The De gestis Britonum in Castile

Abstract

The influence of the De gestis Britonum in Castile was profound and extensive. There are two characters in particular that truly transcend and are recreated again and again in different ways: one is Brutus, whose story is incorporated to a greater or lesser extent in different works, among which stands out the General estoria of Alfonso X; the other is Merlin, in his capacity as a prophet, particularly because the collection of prophecies inserted in the DGB is incorporated, almost in its entirety, into the Baladro del sabio Merlín con sus profecías published in 1498 and in the version edited in 1535. Even if we were to leave aside any short or superficial echo of the DGB, of which there are many, the influence of the DGB in Castilian historiography and in Arthurian romance was very important; the connection between Brutus and the Trojan myth expanded the influence of the DGB, and Merlin’s reputation as a necromancer revived a lagging, though interesting, prophetic genre.