MERLIN TO DUMBLEDORE.. Let’s talk about for a
JAMES MOORE
The word “wizard” originally comes from the old English word “wysard” which, in the Middle Ages, meant “a wise man”.
The idea of wizards as men using magical properties originated in tales of sorcerers. One of the first to appear was Merlin, mentioned in the 12th Century by the writer Geoffrey of Monmouth as an advisor to the legendary King Arthur.
Merlin has been played on film by Nicol Williamson in 1981’s raunchy Excalibur movie, and by Colin Moran in the BBC TV series.
The character of Prospero in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest is often seen as a wizard.
Actor Frank Morgan starred as the wizard in the 1939 movie The Wizard Of Oz. Weirdly, the coat he wore when he played him was one the costume department had bought from a second-hand shop… it happened to have belonged to L. Frank Baum, author of the original book. Wizards Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast also light up JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit along with the Lord Of The Rings tales.
Tolkien was inspired to portray Gandalf with a pointy hat and long beard by a postcard he bought while on holiday in Switzerland. Played on the big screen by Sir Ian McKellen, Gandalf’s name actually means “wand elf” in Old Norse.
Author JK Rowling got the idea for boy wizard Harry Potter when she was delayed on a train. She says that the “scrawny, bespectacled boy who did not know he was a wizard became more and more real to me”. It led to seven novels which sold 500million copies, as well as 11 Wizarding World films including the three Fantastic Beasts flicks. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was officially born in 1881. Albus means “white” in Latin and his surname is an old English word for bumblebee, as Rowling always imagined him humming. He lived to be 115 and was also known as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. In 2007, Rowling revealed he was gay. Dumbledore was played by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon in the Harry Potter films. Jude Law, who plays the younger version of the wizard in the Fantastic Beasts series, once said: “I just love this man.” Tim the Enchanter was a wacky wizard played by John Cleese in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Wizards also appear in the popular role-playing game Dungeons And Dragons, and Terry Pratchett’s books. Golden pointy hats from the Bronze Age were found by archaeologists in Germany. It’s thought they were worn by wizard-type figures.