes in Aurelius. Then, as we go back to the 194 00:13:33,500 --> 00:13:38,100 action at the camp, we find Aurelius gearing up to fight the much larger, 195 00:13:38,100 --> 00:13:40,680 older, and much more experienced Gorloth. 196 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:45,920 Now, coming into this duel, we know that Gorlaz has fought the Saxons more than 197 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:47,020 anyone in this camp. 198 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:53,740 Aurelius' retort that his god is not fickle lands with quiet confidence, I 199 00:13:53,740 --> 00:13:57,780 say. But this is still something of a David versus Goliath situation. 200 00:14:00,140 --> 00:14:05,840 Until Aurelius blinds Gorlaz with his sword, briefly gaining the advantage. 201 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:10,420 Wow. And then as this fighting goes on, it's getting so fierce that we're not 202 00:14:10,420 --> 00:14:15,340 even messing around with swords anymore. We are now in full -blown WWE -style 203 00:14:15,340 --> 00:14:16,340 fisticuffs. 204 00:14:18,700 --> 00:14:22,980 It's all fun and games until somebody loses a couple of fingers. And, you 205 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,440 my mom always told me horseplay leads to tragedy. 206 00:14:26,820 --> 00:14:31,560 Sadly, Gorillaz apparently didn't learn that lesson. But now the best man wins 207 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:33,380 and Aurelius is right. 208 00:14:33,820 --> 00:14:35,860 to the throne can no longer be denied. 209 00:14:36,100 --> 00:14:40,720 We also see what kind of moral leadership he's going to provide because 210 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:44,880 he did with passion, Aurelius now shows mercy to Gorlos. 211 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:50,140 And this is part of why episode five was such a favorite for me. We really see 212 00:14:50,140 --> 00:14:54,460 these alliances coalescing and we're getting an understanding of the tensions 213 00:14:54,460 --> 00:14:58,300 within the camp and the stakes if Aurelius and Merlin fail. 214 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:03,080 We're also getting a clearer sense of the divided loyalties that Aurelius is 215 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:06,620 going to have to contend with to keep all of these kingdoms together. 216 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:10,240 So there's just layered difficulties in getting him to the throne. 217 00:15:10,860 --> 00:15:15,300 And speaking of divided loyalties, it's becoming pretty obvious that Gorlis' 218 00:15:15,420 --> 00:15:20,200 lovely daughter, Igerna, has some divided loyalties of her own. And I love 219 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:25,840 the exchanged glances between her and Uther show that this love interest is 220 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:30,520 from one -sided. And then moving on, as Aurelius' wounds are cauterized, 221 00:15:30,740 --> 00:15:34,640 Merlin's vision of the woman he loved whispers a plea. 222 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:37,880 Day. And that's where we leave it. 223 00:15:38,330 --> 00:15:39,330 Britain is wounded. 224 00:15:39,430 --> 00:15:43,430 Kings are still divided, but less divided than before. So we are making 225 00:15:43,430 --> 00:15:50,070 progress. And faith is rising. And the true cost of power is becoming painfully 226 00:15:50,070 --> 00:15:54,190 clear. So what gripped you? Learning more of Merlin's lore? 227 00:15:54,830 --> 00:15:59,030 Kustanin's gut -punch grief? Or, gosh, that finger -lopping finale? 228 00:15:59,410 --> 00:16:02,570 Comment below and brace for Episode 6. 229 00:16:02,810 --> 00:16:04,090 Thanks for joining us.