WITH HIS long flowing beard and robes, Merlin is best known as the Welsh wizard from the legends of King Arthur and his court at the mythical Camelot.

But Merlin's Scottish origins are to be highlighted in a new graphic novel, which claims the 'real' wizard was a Christian Celtic warrior who ended up living in ... Govan.

Researchers from Govan's Hidden Histories project have traced the roots of the iconic legend to a figure called Lailoken, a Briton born near the Solway Firth, who became a hermit after being traumatised in the 6th century Battle of Arthuret.

It is then claimed that Lailoken – known as the wild man of the woods – met St Mungo who, impressed by his prophetic abilities, introduced him to the Royal Court where he became a court jester at the Palace of Partick, in the ancient borough of Govan.

Keen to share the rich history of the area – known better for its shipbuilding heritage than its connections to sorcery – the Hidden Histories team has now created a graphic "quest novel" for young people called 'The 13 Treasures of Govan', featuring Merlin as the protagonist and due to be launched next month.

Historian Tim Clarkson, who worked on the project as historical advisor, said: "Many historians now accept that the real man, who inspired the legends was Lailoken, a warrior and a nobleman, a native Briton or Celt of the area from around the head of the Solway Firth.

"He would have fought alongside his King at the Battle of Arthuret in 573 and my sense is that he was very traumatised by the bloodshed - we could call it PTSD now. He then flees the battlefield north around the upper reaches of the Tweed Valley in a heavily forested area and becomes a bit of a hermit, known of muttering doom-laden prophesies of the future, which is how his story became the basis of a legend."

Clarkson - who will also launch his own book, Scotland's Merlin, at the event next month - claims that Lailoken became a court jester through this connection with Kentigern – known as St Mungo of Glasgow – and would have spent time not only in the palace, but worshipping in Govan.

"A lot of people assume that Merlin would have been a pagan or a druid but I think in fact he was probably a Christian," he added. "At that time the warrior aristocracy would have been moving away from Paganism. It is far more likely that the original Merlin would have gone to Mass and would have been familiar with the church in Govan, which the Royal Court could have reached by walking across on the stepping stones at high tide."

Tara S Beall, an artist and researcher who started the Govan's Hidden Histories project, said she hoped that highlighting the area's links to Merlin would help raise awareness of the world class heritage of the area.

The area boasts artefacts including the carved 11th century Govan Stones, one of which was recently borrowed by the British Museum, and would once have been the site of the historically significant Doomster Hill, where the Kingdom of Strathclyde court would once have meet.

"You are talking about world class heritage, just across the Riverside Museum, which has over a million visitors a year," she added. "Part of the desire for the Govan's Hidden Histories project is to pull some of those visitors across the river - just like Merlin did many hundreds of years ago.

"The comic aims to highlight some of these ancient under-known histories which are hopefully interesting to young people who wouldn't necessarily find heritage that exciting. The Merlin story connects up the local history with an international legend."

Tam McGarvey, from GalGael – a community project which aims to reconnect people to their cultural and natural heritage – also helped to research links between the real life Merlin and the Clyde for the comic.

"Merlin is the character who has inspired so many famous ones from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings and in fact he may have been a Govan dude," he said. "Govan would have the spiritual centre of Glasgow in those times and an important destination.

"Now Govan is struggling in lots of ways but it has such rich history on its doorstep. We thought using the Merlin character would be a great way of connecting the local landscape to these old legends - it's a way of sprinkling a little bit of magic on Govan and it's great fun."