Morgana Pendragon

Early Life
"When he died and I took you into my care, you fought me from the beginning. Your will is as strong as my own. You challenge me as a friend must. As your father did in his time."

- Uther on Morgana and Gorlois.

According to Uther Pendragon, when Morgana's presumed father Gorlois was away on the Northern Plains, her mother Vivienne grew lonely and had a brief affair with Uther Pendragon and later gave birth to Morgana. As she was born in the house of Gorlois, no one doubted her parentage. She remained with her family until she was about ten years old. At that time Gorlois was killed by enemies of Camelot because Uther failed to send his best friend the promised reinforcements. It was stated by Uther himself that Morgana fought him from the beginning and was never afraid to speak her mind. As a young girl she often practised swordplay with her childhood companion, Arthur, and according to her, used to beat him with a sword, though he would later deny this. Being the only woman in the royal family, she would often sit beside Uther during state affairs and tournaments, seemingly filling the role which would have ordinarily been undertaken by the Queen of Camelot.

Meeting Merlin
"I mean, the man's a total jouster. And just because I'm the King's ward, that doesn't mean I have to accompany him to the feast, does it?"

- Morgana on Arthur



Morgana was first seen by Merlin during his first days in Camelot when he entered her chambers. Morgana, not seeing him, mistook him for Gwen while getting ready for a feast celebrating twenty years since the end of The Great Purge. Morgana resisted attending this celebration, expressing to Uther her sympathy for Mary Collins and her abhorrence for the Great Purge because of the lives taken to accomplish Uther's endeavour to eliminate magic from Camelot. Nevertheless, Uther ordered her to be present. Merlin was initially quite awestruck by the Lady Morgana and watched her flirtatious interaction with Arthur at the feast. She was first properly introduced to Merlin when Gwen was wrongly accused of witchcraft after witnessing his apparent attempt to sacrifice his life for Gwen's (though he was actually the one responsible for the enchantment of which she had been accused). His actions led her to believe he had feelings for Gwen. She helped Merlin and Arthur defeat the Afanc that Nimueh used to poison the water supply despite them telling her it was too dangerous (The Mark of Nimueh).

Early Adventures


"Not that I listen to him. Sometimes you've got to do what you think is right, and damn the consequences."

- Morgana to Arthur At a young age, Morgana discovered that she sometimes dreamt of terrible things that afterwards came to pass. As the court physician, Gaius gave her a variety of sleeping potions, but none proved particularly effective. Her powers first came to good use against enemies of Camelot when Morgana's dreams aided Merlin in defeating two Sidhe that wished to kill Arthur so one of their own, Sophia, who had been banished to a mortal existence, might return to Avalon (The Gates of Avalon).

Morgana later became deeply attached to Mordred, a young druid boy whose life Merlin saved at risk of Uther's wrath should his actions be discovered (The Beginning of the End). Morgana was willing to defy Uther and hide the boy in her chambers; however, she was caught when trying to return Mordred to the Druids. Merlin aided in the safe return of Mordred to his people, and Morgana was grateful. In return, she went with him to his home village Ealdor to help him defend it from bandits (The Moment of Truth).



Morgana has persistently been strongly opposed to Uther's ruthlessness towards magic and questioned his choice to execute Mary Collins' son, Thomas (The Dragon's Call), due to her belief that magic is an inherent quality rather than an active choice (The Beginning of the End). She appeared at times to have an intuitive awareness of Merlin's abilities although she never confronted him with it (The Gates of Avalon, The Moment of Truth, Le Morte d'Arthur et al). In Series 4, though, she appeared totally ignorant to any extra abilities Merlin may have, and strangely has not questioned his ability to thwart any of her plans, instead seeing him as an unusually troublesome servant (The Secret Sharer).

From early on, Morgana also showed signs of a darker side. Her bitterness over her father's death and Uther's pivotal role in it caused her great turmoil and ambivalence towards her guardian. This meant that, when exacerbated by Uther's intention to put Gwen to death unjustly and his actual execution of her father on charges of sorcery, her bitterness blossomed into hatred and a desire for an end to Uther's bloody reign. She plotted to have him killed and took an active role in the performance of the intended murder. However, conflicted and weighed by her conscience, she repented of her intention at the last minute when confronted with the realisation that Uther was truly sorry for his actions in the case of both her father and Gwen's father. She then killed Tauren, the assassin, by stabbing him with a dagger just before he struck Uther down and Merlin killed the other sorcerers involved (To Kill the King). After these events she warned Merlin in a trance that worse things were to come, although he tried to stay away from her because of the fact that she had plotted againist the king (Le Morte d'Arthur).

Exploring her Magic


"Thank you, Merlin. I know now who I really am. And it isn't something to be scared of. Maybe one day people will come to see magic as a force for good."

- Morgana to Merlin

Morgana's magic eventually began to reveal itself. When Morgana accidentally set her room on fire and shattered a vase with magic, she became deeply afraid. She went to Gaius and told him she feared she had magic. Gaius knew it to be true, but lied to her in an attempt to protect her. Merlin advised her to seek out the Druids for help and advice, and Morgana eventually found her way to a Druid camp where she was reunited with Mordred. Merlin later arrived, saying Uther believed she had been kidnapped and was going to execute everyone in Camelot who was under suspicion unless she was returned. Morgana did not want to go back, but an army of Camelot soldiers raided the camp and brought her back. Morgana thanked Merlin for what he did for her, saying her experience had taught her not to fear her powers, though she still realised the danger in exposing them. She was terrified of discovery when Uther hired a witchfinder to expose the last traces of magic, and was desperate to keep her secret hidden. She was later taken hostage when the Witchfinder's treachery was exposed, but was saved by Merlin. Arthur mistakenly believed that Morgana and Merlin had romantic feelings for each other.

Final Betrayal and Disappearance
"I don't want to be brave. I just want to be myself. I don't want to be alone anymore."

- Morgana to Alvarr



Some time later, Mordred returned, sneaking into Camelot to see Morgana with the sorcerer Alvarr, who asked Morgana to steal a powerful crystal hidden in Camelot's vaults. Morgana eventually agreed and stole the crystal, delivering it to Alvarr's camp. When the crystal was discovered to be missing, Merlin suspected Morgana, having caught her in Arthur's chambers when she was stealing the key to the vault, and followed her to the camp, witnessing her reunion with Mordred. Through Gaius, Merlin gave up the location of the camp and Uther sent Arthur and his men to retrieve the crystal and kill Alvarr's men, forcing Morgana to ride to the camp ahead of them and give Alvarr warning. Despite this, Alvarr was captured, although Mordred was able to escape, and when Uther condemned Alvarr to execution, Morgana told Uther that she disowned him and later used her sleeping potions to drug Alvarr's guards, allowing him to escape. Uther suspected Morgana when he heard Alvarr had help escaping and emotionally informed the court that whoever had been responsible had betrayed him (The Witch's Quickening).



Sometime later, Morgana found a letter from Morgause, asking her to meet her. Morgana met with her and admitted that she hated what Uther had become, confessing that she once had the chance to be his assassin, but saved his life instead because she believed he was still capable of change for the better. However, she was ultimately disillusioned and realised Uther would never alter his persecution, and that should he ever discover her true nature he would execute her. Morgause then cast a spell without warning, causing Morgana to fall asleep. When Morgana awoke in Camelot, she thought the meeting with Morgause was only a dream, but as the day progressed and everyone around her began to fall asleep, she hid in her chambers until Arthur and Merlin returned. Morgana, afraid of what was occurring around her and helpless to do anything about it, was disturbed when Merlin suggested that Morgause was behind it. Despite his own suspicions, Merlin covered for her when Arthur wondered why she was the only one not affected by the spell, claiming that Gaius must have given her a draught that fought off the sleeping plague before he succumbed to it himself. Merlin later discovers that Morgause made Morgana the vessel for the sleeping plague, unbeknownst to Morgana herself. For the plague to end, either Morgause must undo the spell or Morgana must die.

Morgana was therefore poisoned by a reluctant Merlin, who rashly saw it as his only option, and as Arthur fought Morgause's knights, Morgana began to suffocate as the hemlock entered her system, quickly falling unconscious. Across the castle, Morgause became aware of Morgana's plight and realised her sister was dying. In order to save her sister, Morgause agreed to call off the attack in return for Merlin revealing what he had used to poison her, and she then disappeared with Morgana (The Fires of Idirsholas).

Return to Camelot
"Merlin? He believes I've changed. And he's right. Soon he will see exactly how much."

- Morgana to Morgause



A year passed by in Camelot with Uther sending his men to scour the kingdom in search of Morgana, costing an ever-increasing number of lives as the soldiers were slaughtered by unseen forces, but Uther refused to give up or see reason. Eventually, a close to hopeless Arthur and Merlin chanced upon a dishevelled, frightened Morgana stumbling through the woods. They then returned with Morgana to Camelot, and Gaius ordered Uther to allow her to rest. When she awoke, Morgana shared an intimate moment with Arthur, explaining how she escaped the bandits who were holding her captive. He embraced her, promising her that she was safe in Camelot. As Arthur left, Morgana noticed a nervous Merlin at the door and called him inside, telling him she knew he poisoned her, and in response he swore he had not wanted to, to which she smiled faintly and informed him she understood why he did it. To his surprise, she tearfully confessed she did not know what she was doing, that she was now aware of "exactly" what Uther fought against, and hoped he could forgive her. Merlin left her chambers elated, relieved that she had forgiven him, but unbeknownst to him her repentance was merely an act as Morgana had been in Morgause's company for the past year, and in that time had been fully corrupted and turned against Uther.



