Gaius

Gaius is the court physician of Camelot and has been for the last twenty-five years, since the birth of King Arthur Pendragon. He is portrayed by actor Richard Wilson.

Early Life
When Uther's wife, Ygraine, could not bear an heir to the throne of Camelot, Uther struck a bargain with the High Priestess Nimueh which would allow Ygraine to conceive. He appeared to have sent Gaius, who was then the court sorcerer and physician, to the Isle of the Blessed to make the request on his behalf. Nimueh used her magic to allow Ygraine to conceive an heir. Unfortunately, Uther was not aware that by using magic to create a life, another life had to be exchanged in order to protect the natural balance of the world. As a result, Ygraine died in childbirth. On the night of her death, Gaius saw the Questing Beast, a magical creature of the Old Religion and omen of misfortune. After the loss of his beloved wife, a grief-stricken Uther turns on Nimueh, accusing her of treason and banishing her from Camelot, and began the Great Purge, ordering the execution of hundreds of sorcerers, both good and evil. The Knights of Camelot hunted down and killed anyone using magic in Camelot.

At the start of the Great Purge, Uther gave Gaius a list of all people suspected of using Magic to be killed; when Gaius discovered his beloved Alice on the list, he struck her name off, thus giving her time to escape. Gaius decided to stop practicing magic and to remain in Camelot as court physician.

During the Great Purge, Uther ordered many people to be drowned, including children who had inherited magic from their parents. Morgause, having inherited her mother Vivienne's magical powers, was sentenced to death by Uther. Gaius was asked to smuggle her out of Camelot after she was born and give her to the high priestesses of the Old Religion. Uther was led to believe that Morgause had died shortly after her birth.

Julius Borden was a pupil of Gaius, having disappeared during the Great Purge and causing Gaius much trouble.

Gaius helped Balinor to escape execution and hid Balinor with his friend Hunith.

Merlin's Mentor
Gaius is the current guardian of Merlin, who was sent to him by his close friend, Hunith. Hunith feared the repercussions Merlin would face should his powers be discovered by Uther or his men. Upon his arrival, Merlin saved Gaius from falling from a balcony in his room using his powers. Gaius quickly took a liking to the boy and promised to keep his secret about Merlin using magic. (The Dragon's Call)

Gaius acted as a parent and a teacher to Merlin. He frequently tried to encourage him in his abilities while, at the same time, advising him to look at the bigger picture such as with the plague in Camelot where Gaius tried to make Merlin see that curing one person can have consequences; subsequently Merlin cured Gwen's father, resulting in her being accused of witchcraft. Merlin and Gaius managed to find the source of the disease; an Afanc in Camelot's water supply and after the Afanc was destroyed, Gwen was freed. Gaius showed Uther an eggshell Merlin had found underground. The shell bore the mark of Nimueh. (The Mark of Nimueh)

Uther trusted Gaius's advice frequently in matters concerning magic, (The Mark of Nimueh, The Poisoned Chalice et al) although at times, they failed to see eye to eye (Lancelot). When Edwin Muirden manipulated Uther into believing Gaius was no longer capable of his job, Gaius was removed from his post as court physician. Furthermore, Edwin threatened to tell Uther about Merlin practising magic if Gaius told Uther about his own use of magic. It was only after Edwin's attempt to kill Uther, and Merlin stopping him from attempting to kill Gaius, that he was once again restored to his post.

When Arthur was seriously injured by the Questing Beast, Gaius did everything he could to save the prince and managed to keep him alive long enough for Merlin to go to the Isle of the Blessed to find a cure. Arthur recovered, due to Merlin making a deal, but then Merlin's mother grew seriously ill. Merlin planned to sacrifice himself to save her but Gaius went instead.



On the Isle of the Blessed, he met Nimueh whom he had known before the Great Purge. Gaius persuaded Nimueh to kill him so that both Merlin and his mother could live. It seemed that Gaius actually did die but Merlin arrived and, enraged by the death of his friend and mentor, slew Nimueh. In killing Nimueh, Merlin restored balance to the world, mastering the power of life and death and reviving Gaius.

