 This is a detail from le Forȇt de Paimpont in Brittany, France—the legendary forest where Merlin went seeking retreat and isolation, but instead fell in love with the fairy Viviane. The gorgeous fairy was so enamored with the great magician that she cast a spell around Merlin—a prison of air, if you will—so that he would never leave her. And Merlin, even though his powers were greater than those of his sweet enchantress, joyfully accepted the captivity.
Today not much is left of the once-huge and lush forest that covered the whole of central Brittany two thousand years ago. Heavy and steady logging of ancient trees, followed by a big fire of 1990, have reduced the magnificent forest to a mere 27 square miles (most of it privately owned). I searched in vain for Viviane’s Nest, where the fairy lived with Merlin; I searched in vain for Merlin’s tomb, because nothing is well-marked in this once-enchanted forest. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why I kept getting lost—the ancient Druidic spells may still be lingering in the foliage, rocks, and the very soil of the woods.
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