Legend Quest (2011) s01e05 Episode Script
Merlin's Magical Treasures & King Solomon's Ring
Cowie: Tonight on "Legend Quest" I head to the holy land, looking for an ancient relic with the power to enslave demons King Solomon's Ring.
This here would be the perfect place to hide something like the ring.
Then I journey to northern Europe to find a collection of treasures that united a kingdom.
Look at this.
This treasure's beneath our feet.
Right here, underneath this water, is a chamber.
Oh, my goodness, Kinga.
There it is.
My name is Ashley Cowie.
I'm an author and archaeological explorer [ Hinges creaking .]
Specializing in ancient symbols and mysterious legends.
I've spent years studying some of the world's most fascinating relics.
Now I'm on the hunt to find out where they are.
Some would hope that these secrets remain hidden.
But I'll leave no stone unturned to uncover the truth in my Legend Quest.
Imagine a ring that gives you supernatural powers, super strength, the power to rule the world just by slipping that ring on your finger.
It sounds like something out of a comic book, like the green lantern, but it's real-- A legendary ancient relic called Solomon's Ring.
History records that about 1,000 years before the time of Christ, the kingdom of Israel was guided by a wise and wealthy ruler, king Solomon.
Legend says that the archangel Michael delivered to Solomon a magical ring, which bore the symbol of two interlaced triangles within a circle-- The seal of Solomon.
The ring was said to give the wearer supernatural abilities-- The most incredible of which was the power to control demons.
Solomon used the ring to enslave demons And force them to build a sacred temple in Jerusalem.
But one day, the demon king stole the ring from Solomon and hurled it into the sea, where it was swallowed by a fish.
Solomon lost his crown and was forced to wander his kingdom as a peasant, starving and alone.
With his last piece of gold, Solomon bought a fish to eat.
Upon tearing it open, he miraculously discovered his lost ring inside.
Solomon reclaimed his throne and continued to rule a prosperous Israel for the rest of his life.
Upon his death, the ring was hidden away, its whereabouts disappearing into history.
So, in order to find the ring, we need to go to the heart of Solomon's kingdom, Jerusalem.
Archaeologists have recently uncovered a 3,000-year-old wall said to be the first physical evidence of Solomon's temple.
This is where Solomon's Ring was last seen.
All of the foundations that we see around us, you know, they're from the 1st century, 2nd century a.
D.
And to consider they actually have traces of archeology from the time of Solomon, that's completely new.
That's something that's gonna change history.
We need to look for any hidden chambers, tunnels, or rooms inside the ruins, which may have housed the ring.
We arrive at the dig site and meet local archaeologist Josh Evan-Chen.
He's all smiles.
I hope that's good news for us.
Evan-Chen: This is one of the hidden gems of Jerusalem-- The entrance to the city of Jerusalem as it was in the time of king Solomon.
What we're looking for is chambers, tunnels, anything like that under there that's been uncovered.
Look, this is an active dig site.
It's not safe for people to go down there.
We can't go down there? I cannot take you down there.
Maybe it was wishful thinking getting access to such a sensitive site.
But that doesn't mean we won't get in.
We head into the Suq, the marketplace of old Jerusalem.
It's a busy place, filled with mystery and history.
This is the street that Jesus dragged the cross up.
Simon of Cyrene helped him and lifted it somewhere around here.
Kinga: We're stepping where Christ stepped.
There's an antique shop in one of these back alleys.
I know the dealer.
He's got a bead on every precious relic that comes and goes, legally or otherwise.
He just may know another way into Solomon's ruins.
Here we are.
Khader, this is Kinga.
Khader Boudin knows I'm not here to bargain for antiques.
He takes us to the back room.
This is where he keeps his most valuable treasures And where we can speak In private.
We are trying to find Solomon's Ring.
And we know we have to get as close to Solomon's temple as we can, but we cannot get close there.
Is there anything you can give us to help us? You know a tunnel underneath the temple of Solomon? If you could show us this, that would be fantastic.
Lucky for us, khader has a good memory.
We leave with his directions to the tunnel.
And we're on our way.
All right, guys.
Here's the cave.
So, you got your torches ready? Man: Yeah, ready.
We find it on the edge of the city-- The tunnel that may lead beneath the ruins of Solomon's temple.
Solomon built this temple with sacred geometry and secrets hidden in the architecture.
Hopefully, we can find something in the building of these caves pointing us to the location of the ring.
Cowie: This could have been used to transport artifacts in and out of Solomon's temple.
Wow, it's an abyss that goes upwards.
Could be the way to Solomon's temple right here.
Look at that.
Kinga: It's definitely big enough to send a person, people, treasure down.
All of the above.
This is completely different than the start of the tunnel.
Man: Yes, it is.
We're moving upwards here.
We seem to be raising-- There's, like, steps here.
Come and look at this.
There's, like, a chamber up here above the tunnel system.
It goes on farther, and it seems to go up, probably taking us out right in the center of the ancient temple of Solomon.
Whoa! Guys, look at this! The tunnel dead-ends in an underground chamber.
It looks like the end of the line.
But if the clues are here, it could be the beginning.
Have a quick look here.
Let's see if there's any holes.
There's been every effort taken to secure this part of the chamber.
Someone built this to keep something in and to keep people out.
Can you see that, Kinga? It's an archway.
That doorway forms a triangle-- One half of the seal of Solomon The other half being an inverted triangle.
That could be a signature to tell us they secreted the ring into this cave here, right to this chamber.
We didn't find Solomon's Ring, but we may have found a clue.
I think that symbol above the doorway might point us to where the ring may have gone.
The star of David-- That symbol came from Solomon's Ring.
These symbols were so important to these people, holy sites and sacred landscapes were laid out using sacred symbols.
Like a map.
Exactly.
Now Is it possible that Solomon used the seal to lay out his kingdom? And if he did, it might point us to where he took the ring.
Cowie: Look where we are right now.
Right in the kingdom of Solomon, Jerusalem.
If we lay Solomon's symbol over the map of Israel with Jerusalem at the center, six holy cities of Solomon's kingdom fall on or about the points of the star.
He may have used this seal as a compass to create his empire.
But the most holy aspect of this symbol, the north, the apex of the clue we saw in the tunnel, points to Tel Megiddo.
A fortification of Solomon-- This was one of his most important strongholds to the north.
There's archeology up there that shows he protected the holy land from attacks from the north.
But most importantly, Tel Megiddo is where the three major religions believe the battle at the end of days is gonna happen.
Armageddon.
Armageddon.
Megiddo means "armageddon.
" It was gonna be the final battle between good and evil.
The ring itself was said to have the forces and the power to command the demons.
Perfect weapon.
The seal of Solomon is everything, and it's pointing us towards Tel Megiddo in the north.
We follow the clue two hours north to Tel Megiddo Ancient ruins built by Solomon on the top of the highest hill in a nearly deserted valley.
We're here-- Tel Megiddo, guys.
All right, troops.
Kinga: Quite the view.
Cowie: It commands a view of the whole countryside, everywhere around it.
