In pursuit of a menhir, they come across Merlin the enchanter

Five nickel-plated feet go in search of treasure.

What are nickel-plated feet? To have nickel-plated feet is to refuse to act, to be lazy. Here, I describe these characters as nickel-plated feet, I take as a reference to the series of comic strips created in 1908 by Louis Forton.

The ones I imagined have nothing to do with Croquignol, Ribouldingue and Filochard.

I designed them as resourceful people, this is the popular image that we give to the French. Resourcefulness is a virtue of the descendant of the Gauls.

My story takes place in Huelgoat, its lake, its forest and its surroundings. We are in Finistère, in Breton country. This place is located in the Armorique natural park. The Huelgoat national forest occupies an area of 1,147 hectares. We are in the heart of Argoat, inland Brittany, as opposed to Armour, coastal Brittany.

Brittany, we think of the main cities of Rennes and Nantes, the history of this region and the dukes of Brittany invites you to travel. It’s a Breton story.

Why did I write this story? Looking at photos of the rocky chaos of Toul-Goulic, she became clear. It was built in memory of this place. Isn’t it said that Gargantua, whom the inhabitants had received poorly, got angry and threw blocks of granite at the villagers? The Huelgoat Forest is just another Brocéliande.

King Arthur, the fairy Morgana, the Knights of the Round Table must have set foot on its soil.

While walking in the woods, one is able to meet King Arthur, or Merlin the enchanter. The Arthurian legend forms the breadcrumb trail of this story.

Who was King Arthur?

Was it a legend or a historical reality?

By asking these two questions, you can almost hear LeAnn Rimes singing the famous song ‘Looking through your eyes. It is taken from the soundtrack of the film “Guest for Camelot”.

King Arthur or Arthur Pendragon is according to medieval legends the one who defended the Celtic peoples of the British Isles and Armorican Brittany against Germanic invaders. He was born around 470 in Tintagel (Great Britain), he died in Camlann (Great Britain) in 535. According to legend,

he would have been the only knight capable of pulling out a sword – named Excalibur – embedded in a rock. As a result, she would have been crowned king. He is said to have died at the Battle of Camlann, his son, Mordred, having mortally wounded him. He would have had this son with his sister, the fairy Morgane. Some say he was just a warrior leader who fought against the Saxons. The legend was born after the publication of a book called the “Historia Regnum Britanniae” (History of the Kings of Brittany), written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century. This writer describes Arthur as a king who founded an empire. This very term allows us to doubt that Arthur was king; otherwise, we would have mentioned a kingdom. Regardless, we are told that this story dates from feudal times, at the beginning of feudalism. The Roman Empire died on September 4

466 with the abdication of its last emperor, thus opens what we call the Middle Ages. The development of the feudal period took place between the 9th and 13th centuries, when works about King Arthur appeared. The reign of this king roughly corresponds to the time of the reign of Clovis, king of the Franks, 481–511. Knights are mentioned. But chivalry, as we know it, was born in the 10th century. It was born five hundred years after the death of King Arthur.

Ah, Knights of the Round Table!

These knights are neither those called Teutonic nor those of Malta. Are they attached to an order?

If you knew. These knights would be the companions of this king named Arthur. Clovis, whom we know better, was surrounded by his companions who were referred to as leude. King Arthur was a Breton lord who defended island Brittany and Armoric Brittany against the Saxons. This version seems plausible. This was the time when Germanic tribes conquered Western Europe. At the time of King Arthur, present-day Brittany was divided into three kingdoms: Domnonée, Cornouaille and Broërec (initially called Bro Waroch). (When in the 9th century the duchy was born at the death of these kingdoms, it was divided into counties.) These texts which tell us about King Arthur place this king in a universe which corresponds to their times. The chivalric world belongs to him.

The knights are men who surround the king, their warrior and moral values justify their presence. Whoever is admitted there discovers the handling of weapons and the obligations of the knight: his strength must serve justice, at all times, he must protect the ladies and the weak. He is required to attend churches assiduously. These stories combine the marvellous with feats of arms. Merlin, the fairies Morgane or Viviane bring magic to the story. Viviane is none other than the lady of the lake. The Knights of the Round Table, some authors count twelve. But others count more than 1000. Lancelot, a valiant Knight at the beginning, passes through glory, but he betrays him and he falls. The Lady of the Lake, a fairy, raised him and taught him what he needed to know. He will be the lover and lover of Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur. He saves her from the stake, where she was to perish, she had committed adultery.

Merlin the Wizard

The only character from Arthurian legend who appears in my story is Merlin the enchanter. A mystical person from this universe. His life links him to the forest and to places where man does not venture. It is in fusion with the rhythms of nature. At times, he becomes wild again and takes on the features of primitive men. A magician, he plays with the cycle of ages. Legend tells us that the moment he first opened his eyes, he was able to reason like an aged man filled with knowledge, he revealed the secrets of life and the future to those around him. Merlin can take various forms, we often see him transformed into a deer, but he also appears in the forms of a peasant, a monk, a child. Whatever its form, it is there to help men.

The Story

The characters in my story are called Elouan and Gwendal. Harvey, Jovan and Paol. Elouan is the main character of this group of friends, they smoke gypsies without filter and drink beers while playing counter belote. Elouan has a friend named Maelys, she is said to be the daughter of a king of Scotland, he reigned a long time ago, she would have known King Arthur. At least, he deduces it from a statue he discovered in the forest. A strange wind follows him everywhere, maybe it’s a korrigan. But did they exist? Legends and myths await you, the Arthurian legend, if we think of King Arthur, we think of the Holy Grail, the mystical object, Percival, Lancelot, Morgana, the lady of the lake and Guinevere. The Knights of the Round Table is also a song:

“Knights of the Round Table.

Let’s taste if the wine is good

Knights of the Round Table

Let’s taste and see if the wine is good.”

The fairy Viviane or the Lady of the Lake is part of Arthurian legends, she gives the Excalibur to King Arthur, and she guides him to Avalon after the defeat of Camlaan. The korrigans and the fairies will undoubtedly accompany Elouan. The Celtic legend lives in Brittany. Did Maelys know Guinevere?

This novel is also a thriller.

It is a police investigation trying to untangle the threads of an intrigue where the marvellous disturb Cartesian minds. A policeman of Italian origin who does not understand the world of Brittany loses his Latin. Without fantasy, this world makes no sense. At times, this fine sleuth loses his footing, his superiors become worried. The prosecutor becomes moved while reading the minutes. They mention the presence of Merlin the enchanter preparing a porcini mushroom soup, it is King Arthur’s favourite. Brittany is the region where the marvellous can be encountered at any moment. In the forest of Brocéliande, you can pay your respects at the tomb of Merlin the enchanter.

Everyone assures that the Barenton fountain has water that cures all ills. The Vale of No Return is the domain of the fairy Morgana, the sister of King Arthur. In these conditions, we should not be surprised that the marvellous corrupt reason.