Fragments of medieval Merlin manuscript found in Bristol library ...
Fragments of a medieval manuscript telling the story of Merlin, which were discovered two years ago in a Bristol archive, contain “subtle but significant” variations on the Arthurian legend, academics have found.
King Arthur first appeared in a history of Britain written in 829 or 830, notes the British Library. That text describes him as a warlord or Christian soldier. Later accounts from the 12th century added new elements to the legend, such as Merlin’s mentorship of Arthur. English writer Thomas Malory compiled one of the best-known collections of the stories, Le Morte d’Arthur, in the 15th century.
The seven parchment fragments were found by chance in 2019 pasted into the bindings of four volumes from between 1494 and 1502 that are held in Bristol central library’s rare books collection. Academics have now established how they came to Bristol, how they differ from other versions of the story, and, using multispectral imaging, even what type of ink was used to write them.
Containing a passage from the Old French sequence of texts known as the Vulgate Cycle or Lancelot-Grail Cycle, which was written circa 1220-1225, the fragments themselves have been dated to 1250-1275 through palaeographic handwriting analysis, and located to northern, possibly north-eastern, France.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rediscovered-medieval-manuscript-offers-new-twist-on-arthurian-legend-180978705/
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/sep/06/fragments-of-medieval-merlin-manuscript-found-in-bristol-library-reveal-chaster-story