[davem]

From The Mystic Life of Merlin by RJ Stewart:

'The older elements of Merlin are connected to a primal seasonal myth in which a wild man of the woods, ruler of animals, relates to a flower maiden who represents the fertile earth. ...

(On Guendolena, Merlin's wife in the Vita Merlini by Geoffrey of Monmouth):

Guendolena is not merely a stereotype, nor is she a lesser character that Ganieda (Merlin's sister)...She is the image of a goddess of nature, fashioned out of flowers, a being of intense fertility & beauty. She cannot, in fact, exist alone as a stereotype, for she is complemented & fulfilled by her male partner. Merlin as a wild man is likewise fulfilled by Guendolena, & the Vita barely hides an ancient theme in which the two lovers play the seasonal roles of Winter & Spring, Lord of the Animals & Lady of the Flowers, Death & Life.'

For what its worth.....