Who is traditionally credited as the author of The Prophecies of Merlin?

• A. J.R.R. Tolkien
• B. Geoffrey of Monmouth
• C. Geoffrey Chaucer
• D. William of Malmesbury

Answer: (B)

The Prophecies of Merlin are a medieval Latin text that presents a set of prophecies attributed to Merlin and is most closely associated with Geoffrey of Monmouth, the 12th-century cleric who popularized Merlin as a prophetic figure in his Historia Regum Britanniae. Because Geoffrey is the earliest and most influential figure to frame Merlin’s prophecies within a history of Britain, he is traditionally credited as the author. The other figures listed belong to different times and genres and are not tied to this text: Tolkien is a modern author; Chaucer is a 14th-century poet; William of Malmesbury was a medieval historian, but neither he authored the Prophecies of Merlin.