Freya

Freya was a druid girl who fell in love with Merlin, and swore to repay his kindness to her on her deathbed. After her death in the Lake of Avalon, she became the Lady of the Lake.

Early Life
Freya told Merlin she had lived in a beautiful place with mountains, trees, and a lake until her family died. One day, a man attacked Freya and she killed him in self defence. When the man's mother (who was a sorceress) found out, she cursed Freya to become a Bastet, a magical monster that resembled a large panther with bat-like wings, on the stroke of midnight with an insatiable desire to kill that she would be unable to control. This eventually got her cast out of Druid society, despite the Druid's belief to never turn away someone in need.

Meeting Merlin
Under unspecified circumstances, Freya was captured by the bounty hunter Halig and taken to Camelot, only to be freed by Merlin.

Hiding Freya in the underground catacombs, Merlin brought her food and told her about his magic. The two were drawn together due to Merlin's relief at having someone who understood him and Freya's gratitude at meeting someone who did not consider her a monster.

This bond eventually blossomed into love. Unfortunately, Freya's curse resulted in the deaths of at least four people when she transformed during her two nights in Camelot, prompting an increased hunt for her.

Merlin had planned to leave Camelot with Freya; he said they would go somewhere with mountains, trees, and a lake. Merlin brought her one of Morgana's dresses to try and hide her identity as they left the city.

Although Freya said she would go with him, she attempted to escape on her own, not wanting Merlin to abandon his life for her. However, before she could leave the city, she was stopped by Halig, Arthur, and a group of knights just before her transformation. After she killed Halig, Arthur was able to fatally wound Bastet-Freya and corner her in the courtyard.

Bastet-Freya escaped after Merlin created a distraction, retreating down to the catacombs where Merlin found her. Although Bastet-Freya appeared calmer around Merlin, not even attempting to attack him, the wound Freya had sustained proved to be fatal. Freya returned to her human form, though she survived only long enough for Merlin to dress her in Morgana's stolen gown and take her to the nearby lake.

As she died, she thanked Merlin for making her feel loved, promising to repay him one day. Merlin gave her a humble, but lovely funeral in a little boat that he pushed out into the lake and set aflame (The Lady of the Lake).

Brief Resurrection
When Merlin met the Fisher King, the king gave him a gift, water from the Lake of Avalon, the same lake Freya was laid to rest in. The Fisher King spoke prophetically that "Albion's time of need is near and in that dark hour you must be strong for you alone can save her", but that Merlin would require the help which he was giving. The Fisher King then handed him the bottle of water (The Eye of the Phoenix).

After Morgana and Morgause took over Camelot, Merlin attempted to use his magic on the water to no avail. When Gwainegotupto"answer the call of nature", Merlin accidentally dropped the bottle, breaking the glass. Merlin was horrified when the bottle broke and watched helplessly as the water spilled and flowed away thinking that he had just lost Albion's last hope. He was quickly shown that smashing the glass had actually allowed him to use the water instead of wasting it. It glowed magically and formed a puddle in a rock crevice. Freya's image materialized as the water settled, smiling at Merlin. Merlin was shocked, confused, but nevertheless delighted at the sight of his beloved Freya.

Freya tenderly told him that she missed him, but time was short and she could not explain how she had become the Lady of the lake. She informed him that only Excalibur could destroy Morgause's immortal army and told him that she would hand him the sword to repay him for everything that he had done for her.

When Merlin travelled to the Lake of Avalon, Freya gave him the sword though only her arm emerged from the lake (The Coming of Arthur).

This scene, in which her arm holding the sword comes up out of the water, is seen again (The Diamond of The Day part one) when Merlin sees flashes of his past in the Crystal Cave.

Personality
Before meeting Merlin, Freya was traumatised by her curse, both physically and mentally, and hated herself for being a Bastet. She even called herself a monster at one point but did not know how to tell Merlin about her curse. She desperately wanted to be an ordinary person with an ordinary life. Freya said that before she met Merlin she'd always had to look over her shoulder to make sure she was not about to be ambushed. (This trait most likely originated from when she was attacked by a sorceress' son.)

Freya was a nervous and shy girl, and when she first met Merlin she was worried that he was going to try and hurt her, even though he'd freed her from Halig's cage, not understanding why he would want to help her for no reason.

However, despite her fragile exterior, Freya was stronger than she appeared and was surprisingly independant as she was able to defend herself from the man who attacked her and survive on her own after her family died, though it is unknown how much time had passed since then. She quickly grew to trust Merlin greatly and fell in love with him. Merlin fell in love with her in return.

Though she hadn't been close to anyone since she was cursed, Freya was very loyal to people she cared about and even returned from the dead in order to fulfil a promise she made to Merlin. She was also selfless and did not want Merlin to give up his life in Camelot for her sake, believing that he could have a better life in Camelot. Therefore she tried to escape on her own but was cornered by Arthur, Halig and Arthur's knights before transforming into the Bastet. Freya was grateful to Merlin for loving her and promised to repay him someday even though she was dying when she made the promise.

