Is there any significance to long hair in ancient magical traditions?
Long hair is, in nearly all cases, simply a cultural fashion. We can GUESS that Merlin MAY have had long hair because it was the cultural fashion of his time for men to have long hair worn in various styles. The story of Sampson and Delilah had more to do with a fall from grace and redemption than a literal attribute of his hair. His hair was a metaphor for his strength in his faith. (He was led astray, lost faith, returned to faith, and overcame.) For women, there’s always the biblical “crowning glory” thing about long hair. I’m sure you can find references to hair doing or being something magical, on an individual basis, in stories or myths but there is no generic “my hair is long for a magical reason” other than custom.
