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Pictures:

http://d20uo2axdbh83k.cloudfront.net/20140212/f6524d15a18b468a524ec4b668cdb168.jpg

http://d20uo2axdbh83k.cloudfront.net/20140212/57e8710e4f01d93edfc25d923e6d98f8.jpg

http://d20uo2axdbh83k.cloudfront.net/20140212/73a2b6536de53a0adc3f6e53a28235f0.jpg

Website:

Allegri , Renzo. "The Real Sword in the Stone." Saint Anthony of Padua. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://www.saintanthonyofpadua.net/messaggero/pagina_stampa.asp?R=&ID=472>.

Gill, N.S.. "Did Merlin Exist?." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/people/a/merlin.htm>. About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. &lt;http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/people/a/merlin.htm&gt

Unknown. "History." King Arthur. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. <http://www.caerleon.net/history/arthur/page2

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyJQyL8pk18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9RAZhBgSiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZCsBhmjvuQ

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In this short video it gives a small theory behind the meaning of the Stonehenge. It goes to explain that Merlin was asked to build something to mark a symbol of gratitude to the Irish soilders. But with this story it leaves blanks for our minds to fill in for our selves. Was it MAGIC or was it a WISE man's doing?

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How was Stonehenge constructed? According to the mythology of Merlin's sorcery, it was magic. From: MERLIN: THE LEGEND http://bit.ly/1o5forI

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This video gives historical accounts in Great Britain AD. It gives real historian information about what Britain was like when King Arthur should have been ruling and also the theories behind King Arthur and Galgano Guidotti

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Britain AD Sheep-farming archaeologist, Francis Pryor, presents a brand new historical series, which explores Britain A.D, the British national character and the ultimate British icon King Arthur. Finding new and previously unexplained evidence, Francis Pryor overturns the idea that Britain reverted to a state of anarchy and disorder after the Romans left in 410 AD.

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This Article “Messenger of Saint Anthony: The Real Sword in the Stone.” by Renzo Allegi, are claims that the sword, Arthur, and the legend never took place in England, but it was actually Galgano Guidotti of Italy that thrust the sword into the stone. Galgano Guidotti was a worldly knight everybody knew that he led a rowdy and violent life. But it all changed when he fell off his horse traveling to see his fiancée when he heard voices and had a vision of Jesus, a round temple, the Apostles and the Holy Virgin Mary. These voices and visions led him to the top of a hill and asked him to give up his life of sin, even though he hesitated he thrust the sword into the stone expecting it to snap but instead entered the stone to the hilt. As the years went he only did good. He died a saint. Research can confirm Saint Galgano Guidotti that he was an actual person and confirms his existence. Whereas Arthur from Britain cannot be confirmed as a real person, Arthur, people claim that Sir Arthur and his knights were just folklore and was made-up based on the stories of Guidotti.

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This video is confirming the
article with the professor Mario Moiraghi narrating his findings, and explaining the uncanny similarities between Saint Gaigano Guidotti and Sir Perusable a knight of the round table.

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This article goes through the historical side of the story. It explains when the stories of Merlin where found relative to the  time of the middle ages and when King Arthur should have been real.

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The 12th-century cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth provides us with our earliest information on Merlin. Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote about the early history of Britain in Historia Regum Britanniae (the "History of the Kings of Britain") and Vita Merlini ("Merlin's Life"), which was adapted from Celtic mythology. Being mythology-based, Merlin's Life is not enough to say Merlin ever lived. To determine when Merlin may have lived, one way would be to date King Arthur, the legendary king with whom Merlin is associated.

Geoffrey Ashe, a historian, and co-founder and secretary of the Camelot Research Committee wrote about Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Arthurian legend. Ashe says Geoffrey of Monmouth connects Arthur with the tail end of the Roman Empire, in the late 5th century A.D.:

"Arthur went over to Gaul, the country now called France, which was still in the grip of the Western Roman Empire, if rather shakily."