You knew who was boss when you looked up to a place like this.
We're standing on the very hilltop Where the end-of-days battle is supposed to take place.
I need to see if I can find any clue or symbol relating to Solomon.
I've got a kind of feeling of darkness around today, a sort of feeling of foreboding, as if some things are best left untouched.
After hours of looking, I haven't found any symbols or traces of Solomon at this site.
Ashley.
Yes? But when Kinga reappears, she's got someone with her.
This is Norma Franklin.
An archaeologist who's been working at this site for 20 years.
Maybe she'll be able to help us.
We're looking for clues, any symbols or evidence relating to the seal of Solomon-- Essentially, Solomon's Ring.
Is there anything that's come up from this site like that? I can tell you we haven't found it here.
But, as we say in archeology, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Since Norma's telling us there are no signs and symbols here, we have to find out where the people that lived here went.
Maybe they'll have taken the ring with them.
So, when was this abandoned? I mean, when was the last inhabitation here? The people, after they stopped living up here, they went and lived down there.
What, in the valley here? It marks the site of the village that took over the story of this tel.
Today, it's a prison.
If you're looking for symbols, that's where you'll find it, not up here.
The people that lived up here moved into the valley below.
The ring or any clue leading to its whereabouts may have gone down there with them.
But those village ruins are now beneath a maximum-security prison.
And that's exactly where we're going to go in search of the ring of Solomon.
I made several calls and finally got his approval to go into the prison On condition we take every measure to protect the identities of the people inside.
We are going into a maximum-security prison.
They are going to be watching our every move, so we have to be very, very careful.
We're in a maximum-security prison.
This could put us right on top of the ring.
Our quest for the demon controlling ring of Solomon has us headed into a maximum-security prison in northern Israel to investigate the ruins of an ancient village, on the condition that we take every measure to protect the identities of the people inside.
It's possible the guards and barbed wire have kept people from finding the ring, but we may have just moved one step closer to it.
Kinga: We have to be very, very careful.
[ Dog barks .]
Cowie: Now, we've come from the top of Tel Megiddo there, looking for the ring of Solomon.
So this is exactly where we should be in search of the ring.
It's a big space, too.
Yeah, it is.
Minutes after we arrived, one of the archaeologists working the site came over to see what we were up to.
After telling him about our search for Solomon's Ring, I decide to take advantage of this opportunity and ask him about what they'd found at the site.
Prayer hall? That's where ancient civilizations would install all their important symbology.
That's exactly what I'm looking for.
Okay, I would really, really like to see the inscriptions.
Is there any way we could maybe just peel the sand a little? He wouldn't budge in moving the sand, but I convinced him it was crucial to my search, so he reluctantly agreed to retrieve pictures they had taken of the prayer-hall floor.
Yeah, okay.
Is there a greater contrast than the very first Christian building being surrounded by the darkness that is actually here? This is christianity pre-christianity, basically-- A place where the foundation of christianity was laid.
The archaeologist returns with their official documentation of what's hidden beneath 3 feet of sand.
The fish is a very important early Christian symbol.
Stop there.
The fish was an early symbol for Jesus.
It still holds significance, even today.
We know early christians used symbols to hide their beliefs or risk being killed.
But why are there two fish? My theory is that one fish represents Jesus and the other could represent the story of Solomon's Ring.
Remember, Solomon found his ring in the belly of a fish.
Considering Solomon had a fortification there and we have these fish here at the heart of christianity, leads to the possibility that the ancient mosaic could be a coded symbol that this group of early christians may have had the ring.
It only took one generation for christians to go from literally being fed to lions as local sects and cults all the way through to becoming the most powerful religion in the known world.
How is that possible? Solomon's Ring, a source of power, could be the answer.
A ring like that would certainly have helped that establishment of power.
Assuming the early christians had the ring, there's no way such an important relic is gonna be left here in the sands of time to rot away.
If that ring went anywhere, it's going to the heart of the Christian power base.
The place where all holy Christian relics are eventually sent.
We need to go to Rome.
The clue we found in the prison in megiddo was huge.
That single image of the two fish in the ring has turned the key on our whole quest.
We went from looking for Solomon and the ancient Israelites in Jerusalem to following the trail of early christianity from its beginnings in the holy land to the city that became its center, new Jerusalem-- Rome.
And there's only one place in Rome the ring would have gone The center of all christianity, home to its most sacred relics The Vatican.
As we make our way there, it's hard not to be overwhelmed by the symbology etched into every surface of the city.
Your head must be exploding now-- Symbols everywhere.
Just everywhere.
Oh, my goodness, Kinga.
There it is.
Two fish in a ring.
Look above the doorway, okay? Do you see the circle? Yeah.
With the fish? There's the symbol we saw in Tel Megiddo.
It's evolved.
The word above the fish, "Ichthys"-- "The fish" in Greek.
"The fish" and "Ichthys" are one and the same.
And that tells me everything.
Just as our two-fish- in-the-ring symbol has evolved, that symbol has also evolved.
Let me show you this.
Okay, so, look.
Cowie: Start with this.
Look at the word "Ichthys.
" The same as over the door.
Cowie: Yeah, but look beyond the word.
Look at the shapes of the letters.
Look what happens.
The straight vertical The cross, the circle This "y" shape And an "e" shape, overlaid, form that.
The eight-pointed wheel.
That there and that symbol there Are one and the same.
I have a hunch this new symbol could be a key to confirming the ring may be in the Vatican.
Let's keep heading to the Vatican.
So, I need to speak with my contact here, Richard bowen.
His long connection to the Vatican has given him extraordinary access to many of its secrets.
So, Richard, the artifact that we're tracking is the ring of Solomon.
We found a symbol which I believe unifies Christ and the seal of Solomon-- A ring with two fish in it.
Would I be right in saying that if Solomon's Ring did come to Rome, it would be here at the Vatican? Well, it's difficult, actually, to say on that matter there, but, obviously, given the importance of the Vatican and the history that it's had here in Rome, there's always a possibility that there could be something tucked away at the Vatican.
Is there anywhere I can look here, looking specifically for that ring? We've got a whole series of archives here, and we also have the so-called secret archives, a private collection, if you like, here set aside.
And the secret archives has as many as 52 Miles of shelving.
Not open to the public to go in there and browse as they wish.
I'm not surprised by his answer.
I didn't expect him to just let me into the Vatican's secret archive.
But I still believe I'm in the right place.
I just need confirmation of my theory that the ring came to the Vatican.
So I ask Richard if he thinks I'm right.
On that, I cannot say.
But if you take a different perspective and move back perhaps from your originalThinking, then maybe you might be able to come to the solution in another manner.
A different perspective.
Hey, Kinga.
Richard's given me an idea.
You need to get me a helicopter.
We followed the christianity to Rome searching for Solomon's Ring.
We've learned that over time, the fish symbol we were chasing has evolved into the symbol of the wagon wheel.
We weren't able to get into the Vatican, so I'm hoping that a different approach can put us on top of the ring.