Though she maintained the pretence of dutiful love for the King when they were reunited, it was a ploy to collect his tears, which Morgause then mixed with the black blood of a mandrake plant, creating a spell to drive the king insane. When she was spotted by a sentry returning to the castle after meeting Morgause, Morgana stabbed the guard in cold blood, and then crept inside to place the mandrake root under Uther's bed. By morning he had begun to lose his sanity, hallucinating spectres of the innocents he had executed over the years, including boys he had drowned in a well and Ygraine, whose death was ultimately a result of his own folly meddling with the forces of life and death. Merlin soon found the mandrake root and suspected Morgana, following her when she went to meet Morgause. However, Morgana quickly sensed him following her and caught him, after which Morgause bound him in chains and left him to be killed by Serkets. Morgana returned to Camelot as Cenred's armies prepared to descend on Camelot, and during the battle she crept down into the catacombs to use a magic staff to awaken the dead buried there, sending them forth to attack the knights of Camelot.



Merlin, who survived thanks to the intervention of the dragon, arrived and begged her not to continue, but she insisted that Uther had to be stopped and drew her sword against him. Merlin fought her, albeit rather clumsily in comparison to Morgana's polished swordsmanship, and in the end was forced to use magic to overcome her, causing the stone ceiling to come crashing down on her. Once she fell unconscious, Merlin shattered the staff, destroying the undead army, and rushed back out to find Arthur. In the aftermath of the battle, Uther informed the entire court that they owed their victory to the bravery of one person: the Lady Morgana, who had claimed to have discovered the staff in the tomb and destroyed it (The Tears of Uther Pendragon).

Morgana's Birthday
"I had to stop the future. I had to stop Morgana killing Uther. I didn't mean to do it like this."

- Merlin to Gaius



As the King's ward, Morgana's birthday celebration was a lavish event, attended by many noble families of Camelot. Arthur's gift to her was, on Merlin's inadvertent advice, an ornate jewelled dagger, and Morgause sent a mirror with a message asking Morgana to meet her that night. Unbeknownst to Morgana, Merlin had witnessed glimpses of the future through the Crystal Cave, among them a vision of Morgana murdering Uther with a bejewelled dagger – namely the one given to her by Arthur. As the chain of events Merlin foresaw began to take place, desperate to stop Morgana's intended regicide, he caused torch to flare in front of her as she passed through the castle. However, this happened at the top of a stone staircase, causing Morgana to fall down the stairs as she flinched from the fire. Merlin alerted Arthur, who carried to her Gaius for treatment, though the prognosis was grim. Morgana's skull was fractured and Gaius determined that the injuries were fatal. Morgana spent the next few days unconscious, though she did regain consciousness for a few minutes, during which Uther revealed a shocking secret: while Gorlois had been away fighting, he had had an affair with her mother, and Morgana was a result of this.

A guilt-ridden Merlin later used a spell to heal her, not wanting to be the reason for her death. When Uther came to her bedside, Morgana was deeply conflicted and offered him the chance to tell her the truth about her paternity. Uther, evidently uncomfortable, did not do so, and Morgana interpreted this as him being ashamed of her, thus cementing Morgana's decline into hatred for the Pendragon rule.



Later, when Morgause sneaked into Camelot to see her, a bitter Morgana revealed her discovery. Despite her own shock, Morgause explained to her that her being of royal blood was good news for them, as she now had a legitimate claim to the throne. Morgause tried to make Morgana promise not to do anything rash, but Morgana's anger towards Uther became frenzied. Hurt and angry that he had lied to her all her life and feeling he had disowned her to uphold his reputation as "the perfect king", she retrieved the dagger Arthur gave her for her birthday, intending to kill Uther that very night. Merlin confronted her once more, knowing what was about to happen, but she used magic to hurl him into the wall, knocking him unconscious and upturning a candle, thus starting a fire. With no one in her way, Morgana entered Uther's chambers and stood over him with the dagger as foreseen by Merlin, but as she was about to murder Uther, Merlin raced into the doorway and used his magic to shatter the window. Morgana dropped the dagger just as Uther awoke and kicked the blade under his bed, fabricating the excuse that she had become frightened by the fire and was seeking security. Uther suspected nothing (The Crystal Cave).

Plotting Against Arthur


"And then, my Lady Morgana, you must play your part well." "When have I not?"

- Cenred and Morgana

During the time in which Arthur was to be forced into marrying a princess, Morgana noticed that he and Gwen had fallen in love. After speaking to Morgause about this, the two plotted to use Arthur's love for Gwen against him by conceiving a plan that would result in his death. With Arthur dead, Morgana would be able to ascend to the throne of Camelot. Morgause had Cenred kidnap Gwen and her long lost brother, Elyan. Gwen was told to bring Arthur to the Castle of Fryien where Cenred was staying, else her brother would be killed. Gwen did so, only after Merlin saw the scars left on her wrists from the chains, and admitted it was a trap so Arthur could be prepared.



On the morning of the excursion, Morgana announced she was coming as well, and despite Merlin's attempts to convince Arthur not to let her come, Arthur was glad to have her along and pointed out that he needed Morgana to watch his back, since Merlin was useless with a sword. As they travelled, Merlin tried to get rid of Morgana by causing her horse to throw her, spraining her ankle, but Arthur helped her along. As they made camp, Arthur revealed his plan to sneak into the castle through tunnels known only to Uther and a few others of the royal court. Despite Merlin's attempts to thwart her, Morgana was able to alert Morgause and Cenred to the tunnels, and their men were waiting to ambush the party from Camelot. Cenred made a show of dragging Morgana away from the others, which allowed her to reunited with Morgause, but when Arthur and the others escaped, Morgause wasn't worried- she knew that Arthur would never leave without Morgana, and she was right. Arthur arrived to find Cenred holding Morgana hostage with a sword to her throat, and Morgause attempted to hit Arthur with a deadly spell, but Merlin's arrival interrupted it, and when Morgana insisted they leave her behind to escape since her ankle was injured, Arthur threw her over his shoulder and carried her out, much to Merlin's amusement (The Castle of Fyrien).

Morgana plotted against Arthur again when he went on a quest to find the golden trident and she tried to kill him by using a Phoenix Eye in a bracelet. However this failed because Merlin removed the Eye from Arthur's arm and gave it to the Fisher King, foiling her plan. Also during this time, Gwen began to suspect Morgana after she saw her with Morgause to the point that she saw Morgana using magic, finally discovering Morgana's betrayal (The Eye of the Phoenix).

A Fellow Future Queen


"Whatever relationship exists between Arthur and Gwen, you must destroy it."

- Morgause advising Morgana

Morgana later began to have dreams about Gwen becoming Queen of Camelot. To prevent this, she told Arthur to spend the next day with Gwen, then invited Uther on a ride with her, intentionally passing the spot where Arthur and Gwen were. When Uther realised Arthur was smitten with a servant, he banished Gwen from the city. However, when Arthur decided to join her and then return later to make Gwen his queen, Morgana realised she had failed to alter the future and break up Arthur and Gwen. Morgana then planted suspicions in the King's mind about the possibility of an enchantment, having previously planted a poultice under Arthur's pillow to frame Gwen. Gwen was sentenced to death and, seeing Morgana's cold smile on hearing her sentence, finally realised that she was behind it all. Merlin, however, thwarted Morgana's plans by using an ageing spell to become Dragoon the Great, a veteran wizard who claimed to have placed the poultice to bring shame on Camelot, leaving a somewhat confused Morgana foiled (Queen of Hearts).

Queen of Camelot
"First I want you to suffer as I suffered. To know what it's like to be alone and afraid. To be disgusted with who and what you are."

- Queen Morgana to Uther



Morgana and Morgause eventually managed to get their hands on the Cup of Life. Using this to turn Cenred's army immortal, Morgause overran Camelot's army and captured the castle. Uther was dragged to the throne room where he was forced onto his knees to watch Morgana's coronation. Unbeknownst to anyone in the room, Arthur and Merlin were also present, witnessing the event through a grate in the wall. Arthur was visibly devastated not only by Morgana's betrayal, but by his father's concealment of her being his sister. Arthur and Merlin escaped to raise a resistance movement against Morgana's reign, but Uther was imprisoned, left alive only to bear witness to everything he held dear being torn down around him.

Morgana ruled for some time and tried to get the Knights of Camelot to pledge themselves to her, but regardless of the fact that she claimed to be Uther's daughter, the knights were loyal to the King and refused to obey her. As punishment and to ensure their compliance, Morgana allowed her army to execute peasants, a cold warning that any treason the knights attempted would be unleashed on the innocents of Camelot. Afterwards, Morgana visited Uther in the dungeons, mockingly calling him "father". A deeply distraught Uther pointed out that innocent people were suffering, but Morgana angrily retaliated by saying she was merely mirroring the extreme persecution that had dominated his reign. Uther then begged her to kill him and not innocent people, but she coldly stated she would execute him only after she was satisfied that he had suffered the same amount of pain he had caused his victims. This, as well as Morgana's claim of hating him beyond his understanding, compounded Uther's psychological destruction.

