Merlin provokes diplomatic row after being named a Scot
The legendary wizard Merlin has become embroiled in a Celtic tug of war after being officially named a citizen of Scotland’s largest city.
Excerpt from article by Simon Johnson ( Last Updated: 6:18AM BST 18 May 2009 )
Glasgow City Council has added the confidant of King Arthur to a list of its greatest sons, alongside Donald Dewar, Sir Alex Ferguson and Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
But the attempt to claim Merlin as a Scot has provoked a fiery response from a Welsh community which has long proclaimed itself as the home of the legendary sorcerer.
A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council confirmed that the iconic Arthurian figure had been added to its list of “Famous Glaswegians”.
(Merlin was a scholar and politician, son of a chief called Morken. He and his wife, Gwendolyn, lived in Partick, Scotland in the late 6th and early 7th centuries.)
(Posted by Grant)