Following Richard's advice, I'm hoping that looking at this from a different angle might help us get confirmation of my theory that the ring is there in the Vatican.
And there it is, the wagon wheel, the symbol that evolved from the blending of Solomon's Ring and Jesus, right on top of the Vatican.
And that's not the only connection to the Vatican.
The ring of the fisherman, the fish in a ring-- It all goes back to Solomon.
That layout of St.
Peter's square reveals more than the obvious, and it helps confirm my theory that Solomon's Ring is in the Vatican.
The ring of the fisherman symbolizes possession of the ring of Solomon.
It's very possible that Solomon's Ring made its way from Jerusalem to the site of armageddon and now to the Vatican, protected by the pope himself, ready to do battle with evil in the final days.
2,000 years ago, there existed a collection of Magical Treasures powerful enough to build an entire kingdom.
They were called the 13 treasures of britain.
Bringing them together, using them, and protecting them was the destiny of one man and would help solidify his place in history as the greatest sorcerer of all time-- Merlin.
The legend begins in the 6th century Celtic nation of Brittany, France, where Merlin was born, studied, and grew to become the greatest sorcerer in the land.
There, he met Viviane, the lady of the lake, who seduced him into teaching her the secrets to his magic.
She also prophesied that Merlin was to collect 13 Magical Treasures and become destined to protect them forever.
According to oral histories collected in ancient texts known as the men of the north, Merlin headed north to england to begin gathering the treasures, which included a cloak that would render the wearer invisible and a chariot that moved at lightning speed.
Once all the items were together, Merlin and a young king Arthur used them to build one of the most prosperous kingdoms in history.
But after a big battle, Arthur is wounded and taken to an island to recover.
To protect the treasures, Merlin fled with them into the woods, vowing to keep them safe until Arthur's return.
But Viviane cast a spell on Merlin That put him eternally asleep, sealed in a glass coffin, entombed in a cave alongside the treasures, surrounded by water With a great rectangular rock marking the site.
In order to find the 13 treasures of britain, we have to locate Merlin's final resting place.
Most legends surrounding the sorcerer's burial site place it in england, and a few others theorize it's in wales or Ireland.
However, I have a different theory that puts Merlin somewhere else entirely-- My home country of Scotland.
People think of Camelot and think of england.
But one theory I've been researching is that due to the border shifting over the centuries, at the time, Camelot actually existed at Arthur's seat in Edinburgh in what is now Southern Scotland.
Legends tell us that Merlin could actually be buried somewhere underneath Camelot.
That gives us good reason for going to Arthur's seat to look for traces of Merlin and Merlin's treasures.
People reckon Arthur's seat to be the legendary Camelot.
And looking at this hillside, you can imagine what Camelot may have looked like centuries ago.
Now, if that is the case, Merlin could be entombed somewhere under this very hill.
There's a lake here, and since Merlin is said to be entombed in a cave near water, we may be on the right trail.
So we need to look for a cave nearby, as well as a large stone, which legend says marks the entrance to Merlin's grave.
Find the grave, find the treasure.
We start off right here, so let's move.
Our quest for Merlin's treasure has taken us to a ruin in Edinburgh, Scotland, believed to be king Arthur's castle.
We're looking for the burial site of Merlin, which is also believed to contain his Magical Treasures.
We start off right here, so let's move.
So, what we're gonna do is come up to the high points in the hill.
We're gonna look for fissures in the cliffs.
We're gonna look for any man-made marks on the natural landscape.
One of the reasons this is believed to be Camelot is that atop Arthur's seat is an ancient fort said to belong to warriors who fought in a great battle That is mentioned along with Arthur in a late 6th-century poem.
Found anything, Kinga? There's a bunch of old rubble and a lot of natural stone but nothing specific.
There's nothing tomb-like, cave-like.
There's no water.
I'll go around the back side.
Be really careful.
It's wet.
The rocks are slide-y.
I'm on it.
So far, this place is just a blank slate.
It's looking bad.
And then A cave.
Hey, Kinga.
There's a crack in the face here.
Can you get in? I'm gonna try and get in.
Wow, look at this now.
This is definitely a cave entrance, Kinga.
Does it go pretty far back? Just sparking up-- One second.
Do you see anything inside? Ashley, what's in there? There's certainly a cave entrance back about 9 feet.
No Merlin, no treasures.
It's a dead end.
The Camelot connection seems to be leading nowhere.
We need to focus more on Merlin and less on his connection to Arthur.
Kinga's arranged for me to meet historian Archie young, who's been studying Merlin for more than 50 years.
I'm hoping he can tell me more about Merlin's death.
Archie, thanks for coming.
It's good to see you.
Kinga, this is Archie.
Kinga's the producer.
Nice to meet you.
Let me tell you what we've been up to today.
We're looking for evidence of Merlin, the wizard.
The modern research has suggested that the arthurian legends actually originated in Scotland.
Is there anything you can give us about Merlin, Merlin's tomb, or the whereabouts of Merlin's treasures around this area? That's local history? So you're saying Merlin was actually recorded as being down there at Stobo? Archie, thanks so much.
You're welcome.
If Merlin did in fact die at Stobo church, he may be buried there.
But I need to find evidence to support this claim.
Find the grave, find the treasure.
We're headed South to the church in Stobo.
Merlin was a druid and a self-confessed sorcerer.
Why would he be buried in a Christian church? What we've got from Archie is really, really interesting because nobody can quite pinpoint where he was last found.
He appears immense and whatnot, but nobody knows where.
This is as close as we've been.
I think this is it, Kinga.
All right, guys.
So, here we are at Stobo.
Keep your eyes peeled for anything relating to Merlin or any of the stories we've heard about him so far.
We're gonna look for anything man-made in the outer landscape surrounding the church, anything that looks like an entrance to a cave.
Essentially, that's where the treasures are gonna be.
Let's just look for Merlin at the moment, and anything pointing us towards him.
Go.
Look at all these graves with all these symbols on them.
Do you see them? Kinga: A lot of skull and crossbones.
Symbols of mortality.
We search the church grounds but find no signs of a rock marking Merlin's grave or a nearby cave.
We head inside to look for clues relating to Merlin's death that could take us one step closer to finding his stash of magical items.
Look at this alcove over here.
This is strange.
Look at this.
"Myrddin.
" It's the welsh spelling of "Merlin.
" And it shows him being baptized by Saint Kentigern.
It looks victorian.
But look at this.
It's a stone baptismal that is much older, at least 6th century.
And it's this same one in the window.
Does this mean Merlin was here at Stobo church? If he was, his treasures could be close by.
Our search for Merlin's treasures has led us to Stobo, Scotland.
What we found here is staggering-- A stained-glass window showing Merlin getting baptized and possibly the actual altar that may have been used to perform the baptism.
The most famous sorcerer in the world converting to christianity? I'm gonna need some supporting evidence.
So I'm meeting with Bob milne, an expert in druidic culture and the minister of this church, to get some answers.
We want to find out a little bit more about Merlin and his association to Stobo church here.