Morgana seemed hopeful that Guinevere would remain loyal to her, and indeed Gwen replied that she had always been so, but Gwen then freed Sir Leon from the dungeons and Morgana's men followed them to Arthur. However, Arthur was able to escape and rally a small group of knights to lay siege to Camelot. Arthur, Merlin, Elyan, Lancelot, Gwaine and Percival infiltrated Camelot, but Morgana's soldiers intercepted them, and so while the knights fought, Merlin and Lancelot set out to find and tip over the Cup of Life. Morgause attacked Merlin but Gaius intervened and Merlin attacked her with magic, causing her to slam into a stone column and allowing Merlin to empty the Cup to destroy the army.

Morgana arrived moments later and rushed to Morgause's side, cradling her just as Morgause had done over a year before. Merlin told her grimly that it was over, to which she furiously retorted that it had just {C {C begun. Morgana's subsequent screams of fury brought the walls of the throne room crumbling down around them, forcing Merlin, Gaius and Lancelot to flee. In the aftermath, there was no sign of either Morgana or Morgause in the rubble, indicating that Morgana had used magic to escape with Morgause (The Coming of Arthur).

Unleashing the Dorocha
"Something the Cailleach said. She spoke of someone called Emrys. Called him my doom."

- Morgana to Agravaine



At some point over the following year, Morgana gained the allegiance of Arthur's uncle, Agravaine, who was stationed in Camelot as Arthur's chief advisor after Uther's deteriorated mental state left him incapable of ruling. Morgause had escaped with Morgana, severely weakened and physically damaged to the point where recovery was beyond both of their considerable abilities. Morgana's powers had developed greatly and she too was now a High Priestess of the Old Religion. At Morgause's request, Morgana sacrificed her sister on the Isle of the Blessed at midnight during Samhain, with Morgause wanting her inevitable death to at least be used for Morgana's benefit. The sacrifice of a soul, as required by the Cailleach, tore the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Morgana was thrown back and knocked unconscious for a few moments, and upon waking she saw the Cailleach, who confirmed that her powers were strong but warned her that Emrys would be her destiny and doom, without telling her that he was in fact Merlin. She also saw the Dorocha which she had unleashed upon the world.

Later, Morgana met with Agravaine in her house in the woods where he informed her that the Dorocha had brought Camelot to its knees and that Arthur planned to sacrifice himself to close the veil. Though Agravaine was clearly pleased by this, Morgana was still uneasy about the Cailleach's words regarding Emrys. Then, that night, she had a dream in which she was surrounded by dead soldiers and was begging Emrys to help her. However, he merely told her that it was all her doing, at which point she woke up, angrily whispering the unknown sorcerer's name.

When Agravaine, who had taken charge of the kingdom in Arthur's absence, told Morgana about Gwen speaking out against him, Morgana told him of the dream she had of Gwen becoming queen and planned to kill her to prevent the vision from coming true. While Agravaine diverted Gwen's attention, Morgana secretly entered Camelot through a tunnel and knocked Gwen unconscious to leave the Dorocha to kill her.



However, Gaius found Gwen and saved her before the Dorocha could kill her. Additionally, Morgana's plan of crushing Camelot through the Dorocha had been thwarted by Sir Lancelot who sacrificed himself to heal the rift in the veil once more. When Morgana learnt that her plans had failed she, in a rage, told Agravaine about Emrys and her belief that he thwarted them. Morgana then told Agravaine to help her find Emrys and kill him (The Darkest Hour).

Uther's Demise
"Arthur will replace him. There'll be no celebration until I take my place upon the throne."

- Morgana to Agravaine Uther was fatally injured by the Gleeman, who had come to Camelot for Arthur's birthday celebrations, but whose intention was to kill Arthur on King Odin's orders. The Gleeman attacked a drugged Arthur in Uther's chambers, prompting the King to defend himself and his son. Uther was fatally stabbed, and in the ensuing days a desperate Arthur even resorted to seeking magical intervention to heal his father. When Agravaine learnt of this, he informed Morgana, who enchanted a necklace to reverse any healing spell used on its wearer and the magnify it tenfold. As a result, when a disguised Merlin performed the spell intended to save the King, Uther was instead killed. Arthur then blamed Dragoon the Great for his father's death while shifting to a deeply suspicious, anti-magical stance, believing that his risk in giving magic a chance was a grave mistake.

Ironically, while Morgana eliminated one persecutor of magic from the throne, she therefore also helped to bring about a second by cementing Arthur's distrust of it. Morgana was immediately aware of Uther's death and when Agravaine came to her she appeared vulnerable, commenting that she had felt Uther's pain as he died and seemed disturbed by the idea of her biological father's death. Additionally, as Arthur was crowned king after Uther's death, Morgana seemingly instinctively inquired about his state of mind ("How's Arthur?") and refused to celebrate her victory with Agravaine, quickly brushing off any sentimentality to claim she would be unsatisfied until she seized control of Camelot.

Alliance with Queen Annis


"Uther was a curse upon this land, as is his son. I seek revenge for wounds they have inflicted, as do you."

- Morgana offering allegiance to Queen Annis

When King Caerleon was killed in cold blood by the recently crowned Arthur Pendragon in an attempt to assert his dominance, Caerleon's furious and grief-stricken wife Queen Annis declared war on Camelot. Morgana soon went to her court and offered her assistance in destroying Arthur. She was able to gain the acceptance by claiming that she wished to avenge the death of Gorlois (a good friend of Annis) whom she viewed as her true father. Morgana demonstrated her intimate understanding of Arthur's nature after he opted for single combat to avoid massive bloodshed, commenting derisively that it was "no trick" as he would always risk his own life over others', "because he's Arthur". During the fight, Morgana enchanted Arthur's sword, multiplying its weight and making it nearly unbearable. Annis’ champion immediately got the upper hand, but Merlin's intervention saved Arthur, giving him the victory and sparing the lives of both sides.



A seething Morgana returned to Annis and swore that Arthur would not be as fortunate next time. Annis, however, had altered her perception of Arthur as King of Camelot, now acknowledging a respect for Arthur's just nature and the hope he brought with him. She refused any further cooperation with Morgana, commenting that she had been mad with grief and allowed Morgana to manipulate her. Morgana venomously called Annis weak, but when Morgana vowed not to rest until all of Camelot bowed before her, Annis shocked her by being the first to openly chastise her, telling her she resembled her hated biological father, Uther, a great deal more than she did Gorlois due to her faithless hatred of Arthur and her blindness to all but her own interests. Morgana, for once without a retort, left Annis to return to scheming alone.

Controlling Merlin


"You're Arthur's servant, nothing more. Yet, time and again, you've proved yourself willing to lay down your life for him."

- Morgana to a captured Merlin After Merlin sacrificed his own safety and cast a spell to cause a rockfall that barred a group of mercenaries' way to Arthur, he was kidnapped and brought to Morgana. She took him back to her hut in the woods and bound him, questioning his loyalty to Arthur while tending to his wounds. Merlin told her she failed to understand loyalty, a claim which she quickly refuted, claiming she merely had no-one left to be loyal to. She then used a spell to heal his wound before readying her plans for him.

Later, she awoke Merlin and showed him a Fomorroh. She then told him that the High Priestesses of the Old Religion used to plant the heads of these creatures into the necks of their enemies, which allowed them to take over their minds. She did just that to him and left him with a single thought: killing Arthur. Morgana then let Merlin leave, subsequently encountering Arthur who had gone out searching for him. Back in Camelot, Merlin tried and failed several times to kill Arthur. However, the steep personality change the Fomorrah also caused meant that Gwen and Gaius soon realised something was wrong with Merlin. Gwen knocked him out to allow Gaius to examine him, and upon realising what it was Gaius paralysed the Fomorroh head, extracted it and threw it into the fire. Believing that that to be the end of it, Gaius left Merlin to wake up, but the next day noticed that the Fomorroh had grown back. Gaius later realised that the only way to completely get rid of the Fomorroh was to kill the mother beast, which he informed Merlin of after paralysing the creature temporarily and giving Merlin back his mind.

Merlin therefore disguised himself as Dragoon the Great and rode to Morgana's hut, intending to retrieve the Fomorrah. However, while searching for it, Morgana returned and caught him rummaging through her belongings. Recognising him as Emrys and at first horrified, she quickly retreated and shut the door, but then warily re-entered, questioning his existence. However, when he took the jar containing the Fomorroh, Morgana regathered herself and two entered into a closely matched and intense magical battle. During the battle she angrily demanded to know who Emrys really was and why as a fellow magic user he would defend Arthur, who despises their kind. Merlin, though disadvantaged by his frail and aged physical form, managed to secure the Fomorroh from Morgana, having defeated and seriously wounded her. He then cast a spell and threw the Fomorrah into the fire, getting rid of it and its spawn once and for all. Later, Agravaine came to visit Morgana and was clearly deeply concerned when he discovered her unconscious in the woods. He carried her to safety, the only one there as she recovered (A Servant of Two Masters).

