Tintagel Castle – King Arthur, Merlin & the Ghosts of Tintagel

Tintagel Castle rises above the Cornish coast, forever connected with King Arthur, Merlin and one of Britain’s greatest legends. But beyond the familiar Arthurian stories, Tintagel has acquired ghost stories and strange traditions of its own.

Medieval writers claimed this was the place where Arthur was conceived, while centuries later the great sea cave beneath the cliffs became known as Merlin’s Cave — and eventually gained a tradition that Merlin’s spirit remained within its darkness.

Then there is the mysterious ghostly horseman reportedly seen among Tintagel’s ruins. The surviving account gives frustratingly little detail about the encounter, except for the identity the witness gave the rider: King Arthur.

And in 1998, archaeology added another extraordinary chapter when a piece of sixth-century slate bearing the name Artognou was discovered at Tintagel. It wasn't evidence for Arthur, but it revealed something almost as intriguing: during the period in which a historical Arthur might have lived, Tintagel really was occupied by powerful people whose identities have been lost.

In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we travel to Tintagel Castle in Cornwall to explore the real history behind the ruins, the legend of Arthur’s conception, Merlin’s Cave, the Artognou Stone and the ghost stories that have grown around one of Britain’s most mysterious landscapes.