> [littleton](littleton.md); [[malcor]]. "Some Notes on Merlin". [*Arthuriana*](journal-arthuriana.md) 5.3 (Fall 1995). ## Abstract > The image of Merlin that surfaces in the medieval romances is a complex syncretism reflecting Celtic, Christian, Alano-Sarmatian, and possibly historical overlays. The figures of Merlin and the Dame du Lac may ultimately derive from a common, probably female, prototype.