User blog comment:Fimber/Elements of classic literature and religion in "Merlin"/@comment-188.32.253.75-20130203051430/@comment-7285162-20130319192115

Hello again! :)

Sorry for being absent so long... I've been kicking myself 'cause it was partially due to my laziness, I'm afraid. But I gave you my word, I couldn't just have gone missing. :) By the way, it gladdens my heart to see this wiki up and running. Unfortunately, it's unlikely I would be able to contribute much with the most desperately needed things like trascripts (although the progress already made is impressive indeed), but still, I'll try my best.

For now, some thoughts on the Old Religion I'd like to share.

It is certain that its ways are often outright cruel, even evil. But my belief is that not everything is so cut and dry with it. Matter of fact, it is generally not.

For example, one might consider the Old Testament. Not only is the law incredibly harsh (oh, did we mention. e.g. adultery before? The punishment was stoning. To death that is, not pelting with rotten fruit and vegetables. Much worse than just giving names like "slut", isn't it?), things like genocide were quite common. Does this prove (Biblical) God to be evil? I don't think so... I believe it was just cruel time and cruel people, and not even extremely rigorous laws prevented the Jews from utter corruption, mind you. Besides, not only didn't the Jews (God's chosen people) mingle with others as a result, but the most righteous ones were born... not to mention the coming of the Messiah. Then there is the New Testament... I don't think I should elaborate on the differences.

But these are complicated matters... As a matter of fact, The Old Religion in the series doesn't seem to care about ethics at all, it responds to everyone who invokes its power, for good or evil. Magic is in the heart of the Old Religion, as it is in the blood of it's users and the nature itself, and the Triple Goddess seems to care most about one thing: that these powers are revered, nurtured and practiced.

Perhaps the only exception to this is the following: the old abhorrent crone, name's Dochraid, says that Emrys is no friend of the Old Religion and she knows this because the Earth (it very well mean be Nemain, or Mother Earth) speaks to her. Still, the disgusting creature might be biased herself, and the only "problem" with Merlin is that he is loyal to Camelot and the Pendragons, mind you.

Otherwise than that, the power over life and death and even the Triple Goddess herself respond to Emrys, which just proves my point. As a matter of fact, of all the kings it is Arthur whom the Disir judges, not because of good or evil, he is just the most promicing one for those who follow the old ways.