Merlin's Tomb

The enchanted forest of Brocéliande is recurrently featured in numerous medieval texts of Arthurian legends, although its location is uncertain. Today, Paimpont Forest in Brittany, France, is considered the most probable contender for it, commonly referred to in French as Forêt de Brocéliande (Brocéliande Forest).

The tradition of this association goes all the way back to the 13th century, around which time the locals called it Brocélien or Brec’Helean. Its cultural significance was widely recognized, and it was placed under the royal jurisdiction, producing timber for the nearby city of Rennes. After the French Revolution and the abolition of feudal privileges, the forest was excessively exploited for wood.

More recently, a series of fires severely damaged the forest of Paimpont during World War I, and another large-scale fire broke out in 1990 devastating parts of it. In the following couple of years, thousands of volunteers planted half a million new trees to restore it. Since the 19th century, it has been a tourist site among followers of Neo-Druidism and fans of Arthurian legend.

In the myths, the forest of Brocéliande was a mysterious place full of fairies and magic. Deep within these woods is the Vale of No Return, domain of the notorious sorceress Morgan le Fay where she entrapped a myriad knights until they were rescued by Sir Lancelot. Here it is also said that Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, tricked into Merlin into a magical, deathlike sleep that lasts to this day. And indeed, there is a neolithic megalith called Merlin’s Tomb in the forest of Paimpont.