Kidnapping Gaius


"He knows all our plans. All our secrets. He knows everything."

- Morgana on Emrys

After Morgana recovered, she and Agravaine arranged to have Gaius kidnapped in order to learn the identity of Emrys. She formed a brief alliance with the warrior priest of the Old Religion, Alator, requiring his techniques to extract the information from Gaius. Alator successfully learnt from him that Emrys was actually Merlin, but instead of informing Morgana immediately, he betrayed her, having discovered from Gaius that Merlin was one destined to bring a glorious new age to the kingdom. Alator knocked Morgana unconscious and protected Merlin's identity, leaving Morgana to regain consciousness alone, with Gwaine's arrival having pushed Agravaine into safely returning Gaius to Camelot (The Secret Sharer).

Causing Guinevere's Exile
"We all have our secrets and, unfortunately for Guinevere, I know hers."

- Morgana to Agravaine

Agravaine informed Morgana of Arthur's intentions to marry Gwen, thus realising Morgana's visions of Gwen becoming queen. Determined to stop her vision from coming true, she visited the Dochraid for advice regarding necromancy. The hag explained to Morgana that with the enchanted coin Morgause gave her, she would be able to summon a shade from the dead and bend it to her will. Morgana therefore went to summon Lancelot and moulded his resurrected self, devoid of memory and his former sense of morality, for her malignant purposes. However, she broodingly remarked that she did not feel the pleasure she had expected from such absolute control, instead experiencing a sadness at the bleak contrast between the resurrected Lancelot and his former might.



Nonetheless, she continued to carry out her plan and gave him a single mission: destroy the relationship between Arthur and Gwen. She also enchanted a bracelet to restore Gwen's old feelings for Lancelot and therefore trap her into adultery. Morgana's scheme succeeded, despite Merlin's becoming aware of her use of necromancy, and, having witnessed Gwen's betrayal, Arthur exiled her. When Morgana learnt that Lancelot had successfully fulfilled his task she ordered him to take his own life, which Arthur assumed was due to Lancelot's own sense of right and wrong.

Alliance with Helios
"Truth is, it doesn't matter which way you go."

- Morgana to Guinevere

Morgana at some point entered into an alliance with Helios, the powerful warlord. They prepared to attack Camelot together on the condition that Morgana brought plans of the siege tunnels from the castle vaults, a task which she assigned Agravaine. As she was unsympathetic and irritated by him when he failed in his first attempt, Agravaine therefore killed a boy and enacted a complex scheme to get hold of the plans, of which Morgana then made a magical copy. Morgana brought the plans to Helios, failing to realise she had just walked past Gwen, who had been captured by Helios’ raiding party. Morgana and Helios discussed their plans, therefore allowing Gwen to hear of their intended siege. Gwen fled, but alerted Helios and Morgana to her presence in doing so.



Eventually, Morgana noticed Gwen's tunic in Helios’ caves and, knowing her relationship with Arthur, told Helios to give chase. Morgana herself pursues Gwen through the forests, easily catching her up. Morgana toyed with Gwen briefly, commenting that she'd ridden the forests since childhood, and pointed out the direction of Camelot, which Gwen bitterly distrusted. Morgana, holding her advantage, cast a powerful stunning spell on Gwen when she tried to run. Morgana, snatching Arthur's ring from around Gwen's neck, formulated a plan, now aware of the nearby hunting party. She stood over Gwen, promising she would see Arthur again, but then enchanted her to transform her into a deer. She left her to be caught and shot by the hunters, which she ultimately was, though Merlin once again intervened. Morgana returned to finalise her plans with Helios, preparing the attack on Camelot (The Hunter's Heart).

Second Conquest of Camelot


"Taking Camelot was the easy part, Helios. I want Arthur. Where is he?"

- Morgana to Helios

Some time later, Morgana and Helios’ plan for conquering Camelot came to fruition. When Agravaine opened the siege tunnels beneath the city, a small detachment of her army passed through into the lower town which soon fell to her forces. This distracted the knights of Camelot long enough for Morgana to enter the city with the bulk of her forces. She personally knocked Elyan out with her magic to stop Agravaine from engaging in a sword fight, claiming there was no time to "play soldiers". The castle was quickly overrun by Morgana's men with King Arthur and the knights forced further and further back. Morgana, however, had one sole aim: to capture Arthur. Merlin therefore forced Arthur to flee Camelot by enchanting him to ensure his compliance, and so by the time Morgana herself reached the last stronghold of the Knights of Camelot, Arthur had already disappeared leaving Gaius and Gwaine behind.



Morgana, desperate to remove the last obstacle to the throne, led a troop of her men in hot pursuit. On horseback, she caught up with Arthur but was ultimately foiled again by Merlin and the knights who accompanied Arthur. Agravaine later informed Morgana that the people of Camelot would swear allegiance to none but Arthur, so she ordered their crops to be burnt to force their loyalty, by which even Agravaine seemed perturbed. Set on finding Arthur, Morgana then proceeded to torture Elyan using a Nathair to find out where he was headed. As soon as Elyan revealed the information, she sent Agravaine to Ealdor in search of Arthur, warning him that if he should fail her again he would receive the same treatment as Elyan.



Agravaine, shocked, went to bid Morgana farewell before leaving, emphasising his loyalty and love for her and warning her that even Helios was not to be trusted. Morgana seemed largely unmoved by Agravaine's passionate speech, though claimed to be grateful for his faithfulness, and merely stated that he need never leave her side again if he succeeded in his mission. Morgana then headed down to the dungeons and confronted the captured Gaius, Elyan and Gwaine, all of whom are going hungry as punishment for having killed so many of her men. When Gwaine protested her harsh treatment of them and beseeched her to show mercy to the aged Gaius, she agreed to give them food only if Gwaine was prepared to fight for it. Morgana applauded him mockingly when he won his first fight, tossing him a small chunk of bread as reward and commenting that he would have to do better to earn more ( The Sword in the Stone).

Second Overthrowal
"You can't blame me for my father's sins." "It's a little late for that. You've made it perfectly clear how you feel about me and my kind"

- Arthur and Morgana Morgana remained in control of Camelot for a short period of time, entertaining herself at Gwaine's expense by compelling him to fight more and more unequal battles in return for scant pieces of food to share between all four prisoners in the dungeon. Nonetheless, Morgana's unattested time on the throne was short lived since Helios informed her that the men she sent after Arthur had been wiped out by Kilgharrah and that Agravaine was dead. Morgana immediately identified it as the work of Emrys.



Morgana subsequently ordered that messengers be sent to King Lot to offer a reward for capturing Arthur. She then saw Emrys, or rather Merlin disguised as Dragoon the Great, running past her, much to her horror. Helios tried to reassure Morgana but seeing Emrys greatly unsettled her and she then retired to her chambers, unaware that Merlin had placed an enchanted poppet beneath it. When she was told of Arthur's assault on Camelot, Morgana steeled herself to receive him. Arthur burst into the council chambers and found Morgana and Helios waiting for him. The confrontation was highly tense with Morgana appearing conflicted at the sight of Arthur, who sadly remarked he had thought they were friends, to which Morgana replied "as did I".



Nonetheless, Arthur and Morgana could not reconcile and Morgana accused Arthur of being too much like his father in his hatred of magic, while Arthur retorted that she too resembled Uther in her cruelty. The angered Morgana attempted to attack Arthur with magic, but found her powers to be blocked due to Merlin's poppet. Seeing this, Helios pushed Morgana aside and she fled, fighting her way through various Knights of Camelot, one of whom managed to stab her in the side. Despite this, Morgana continued on only to encounter Guinevere, who confronted her. Gwen demanded to know why Morgana hated her so deeply as they fought, to which Morgana replied that she hated what Gwen was destined to do rather than what she had already done. Morgana swiftly bested Gwen and knocked her sword out of her hand, but before Morgana could harm her Merlin intervened and threw Morgana back magically. Then, in the confusion, Morgana somehow escaped from the castle and found her way to the woods. However, she had been grievously wounded in the process and ended up staggering through the forests alone, collapsing as she went. Then, for reasons unknown, Aithusa the white dragon appeared and healed the injured Morgana, thus reviving her. Morgana, shocked and enraptured, opened her eyes to see Aithusa who briefly looked back at her before flying away.

Personality
"You're wrong. Don't think I don't understand loyalty just because I've got no one left to be loyal to."

- Morgana to Merlin

Morgana is portrayed as being vengeful, ruthless, embittered, cold and calculating. Having turned against her closest friends and even her own family, Morgana single-mindedly pursues what she believes to be her rightful throne as well as the downfall of her enemies, even those she once cared about. She is a highly isolated and darkened character who resembles her biological father far more than she cares to admit since she, like Uther Pendragon, has suffered greatly on an emotional level and is unwilling to let go of past suffering. Additionally, Morgana seeks to avenge her losses but ultimately fails to achieve satisfaction, which dooms her to be perpetually unhappy, a fact first pointed out by Queen Annis much to Morgana’s ire. In spite of her apparent callous antipathy, on rare occasions, Morgana shows a sorrowful melancholy that she herself does not expect to feel, such as upon the death of Uther, the resurrection of Lancelot as a mere shadow of his former glory and her confrontation with Arthur.