Okay.
The reason why the church was first built here in the 6th century was because it replaced an old druidic temple that stood on this little hillock.
That's where your friend Merlin comes in.
If you come over here Milne: The legend was that Kentigern came down here, found Merlin, who, of course, at that time was a high priest of the druidic pagan cult.
This piece of stone here is reputed to be part of the altar stone where Merlin was baptized and took his first communion with Kentigern.
Merlin was taking communion? Mm-hmm.
Kentigern managed to convert Merlin to christianity.
Don't hear that very often.
I've never heard that.
So, what does the story say about Merlin after he was baptized? Legend has it that very shortly after his conversion and baptism, Merlin actually died.
So, you're telling me he was converted to christianity, and the legend ends that he died? Legend that he died, and he didn't get to go back to Glasgow with Kentigern as was the original intention.
If Merlin died here, we've certainly found no evidence that he's buried in these grounds.
There's got to be some kind of clue I'm missing.
Coming back to this window, Bob, that word, "Myrddin"-- Why do you think I'm looking at a non-anglicized spelling of "Merlin" in a Scottish church? There are other legends of Merlin and Arthur.
And one of them revolves around a battle.
Arthur was badly wounded.
Merlin set sail South and returned back to France.
France? Yeah.
One legend tells us Merlin died here.
The next legend tells us he fled to France.
But how could he have both died and fled to France? For the answer, we need to look at the symbolism of being baptized.
What if the death of Merlin is allegorical for his conversion, for being born again-- A born-again Christian? I don't think he died here.
I don't think he was buried here.
I think it's all allegory.
He's gone back to France.
But where in France would he have gone? I think the answer is written on the window.
"Myrddin," the welsh spelling of "Merlin.
" There's only one place in 6th-century France that spoke welsh The ancient Celtic nation of Brittany.
We need to go to Brittany.
I think so, too.
I think this is definitely the path less traveled, but it's a good one.
I'm with you.
Let's go to France.
If Merlin ended up in Brittany, we need to find his burial site.
Find the grave, find the treasure.
His conversion to christianity may provide the missing piece to this puzzle.
What we're looking for is a christianized version of Merlin.
The research we've done has told us there's a church right here surrounded by arthurian legends.
We'll check it out when we see it.
Here we are, guys.
Kinga: Pretty little French country church.
Isn't it just? Saint Onenne church was built in the 16th to 17th century.
Wow, this is some building.
During Merlin's time, this area was a center for druidic culture, and it's steeped with connections to the great sorcerer.
Look at this painting.
It's a sorcerer standing over a table of treasure.
In fact, this whole room is filled with imagery dating back to Merlin's time.
The key is knowing how to interpret the symbology of the images.
Cowie: Look at this.
Most people would see Christian symbology, but it's a fusion of Celtic and Christian.
The four lions representing the four evangelists, but look right there in the center-- The white stag.
According to legend, Merlin could transform into a white stag.
The cross around his neck could represent the Christian Merlin.
Look farther into these symbols.
Here's a body of water, a spring or a fountain.
And next to it is a large stone just like the legend-- A large stone near a body of water marks Merlin's tomb.
So, we've got the arrival of Merlin here as a Christian.
And, of course, if you read around the church and come to this painting here, on the right-hand side, you can see Merlin lying there, being seduced by Viviane.
She's casting a spell in her arm right there.
Can you see it? Kinga: Yeah, I see.
And right beside Merlin, you can see the fountain again And the rock again that's depicted on the back wall.
There are a lot of stories in here, aren't there? Yeah, but they're the same thing.
They tell the same story-- Merlin and the fountain.
And, of course, if you read across here to the right, to this painting here, in the bottom left, Merlin again, but he's depicted sleeping.
Kinga: Why sleeping? He's enchanted by Viviane.
Ah.
He's under the spell.
Just read this church like a book.
We've got the Christian Merlin arriving-- Fountain.
Merlin begin enchanted-- Fountain.
This here tells me one clear thing.
What is that? The fountain with the stone could be Merlin's tomb.
Find the tomb, find the treasures.
But how do we find the fountain? When I first looked at the image of the wizard by the treasure.
[ Camera shutter clicks .]
Something about it felt familiar, and now I know why.
Look here.
It's a church, but not just any church.
It's the very church we're in now.
And look at his arm.
He's pointing the treasure northeast towards the area containing the fountain.
Is this a clue that the fountain and the treasure are northeast of the church? If I draw a straight line northeast of the church, we run directly into a site called Barenton Fountain.
We've got to go and find that fountain because if Merlin and his treasures are buried anywhere, it's right there at that fountain.
Cowie: Guys, I've been looking at the maps here, and we've got like a half-hour hike.
We might have to go 2 or 3 kilometers into this-- Essentially a wilderness.
We're gonna have to stick together 'cause it's gonna be so, so easy to get lost in woods like this.
They could go on for Miles and Miles.
There's not much daylight left, so let's get a move on.
Let's go.
We're headed northeast towards the Barenton Fountain, an ancient spring that has only recently been uncovered, deep in this forest.
The fountain is said to date from the time of Merlin.
Legends of healing water, magical rainstorms, and sacred ceremonies surround the archaic site.
After heading several Miles on a northeast axis from the church, we reach a clearing.
Guys, we found our fountain.
Look at this.
We're in France looking for Merlin's magical treasures which include a cloak of invisibility and a chariot capable of moving at lightning speed.
The artifacts have been recorded in numerous texts rooted in the 6th century that state Merlin was buried with them.
Using clues we uncovered at a nearby church, we tracked the location of these alleged magical items to an ancient fountain dating from the time of Merlin.
Look at this.
This must be it.
This is the Barenton Fountain for sure.
It's a near identical match to the fountain we saw at St.
Onenne's church.
It even has the same rock.
This could be the stone marker of Merlin's grave we've been looking for.
It's like a chamber without a roof, isn't it? He's not in a cave.
He's underneath possibly the most holy fountain in the region, the holy well of Barenton.
Can you see that-- All the bubbles coming up? That might tell us that right here underneath this water is a chamber with air escaping through the stones.
These rocks here could be the remains of the actual chamber.
[ Water bubbling .]
Let's have a look around.
You see anything, Kinga? There's just no signs of an entrance to a chamber.
It must be underneath this fountain here.
You think there's any way we can get to him? My archeology side wants to get a spade and start digging up.
I want to block this, dam this off, and see what's under there.
But because this site's in national forestry land, it will require a permit that could take years to get.
You think our Merlin could be down there? If Merlin walked these landscapes and Merlin existed, this is precisely where he would have chosen, overlooking this landscape, overlooking his culture, overlooking his ancestors, right here at the top of the enchanted forest.
He could be buried right here, with his treasures beneath our feet.
Entombed in a glass coffin? Who knows? But this would be the perfect place for him to have been buried.
If we're to believe the legend, Merlin could still be there, trapped in the cave waiting for Arthur's return to the throne, when he would once again need his Magical Treasures.