"This is one of the clues, of course, to when Geoffrey [of Monmouth] thinks all this is happening, because the Western Roman Empire ended in 476, so, presumably, he's somewhere in the 5th Century. Arthur conquered the Romans, or defeated them at least, and took over a goodly part of Gaul...."
- from (www.britannia.com/history/arthur2.html) Basic Arthur, by Geoffrey Ashe

The 1st Use of the Name Artorius (Arthur)

The name of King Arthur in Latin is Artorius. The following is a further attempt to date and identify King Arthur that places Arthur earlier in time than the end of the Roman Empire, and suggests the name Arthur may have been used as an honorary title rather than a personal name.

"184 - Lucius Artorius Castus, commander of a detachment of Sarmatian conscripts stationed in Britain, led his troops to Gaul to quell a rebellion. This is the first appearance of the name, Artorius, in history and some believe that this Roman military man is the original, or basis, for the Arthurian legend.

The theory says that Castus' exploits in Gaul, at the head of a contingent of mounted troops, are the basis for later, similar traditions about King Arthur, and, further, that the name Artorius became a title, or honorific, which was ascribed to a famous warrior in the fifth century." - from (/www.britannia.com/history/timearth.html) Britannia's Timeline

Does King Arthur Belong to the Middle Ages?

Certainly, the legend of King Arthur's court started in the Middle Ages and the Medieval History Guide has a fine collection of links on the subject, but the putative figures on which the legends are based, appear to come from before the Fall of Rome.

In the shadows between Classical Antiquity and the Dark Ages lived prophets and warlords, druids and Christians, Roman Christians and the outlawed Pelagians, in an area sometimes referred to as Sub-Roman Britain, a pejorative label suggesting that the native British elements were less advanced than their Roman counterparts.

It was a time of civil war and plague -- which helps explain the lack of contemporary information. Geoffrey Ashe says:

"In dark age Britain we have to recognize various adverse factor, such as the loss and destruction of manuscripts by invading armies; the character of the early material, oral rather than written; the decline of learning and even literacy among the Welsh monks who might have kept reliable records.

The whole period is plunged in obscurity from the same causes. People who were certainly real and important are no better attested."

Since we don't have the necessary fifth and sixth-century records, it's impossible to say absolutely that Merlin did or did not exist.

Legendary Roots - Possible Merlins
Transformation of Celtic Mythology in Arthurian Legend

There may have been a real Merlin, such as the one Nikolai Tolstoy describes in Quest for Merlin: "...Merlin was indeed an historical figure, living in what are now the lowlands of Scotland at the end of the sixth century A.D...an authentic prophet, most likely a druid surviving in a pagan enclave of the north."

The Merlin prototype may have been a Celtic druid named Lailoken who gained second sight after he went mad and escaped society to live in the forest.

A poem from A.D. 600 describes a Welsh prophet named Myrddin.

Nennius

The 9th-century monk Nennius, described as "inventive" in his history writing, wrote about Merlin, a fatherless Ambrosius, and prophecies. Despite Nennius' lack of reliability, he is a source for us today because Nennius used fifth-century sources that are no longer extant.

Math The Son of Mathonwy

( www.cyberphile.co.uk/~taff/taffnet/mabinogion/math.html)
In Math, The Son of Mathonwy, from the classic collection of Welsh tales known as the Mabinogion, Gwydion, a bard, and magician, performs love spells and uses cunning to protect and help an infant boy. While some see this Gwydion trickster as Arthur, others see in him, Merlin.

Historical Foundations

Passages from Nennius' History

Sections on Vortigern include the following prophecy referred to in Part I of the Merlin television mini-series:

"You must find a child born without a father, put him to death, and sprinkle with his blood the ground on which the citadel is to be built, or you will never accomplish your purpose." The child was Ambrose.

ORB Sub-Roman Britain: An Introduction

Following barbarian raids, troop withdrawals from Britain ordered by Magnus Maximus in A.D. 383, Stilicho in 402, and Constantine III in 407, the Roman administration elected three tyrants: Marcus, Gratian, and Constantine. However, we have little information from the actual time period -- three dates and the writing of Gildas and St. Patrick, who rarely writes about Britain.

Gildas

In A.D. 540, Gildas wrote De Excidio Britanniae ("The Ruin of Britain") which includes a historical explanation.

This site's translated passages mention Vortigern and Ambrosius Aurelianus. (Another site for translated passages.)

