Esplumoir Merlin
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| Esplumoir Merlin | |
|---|---|
| Matter of Britain location | |
 The sorceress Viviane bewitches Merlin in a 1903 illustration by Howard Pyle. | |
| Genre | Chivalric romance |
| In-universe information | |
| Other name | Esplumöer[1] |
| Type | Rocky peak, castle, hut, or prison |
| Characters | Merlin, Viviane, Gawain |
The esplumoir Merlin is a place mentioned in the Arthurian legend in relation with the figure of Merlin. It notably appears in the Didot Perceval uncertainly attributed to Robert de Boron, and is also mentioned in Raoul de Houdenc's Meraugis de Portlesguez and Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini. Its nature is 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.[2]
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."[3] However, the meaning of the word esplumoir as used in the romances remains unknown. It could be a word from Old French whose meaning has been lost through manuscript transmission.[4]
Some scholars theorize that the name is derived from the Latin *ex-plumare to evoke the sense that Merlin is removing a bird disguise.[1] Robert de Boron may have been drawing a comparison between the esplumoir and a falcon's mew, as he would likely have associated Merlin's name with that of the merlin, a European falcon (although there is no etymological relation between the two).[5]