We could very well have found Merlin's final resting place.
Whether we did or not, it's almost better to let it lie and continue to believe that there's still a little magic left in the world.
This here would be the perfect place to hide something like the ring.
Then I journey to northern Europe to find a collection of treasures that united a kingdom.
Look at this.
This treasure's beneath our feet.
Right here, underneath this water, is a chamber.
Oh, my goodness, Kinga.
There it is.
My name is Ashley Cowie.
I'm an author and archaeological explorer [ Hinges creaking .]
Specializing in ancient symbols and mysterious legends.
I've spent years studying some of the world's most fascinating relics.
Now I'm on the hunt to find out where they are.
Some would hope that these secrets remain hidden.
But I'll leave no stone unturned to uncover the truth in my Legend Quest.
Imagine a ring that gives you supernatural powers, super strength, the power to rule the world just by slipping that ring on your finger.
It sounds like something out of a comic book, like the green lantern, but it's real-- A legendary ancient relic called Solomon's Ring.
History records that about 1,000 years before the time of Christ, the kingdom of Israel was guided by a wise and wealthy ruler, king Solomon.
Legend says that the archangel Michael delivered to Solomon a magical ring, which bore the symbol of two interlaced triangles within a circle-- The seal of Solomon.
The ring was said to give the wearer supernatural abilities-- The most incredible of which was the power to control demons.
Solomon used the ring to enslave demons And force them to build a sacred temple in Jerusalem.
But one day, the demon king stole the ring from Solomon and hurled it into the sea, where it was swallowed by a fish.
Solomon lost his crown and was forced to wander his kingdom as a peasant, starving and alone.
With his last piece of gold, Solomon bought a fish to eat.
Upon tearing it open, he miraculously discovered his lost ring inside.
Solomon reclaimed his throne and continued to rule a prosperous Israel for the rest of his life.
Upon his death, the ring was hidden away, its whereabouts disappearing into history.
So, in order to find the ring, we need to go to the heart of Solomon's kingdom, Jerusalem.
Archaeologists have recently uncovered a 3,000-year-old wall said to be the first physical evidence of Solomon's temple.
This is where Solomon's Ring was last seen.
All of the foundations that we see around us, you know, they're from the 1st century, 2nd century a.
D.
And to consider they actually have traces of archeology from the time of Solomon, that's completely new.
That's something that's gonna change history.
We need to look for any hidden chambers, tunnels, or rooms inside the ruins, which may have housed the ring.
We arrive at the dig site and meet local archaeologist Josh Evan-Chen.
He's all smiles.
I hope that's good news for us.
Evan-Chen: This is one of the hidden gems of Jerusalem-- The entrance to the city of Jerusalem as it was in the time of king Solomon.
What we're looking for is chambers, tunnels, anything like that under there that's been uncovered.
Look, this is an active dig site.
It's not safe for people to go down there.
We can't go down there? I cannot take you down there.
Maybe it was wishful thinking getting access to such a sensitive site.
But that doesn't mean we won't get in.
We head into the Suq, the marketplace of old Jerusalem.
It's a busy place, filled with mystery and history.
This is the street that Jesus dragged the cross up.
Simon of Cyrene helped him and lifted it somewhere around here.
Kinga: We're stepping where Christ stepped.
There's an antique shop in one of these back alleys.
I know the dealer.
He's got a bead on every precious relic that comes and goes, legally or otherwise.
He just may know another way into Solomon's ruins.
Here we are.
Khader, this is Kinga.
Khader Boudin knows I'm not here to bargain for antiques.
He takes us to the back room.
This is where he keeps his most valuable treasures And where we can speak In private.
We are trying to find Solomon's Ring.
And we know we have to get as close to Solomon's temple as we can, but we cannot get close there.
Is there anything you can give us to help us? You know a tunnel underneath the temple of Solomon? If you could show us this, that would be fantastic.
Lucky for us, khader has a good memory.
We leave with his directions to the tunnel.
And we're on our way.
All right, guys.
Here's the cave.
So, you got your torches ready? Man: Yeah, ready.
We find it on the edge of the city-- The tunnel that may lead beneath the ruins of Solomon's temple.
Solomon built this temple with sacred geometry and secrets hidden in the architecture.
Hopefully, we can find something in the building of these caves pointing us to the location of the ring.
Cowie: This could have been used to transport artifacts in and out of Solomon's temple.
Wow, it's an abyss that goes upwards.
Could be the way to Solomon's temple right here.
Look at that.
Kinga: It's definitely big enough to send a person, people, treasure down.
All of the above.
This is completely different than the start of the tunnel.
Man: Yes, it is.
We're moving upwards here.
We seem to be raising-- There's, like, steps here.
Come and look at this.
There's, like, a chamber up here above the tunnel system.
It goes on farther, and it seems to go up, probably taking us out right in the center of the ancient temple of Solomon.
Whoa! Guys, look at this! The tunnel dead-ends in an underground chamber.
It looks like the end of the line.
But if the clues are here, it could be the beginning.
Have a quick look here.
Let's see if there's any holes.
There's been every effort taken to secure this part of the chamber.
Someone built this to keep something in and to keep people out.
Can you see that, Kinga? It's an archway.
That doorway forms a triangle-- One half of the seal of Solomon The other half being an inverted triangle.
That could be a signature to tell us they secreted the ring into this cave here, right to this chamber.
We didn't find Solomon's Ring, but we may have found a clue.
I think that symbol above the doorway might point us to where the ring may have gone.
The star of David-- That symbol came from Solomon's Ring.
These symbols were so important to these people, holy sites and sacred landscapes were laid out using sacred symbols.
Like a map.
Exactly.
Now Is it possible that Solomon used the seal to lay out his kingdom? And if he did, it might point us to where he took the ring.
Cowie: Look where we are right now.
Right in the kingdom of Solomon, Jerusalem.
If we lay Solomon's symbol over the map of Israel with Jerusalem at the center, six holy cities of Solomon's kingdom fall on or about the points of the star.
He may have used this seal as a compass to create his empire.
But the most holy aspect of this symbol, the north, the apex of the clue we saw in the tunnel, points to Tel Megiddo.
A fortification of Solomon-- This was one of his most important strongholds to the north.
There's archeology up there that shows he protected the holy land from attacks from the north.
But most importantly, Tel Megiddo is where the three major religions believe the battle at the end of days is gonna happen.
Armageddon.
Armageddon.
Megiddo means "armageddon.
" It was gonna be the final battle between good and evil.
The ring itself was said to have the forces and the power to command the demons.
Perfect weapon.
The seal of Solomon is everything, and it's pointing us towards Tel Megiddo in the north.
We follow the clue two hours north to Tel Megiddo Ancient ruins built by Solomon on the top of the highest hill in a nearly deserted valley.
We're here-- Tel Megiddo, guys.
All right, troops.
Kinga: Quite the view.
Cowie: It commands a view of the whole countryside, everywhere around it.
You knew who was boss when you looked up to a place like this.
We're standing on the very hilltop Where the end-of-days battle is supposed to take place.