Gaius was later arrested for sorcery when Aredian, a witchfinder, accused Merlin of using magic and he took the blame. Gaius was locked in the dungeon and was tortured and interrogated by Aredian until he was forced to confess in order to prevent Aredian from killing Merlin and Morgana along with him.



Aredian betrayed him and intended to have Merlin and Morgana executed as well. Fortunately, Merlin was able to uncover Aredian's treachery and Gaius was freed, giving Uther some very harsh words on his views of magic afterwards.

Gaius was frequently seen advising Merlin or assisting him wherever he could. It was Gaius who told Merlin about his father Balinor who was the last living Dragonlord. Gaius helped Ballinor escape from Camelot when he was hunted by Uther. He was seen saving as many lives as he could during the Great Dragons assault on Camelot and later comforted Merlin about Balinor's death telling Merlin, "you've still got me."

Possessed by a Goblin




In Season 3 Episode 3, Gaius was possessed by a Goblin. The goblin Gaius had a craving for gold and was very manipulative, spreading rumours about fake illnesses so he could sell 'cures' to them. A few of these had side effects - namely, the cures given to Gwen (for a fake illness), Morgana (for her nightmares, as the goblin had stolen her gold healing bracelet) and Uther (for a curse placed by the Goblin, causing him to go bald) included excessive flatulence. When Merlin found out about the Goblin, he revealed his magic. The Goblin then revealed Merlin's magic to the court, forging evidence with a magic book from a hidden section of the library. Despite Merlin's original claims of Gaius' possession being ignored, Arthur grew suspicious of Gaius' behaviour. He tricked the Goblin into saying he would be glad to see Merlin hang, and silently threatened to either kill or turn him in. In retaliation, Gaius partially turned Arthur into a donkey, giving him donkey ears, donkey hooves, and a donkey voice. Merlin and Gwen later poisoned him to get the Goblin out of his body but managed to give him an antidote before he died. Gaius then told Uther that he was possessed and that Merlin was innocent. However, this was only half true as Merlin was the one who released the Goblin in the first place.

Gaius' Lover


Later Gaius' lover, Alice, returned to Camelot under the influence of a Manticore. Gaius was delighted to see her and they worked together just as they had before the Great Purge. Gaius revealed to Merlin that he was in love with Alice and would have married her if not for the Great Purge. When Merlin discovered Alice was in league with a Manticore, Gaius refused to believe him. Alice poisoned Uther, forcing Gaius to realise that she had betrayed him, albeit unintentionally; the Manticore had been too strong for Alice to control. Despite this Gaius remained in love with Alice. He and Merlin managed to destroy the Manticore when Gaius used magic to blow up the box that allowed the Manticore to come from it's own world into theirs.

Gaius tried to persuade Uther not to have Alice executed, protesting that she had not been able to control herself because of the Manticore. Uther sentenced Alice to death and Gaius visited her in the dungeon and told her that he loved her. Gaius helped Alice escape from Camelot just as he had twenty years earlier. Merlin noted that he could have gone with her but Gaius replied by saying that if he left there would be nobody to look after the young warlock.

Morgana's Reign
Gaius was the only known person in Camelot, apart from Elyan, who was able to escape Morgause's immortal warriors unscathed. He was hiding in a cupboard when Merlin and Arthur returned from their failed mission to retrieve the Cup of Life. Merlin and Arthur's friends, Elyan and Gwaine took Gaius into the safety of the forest while Merlin and Arthur went to find Uther, Guinevere and any other survivors of the assault.