As the Bastet, Freya was a bloodthirsty killer killing at least five people during her time in Camelot including Halig. Though Freya was usually unable to stop herself from killing in her beast form, she did not attack Merlin when he stroked her, proving that the strength of their bond was even stronger than the strength of her curse.

Abilities
Because she was a Druid, it is probably implied that Freya had the ability to use magic, but it is unknown how powerful she was. She possibly could have used magic to kill the man that attacked her, since she stated that she didn't mean to kill him and she may have been unable to control her powers. Before her death Freya was forced to transform into a Bastet every night because of her curse and she was only able to control herself when she was around Merlin.

Freya also somehow returned from the dead as the Lady of the Lake though how she managed this is unknown. However, her magical abilities probably had something to do with it, along with the magical properties of the Lake of Avalon.

It is unknown if she can be considered immortal because of her ability to still exist as the Lady of the Lake.

Appearances

 * Series 2
 * The Lady of the Lake


 * Series 3
 * The Eye of the Phoenix
 * The Coming of Arthur: Part Two


 * Series 5
 * The Diamond of the Day: Part One
 * The Diamond of the Day: Part Two

In The Legend
Freya's name is never mentioned in the Merlin legend, but she is based on the Lady of the Lake.

Like Freya, the Lady of the Lake is Merlin's lover, and provided him with a sword for Arthur in his time of need.

In some legends, the Lady of the Lake dies (as Freya does) yet comes back from the dead to help Camelot; however, the cause of her death is that a knight of the round table who got into a disagreement with her cut her head off with a sword, not because she was cursed.

In most of the legends, the Lady of the Lake is Nimueh, another druid who caught Merlin's attentions in the TV Series.

Another thing the Lady of the Lake is well-known for in most of the legends is trapping Merlin in the Crystal Cave; in the series, however, it is Morgana who does this. The only connection Freya has to this scene/moment in the series is her arm being in a flashback seen within one of the crystals.

Norse Mythology
Freya, traditionally spelled Freyja, was the Norse goddess of love, fertility, sexual desire, war, and death.

Freya was called upon to comfort those who were dying, to ease their transition into Valhalla (the "Otherworld"), serving as a guide and companion on the journey to Valhalla for many Viking heroes who had died nobly. Freya and the Valkyries held dominion over all the dead. When Freya and the Valkyries rode forth on their missions, their armour caused the eerily beautiful flickering light that we know as the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.

She is perhaps most well-known for her famous necklace, the Brisingamen, and for riding about in a chariot pulled by cats.

Freya is the wife of Od, the daughter of Njord, twin sister of Freyr and mother of Hnoss and Gersemi.

Many songs today praise her. Example:

Trivia

 * Freya is also known as "The Lady of the Lake", although she has never been mentioned by this name.
 * Before the premiere of series 5, when the first low quailty trailer was uploaded to Youtube, a number of fans mistook a short clip of Mithian for Freya, causing a rumour that she would be returning within the first few episodes of series 5. This was proven untrue when a clearer shot of the clip was released, revealing that it was Mithian, not Freya.
 * Freya is not the only character in the series to sport a name from Norse mythology instead of Arthurian legend, Odin being another. Yet, thus far, she is the only major character from Arthurian Legend (aka The Lady of the Lake) whose name has been changed to that of a Norse god/goddess for the series.
 * Because of the fact that the actress choosen to play Queen Mab (Kelly Wenham) in series 5 bears a slight resemblance to Laura Donnelly (Freya), and Mab was the sister of the Lady of the Lake in the 1998 mini-series Merlin, some fans speculated that Queen Mab would be Freya's sister on the show, even though Freya's family are all said to have died. However, Queen Mab is a small fairy-like creature and has no proven connection to Freya whatsoever, their characters being completely seperate. Also, in costume, she looks nothing like Laura Donnelly.
 * Some fans have claimed that at the end of The Lady of the Lake, when Merlin puts Freya in the boat which he uses magic to push out into the lake (then sets on fire), it appears that she is still breathing. It is unknown, currently, if this is a blooper/mistake or if it has something to do with how she returned in The Coming of Arthur part 2.
 * Freya was a fan favourite along with Alvarr and Mordred to return in Series 5. The only one of the mentioned characters to have returned is Mordred who returned at the start of Series 5.
 * Both Elyan and Lancelot have had funeral scenes very similar to Freya's at the end of The Lake of the Lake.
 * The name Freyja (Freya) means "Lady".
 * Freya's role in The Lady of the Lake seems to be indirectly referrenced in The Drawing of the Dark, when Mordred asks Merlin if he wouldn't "do the same for the woman he loved". However, it is never even remotely suggested/implied that Mordred actually knows anything about Freya.
 * Freya is one of the few Druids on the show who does not refer to Merlin as Emrys, or speak to him telepathically.