Earlier in life, as the King’s ward, Morgana displayed a spirited, quick-witted and compassionate nature. While in Camelot she was considered by many to be very beautiful and attracted the attention of numerous men, including Knight Valiant, Merlin and Arthur Pendragon. However, Morgana proved to be both beautiful and capable; she was also fiery and independent and would not hesitate to stand up to Uther, despite his being her guardian. She always took issue with his cruel and unjust persecution of magic-users, believing that his punishments were unfair and unfitting. When necessary, she also displayed her courage and ability as a fighter, always intervening to stand up for what she felt was right.

Though Morgana initially believed Arthur was a better man than his father and would be a fairer ruler, she ultimately became more and more fixed on her belief that the Pendragons were not fit to rule Camelot and sought to take the throne herself. She joined Morgause in her regicidal ambitions and eventually operated alone in trying to kill Arthur. Despite being motivated by her disagreement with Uther's tyrannical regime, Morgana herself lapsed into a reign of cruelty during the times she ruled Camelot to gain the allegiance of the people, such as executing innocent people in her first reign, and threatening to burn peasants' crops in her second reign. Morgana also took a sadistic pleasure in tormenting Uther and forcing Gwaine to fight for food, and willingly tortured Elyan for information.

Despite her vindictive and unforgiving personality, however, Morgana remains a powerful Arrogant, intelligent and ferociously determined individual. Her darker characteristics are largely the product of external influences while her truer nature was portrayed as one of immense compassion. This nature has arguably not disappeared due to the melancholy she sometimes showed and she does at times reveal a vulnerable side of herself, such as her shock and hurt on hearing of Agravaine's death, her deep conflict at seeing Arthur again, her fear at being rendered powerless and her elation at being healed by Aithusa.

Merlin
"I know I can trust you... You're a good friend."

- Morgana to Merlin



Morgana's relationship with Merlin began well since Morgana appeared to trust him from early on, going straight to him when Gwen faced execution (The Mark of Nimueh). When Merlin ran to her to hide Mordred, the Druid boy, Morgana agreed to help, driven by compassion and trust of Merlin's intentions. When Merlin's village was under attack (The Moment of Truth), Morgana, Gwen and Arthur journeyed with him to defend it, and Merlin overheard her saying that they were there because they all cared for Merlin.

However, Merlin attempted to distance himself from her after her attempt on Uther's life, but ultimately ended up becoming closer to her when she was confused by her manifesting powers. Merlin clearly wanted to help Morgana and tried to persuade Gaius to help her instead of ignoring her powers altogether. Morgana later demonstrated her trust in Merlin by confessing her suspicions of her magic, leading Merlin to eventually advise her to seek the Druids' help despite Gaius and the Great Dragon's warning him not to get involved. He, believing that he could not abandon her and understanding what she was going through, ignored the two ( The Nightmare Begins). The pair remained friends until Merlin discovered that Morgana had once again allied with Uther's enemies in forming a bond with Morgause. When Morgause made Morgana the unwitting vessel for the sleeping plague, Merlin demonstrated a lack of faith in Morgana by believing his only option to be to kill her in order to end the plague. Instead of talking with her, he chose to poison her in order to force Morgause to end the spell to save her life. Though it was done reluctantly, his choice was ultimately one that severely alienated the already conflicted Morgana, who may well have drunk the hemlock on her own to save Arthur, whom she loved deeply, had Merlin simply explained all. However, Merlin chose to believe the worst in Morgana, potentially unaware that Morgause had turned her into the vessel without her knowledge or consent, therefore destroying his relationship with her forever, polluting her better nature and sending her irrevocably into Morgause's care for one year (The Fires of Idirsholas).

When Morgana returned to Camelot, Merlin was anxious that she would expose him, but to his surprise she tearfully said she understood why he did it and confessed that she had had no idea what she was doing. Thinking she had forgiven him, Merlin was vastly relieved until he discovered the enchantment on Uther ( The Tears of Uther Pendragon). When he followed her to meet with Morgause, Morgana dropped the act and revealed her true loathing for Merlin, leaving him bound in chains to die. Curiously, Morgana never exposed Merlin for poisoning her, though she probably could have him executed on the spot for it. Possible explanations include that she feared her magic or her treachery being exposed, that she wanted to kill him herself, or for some reason did not want him executed. Morgana remained ignorant to the fact that she owed her life to Merlin when he cured her fatal head injury, although he acted largely to alleviate his own guilt from having caused her accident in the first place, and also to save Arthur and Uther from their overwhelming grief (The Crystal Cave). With all pretence now dropped, Morgana and Merlin were deeply hostile to one other, though in the presence of Arthur and Gwen they tended to be civil, but not friendly.

Uncharacteristically, Merlin was shown to be very cold towards Morgana and vice versa. Merlin had long since given Morgana up as a lost cause, and when Morgana crowned herself Queen of Camelot, Merlin helped Arthur rally a resistance, destroying the immortal army she and Morgause raised by emptying the Cup of Life after he hurled Morgause into a stone pillar. Morgana's hatred of Merlin was amplified by his severely wounding Morgause, though it is unclear whether her eventual emaciated state and death were a direct result of Merlin's attack. The following year, Morgana was ever more suspicious, paranoid and hostile. She and Merlin did not meet over the course of the year, although Merlin was frequently aware of her plans to seize the throne and continuously thwarted them. Despite this, Morgana did not kill him instantly when he was at her mercy after being captured by mercenaries, instead using him as a pawn in her wider plans ( A Servant of Two Masters). However, Morgana continually remained ignorant to the fact that Merlin was in fact the Emrys foretold to be her doom (The Secret Sharer), still believing he was merely an unusually troublesome servant of Arthur's.

Arthur
"You're a better man than your father. Always were"

- Morgana to Arthur

Morgana and Arthur grew up together and their relationship had always been strong. On the surface they seemed like siblings, teasing one another mercilessly and trading sarcastic comments, but there was also a much deeper connection between them. Morgana proved to be Arthur's advisor and moral compass early on as she was the only one who could get him to confront and defy his father by doing what he knew in his heart was right. Despite being raised together, Arthur and Morgana developed romantic feelings for one another at some point. Whenever knights flattered Morgana it irked Arthur, and he in turn openly accused her of being jealous when she tried to dissuade him from pursuing Sophia. They shared a number of tender moments where it was clear that the love they had for each other went much deeper than attraction, and the prophetic dreams that terrified Morgana most were ones of Arthur's death (The Gates of Avalon, Le Morte d'Arthur). Each time she would desperately try to save him and prevent her prophecies from being realised, on one occasion running to plead with him in front of the assembled knights when she knew he would not return safely from a quest. And just as Morgana was fiercely protective of Arthur, he in turn did everything in his power to keep her safe and happy. He defended her interests against his father, securing her release from the dungeons (To Kill the King) and and agreeing to defy Uther and smuggle Mordred out of Camelot solely for her sake.



However, Arthur's sudden interest in Guinevere caused his relationship with Morgana to suffer. Caught up in his new romantic problems, he failed to realise that Morgana was struggling with something serious and unintentionally left her even more isolated as she wrestled with her growing magic. When she was "kidnapped" by the druids, however, Arthur mounted a rescue and brought her back safely to Camelot, although he did not realise this was not what she wanted. The more he became infatuated with Gwen, the more his relationship with Morgana shifted towards that of brother and sister, while when Uther married Catrina, the two were horrified to discover their new stepmother was a troll. Morgana grew more defensive and less open with Arthur, for instance believing her magic to be the reason she was immune to the sleeping plague while feeling unable to risk telling him the truth. Although Arthur undoubtedly loved and cared for Morgana, she recognised that his position would be one of severe conflict due to his inherited suspicion of magic and therefore could not seek his help.

After Morgause disappeared with Morgana, Arthur demonstrated his devotion to her by spending a year searching for her, feeling that he had failed to protect her. Finding her stumbling through the forest on one such patrol, with great relief Arthur brought her back to Camelot where he tenderly listened to her recount her escape and promised her that she was safe now. When Uther fell ill and Arthur was faced with the burden of ruling, he sought comfort from Morgana, embracing her and telling her how glad he was that she was there with him. Unbeknownst to Arthur, Morgana was, in fact, responsible for Uther's decline, and she continued to plot against the king in secret. When Merlin inadvertently caused a fatal head wound in Morgana in an attempt to stop her from killing Uther, Arthur was utterly grief-stricken at the thought of losing her, ironically telling Merlin he would "sacrifice [his] place on the throne for her to see another sunrise" (The Crystal Cave).

For a time, Morgana's hatred was directed solely at Uther, and largely she showed no animosity towards Arthur, but after the discovery that Uther was her father, Morgause pointed out that Arthur was all that stood between Morgana and the crown, despite her being illegitimate and unrecognised. After this, Morgana began to plot against her half-sibling while he remained a doting brother, even risking his life to go back into Cenred's stronghold to rescue her, unaware that it was a trap to get him killed (The Castle of Fyrien). It was not until Morgause's army overtook Camelot and Morgana crowned herself queen that Arthur learned of her treachery and her true paternity. Arthur reeled in the face of this knowledge and spent a whole week struggling with it, only recovering when Merlin rallied him to take back his kingdom from her. Arthur lamented that he had known Morgana his whole life and could not understand her betrayal, but in the end led his knights against her to take back Camelot.



