THE SCENE: Convinced that human sacrifice was necessary to consecrate his new fortress, the British tyrant Vortigern got more than he bargained for when his sacrificial victim turned out to be the young Merlin.
THE TEXT: A meeting took place the next day for the purpose of putting [the boy] to death. Then the boy said to the king, “Why have your servants brought me hither?”
“That you may be put to death,” replied the king, “and that the ground on which my citadel is to stand, may be sprinkled with your blood, without which I shall be unable to build it.”
“Who,” said the boy, “instructed you to do this?”
“My wise men,” answered the king.
“Order them hither,” returned the boy; this being complied with, he thus questioned them: “I will soon,” said he, “unfold to you everything; but I desire to question your wise men, and wish them to disclose to you what is hidden under this pavement.”
They acknowledging their ignorance, “there is,” said he, “a pool. Come and dig.” They did so, and found the pool. “Now,” continued he, “tell me what is in it,” but they were ashamed and made no reply.
“I,” said the boy, “can discover it to you: there are two vases in the pool.” They examined, and found it so. Continuing his questions, “What is in the vases?” they were silent. “There are,” said he, “two serpents: one white and the other red.” Two sleeping serpents were discovered. “Consider attentively,” said the boy, “what they are doing.”
The serpents began to struggle with each other; and the white one, raising himself up, threw down the other and sometimes drove him to the edge; and this was repeated thrice. At length the red one, apparently the weaker of the two, recovering his strength, expelled the white one; and the latter being pursued through the pool by the red one, disappeared.
Then the boy, asking the wise men what was signified by this wonderful omen, and they expressing their ignorance, he said to the king, “I will now unfold to you the meaning of this mystery. The pool is the emblem of this world, and the tent that of your kingdom: the two serpents are two dragons; the red serpent is your dragon, but the white serpent is the dragon of the people who occupy several provinces and districts of Britain, even almost from sea to sea: at length, however, our people shall rise and drive away the Saxon race from beyond the sea, whence they originally came. But depart from this place, where you are not permitted to erect a citadel. I, to whom fate has allotted this mansion, shall remain here; whilst to you it is incumbent to seek other provinces, where you may build a fortress.”
– Historia Brittonum, Nennius, 8th Century AD
