The Death of Merlin: Arthurian Myth and Alchemy »

The story of King Arthur and the Grail remains fascinating to this day. In this classic work, Walter Johannes Stein traces its origins in early Christianity and classical and Nordic mythology, and follows its development in medieval and modern times.

In particular Stein explores the parallels between the quest for the Grail and the medieval alchemists' search for the Philosopher's Stone.

This book is a collection of essays that were first published, or delivered as lectures, in the 1920s and 1930s. The first section of the book is Stein's own Memoirs, which ground his research in the cultural background of the era.

Foreword   Thomas Meyer     7
Memoirs     15
Historical Periods and the Fate of Nations     67
England and the Foundation of Commercial Towns     75
Portugal as the Preparer of the British Mission     85
The Immortality of Nations Revealed in Myth and Legend     96
Is King Arthur a Historical Character?     111
King Arthur and the Problem of East and West     119
The Revival of the Arthurian Legend in the Fifteenth Century     128
Basilius Valentinus in the Context of Arturian Legend     135
The Hare in Myth and Alchemy     151
The Death of Merlin     163
Thomas Aquinas and the Grail     171
The Polarity between Parzival and Gawan     181
Tristan and Isolde against the Background of Greek Mythology     194
Tristan and Isolde and an Understanding of Minstrel Poetry     203
The Seven Liberal Arts and the Twelve Philosophies     213
Bibliography     231
Sources     235