Gaius hid in the woods with Arthur, Merlin, Elyan and Gwaine. Guinevere and Sir Leon met them, having escaped from Camelot and they were soon joined by Lancelot and Percival. Gaius was present when Arthur uncovered the Round Table and knighted Gwaine, Elyan, Percival and Lancelot. Arthur requested that he and Gwen stay behind while they attempted to infiltrate Camelot. Gaius disobeyed the prince and arrived in Camelot in time to stop Morgause from killing Merlin, blasting her with a powerful spell and giving Merlin a chance to smash her against a pillar, wounding and perhaps indirectly being the cause of her death (The Darkest Hour). Then Merlin used Excalibur to empty the Cup of Life and deprive the sisters of their immortal army. (The Coming of Arthur)

The Dorocha's Attack
When Morgana attempted to take revenge on Camelot again by summoning creatures known as the Dorocha, Gaius told Arthur that the only way to defeat them would be to make a sacrifice in the Isle of the Blessed. Arthur then planned to sacrifice himself despite being the future king. Merlin, who was unable to forsake his destiny to protect Arthur, told Gaius that he would sacrifice himself in Arthur's place despite Gaius telling him not to go.

Meanwhile, Arthur's uncle Agravaine took charge of the kingdom in Arthur's absence and had the city gates closed to prevent food running out. Gaius angrily confronted Agravaine and Gwen persuaded him to reopen the gates. Gaius then suspected that Agravaine was loyal to Morgana and later discovered that Gwen had been knocked unconscious by Morgana before curing her. After Merlin, Arthur and the others returned to Camelot when Lancelot sacrificed himself to defeat the Dorocha, he and Merlin learned that Morgana was aware of Merlin's identity as Emrys. After telling Merlin of his suspicions of Agravaine, he warned Merlin that Morgana should never learn that he has magic and that he is Emrys. (The Darkest Hour)

Arthur's Coronation
When Uther was mortally wounded by an assassin, Arthur begged Gaius to save him but Gaius told him that because Uther's heart was bleeding, he could not be cured and would only live for a few days. Arthur, however, planned to save Uther with magic and Merlin saw this as an opportunity to convince Arthur to return magic back to Camelot by returning to his old man (Dragoon the Great) disguise. However Agravaine told Morgana of Arthur's plans and she made him put a necklace she enchanted around Uther's neck and repel healing magic. When the disguised Merlin used a healing spell on Uther, the necklace repeled it and Uther died.

Gaius later showed the necklace to Merlin and he realised that it was Morgana. As Arthur mourned Uther's death, Merlin blamed himself for his death and worried that Arthur would never learn that he is a sorcerer as Arthur's heart was again hardened against magic. Gaius reassured Merlin that he was not to blame for Uther's death and that Arthur would soon learn that Merlin is a sorcerer. Gaius later watched as Arthur was crowned King of Camelot. (The Wicked Day)

Kidnapped
Gaius was later suspected of sorcery because Agravaine framed him, claiming that he had been partially responsible for Uther's death since he had revealled where "Dragoon the Great" lived. Gaius appeared to have fled as there was a horse missing from the stables but in reality he had been kidnapped by Alator, an ally of Morgana and taken to a cave where he met Morgana. He showed no fear of her and simply told her to get on with it. Alator used a ring of fire to trap him, which Gaius put out with a counterspell. Alator was slightly surprised by quickly reactivated the fire and started to use mental torture to force Gaius to tell him the true identity of Emrys. Gaius resisted the torture for a long time but eventually Alator overpowered him and forced him to reveal that Emrys was actually Merlin. Shortly after this he was nearly murdered by Agravaine but thanks to the arrival of Gwaine, Agravaine was forced to pretend that he'd merely been making sure that Gaius was still breathing and the two men brought Gaius back to Camelot. Meanwhile Alator protected Merlin from Morgana, having realised that Merlin was Emrys, and Merlin returned to Camelot. When Merlin was reunited with his mentor, Gaius told him he was ashamed to have revealed his secret but Merlin reassured him by telling him about Alator's true loyalties. Arthur then arrived and appologised to Gaius for suspecting him of sorcery. Gaius admitted to Arthur that he had lied about not knowing the man whom Arthur assumed had killed Uther and explained to him that Merlin (who was disguised as Dragoon at the time) truly had done his best to save Uther. Because of this, Arthur's hatred towards magic decreased slightly.

