After the fall of Rome, Christianity spread slowly amongst the pagan tribes of Britain. It didn’t happen overnight. It was a gradual process that happened over several hundred years (between 400 and 800 AD.) For a while, the two traditions, Christianity and Druidism overlapped. This can be seen in The Legend of King Arthur. It contains references to both Christianity and paganism (Druidism).
Although King Arthur was Christian, he wouldn’t be successful without Druids and their magic. Arthur became king by pulling Excalibur (a magic sword) out of a stone. The sword was what made Arthur so famous with his fellow peers. However, the sword was made by a Druid princess, Lady of the Lake. Without that sword, Arthur would have been nothing. Another example of the Druids’ magic helping King Arthur was the famous “wizard” Merlin. Merlin was said to have been a Druid, and one of the well-known character in Arthur’s legend. Merlin had helped King Arthur ascend the throne, and had served as a counselor to Arthur. Merlin assisted Arthur in several situations that would otherwise have been extremely difficult for Arthur to overcome. Although the Druids did play a big role in King Arthur’s life, he was Christian.
The Arthurian Merlin seems to have been invented by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his “Historia Regum Britanniae” based on his own invention, some knowledge of Welsh traditions of a prophet named Myrddin who was supposed to have lived in a period