Geoffrey of Monmouth

In 1138, combining Nennius' history and Welsh tradition about a bard named Myrddin, Geoffrey of Monmouth completed his Historia Regum Britanniae, which traces the British kings to the great-grandson of Aeneas, Trojan hero and legendary founder of Rome.
In about A.D. 1150, Geoffrey also wrote a Vita Merlini.

Merlin: Texts, Images, Basic Information

Apparently worried that the Anglo-Norman audience would take offense at the similarity between the name Merdinus and merde, Geoffrey changed the prophet's name. Geoffrey's Merlin helps Uther Pendragon and moves the stones to Stonehenge from Ireland. Geoffrey also wrote a Prophecies of Merlin which he later incorporated into his History.

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The 12th-century cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth provides us with our earliest information on Merlin. Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote about the early history of Britain in Historia Regum Britanniae (the "History of the Kings of Britain") and Vita Merlini ("Merlin's Life"), which was adapted from Celtic mythology.

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This article “Arthur: The Legend” is retelling the legend of King Arthur. It goes on to explain that Arthur was
the son of the King Uther Pendragon . When he died Merlin casted the legendary sword into the sword with the words “Whoso pullet out this sword of this stone
is the rightwise born king of all England.” Of course when people herd this many people tried to pull the sword to become king. But only one man, Prince
Arthur, pulled the sword and became the most noble King Camelot ever saw.

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Arthur was the first born son of King Uther Pendragon and heir to the throne. However these were very troubled times and Merlin, a wise magician, advised that the baby Arthur should be raised in a secret place and that none should know his true identity.

As Merlin feared, when King Uther died there was great conflict over who should be the next king. Merlin used his magic to set a sword in a stone. Written on the sword, in letters of gold, were these words: "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is the rightwise born king of all England." Of course all the contenders for the throne took their turn at trying to draw the sword, but none could succeed. Arthur, quite by chance, withdrew the sword for another to use in a tournament. Following this he became King.

He gathered Knights around him and fought back against the Saxons who, since the Romans left Britain, were slowly but surely taking the country over. After many great battles and a huge victory at Mount Badon the Saxons' advance was halted.

Arthur's base was at a place called Camelot. Here he built a strong castle. His knights met at a Round Table. They carried out acts of chivalry such as rescuing damsels in distress and fought against strange beasts. They also searched for a lost treasure, which they believed would cure all ills - this was the 'Quest for the Holy Grail'.

Under the guidance of Merlin, Arthur had obtained a magical sword from The Lady Of The Lake. This sword was called 'Excalibur" and with this weapon he vanquished many foes.

Queen Guinevere, Arthur's beautiful wife brought romance to the story while his equally beautiful half sister Morgan le Fay added a dark side.

Unfortunately, as peace settled over the country things turned sour within the court of Camelot and civil war broke out. In the final battle at Camlan both Arthur and Mordred, Arthur's traitorous nephew, were mortally wounded. Arthur was set upon a boat and floated down river to the isle of Avalon. Here his wounds were treated by three mysterious maidens. His body was never found and many say that he rests under a hill with all his knights - ready to ride forth and save the country again.

Now, find out how this story developed.

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Arthur was the first born son of King Uther Pendragon and heir to the throne. However these were very troubled times and Merlin, a wise magician, advised that the baby Arthur should be raised in a secret place and that none should know his true identity.

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Excalibur was just a sword to most people, but to those who knew it was magic. In the myth it was said that no ordinary sword forged by man could hurt or even slay a creature of magic (griffons, dragons, etc.), but a sword forged in a dragon’s breath could. And that is exactly what Excalibur is. Merlin the Greatest Sorcerer had possession of this sword and only would use it when it was dearly needed.  After Merlin realized it was a weapon of destruction he casted it into the stone for only the real King of Camelot could pull it from the stone.

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This picture is of Merlin King Arthur's mentor and Lady Vivien. This picture demonstrates the kind nature of Merlin and his wanting to teach the knowledge that he posses with others. Merlin was a wise man that only wanted what was best for the Kingdom of Camolet.

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This is the greatest man to happen upon Camelot. Aurther was just a boy that was the "choosen one" to pull Excalibur out of the stone.