Personality
Gaius is sensible and believes in thinking rationally about things rather than rushing to decisions. He was loyal to Uther despite the methods the king used to deal with sorcerers and the use of magic. The only person who Gaius valued more was Merlin, whom he came to love like a son (A Remedy to Cure All Ills). Gaius also seems to have known the Great Dragon for at least twenty years (A Remedy to Cure All Ills) and trusts his advice, but when Merlin told him that the Great Dragon cared only for himself, he did not protest, suggesting he too had reason to believe that beforehand. But he also knows that there are times when the Dragons' assistance is needed.

Gaius also possesses a dry sense of humour and is one of the few people in Camelot who was brave enough to stand up to Uther Pendragon (The Witchfinder). Agravaine noted that Gaius was loyal and stubborn, and Merlin once called him a "stubborn old goat". He is also strong willed and was able to resist Alator's mental torture for quite a long time, but eventually the more powerful sorcerer overpowered him (The Secret Sharer). He frequently scolded Merlin about using magic but knew when using magic was necessary. Gaius was willing to give his life for Merlin which was shown in two episodes.

Although Gaius is a good person, he had a habit of keeping secrets, particularly from Uther Pendragon. However Gaius only kept secrets because he, unlike Uther, knew that magic could be used for good and he was still loyal to the king and never considered turning against him even after Uther nearly had him executed. Gaius would also risk the wrath of the king if he felt it was necessary and helped Balinor and Alice escape from Camelot, risking execution by doing so. He is also cunning and he was the only known person in Camelot, apart from Elyan, who escaped Morgause's immortal army unscathed. Gaius always looks at the bigger picture when he needs to break a promise, knowing that Uther had to know the truth about Morgause in order to ensure the safety of Arthur and Camelot and also knowing that Agravaine must not find out who Emrys really was, for the sake of the whole kingdom.

Many years before the series began, Gaius helped Balinor escape from Camelot despite the fact that if he'd been discovered helping the Dragonlord he would have been executed. Because he helped Balinor, the Dragonlord felt he owed Gaius a debt that he had to repay, referring to him as a good man. Gaius is also extremely dedicated to his job as Court Physician and would never give up on a patient no matter how serious the illness or injury.

Merlin
Gaius is very close to Merlin, thinking of him as the son he never had. He was willing to give his life for Merlin which was proven on at least two occasions (Le Morte d'Arthur, The Witchfinder). Gaius isvery proud of Merlin but sometimes scolded him about using magic, unless it was for good reason. He often provides Merlin with advice and comfort and was seen hugging him on several occasions. In return, Merlin loves Gaius like a father. They also joke with each other at times.

When Gaius was possessed by a Goblin, Merlin poisoned him to get the Goblin out of his body but he and Gwen managed to give him an antidote before he died. Gaius felt no resentment towards Merlin for poisoning him as he understood that it was the only way to get the Goblin out of his body and their relationship remained as close as ever. While waiting for Gaius to recover from the poison, Merlin called him a "stubborn old goat".

Later when Gaius' lover Alice returned to Camelot, he and Merlin had a falling out because Gaius refused to believe that Alice was being controlled by a Manticore. When Merlin brought guards to arrest Alice and told Gaius that it was either him or her, Gaius responded by telling him that it was not his choice to make. However, he still loved Merlin and after helping Alice escape Camelot, he stayed behind to look after him. Their relationship quickly returned to normal after Alice escaped.

When Merlin was attacked by Morgause, Gaius attacked the sorceress himself in order to protect him and by working together, he and Merlin managed to defeat Morgause.

