Morgana Pendragon

Morgana is the ward of Uther Pendragon and friend of Merlin. She is also a seer and is the only person within Camelot other than Merlin who appears to have a natural magical gift, although she is unaware of it.

Biography
Morgana is the daughter of Gorlois, an ally of Uther. Following her father's death in battle when she was ten years old, Uther adopted her as his own and raised her as his daughter. (To Kill the King)

Series 1
Morgana is first seen by Merlin during his first days in Camelot where she mistakes him for Gwen while getting ready for a feast celebrating twenty years since the end of The Great Purge.

She first meets Merlin face to face when Gwen is wrongly accused of witchcraft after witnessing him apparently attempting to sacrifice his life for Gwen's (Although it was to save Gwen, he was actually the one who did the enchantment.) She helps Merlin and Arthur defeat the Afanc that Nimueh used to poison the water supply despite them telling her it is too dangerous. (The Mark of Nimueh)

She also is a capable sword fighter. (The Moment of Truth)

Her powers have also been of use against some enemies as Morgana's dreams aid Merlin in defeating two Sidhe that wished to kill Arthur in order for the young female, Sophia, to return to Avalon. (The Gates of Avalon)

She became very attached to Mordred, a young druid boy that Merlin saved, risking disfavour with Uther in order to do so. (The Beginning of the End) When Merlin helped her get Mordred back to his people Morgana was grateful to him and went with him to his home village Ealdor to help him defend it from bandits. (The Moment of Truth)

She is strongly opposed to Uther's stand against magic and questions his choice to execute Mary Collins' son, Tom. (The Dragon's Call) She shares her views with Merlin; that magic is something you are born with rather than something you choose. (The Beginning of the End) She appears to have an awareness of Merlin's abilities although she has never confronted him about it. (The Gates of Avalon, The Moment of Truth, Le Morte d'Arthur et al)

Morgana also has a darker side. She plotted to have Uther killed as revenge for her father's death, as well as Gwen's father. However she changed her mind at the last minute and killed Tauren, the assassin who wished to kill Uther, while Merlin killed the other sorcerers involved. (To Kill the King)

The plot to kill Uther appears to have left a strain on her friendship with Merlin who appeared unsympathetic to her when she warned him that worse things were to come. (Le Morte d'Arthur)

Series 2
Morgana appears to have heard The Great Dragon's angered calls for Merlin. Whether this will be carried over is yet to be seen. (Le Morte d'Arthur)

Personality
Morgana is generally fiesty and sassy. She enjoys taunting Arthur and appears to share a level of sibling rivalry with him. She also appears to fancy Arthur to a certain degree but Arthur does not appear to realise it.(The Dragon's Call, Valiant et al) She is very affectionate to her maidservant Guinevere considering her more of a friend than a servant. When Gwen's father is killed by Uther it prompts Morgana to try and get revenge for both their fathers' deaths by killing him. (To Kill the King)

Morgana appears to to trust Merlin from early on as she goes straight to him when Gwen faced execution. (The Mark of Nimueh) She appears to notice Merlin's powers after Arthur is saved from being offer to the sidhe (The Gates of Avalon et al) Merlin chooses to distance himself from her after her attempt on Uther's life. Nonetheless she still appears to be looking out for him. (To Kill the King, Le Morte d'Arthur)

Abilities
Morgana is a seer, a person who sees the future in their dreams. She often suffers from nightmares as a result of this ability. Although she and Merlin have not revealed to each other their abilities they are both aware of each other. (Valiant, The Gates of Avalon et al)

She also to have some level of telepathy as she is the only person other than Merlin able to hear Mordred speaking in their heads. (The Beginning of the End)

In the legend
Morgana is based on Morgan Le Fay who was the half-sister and enemy of King Arthur in the Arthurian romances. In some legends she was the wife of King Urien of Gore and mother to Sir Ywain, a knight of the Round table. Morgan is also believed to have been a great healer from skills learnt in a corrupt nunnery and a powerful sorceress from being tutored by Merlin.

Morgan fell from favour with Queen Guinevere after she had an affair with the queen's brother and was exiled from court. Thereafter she swore revenge of Arthur and Guinevere. She fled to live with Merlin where she became his mistress while learning magic; in some variations of the legend she is also responsible for his death.

Among Morgan's exploits she is credited with stealing Excalibur, attempting to murder her brother in order to gain his throne, sending the Green Knight to frighten Guinevere to death and aiding in the conception of Galahad, the son of Lancelot. She took Mordred, the son of her sister Anna-Morgause, as her protege who ultimately kills Arthur.

It is yet to be seen when or whether Morgana will follow a similar path.