Over a year after he learned of her treachery, Morgana was now fully estranged from Arthur, plotting against him and bringing about Uther's death from afar which resulted in Arthur being crowned King of Camelot. Morgana therefore continued in her attempts to take Arthur's throne, eventually succeeding in conquering Camelot once again. Her first confrontation with Arthur since leaving came when he stormed the castle to take back the kingdom (The Sword in the Stone). The reunion was clearly tense with Morgana's expression conflicted as Arthur commented he "thought we were friends", to which she, evidently torn, replied "as did I". However, the two could not reconcile and Morgana accused Arthur of being too much like his father, leading Arthur to remark that she too resembled Uther more than she realised.

Guinevere
"What did I do to make you hate me so much?" "It's not what you did, but what you're destined to do!"

- Gwen and Morgana Morgana had a close friendship with her maid, Gwen, whom she treated as an equal rather than a servant. Gwen frequently comforted Morgana when she woke up from nightmares and was very attached to her mistress. When Uther's soldiers killed Gwen's father, Tom, Morgana was enraged on her behalf to the extent where she participated in a plot to kill the King, but later changed her mind. As time went on Morgana noted that Gwen was getting more secretive, and wondered if there was a man involved, which there was. Despite their close friendship, Morgana never confided in Gwen about magic, instead turning to Merlin.

When Morgana was taken away by Morgause, Gwen appeared to miss her, but after Morgana's return it became obvious that her experiences had changed her. Morgana was distant and now treated Gwen like a servant rather than a friend, although she did give Gwen an embroidered handkerchief she received as a birthday present, albeit as an excuse to get Gwen to leave the room so she could read a message sent by Morgause. Morgana soon discovered Gwen's feelings for Arthur when he was forced to marry a princess and she later used this to lure Arthur to a trap in the Castle of Fyrien. When Morgana received visions of a future where Gwen was Queen of Camelot, she was incensed that Gwen would one day rob her of her birthright, so she subtly revealed Gwen and Arthur's courtship to Uther and framed Gwen for enchanting Arthur in order to stop this future from happening. Morgana intended for Gwen to be banished, knowing Arthur would choose exile to be with her, but Uther ordered Gwen to be executed instead. Although this was not part of her plan, Morgana, no longer caring about Gwen's well-being, did not seem bothered by it and was annoyed and confused when Merlin thwarted her again.did not seem bothered by it and was annoyed and confused when Merlin thwarted her again.



Gwen, who had witnessed Morgana using magic already and had seen her with Morgause, was now firmly convinced that Morgana was no longer a friend to any of them, but they continued the pretence of civility. When Morgana was crowned Queen after Cenred's army invaded, Gwen assured Morgana that she was still loyal, but conspired with Sir Leon to escape Camelot and restore Arthur to the throne. Morgana was furious and thought to have Gwen executed, but instead she allowed Gwen and Leon to escape and lead her forces to Arthur's hideout. After her betrayal was exposed, a year later, Morgana, who was determined to prevent her vision of Gwen becoming Queen from coming true, attempted to kill Gwen by knocking her unconscious out in the open so the Dorocha would finish her off come nightfall. Gaius, however, foiled her plan by saving Gwen. Morgana seemed finally victorious over Gwen by resurrecting Sir Lancelot and using him to come between Arthur and Guinevere, which led to the latter's exile.

Some time later, after Gwen happened to eavesdrop on Morgana's conversation with Helios about conquering Camelot, but revealed her presence leading to Morgana coldly pursuing her through the forest. Having caught up with her, two openly confronted each other and Morgana demonstrated her lack of feeling towards her former maid, cruelly taunting her before knocking her unconscious. She then enacted a sadistic plan to have Gwen killed not by herself, but by her lover, Arthur, enchanting her to take the shape of a deer so she would be shot and killed by Arthur's hunting party (The Hunter's Heart).



When she conquered Camelot for the second time, Gwen, along with Arthur, Merlin, Tristan and Isolde, confronted Morgana and Helios in the throne room. She later fought and lost against Morgana one on one and, when she asked what she had done to deserve her hate, Morgana stated that she did not hate her for what she had done, but rather for what she was destined to do, and apologised for having to kill her, although Merlin ultimately prevented her from doing so (The Sword in the Stone). It is yet to be seen of what Morgana's reaction will be when she is to discover that Arthur has married and has crowned Gwen his queen.

Gaius
"Nonsense, my child. My favourite patient is always welcome."

- Gaius to Morgana



Morgana often went to Gaius for potions that were supposed to help her with her nightmares, which were sometimes effective but more often not. Morgana admitted to Aredian that her dreams got worse when Gaius started treating them, though she insisted that this was just a coincidence. She initially trusted Gaius a great deal, even though she told Aredian that she had no idea what he'd put in the potions, because he took care of her and his draughts were the only thing that let her get any sleep. Gaius seemed very fond of Morgana, often calling her "my child" in a grandfatherly tone, but Gaius firmly maintained that Morgana was better off ignorant about her powers, often lying to her about the importance of her dreams and powers in hopes of protecting her from Uther's hatred of magic. He believed that the draughts, which essentially drugged her so that she could not dream, were the best treatment, and was angry when Merlin argued with him about it.

Despite his fondness for Morgana, after the sleeping plague he was quick to believe Morgana had allied herself with Morgause, despite the fact that this was not yet true. He told Merlin he did the right thing by poisoning her, and that Morgana had chosen to use her gifts for evil, despite the fact that at this point she had been nothing more than an unknowing vessel for Morgause’s scheming. Gaius’ former good opinion of Morgana was stripped away and he was highly suspicious of her when she returned. Although he acted as if nothing had changed, Gaius helped Merlin work to thwart her plots time and time again, and when he was possessed by a goblin he told her that her heart was full of darkness. Although Gaius was not initially an object of her hatred, he finally became one of her targets once she suspected that he knew of Emrys, leading to his kidnap. Morgana showed none of her former respect and affection for Gaius and was happy to firstly torture him to extract information, then later leave him deteriorating in a cell without sufficient food.

Uther
"I know I could have no better guardian."

- Morgana to Uther



Morgana had a rather strained relationship with her father, Uther, whom she thought was merely her guardian for most of her life as she believed her father to be the late Gorlois, Uther's best friend. She frequently stood up to Uther when she thought he was being unfair or cruel and was not above defying him to do what was right. Despite his affection for her, Uther was willing to punish her for such defiance, and once had her put in chains in the dungeon for publicly challenging him. After the death of Gwen's father, Morgana conspired with the sorcerer Tauren to kill the king, believing Camelot would be better off with Arthur on the throne, but when Uther expressed his regret over Tom's death, admitting he was arrogant and foolish, she aborted the plan at the last minute. Therefore, when Tauren attacked, she warned Uther and then ended up killing Tauren herself to save the King.



Despite his show of repentance, however, Uther continued to execute people in his campaign against magic, and Morgana became more and more distressed, realising she had been wrong to think he was capable of change. When Mordred returned, she agreed to help steal a crystal from Uther, and later freed a sorcerer from the dungeons. Uther suspected her involvement, emotionally warning that whoever was responsible had betrayed him, but Morgana stayed defiant. When Morgause's sleeping plague fell over Camelot, Arthur left Morgana alone with a sleeping Uther, handing her his sword so she could protect both herself and the king, and a fearful Morgana did not act against Uther, instead choosing to stay with him and wait for Arthur to return. After Merlin poisoned her and Morgause stole her away, Uther was distraught, blaming himself. He then spent a year deploying his army at the cost of a great many men to hunt down magical groups in an attempt to find her.

When Morgause finally conquered Camelot, Uther was captured and brought to the throne room on his knees, where he said Morgause had no right to the throne. Uther finally discovered Morgana's treachery when Morgana stepped out, agreeing with Uther's words and asserting her own royal right. Morgana told him she had known he was her father for some time, and while the guards held him on his knees, Uther watched his daughter be crowned Camelot's new queen. Later, locked in the dungeons and witnessing the execution of peasants through

the bars, Uther begged Morgana to kill him instead of innocent people, but she said he would live until she was satisfied with the amount of suffering he experienced as her revenge for his numerous crimes against those with magic. She then left Uther in the dungeons to rot, stopping only to confirm that she hated him beyond his ability to understand, which prompted a complete mental breakdown to the point where Uther was no longer able to act fully as king, leaving Arthur to serve as regent.

Over the next year, Uther did not recover from his breakdown over Morgana's betrayal and became greatly weakened. In a last display of courage, Uther fought to protect himself and his son, but was fatally stabbed in the process. When Morgana learned that Uther was mortally wounded, she expressed cold pleasure and claimed she hoped her face would haunt him in his final moments. She also actively caused her father's death when she was informed that Arthur planned to use magic to save Uther by enchanting a necklace to reverse any healing spell and worsen the ailment tenfold. Despite causing Uther's death as she had planned for so long, she was left still unsatisfied and said that there would only be cause for celebration when she seized control over Camelot. She also told Agravaine that she had felt her father's pain as he died and was seemingly disturbed by the sensation; whether this means she felt any remorse or simply sensed it through her magic is unknown.