I need to see if I can find any clue or symbol relating to Solomon.
I've got a kind of feeling of darkness around today, a sort of feeling of foreboding, as if some things are best left untouched.
After hours of looking, I haven't found any symbols or traces of Solomon at this site.
Ashley.
Yes? But when Kinga reappears, she's got someone with her.
This is Norma Franklin.
An archaeologist who's been working at this site for 20 years.
Maybe she'll be able to help us.
We're looking for clues, any symbols or evidence relating to the seal of Solomon-- Essentially, Solomon's Ring.
Is there anything that's come up from this site like that? I can tell you we haven't found it here.
But, as we say in archeology, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Since Norma's telling us there are no signs and symbols here, we have to find out where the people that lived here went.
Maybe they'll have taken the ring with them.
So, when was this abandoned? I mean, when was the last inhabitation here? The people, after they stopped living up here, they went and lived down there.
What, in the valley here? It marks the site of the village that took over the story of this tel.
Today, it's a prison.
If you're looking for symbols, that's where you'll find it, not up here.
The people that lived up here moved into the valley below.
The ring or any clue leading to its whereabouts may have gone down there with them.
But those village ruins are now beneath a maximum-security prison.
And that's exactly where we're going to go in search of the ring of Solomon.
I made several calls and finally got his approval to go into the prison On condition we take every measure to protect the identities of the people inside.
We are going into a maximum-security prison.
They are going to be watching our every move, so we have to be very, very careful.
We're in a maximum-security prison.
This could put us right on top of the ring.
Our quest for the demon controlling ring of Solomon has us headed into a maximum-security prison in northern Israel to investigate the ruins of an ancient village, on the condition that we take every measure to protect the identities of the people inside.
It's possible the guards and barbed wire have kept people from finding the ring, but we may have just moved one step closer to it.
Kinga: We have to be very, very careful.
[ Dog barks .]
Cowie: Now, we've come from the top of Tel Megiddo there, looking for the ring of Solomon.
So this is exactly where we should be in search of the ring.
It's a big space, too.
Yeah, it is.
Minutes after we arrived, one of the archaeologists working the site came over to see what we were up to.
After telling him about our search for Solomon's Ring, I decide to take advantage of this opportunity and ask him about what they'd found at the site.
Prayer hall? That's where ancient civilizations would install all their important symbology.
That's exactly what I'm looking for.
Okay, I would really, really like to see the inscriptions.
Is there any way we could maybe just peel the sand a little? He wouldn't budge in moving the sand, but I convinced him it was crucial to my search, so he reluctantly agreed to retrieve pictures they had taken of the prayer-hall floor.
Yeah, okay.
Is there a greater contrast than the very first Christian building being surrounded by the darkness that is actually here? This is christianity pre-christianity, basically-- A place where the foundation of christianity was laid.
The archaeologist returns with their official documentation of what's hidden beneath 3 feet of sand.
The fish is a very important early Christian symbol.
Stop there.
The fish was an early symbol for Jesus.
It still holds significance, even today.
We know early christians used symbols to hide their beliefs or risk being killed.
But why are there two fish? My theory is that one fish represents Jesus and the other could represent the story of Solomon's Ring.
Remember, Solomon found his ring in the belly of a fish.
Considering Solomon had a fortification there and we have these fish here at the heart of christianity, leads to the possibility that the ancient mosaic could be a coded symbol that this group of early christians may have had the ring.
It only took one generation for christians to go from literally being fed to lions as local sects and cults all the way through to becoming the most powerful religion in the known world.
How is that possible? Solomon's Ring, a source of power, could be the answer.
A ring like that would certainly have helped that establishment of power.
Assuming the early christians had the ring, there's no way such an important relic is gonna be left here in the sands of time to rot away.
If that ring went anywhere, it's going to the heart of the Christian power base.
The place where all holy Christian relics are eventually sent.
We need to go to Rome.
The clue we found in the prison in megiddo was huge.
That single image of the two fish in the ring has turned the key on our whole quest.
We went from looking for Solomon and the ancient Israelites in Jerusalem to following the trail of early christianity from its beginnings in the holy land to the city that became its center, new Jerusalem-- Rome.
And there's only one place in Rome the ring would have gone The center of all christianity, home to its most sacred relics The Vatican.
As we make our way there, it's hard not to be overwhelmed by the symbology etched into every surface of the city.
Your head must be exploding now-- Symbols everywhere.
Just everywhere.
Oh, my goodness, Kinga.
There it is.
Two fish in a ring.
Look above the doorway, okay? Do you see the circle? Yeah.
With the fish? There's the symbol we saw in Tel Megiddo.
It's evolved.
The word above the fish, "Ichthys"-- "The fish" in Greek.
"The fish" and "Ichthys" are one and the same.
And that tells me everything.
Just as our two-fish- in-the-ring symbol has evolved, that symbol has also evolved.
Let me show you this.
Okay, so, look.
Cowie: Start with this.
Look at the word "Ichthys.
" The same as over the door.
Cowie: Yeah, but look beyond the word.
Look at the shapes of the letters.
Look what happens.
The straight vertical The cross, the circle This "y" shape And an "e" shape, overlaid, form that.
The eight-pointed wheel.
That there and that symbol there Are one and the same.
I have a hunch this new symbol could be a key to confirming the ring may be in the Vatican.
Let's keep heading to the Vatican.
So, I need to speak with my contact here, Richard bowen.
His long connection to the Vatican has given him extraordinary access to many of its secrets.
So, Richard, the artifact that we're tracking is the ring of Solomon.
We found a symbol which I believe unifies Christ and the seal of Solomon-- A ring with two fish in it.
Would I be right in saying that if Solomon's Ring did come to Rome, it would be here at the Vatican? Well, it's difficult, actually, to say on that matter there, but, obviously, given the importance of the Vatican and the history that it's had here in Rome, there's always a possibility that there could be something tucked away at the Vatican.
Is there anywhere I can look here, looking specifically for that ring? We've got a whole series of archives here, and we also have the so-called secret archives, a private collection, if you like, here set aside.
And the secret archives has as many as 52 Miles of shelving.
Not open to the public to go in there and browse as they wish.
I'm not surprised by his answer.
I didn't expect him to just let me into the Vatican's secret archive.
But I still believe I'm in the right place.
I just need confirmation of my theory that the ring came to the Vatican.
So I ask Richard if he thinks I'm right.
On that, I cannot say.
But if you take a different perspective and move back perhaps from your originalThinking, then maybe you might be able to come to the solution in another manner.
A different perspective.
Hey, Kinga.
Richard's given me an idea.
You need to get me a helicopter.
We followed the christianity to Rome searching for Solomon's Ring.
We've learned that over time, the fish symbol we were chasing has evolved into the symbol of the wagon wheel.
We weren't able to get into the Vatican, so I'm hoping that a different approach can put us on top of the ring.
Following Richard's advice, I'm hoping that looking at this from a different angle might help us get confirmation of my theory that the ring is there in the Vatican.