Uther
Gaius is a good servant and loyal friend to Uther despite Uther's hatred of magic. He has saved Uther's life many times through his skills as a physician. However after being wrongly accused of magic, a furious Uther ordered him to be put to death but Gaius was later proven innocent. When Uther tried to apologise for Gaius' suffering at the hands of the Witchfinder, Aredian, Gaius told him that it was not Aredian who was responsible for his suffering, but Uther himself. He also told him that he wasn't the only one who was wrongly accused of using magic and that not all had been as lucky as him. Gaius was one of the few people who could speak to Uther however he wanted and though he was usually polite to the king he would sometimes stand up to him and point out his mistakes. After discovering Gaius was innocent, Uther's trust in him strengthened so much that he even gave him permission to use magic to heal Morgana after she fell down a flight of stairs.

Though he was very loyal to the king, Gaius often had to keep secrets from Uther, most notably the fact that he was hiding a sorcerer right under the kings nose. Despite his habit of keeping secrets, Uther trusted Gaius and valued his advice and friendship.

When Uther was broken by Morgana's betrayal, Gaius pitied him and feared that Uther would not recover but expressed that it gave Uther peace. After Uther's death, Gaius expressed to Arthur that he was sorry that he died but told Merlin that Uther's spirit had already died when Morgana betrayed him.

Morgana
Gaius has treated Morgana for many years and she trusted him greatly, often going to him after having a nightmare. Gaius realised that Morgana's dreams were visions of the future, though he tried to persuade himself otherwise. He frequently gave Morgana remedies to try and get rid of her nightmares but they didn't have much effect. But despite his caring for Morgana, Gaius agreed with Merlin's choice to poison her when she was responsible for a spell that was affecting all of Camelot, saying that he feared Morgana chose to use her gift for evil. Once Morgana returned to Camelot after Morgause took her away, Gaius was the only person other than Merlin and Gwen who knew of her true loyalties before she took over Camelot and he helped Merlin foil her plans from time to time. When it was revealed that Morgana is Uther's daughter, he feared that Morgana found out. Although Gaius at first was not one of her main targets, he finally became one of her targets once she suspected that he knew of Emrys, leading to his kidnap. When Gaius told her to kill him, Morgana, however, was happy to torture Gaius in order to find out Emrys' true identity (The Secret Sharer).

Arthur
Gaius and Arthur shared a mutual respect for each other and Arthur knew Gaius well enough to realise that he was being possessed by a goblin. At first, Arthur didn't believe that Gaius was, or ever had been, a sorcerer. Gaius later told Arthur that he loved him and Arthur thought of Gaius as a member of his own family having known him ever since he was born.

Guinevere
Gaius was friends with Guinevere who went to him when she discovered her father was dying. Gwen also gave him a kiss on the cheek when he was about to leave Camelot (A Remedy to Cure All Ills). Gaius eventually discovered Guinevere's secret relationship with Arthur Pendragon; he approved and gave Gwen new hope for the relationship (The Last Dragonlord). Gwen helped save Gaius' life on two occasions, first when he was about to be burned at the stake by Aredian and later when he was dying from poison after being possessed by a goblin. She also went to Gaius and told him that she had discovered Morgana using magic.

Hunith
Gaius seems to have a very good relationship with Hunith, Merlin's mother. She entrusted him the training and well being of her son by sending him to live with Gaius. He helped Hunith by hiding her lover, the Dragonlord Balinor from the wrath of Uther during the Great Purge. Hunith also sought help from Gaius when Nimueh almost killed her. Gaius was willing to give his life in order to save Hunith, which proves the close friendship that Hunith and Gaius have.

Kilgharrah
Gaius has known Kilgharrah for at least twenty years and on at least one occasion, he visited the Dragon for advice. Gaius respected Kilgharrah's power and wisdom but they weren't friends and Gaius was probably aware that Kilgharrah was desperate for his freedom.