Mordred
"There's a bond between us. It's like nothing I've ever felt before."

- Morgana and Gwen discussing Mordred



Morgana developed an almost immediate close bond with the Druid boy, Mordred, after Merlin sneaked him into the castle when the soldiers were searching for him. She sheltered him while guards searched the castle and tended to his wounds, sympathising with him as Uther's men hunted him. She was protective of Mordred to the extent that she attempted to smuggle him out of Camelot, stating that she was risking her life because there was a "bond" between them like nothing she had ever felt before. Their first escape attempt was ultimately foiled by Arthur, who had no choice but to turn them in since there were witnesses, but he later helped Morgana get the boy safely back to his people.

Morgana's bond with Mordred was further cemented when she stayed with the Druids to learn about her developing powers, but their time with one another was cut short when guards stormed the camp. As the druids tried to flee with her, Morgana was visibly concerned with Mordred's safety, and he was reluctant to leave her behind, but in the end he escaped while Morgana returned to Camelot with Arthur. The two were not reunited until Mordred came into the care of the sorcerer Alvarr, who found him after the Druid massacre, and Alvarr used his close relationship with Morgana to convince her to steal the Crystal of Neahtid from the vaults of Camelot. Morgana's initial agreement was solely for Mordred's sake, as she wanted Alvarr to get the boy out of Camelot before they were caught, and when she delivered the crystal to their camp Mordred ran to embrace her. They were separated again when Morgana had to return to Camelot, but Kilgharrah warned Merlin that Morgana and Mordred shared a destiny and would one day form a dark alliance against Camelot.

Morgause
"I care only that Morgana takes her rightful place upon the throne of Camelot."

- Morgause on Morgana



Morgana was Morgause's younger half-sister, though for many years she had no idea of her existence since Morgause was smuggled away as a baby and given to the Priestesses of the Old Religion. Nevertheless, Morgana felt an immediate connection to her when they met during Morgause's first appearance in Camelot, and Morgause, though not revealing her identity, gave her with a bracelet that had once belonged to their mother, Vivienne, to help prevent Morgana's nightmares. Although Morgause nearly caused Arthur to kill Uther, Morgana remained ignorant of these events since Arthur and Uther swore the witnesses to silence, and so when Morgause requested that she meet with her, Morgana agreed. During their meeting, Morgana confessed her growing hatred of Uther's regime, but had no idea Morgause intended to use her as an instrument to topple Camelot. When Merlin discovered that Morgana was the vessel for the sleeping plague and poisoned her to stop it, Morgause abandoned her attempt to conquer Camelot in order to find out the type of poison to save her sister, evidently grieved as she held Morgana's unconscious body in her arms. Morgause then spirited Morgana away to save her, and kept Morgana in her care for a year, teaching her how to use her magic.



By the time she returned to Camelot, all of Morgana's previous affections had been transferred solely to Morgause and she was completely loyal to her. At this point Morgana seemed fully under Morgause's control, her personality shifting to become almost a copy of her sister's. Morgause, as the more experienced and worldly wise of the two, assumed a puppeteer position over Morgana, being the chief orchestrator of their regicidal schemes. However, Morgause seemed to ostensibly treat Morgana as an equal and did appear to genuinely care for her as she chose to save her life over destroying Camelot. Morgause had such influence over Morgana that when it was revealed that Morgana's father was in fact Uther Pendragon, she managed to convince Morgana to work towards killing Arthur, despite their long history and former deep relationship. Morgana seemed enthralled by her sister, and even when crowned Queen of Camelot, it appeared that Morgause remained the one in control since her rule was one of cruelty, something that she had previously fought against.



The depth of Morgana's attachment to Morgause was shown when the latter was seriously injured by Merlin and Gaius since Morgana was visibly distraught, and her screams of anguish proved to be powerful enough to destroy the throne room walls. In a reversal of the previous year, Morgana escaped with Morgause in an attempt to save her. Morgana remained devoted to the now seriously deteriorated Morgause and thought nothing of attacking Knights of Camelot to protect her. Morgana showed deep reluctance and sorrow when Morgause insisted she use her as a blood sacrifice to tear the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead. Morgana later commented that Morgause had been the last person she had to be loyal to, and her isolation after her sister's death was evident.

Alvarr
"You're not alone. You're here with us. You need never be alone again."

- Alvarr to Morgana



Alvarr approached Morgana to enlist her help in stealing the Crystal of Neahtid, using Mordred as a pawn to win her over. Morgana agreed to help primarily for Mordred's sake, but Alvarr, a con man at heart, used his charm to gain her favour. Having someone to talk with about her magic was a relief for Morgana, and Alvarr knew exactly how to play her so she felt they were kindred spirits, despite the fact that he had a woman in his band. Morgana delivered the crystal to Alvarr and then returned to Camelot, and Alvarr's lover commended him on how well he played the Lady Morgana, which Alvarr did not seem to regret since it achieved his goal.

Indeed, it paid off further for Alvarr when Morgana returned to warn him that Arthur's men were marching on their encampment, although she would have likely come regardless to ensure that Mordred escaped. When Alvarr intended to ambush and kill the knights, Morgana was horrified and said he could not kill them all, commenting that he need only fight to escape, clearly worried about Arthur and the knights she knew to be good men. Alvarr did fight but was captured and brought back to Camelot where Uther ordered him to be executed at dawn. Morgana was furious and told Uther she saw him for what he really was and that she disowned him, before using the sleeping draught Gaius prepared for her to drug the dungeon guards, allowing Alvarr to escape. Though he was shamelessly using her for his own purposes, Alvarr seemed genuinely humbled when she freed him and was evidently grateful for all she had done. (The Witch's Quickening)

Vivienne
It was not made clear how Morgana felt about her mother, Vivienne, as little mention was made of her, which would suggest that she possessed few memories of her. Vivienne's situation remained unknown, though the fact that Morgana lived with Uther from a young age after Gorlois’ death implies that she was either dead or otherwise absent.

Gorlois
"Gorlois raised me as a child. He made me who I am."

- Morgana to Queen Annis about Gorlois Gorlois was probably the person that Morgana felt closest to during her early childhood. When he left to go to battle, at some point he called to Uther for reinforcements. However, Uther failed to deliver them and so Gorlois was outnumbered and killed. Morgana was only ten years old at the time and did not a great many memories of Gorlois when he died. She, ten years later, told Uther at her father's graveside that she only knew that she loved him and that he was taken from her. Morgana blamed Uther for his death, believing that if he had sent the promised reinforcements, he may have survived. She later discovered she was the result of Uther's betrayal of Gorlois in having an affair with Vivienne, which was revealed when she overheard Uther's confession of her true parentage. This furthered her antipathy towards Uther and may have caused her an element of shame for not being Gorlois’ true daughter, though Morgana's feelings towards Gorlois are not made explicit beyond her claiming to Queen Annis that she was working with her in order to honour him.

Agravaine
"I am your one true ally, my lady. I am your one true friend. I would do anything for you, you know that."

- Agravaine to Morgana before his final mission Agravaine served as Morgana's spy in Camelot and was loyal to her due to his sister Igraine's death as a result of Uther's actions, though Morgana did not seem to return this loyalty as she once told Merlin that, after Morgause's death, she had no one left to be loyal to. Agravaine often visited her in her hut to feed her information about what was happening in Camelot and helped her murder Uther Pendragon. Although she displayed no affection towards Agravaine, he was shown to care deeply about her, exhibiting deep concern upon finding her unconscious in the forest after her duel with Merlin (disguised as the aged sorcerer Emrys) and tending to her in her vulnerable state. Whether Morgana actually felt any gratitude for his care is unknown, though it seemed unlikely as she appeared to view him as a lackey and took his servitude for granted.

Later on, when their plans to conquer Camelot came to fruition, Morgana clearly stated that if she had no use for Agravaine, she would have him killed. However, she did profess her gratitude for his loyalty when he came to her for the last time before going after Arthur on her orders and commented that if he succeeded, he need never leave her side again. When she learnt of his death, she was clearly shaken, whether because she was mourning the loss or because she was afraid for herself.

Helios
"Once I'm crowned Queen of Camelot, you may indulge yourself all you wish."

- Morgana to Helios pre-conquest



At some point Helios entered into an alliance with Morgana and seemed quite familiar with her, plotting to besiege Camelot alongside her. Helios appeared to be on more equal ground with Morgana than others such as Agravaine, presumably since he was in control of a sizeable army himself. He took certain liberties with Morgana and seemed attracted to her, commenting that he would hold her to her promise of rewarding him once Camelot was conquered. Though Agravaine had warned Morgana she could not trust Helios, Helios did not show any signs of intending to betray Morgana and continued to ensure her well-being. Helios also displayed a protectiveness of Morgana when her powers failed her and Arthur was launching a counter-attack, pushing her behind him and taking on Arthur himself.

Emrys
"The one they call Emrys will walk in your shadow. He is your destiny... And he is your doom."