And there it is, the wagon wheel, the symbol that evolved from the blending of Solomon's Ring and Jesus, right on top of the Vatican.
And that's not the only connection to the Vatican.
The ring of the fisherman, the fish in a ring-- It all goes back to Solomon.
That layout of St.
Peter's square reveals more than the obvious, and it helps confirm my theory that Solomon's Ring is in the Vatican.
The ring of the fisherman symbolizes possession of the ring of Solomon.
It's very possible that Solomon's Ring made its way from Jerusalem to the site of armageddon and now to the Vatican, protected by the pope himself, ready to do battle with evil in the final days.
2,000 years ago, there existed a collection of Magical Treasures powerful enough to build an entire kingdom.
They were called the 13 treasures of britain.
Bringing them together, using them, and protecting them was the destiny of one man and would help solidify his place in history as the greatest sorcerer of all time-- Merlin.
The legend begins in the 6th century Celtic nation of Brittany, France, where Merlin was born, studied, and grew to become the greatest sorcerer in the land.
There, he met Viviane, the lady of the lake, who seduced him into teaching her the secrets to his magic.
She also prophesied that Merlin was to collect 13 Magical Treasures and become destined to protect them forever.
According to oral histories collected in ancient texts known as the men of the north, Merlin headed north to england to begin gathering the treasures, which included a cloak that would render the wearer invisible and a chariot that moved at lightning speed.
Once all the items were together, Merlin and a young king Arthur used them to build one of the most prosperous kingdoms in history.
But after a big battle, Arthur is wounded and taken to an island to recover.
To protect the treasures, Merlin fled with them into the woods, vowing to keep them safe until Arthur's return.
But Viviane cast a spell on Merlin That put him eternally asleep, sealed in a glass coffin, entombed in a cave alongside the treasures, surrounded by water With a great rectangular rock marking the site.
In order to find the 13 treasures of britain, we have to locate Merlin's final resting place.
Most legends surrounding the sorcerer's burial site place it in england, and a few others theorize it's in wales or Ireland.
However, I have a different theory that puts Merlin somewhere else entirely-- My home country of Scotland.
People think of Camelot and think of england.
But one theory I've been researching is that due to the border shifting over the centuries, at the time, Camelot actually existed at Arthur's seat in Edinburgh in what is now Southern Scotland.
Legends tell us that Merlin could actually be buried somewhere underneath Camelot.
That gives us good reason for going to Arthur's seat to look for traces of Merlin and Merlin's treasures.
People reckon Arthur's seat to be the legendary Camelot.
And looking at this hillside, you can imagine what Camelot may have looked like centuries ago.
Now, if that is the case, Merlin could be entombed somewhere under this very hill.
There's a lake here, and since Merlin is said to be entombed in a cave near water, we may be on the right trail.
So we need to look for a cave nearby, as well as a large stone, which legend says marks the entrance to Merlin's grave.
Find the grave, find the treasure.
We start off right here, so let's move.
Our quest for Merlin's treasure has taken us to a ruin in Edinburgh, Scotland, believed to be king Arthur's castle.
We're looking for the burial site of Merlin, which is also believed to contain his Magical Treasures.
We start off right here, so let's move.
So, what we're gonna do is come up to the high points in the hill.
We're gonna look for fissures in the cliffs.
We're gonna look for any man-made marks on the natural landscape.
One of the reasons this is believed to be Camelot is that atop Arthur's seat is an ancient fort said to belong to warriors who fought in a great battle That is mentioned along with Arthur in a late 6th-century poem.
Found anything, Kinga? There's a bunch of old rubble and a lot of natural stone but nothing specific.
There's nothing tomb-like, cave-like.
There's no water.
I'll go around the back side.
Be really careful.
It's wet.
The rocks are slide-y.
I'm on it.
So far, this place is just a blank slate.
It's looking bad.
And then A cave.
Hey, Kinga.
There's a crack in the face here.
Can you get in? I'm gonna try and get in.
Wow, look at this now.
This is definitely a cave entrance, Kinga.
Does it go pretty far back? Just sparking up-- One second.
Do you see anything inside? Ashley, what's in there? There's certainly a cave entrance back about 9 feet.
No Merlin, no treasures.
It's a dead end.
The Camelot connection seems to be leading nowhere.
We need to focus more on Merlin and less on his connection to Arthur.
Kinga's arranged for me to meet historian Archie young, who's been studying Merlin for more than 50 years.
I'm hoping he can tell me more about Merlin's death.
Archie, thanks for coming.
It's good to see you.
Kinga, this is Archie.
Kinga's the producer.
Nice to meet you.
Let me tell you what we've been up to today.
We're looking for evidence of Merlin, the wizard.
The modern research has suggested that the arthurian legends actually originated in Scotland.
Is there anything you can give us about Merlin, Merlin's tomb, or the whereabouts of Merlin's treasures around this area? That's local history? So you're saying Merlin was actually recorded as being down there at Stobo? Archie, thanks so much.
You're welcome.
If Merlin did in fact die at Stobo church, he may be buried there.
But I need to find evidence to support this claim.
Find the grave, find the treasure.
We're headed South to the church in Stobo.
Merlin was a druid and a self-confessed sorcerer.
Why would he be buried in a Christian church? What we've got from Archie is really, really interesting because nobody can quite pinpoint where he was last found.
He appears immense and whatnot, but nobody knows where.
This is as close as we've been.
I think this is it, Kinga.
All right, guys.
So, here we are at Stobo.
Keep your eyes peeled for anything relating to Merlin or any of the stories we've heard about him so far.
We're gonna look for anything man-made in the outer landscape surrounding the church, anything that looks like an entrance to a cave.
Essentially, that's where the treasures are gonna be.
Let's just look for Merlin at the moment, and anything pointing us towards him.
Go.
Look at all these graves with all these symbols on them.
Do you see them? Kinga: A lot of skull and crossbones.
Symbols of mortality.
We search the church grounds but find no signs of a rock marking Merlin's grave or a nearby cave.
We head inside to look for clues relating to Merlin's death that could take us one step closer to finding his stash of magical items.
Look at this alcove over here.
This is strange.
Look at this.
"Myrddin.
" It's the welsh spelling of "Merlin.
" And it shows him being baptized by Saint Kentigern.
It looks victorian.
But look at this.
It's a stone baptismal that is much older, at least 6th century.
And it's this same one in the window.
Does this mean Merlin was here at Stobo church? If he was, his treasures could be close by.
Our search for Merlin's treasures has led us to Stobo, Scotland.
What we found here is staggering-- A stained-glass window showing Merlin getting baptized and possibly the actual altar that may have been used to perform the baptism.
The most famous sorcerer in the world converting to christianity? I'm gonna need some supporting evidence.
So I'm meeting with Bob milne, an expert in druidic culture and the minister of this church, to get some answers.
We want to find out a little bit more about Merlin and his association to Stobo church here.
Okay.
The reason why the church was first built here in the 6th century was because it replaced an old druidic temple that stood on this little hillock.
