Book claims Merlin's home was Glendhu Hill and uncovers lost myths

A NEW book claims to have uncovered the home of the legendary wizard Merlin, in North Cumbria.

In “The Ghosts of the Forest”, author William Young reveals new purported ‘evidence’ placing the famous magician in the region of the Bewcastle Fells.

William said: “A connection between Merlin and Cumbria has long been accepted by scholars.

“In the earliest legends relating to Merlin, he was made court bard to a king called Gwentholye whose capital lay just north of modern Longtown.

“When the king was killed in a nearby battle, Merlin was described as fleeing to a mountain in the forest to hide from his enemies.

“By examining the descriptions given in the legends, and cross-referencing them with place-name and archaeological evidence, I believe I may have identified the hilltop considered to have been his refuge.

“The summit in question is Glendhu Hill, the northernmost hill in Cumbria."

Glendhu Hill straddles the border between Cumbria and Northumberland, with the exact county of which it exists being disputed.

William continued: “A series of unexplained ruins are to be found there that correspond very closely to the content of the legends.”

His book attempts to reconstruct portions of the lost mythology of the Celtic Britons, the indigenous people of the island.

The book cites archaeology, folklore and Celtic legends – of which some have only recently been translated – as so-called ‘evidence’.

Much of the content of the book is focused on Cumbria, and puts forward the theory that Merlin was a pagan who worshipped gods from the time of the Druids and connects a series of locations in and around Cumbria to this pagan Celtic religion.

The book also claims that there is evidence suggesting a number of these holy places remained in use for centuries after Merlin’s lifetime, which was between 540 and 584.

William said: “If these conclusions are accurate then it is the case that the pre-Christian religion of northern Britain survived for far longer, and in a far more complete form, than has hitherto been recognised.

“It is possible that the history of this island is very different from that in which we are conventionally taught to believe – and that Cumbria’s importance in that history has been grossly under-estimated.”