Aredian
At some point in the past, Gaius met the Witchfinder Aredian. He disliked Aredian but respected and feared his abilities as a Witchfinder and claimed he was a force to be reckoned with. Gaius greeted Aredian politely when they met but it was obvious that he disliked the Witchfinder. When Gaius was arrested for sorcery Aredian acted as his interrogator. However, Gaius attempted to make a deal with Aredian to prevent Merlin and Morgana from being executed along with him. Along with Merlin he made fun of Aredian after he died, doing an imitation of him coughing up a toad.

Alice
At some point before the Great Purge, Gaius fell in love with Alice and they were even engaged to be married at one point. However, the Great Purge forced them to separate and they didn't see each other for approximately twenty years. They continued their romance when she returned to Camelot. However Gaius, blinded by love, was unable to realise that Alice was being controlled by a Manticore. When he did realise however, he continued to love Alice and Alice genuinely loved Gaius in return despite the influence of the Manticore. Gaius helped Alice escape from Camelot just as he had twenty years earlier. Merlin noted that Gaius could have left with her but Gaius had decided to stay in order to look after Merlin.

Balinor
Gaius was a friend of Merlin's father, Balinor and helped him escape from Camelot when Uther ordered the Dragon Lord's execution, risking being executed himself by doing so. Balinor was grateful to Gaius for saving his life and called him a good man. Gaius indirectly influenced Balinor to return to Camelot to save Camelot from Kilgharrah since Balinor felt he had to repay Gaius to saving him all those years ago.

Abilities
Gaius believed that basic problems should be solved by science. He was an excellent physician which has been proven on many occasions. However, Edwin Muirden claimed his methods were "outdated", though this was possibly a lie to give Uther reason to appoint him as Court physician instead.

Gaius had a very broad theoretical knowledge of magic but when he used magic in Season 1, he initially forgot the words (The Poisoned Chalice) or mispronounced the words (A Remedy to Cure All Ills). This shows that his magical skills have greatly decreased due to the many years he went without practice. The only successful time Gaius used magic in Season 1 was when he created an antidote for Merlin when he got poisoned by Nimueh.

However Gaius's magical skills have clearly improved as the series went on. He used fairly strong magic when the goblin took over his body, though this was probably the goblins magic not his own (Goblin's Gold). He later used magic to destroy a box that contained a Manticore, after luring the Manticore out of the box though he had to try three times before he succeeded. However it required powerful magic to destroy a Manticore's box, showing that Gaius had indeed grown stronger in magic. Gaius was even able to successfully attack Morgause, who was an extremely powerful sorceress, in order to protect Merlin, hitting her with a spell which sent her flying and stunning her long enough for Merlin to seriously injure and perhaps kill her, by throwing her into a pillar (Although the fact that he caught her off guard while she was focused on Merlin may have contributed to his victory). Recently, Gaius was captured by Alator, a powerful warrior andsorcerer. Though he was eventually defeated, he resisted Alator's mental torture for quite a while though it is unclear if he did this through magic or willpower. Gaius even magically put out the enchanted ring of fire keeping him captive although it was quickly reactivated by Alator. This shows that he is still a capable sorcerer.

Gaius also had a talent for keeping secrets; being able to hide a sorcerer, Merlin, right under the nose of Uther Pendragon, smuggle Morgause out of Camelot without Uther knowing until many years later and help Balinor and Alice escape Camelot (the latter individual twice). Gaius was also capable of hiding and avoiding attacks, because he was the only person, apart from Elyan, to escape capture when an immortal army invaded Camelot. (The Coming of Arthur)

Behind the scenes

 * Gaius was the first name of Julius Caesar. It is a Roman praenomen but the odds of someone in fifth or sixth century England at the time the series presumably takes place, when the Western Roman Empire had fallen in the fifth, are unlikely at best.
 * Gaius is perhaps based on Blaise, who according to some sources such as Robert de Boron's epic poem Merlin, was Merlin's mentor.
 * In Secrets and Magic: Gaius is twice refered as Merlin's uncle, Richard Wilson also said this in an interview, however this relationship has never been mentioned in the series.