The ''esplumoir Merlin'' is a place mentioned in the

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Weste ...

(notably the ) in relation with the magician

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

. Its nature remains uncertain, but it probably relates to a metamorphosis into a bird. It is presented as a hut, a tower or a high rock and is sometimes likened to the Hotié de Viviane, a megalithic site in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period o ...

. It is also mentioned in Raoul de Houdenc's narrative poem, '' Meraugis de Portlesguez''.

Etymology

Etymologically, an ''esplumoir'' would be "a cage where a songbird is locked away at the time of moulting: a dark and warm place where the bird sings in its own feathers". However, the meaning of the word ''esplumoir'' as used in the romances remains unknown. It could be a word from

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligi ...

whose meaning has been lost through manuscript transmission.

Description

The ''esplumoir'' is thought to be the place where Merlin, who is fond of transforming himself into a bird, would resume his human form. According to the Didot ''Perceval'' it is a cabin or a small house that Merlin built himself near the home of

Perceval Percival (, also spelled Perceval, Parzival), alternatively called Peredur (), was one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. First mentioned by the French author Chrétien de Troyes in the tale ''Perceval, the Story of the Gr ...

, guardian of the

Grail The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) was an American lunar science mission in NASA's Discovery Program which used high-quality gravitational field mapping of the Moon to determine its interior structure. The two small spacecra ...

, to prophesy. It is also imagined as a high tower or a rock, in other texts. In ''Méraugis de Portlesguez'' it is described as being atop a high cliff having no doors, windows or stairs; it is inhabited by twelve damsels who can tell the future. This place is mentioned by the poet

Jacques Roubaud Jacques Roubaud (; born 5 December 1932 in Caluire-et-Cuire, Rhône) is a French poet, writer and mathematician Life and career Jacques Roubaud taught Mathematics at University of Paris X Nanterre and Poetry at EHESS. A member of the Oulipo ...

as being hot and dark, located at the top of ''"la roche grifaigne"''. Merlin, in the form of a bird, sings of the future there. Jacques Roubaud also explains the shadow that Perceval sees pass several times above him, accompanied by the voice of Merlin, by supposing the metamorphosis of the magician into a bird.

Footnotes

References

* * {{Arthurian Legend Fictional buildings and structures originating in literature Fictional elements introduced in the 13th century Locations associated with Arthurian legend Works based on Merlin