That's where your friend Merlin comes in.
If you come over here Milne: The legend was that Kentigern came down here, found Merlin, who, of course, at that time was a high priest of the druidic pagan cult.
This piece of stone here is reputed to be part of the altar stone where Merlin was baptized and took his first communion with Kentigern.
Merlin was taking communion? Mm-hmm.
Kentigern managed to convert Merlin to christianity.
Don't hear that very often.
I've never heard that.
So, what does the story say about Merlin after he was baptized? Legend has it that very shortly after his conversion and baptism, Merlin actually died.
So, you're telling me he was converted to christianity, and the legend ends that he died? Legend that he died, and he didn't get to go back to Glasgow with Kentigern as was the original intention.
If Merlin died here, we've certainly found no evidence that he's buried in these grounds.
There's got to be some kind of clue I'm missing.
Coming back to this window, Bob, that word, "Myrddin"-- Why do you think I'm looking at a non-anglicized spelling of "Merlin" in a Scottish church? There are other legends of Merlin and Arthur.
And one of them revolves around a battle.
Arthur was badly wounded.
Merlin set sail South and returned back to France.
France? Yeah.
One legend tells us Merlin died here.
The next legend tells us he fled to France.
But how could he have both died and fled to France? For the answer, we need to look at the symbolism of being baptized.
What if the death of Merlin is allegorical for his conversion, for being born again-- A born-again Christian? I don't think he died here.
I don't think he was buried here.
I think it's all allegory.
He's gone back to France.
But where in France would he have gone? I think the answer is written on the window.
"Myrddin," the welsh spelling of "Merlin.
" There's only one place in 6th-century France that spoke welsh The ancient Celtic nation of Brittany.
We need to go to Brittany.
I think so, too.
I think this is definitely the path less traveled, but it's a good one.
I'm with you.
Let's go to France.
If Merlin ended up in Brittany, we need to find his burial site.
Find the grave, find the treasure.
His conversion to christianity may provide the missing piece to this puzzle.
What we're looking for is a christianized version of Merlin.
The research we've done has told us there's a church right here surrounded by arthurian legends.
We'll check it out when we see it.
Here we are, guys.
Kinga: Pretty little French country church.
Isn't it just? Saint Onenne church was built in the 16th to 17th century.
Wow, this is some building.
During Merlin's time, this area was a center for druidic culture, and it's steeped with connections to the great sorcerer.
Look at this painting.
It's a sorcerer standing over a table of treasure.
In fact, this whole room is filled with imagery dating back to Merlin's time.
The key is knowing how to interpret the symbology of the images.
Cowie: Look at this.
Most people would see Christian symbology, but it's a fusion of Celtic and Christian.
The four lions representing the four evangelists, but look right there in the center-- The white stag.
According to legend, Merlin could transform into a white stag.
The cross around his neck could represent the Christian Merlin.
Look farther into these symbols.
Here's a body of water, a spring or a fountain.
And next to it is a large stone just like the legend-- A large stone near a body of water marks Merlin's tomb.
So, we've got the arrival of Merlin here as a Christian.
And, of course, if you read around the church and come to this painting here, on the right-hand side, you can see Merlin lying there, being seduced by Viviane.
She's casting a spell in her arm right there.
Can you see it? Kinga: Yeah, I see.
And right beside Merlin, you can see the fountain again And the rock again that's depicted on the back wall.
There are a lot of stories in here, aren't there? Yeah, but they're the same thing.
They tell the same story-- Merlin and the fountain.
And, of course, if you read across here to the right, to this painting here, in the bottom left, Merlin again, but he's depicted sleeping.
Kinga: Why sleeping? He's enchanted by Viviane.
Ah.
He's under the spell.
Just read this church like a book.
We've got the Christian Merlin arriving-- Fountain.
Merlin begin enchanted-- Fountain.
This here tells me one clear thing.
What is that? The fountain with the stone could be Merlin's tomb.
Find the tomb, find the treasures.
But how do we find the fountain? When I first looked at the image of the wizard by the treasure.
[ Camera shutter clicks .]
Something about it felt familiar, and now I know why.
Look here.
It's a church, but not just any church.
It's the very church we're in now.
And look at his arm.
He's pointing the treasure northeast towards the area containing the fountain.
Is this a clue that the fountain and the treasure are northeast of the church? If I draw a straight line northeast of the church, we run directly into a site called Barenton Fountain.
We've got to go and find that fountain because if Merlin and his treasures are buried anywhere, it's right there at that fountain.
Cowie: Guys, I've been looking at the maps here, and we've got like a half-hour hike.
We might have to go 2 or 3 kilometers into this-- Essentially a wilderness.
We're gonna have to stick together 'cause it's gonna be so, so easy to get lost in woods like this.
They could go on for Miles and Miles.
There's not much daylight left, so let's get a move on.
Let's go.
We're headed northeast towards the Barenton Fountain, an ancient spring that has only recently been uncovered, deep in this forest.
The fountain is said to date from the time of Merlin.
Legends of healing water, magical rainstorms, and sacred ceremonies surround the archaic site.
After heading several Miles on a northeast axis from the church, we reach a clearing.
Guys, we found our fountain.
Look at this.
We're in France looking for Merlin's magical treasures which include a cloak of invisibility and a chariot capable of moving at lightning speed.
The artifacts have been recorded in numerous texts rooted in the 6th century that state Merlin was buried with them.
Using clues we uncovered at a nearby church, we tracked the location of these alleged magical items to an ancient fountain dating from the time of Merlin.
Look at this.
This must be it.
This is the Barenton Fountain for sure.
It's a near identical match to the fountain we saw at St.
Onenne's church.
It even has the same rock.
This could be the stone marker of Merlin's grave we've been looking for.
It's like a chamber without a roof, isn't it? He's not in a cave.
He's underneath possibly the most holy fountain in the region, the holy well of Barenton.
Can you see that-- All the bubbles coming up? That might tell us that right here underneath this water is a chamber with air escaping through the stones.
These rocks here could be the remains of the actual chamber.
[ Water bubbling .]
Let's have a look around.
You see anything, Kinga? There's just no signs of an entrance to a chamber.
It must be underneath this fountain here.
You think there's any way we can get to him? My archeology side wants to get a spade and start digging up.
I want to block this, dam this off, and see what's under there.
But because this site's in national forestry land, it will require a permit that could take years to get.
You think our Merlin could be down there? If Merlin walked these landscapes and Merlin existed, this is precisely where he would have chosen, overlooking this landscape, overlooking his culture, overlooking his ancestors, right here at the top of the enchanted forest.
He could be buried right here, with his treasures beneath our feet.
Entombed in a glass coffin? Who knows? But this would be the perfect place for him to have been buried.
If we're to believe the legend, Merlin could still be there, trapped in the cave waiting for Arthur's return to the throne, when he would once again need his Magical Treasures.
We could very well have found Merlin's final resting place.
Whether we did or not, it's almost better to let it lie and continue to believe that there's still a little magic left in the world.