The Book of Merlyn

The Book of Merlyn (1977) by T.H. White finds King Arthur in his old age and embroiled in yet another war. Merlyn transfigures his former student into different animals so that he might better understand the nature of war and the ferocity of humanity.

As King Arthur is in his tent preparing for battle, he receives a visitor, Merlyn. Arthur tells Merlyn his teachings were lies and that the two of them will die having made no mark on history at all. Merlyn, who has spent time in future centuries, knows this isn't the case. He quotes Kipling's paragraph about Arthur and himself from Pook's Hill, but Arthur is merely confused.

Merlyn offers to take Arthur to his cave. He explains that his committee is determined to fix two gaps in Arthur's childhood education. The committee has concocted a plan to give Arthur the Elixir of Life, which will turn Arthur back into the Wart, or his child-self. Merlyn believes this is necessary because Arthur's mind has hardened with age.



The pair decides against turning Arthur into a child, instead, settling on a magical brain massage. Intellectually invigorated, Arthur joins Merlyn in his cave. The committee consists of Badger, T. Natrix the snake, Archimedes the owl, Balin the hawk, Cavall the dog, Goat, and Hedgehog.

Merlyn chastises humankind for not thinking like animals. He explains that humanity is more ferocious than a tiger and kills for pleasure. He goes on to describe how men have tortured animals in the present and the future and how they turn on their own race in wars, slaughtering thousands.

The committee had considered several names for Man, including Homo Ferox, Homo Impoliticus and Homo Stultus, calling out humankind's ferociousness, political nature, and stupidity.  Merlyn acquiesces that Man's one redeeming feature is his love for his dog or cat. Arthur asks why the animals want to save humans at all, and they reply because they love Arthur, it is good to be kind, and they believe humankind still has a special purpose.



Merlyn transforms Arthur into an ant for his first lesson. As an ant, Arthur contributes to the "community stomach" where all of the ants give up a significant portion of their food for the good of the colony. All ants do their fair share and are equally miserable.

When neighboring ants invade the territory of Arthur's ants, the colonies prepare for battle. Sickened by their behavior, Arthur is simultaneously brainwashed by the signals of by his brethren ants.

Before the war begins, Arthur finds himself in human form back at the cave. He discusses the communist ants with the committee, but Badger corrects Arthur: the ants aren't properly communists as they are not all united. Merlyn concedes that the ants aren't united, but says that he is lumping fascism and communism together in his lesson because they both deny the rights of the individual. He disparages Marx for not considering the natural way of things: "Human beings are no more equal in their merits and abilities than they are equal in face and stature." He goes on, "You should have tried the Spanish Civil War. Yes, that is the equality of Man. Slaughter anybody who is better than you, and then we shall all be equal soon enough. All equally dead."



For his next lesson, Merlyn turns Arthur into a goose. Goose Arthur notices that one goose stands sentry and he asks a female goose if the geese are at war. The female goose, Lyo-Lyok, does not understand "war," and when he explains it, she is disgusted. Geese do not go to war. Geese have no communal possessions, no claim to the land, and no state discipline. The only time Geese have conflicts is when they are fighting over a mate or if a goose trespasses on another's feeding area or nest. They choose the pilots of their migration by which goose is most experienced.

Lyo-Lyok sings Arthur a song about the boon of a goose's life, which consists of travel, honor, music, poetry, health, love, eating, free fraternity, and being alive. Arthur travels with the Geese across the sea to a Siberian bog land. When Arthur resolves to stay a goose and settle in with Lyo-Lyok, Merlyn changes him back to his human form. Arthur finds himself back at the cave.

Ignoring Arthur, Merlyn suggests that the best way to end wars is to make Man a "federation of individuals" without barriers, immigration laws, or import taxes. He suggests that humans tolerate nothing larger than a family unit. Arthur says that he does not want to go back to humanity. The Hedgehog takes him outside and changes Arthur's mind.



The committee discusses the pros of war: 1) romance 2) population control 3) vents Man's rage 4) promotes virility 5) could one day kill off the human race (which would be suitable for everyone except Man). These pros, they all agree, are not substantiated. As a short-term measure, the committee suggests that high-ranking war officials on the losing side should be executed.

Arthur goes back to the war and calls a truce with Mordred. As they meet on the battlefield, a soldier slashes at a snake in the grass, and both armies attack. Arthur is presumed to have died in the struggle.

White's intentions were to find an "antidote for war," something he felt was a key theme in Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. White sent The Book of Merlyn for publication in 1941 during WWII. Unsurprisingly, the antiwar book was rejected. It was later published posthumously and is the conclusion of The Once and Future King, a collection of White's other novels.