- The Cailleach to Morgana



Once the Cailleach delivered her cryptic warning about the sorcerer Emrys being her doom, Morgana began to live in great fear of him, particularly after having a vision of herself pleading for Emrys' help in a battlefield. Though she suspected his having a hand in many of her foiled plans, she first met him face to face when she caught him going through her possessions. This led to a magical duel between the two, which Emrys narrowly won. Morgana became obsessed with discovering Emrys's true identity, believing he stood between her and her birthright, even going so far as to capture Gaius in an unsuccessful attempt to find it out. Morgana continued to be afraid and suspicious of Emrys, panicking when she caught sight of him after she conquered Camelot and fearful of further attack.

Abilities
"Please, Arthur. I have seen terrible things! You cannot go!"

- Morgana begging Arthur not to leave



Morgana is a seer and thus is able to see visions of the future in her dreams. She often suffered from prophetic nightmares as a result of this ability, initially largely revolving around Arthur Pendragon's death. She also has some level of telepathy as she was the only person other than Merlin able to hear Mordred speaking mentally (The Beginning of the End). Morgana is also a powerful sorceress and High Priestess of the Old Religion as well as a highly trained swordswoman.

Though initially Morgana's powers were raw and uncontrolled, resulting in her inadvertently setting her room alight and shattering a vase, in the year spent with Morgause, Morgana's skill with magic improved greatly and she gained control over her abilities. However, she admitted that her magic was still considerably weaker than Morgause's magic (The Tears of Uther Pendragon), many of her spells relying on her using an object of some sort – such as when she tried to kill Arthur by using a phoenix eye - as the central focus for the spell rather than simply conjuring something on her own

When Morgause was wounded by Gaius and Merlin, Morgana displayed tremendous magical power by bringing the whole room crashing down with an emotionally-driven magical outpouring. Her grief for Morgause augmented her powers to an extremely high degree, although it is unknown if she was actually in control of the magic (The Coming of Arthur).



One year later, Morgana's magical powers had grown under Morgause's continued tutelage, and she finally became a High Priestess of the Old Religion. She showed very strong magic when she was able to swiftly defeat four Knights of Camelot, killing two of them. Later on she was able to perform a difficult ritual to tear the veil between the worlds. Morgana repeatedly cast powerful magic that incapacitated her opponents instantly, leaving her largely free to pass in and out of Camelot. Morgana also thwarted Merlin's attempt to cure Uther magically by enchanting a necklace to counteract any healing spell and worsen the ailment tenfold (The Wicked Day).

Morgana later used an enchantment on Arthur's sword to make it ten times as heavy when he fought Derian in single combat in an attempt to have him killed (His Father's Son). However, while she has great skill in casting complex spells, she has little experience using magic in direct combat, as shown when she directly engaged Merlin in a magical duel. Although she did come close to overcoming him (partially due to his weakened condition of his body being that of a frail old man), she was ultimately defeated by him and badly wounded (A Servant of Two Masters). Morgana once used telekinesis to cause her dagger to follow Merlin wherever he moved, which would have been certain death for him had Alator not intervened and, catching her by surprise, knocked Morgana out with a stunning spell (The Secret Sharer). Morgana also demonstrated enough magical competence to wield the power of necromancy, a little-practised art, to get rid of her rival Guinevere once and for all. Using a magical coin given to her by Morgause, Morgana resurrected a shade of Lancelot's spirit and, controlling his mind, used him and a magical bracelet to force Gwen into adultery, thus causing her exile from Camelot.

Morgana was also a skilled swordswoman and held her own against a number of men attempting to raid Merlin's village. She also easily overpowered Merlin during the siege of Camelot and disarmed him twice. In the end, Merlin only defeated her by using his magic, of which she was unaware. It has been indicated that she might have even bested Arthur with a sword before, though he insisted the incident "did not happen" when Morgana mentioned it (The Moment of Truth). However, after mastering her magical powers, Morgana rarely chose to fight hand-to-hand with a sword, instead defeating her opponents magically. Nonetheless, she remained a highly adept swordswoman, capable of fighting her way through numerous knights to escape the castle when her powers were blocked by Merlin. She also quickly defeated Guinevere in a sword fight despite being wounded at the time (The Sword in the Stone).



In addition to her magical abilities and combat skills, Morgana proved to be an extremely convincing actress who was able to hide her true nature from almost everyone in Camelot including Uther, Arthur and, for a short period, Merlin. Before she became queen the only people who knew of her true allegiance were Merlin, Gaius and Gwen, and these three were only aware of her true allegiance due to Merlin and Gaius’ prior knowledge of her magical abilities and Gwen walking in on Morgana preparing a spell by accident.

Behind The Scenes

 * Katie McGrath is officially credited for all episodes of Merlin, though of the current total of 52 episodes, she has not appeared in six. These include: The Lady of the Lake, The Last Dragonlord, Love in the Time of Dragons, Aithusa, Lamia and A Herald of the New Age.

In The Legend
Morgan Le Fay is said to be the daughter of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall, and of his wife, Igraine. Morgan had two sisters Morgause and Elaine. Igraine also bore King Uther Pendragon a son who became the legendary King of Camelot. Morgan and her sisters were schooled in a nunnery after the death of her father, upon which Igraine became wife of Uther Pendragon. Morgan is usually portrayed as a wicked enchantress who learned her initial mysterious skills from her corrupt education in an early Christian nunnery. Later, Merlin helped her to extend her magical powers. Morgan became queen by marrying King Uriens of Gorre, a section of Ancient Britain following the departure of the Romans. They had a son, Sir Ewain, but she actually kept several lovers behind her husband’s back. Uriens greatly supported Arthur, which just made her hate Arthur even more. Morgan fell in love with the King's nephew, Giomar. Guinevere, however, put an end to the romance. She even sent the Green Knight to Camelot in order to frighten Guinevere to death.

Morgan stole his enchanted sword Excalibur and its magic scabbard while Arthur laid wounded in the nunnery after battle against the Saxons in 415 AD. (The wearer of the scabbard would lose no blood, thanks to its magic, no matter how seriously he was wounded.) She had the sword and scabbard replaced with exact copies, which lacked enchantments. Morgan presented her lover, Sir Accolon, with the true Excalibur and magic scabbard, and told him that if he killed a particular knight the next day, he would become her husband and the next king of Britain. According to Morgan, this unnamed knight’s death would make it possible for her to kill King Arthur and her husband, King Uriens. Accolon fought the knight the next day, unaware his armoured opponent was really King Arthur himself. Armed with Excalibur, Accolon seriously wounded King Arthur, who nevertheless fought back with great skill and courage. Yet, Arthur might have been doomed had not Merlin’s lover, the Lady of the Lake used her powers to force Accolon to drop Excalibur. Knowing that Accolon’s sword was the true Excalibur, Arthur seized it and quickly defeated Accolon, who then realised Morgan’s plot. Horrified to learn his opponent was King Arthur himself, Accolon repented before dying of his injuries. Until now, Arthur had fully trusted his half-sister Morgan, but now he swore a vengeance upon her. He regretted giving her a castle of her own, but he could not take it back without laying a siege. Thereafter, Ewain thwarted Morgan’s attempt to murder her husband King Uriens. She assuaged the youth’s fears and made him keep it a secret on promises to restrain her treachery. Learning of Accolon’s death and the failure of her plot against Arthur, Morgan became enraged and herself stole the magic scabbard herself and hurled it into a lake. She then returned to Gorre intent on further harm on Arthur. Morgan attempted to make Alisander le Orphelin, the nephew of King Mark, her paramour and even tried vamping Lancelot, preferring to keep only one lover at a time. After the death of Sir Hemison, she kept Lancelot imprisoned in her castle and tried to get him to share a bed with her. The tryst might have been to tarnish his sterling image, turn him against Arthur or just because he loved Genevieve. Morgan existed at the center of a network of enchantresses and female villains. King Mark appealed to her and the Queen of Norgales to set the country afire against wicked knights such as Sir Malgrin and Breuse Sans Pitie. Morgan’s nephew, Mordred, began working with her for the first time in sharing their treachery against King Arthur. Morgan’s many attempts to bring ruin upon Camelot were continually thwarted by Arthur, Merlin, Sir Percia of Scandia who was the original Black Knight and the Knights of the Round Table.

After some years without keeping contact with King Arthur, Morgan was believed by Arthur to be deceased, but she had actually retired in secret to her castle near Tauroc, Wales after her ordeal with Chthon. Arthur chanced upon her during a hunting trip and spent a week as her guest as she showed him the murals of Lancelot which she had painted in his room as her guest, possibly to get in good fervour with him. The two were immediately reconciled. In late life she moved to the Isle of Avalon, and it was to here that she and her allies, the Queens of Northgalis and the Wastelands, took her wounded brother to be healed after the Battle of Camlann.

Trivia

 * Morgana is the only main character who has never encountered Kilgharrah.
 * Morgana, along with Merlin, is the one of the two main characters who have encountered Aithusa.
 * Morgana is the first and last main character onscreen in Series 4.
 * Of the main characters, Morgana has made the fewest episode appearances (46/52), followed by Gwen (49/52).