Netflix’s new fantasy series, Cursed reinterprets the ancient Arthurian legend by putting underdeveloped female characters front and center. But while the Lady of the Lake, or Nimue (Katherine Langford) is this fairy tale's hero, Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgard) is a huge part of her story. In the legend, and its many versions, Merlin guides Arthur to Nimue so she can give him the Excalibur sword. While there’s no historical evidence that Arthur, Nimue or Merlin existed, the hunt for proof of real people has been going on for centuries. Some scholars have reason to believe Arthur is a fictional stand-in for many real deeds done by various historical figures. Likewise, characters like Merlin could be based on real, non-magical people. Others think it’s absurd to even be having this conversation, but yet the question is asked time and time again: Who’s the real Merlin? Where did he come from? Did he really exist?