Merlin

Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures. Geoffrey combined existing stories of Myrddin Wyllt (Merlinus Caledonensis), a North Brythonic prophet and madman with no connection to King Arthur, with tales of the Romano-British war leader Ambrosius Aurelianus to form the composite figure he called Merlin Ambrosius (Welsh: Myrddin Emrys). He is allegedly buried in the Broceliande forest, near Paimpont in Brittany.

Geoffrey's rendering of the character was immediately popular, especially in Wales. Later writers expanded the account to produce a fuller image of the wizard. Merlin's traditional biography casts him as a cambion: born of a mortal woman, sired by an incubus, the non-human from whom he inherits his supernatural powers and abilities. The name of Merlin's mother is not usually stated but is given as Adhan in the oldest version of the Prose Brut. Merlin matures to an ascendant sagehood and engineers the birth of Arthur through magic and intrigue. Later authors have Merlin serve as the king's advisor until he is bewitched and imprisoned by the Lady of the Lake.

The Sword in the Stone (film)

The Sword in the Stone is a 1963 American animated fairy tale film produced by Walt Disney and originally released to theaters on December 25, 1963 by Buena Vista Distribution. It was the final Disney animated film released before Walt Disney's death. The songs in the film were written and composed by the Sherman Brothers, who later wrote music for other Disney films like Mary Poppins (1964), The Jungle Book (1967), and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971).

The film is based on the novel of the same name, first published in 1938 as a single novel. It was later republished in 1958 as the first book of T. H. White's tetralogy The Once and Future King.

Plot

After the King of England, Uther Pendragon, dies, leaving no heir to the throne, a sword appears inside an anvil in London. The sword bears an inscription proclaiming that whoever removes it will be the new king. No one can remove the sword, which is eventually forgotten, leaving England in the Dark Ages.

Years later, a 12-year-old orphan named Arthur, commonly called Wart, accidentally scares off a deer his foster brother Kay was hunting, causing Kay to launch his arrow into the forest. In retrieving the arrow, Arthur lands in the cottage of Merlin the wizard, who declares himself Arthur's tutor and returns with the boy to his home, a castle run by Sir Ector, Arthur's foster father. Ector's friend, Sir Pellinore, arrives with news that the annual jousting tournament will be held on New Year's Day in London, and the winner will be crowned king. Ector decides to put Kay through serious training for the tournament and appoints Arthur as Kay's squire.

Merlin (given name)

Merlin is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:

France 24

France 24 (pronounced France vingt-quatre [fʁɑ̃s vɛ̃t katʁ] on all three editions) is an international news and current affairs television channel based in Paris. Its stated mission is to "cover international current events from a French perspective and to convey French values throughout the world." It started broadcasting on 6 December 2006.

The service is aimed at the overseas market and is broadcast through satellite and cable operators throughout the world. During 2010 the France 24 channel started broadcasting through its own iPhone app.

Based in Issy-les-Moulineaux in the suburbs of Paris, the channel broadcasts world news. Currently it offers variants in English and Arabic in addition to French. The channel has since 2008 been wholly owned by the French government (via its holding company, l'Audiovisuel extérieur de la France (AEF)), having acquired the remaining shares held by its former partners Groupe TF1 and France Télévisions. Its budget is approximately €100 million per year.

France 3 (yacht)

France 3 is a 12-metre class yacht that competed in the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup.

References

France 98 (charity association)

France 98 is an association founded by the French footballers who won the 1998 FIFA World Cup. They organise charity and testimonial matches for former players.

Didier Deschamps is the president of the association. Aimé Jacquet acts as the head coach whenever there is a game. The players are for the most part those who took part in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 victorious campaigns.

Matches played

First match

Organiser: Laurent Blanc

On November 4, 2002 in Nîmes against Marseille, to raise money for the victims of the floods in south-eastern France in September 2002. The match ended up in a 1–4 loss for France 98.

Second match

Organiser: Zinedine Zidane

On October 6, 2003 in Marseille against Marseille, to raise money for the victims of an earthquake in Algeria and those of fires in south-eastern France. The match ended up in a 1–1 draw.

Third match

Organiser: Bixente Lizarazu

Fourth match

Organiser: Fabien Barthez

On May 30, 2005 in Toulouse against Toulouse, to raise money for the victims of the explosion of chemical factory AZF. The match ended up in a 1–2 loss for France 98, with Daniel Moreira playing for both teams during the match.