Ealdor

"It's a small village. Just a few fields, a couple of cows. Nothing special."

- Merlin to Freya about Ealdor

Ealdor is a small outlying village in Cenred's Kingdom. It is the childhood home of Merlin.

History
Balinor fled to Ealdor after his people were killed during the Great Purge. He sought refuge with Hunith and fell in love with her, but was forced to leave when Uther discovered his whereabouts. His relationship with Hunith later resulted in the birth of their son, Merlin (The Last Dragonlord).

Merlin grew up feeling like an outsider in the village's community. He had one friend, William, who knew about his magic. Eventually, Hunith became worried by how at odds Merlin was with their fellow villagers and sent him to live with her friend Gaius in Camelot (The Dragon's Call, The Moment of Truth).

Some time after Merlin left, Ealdor was raided by bandits. They were led by a man named Kanen, who demanded the village's entire harvest. When Merlin learnt of this, he returned home to help defend it. He was accompanied by Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana, who mended armour, sharpened swords, and taught the villagers to fight.

Though the villagers fought well, the bandits soon began to overpower them and Merlin was forced to use his magic to defeat them. His secret was preserved by William, however, who was hit by a crossbow bolt in defense of Arthur and used his dying moments to claim that he was the one who had used magic (The Moment of Truth).

After Morgana, Agravaine, and Helios conquered Camelot, Merlin and Arthur fled north to Ealdor. They were accompanied by smugglers Tristan and Isolde and later reunited with Gwen, who had sought refuge in Ealdor after she was exiled from Camelot.

Unfortunately, Agravaine soon tracked them down and led an attack on the village, forcing them to flee (The Sword in the Stone).

Appearances

 * Series 1
 * The Dragon's Call
 * The Moment of Truth


 * Series 2
 * The Lady of the Lake
 * The Last Dragonlord


 * Series 4
 * The Sword in the Stone

Etymology

 * "Ealdor" is Anglo-Saxon for "old", "elder" (not "elder-tree").

Trivia

 * According to Hunith, winters are harsh in Ealdor (The Moment of Truth).
 * According to Merlin, Ealdor is located north of Camelot's border. However, the maps used in the show place Ealdor to the east of Camelot, which may indicate a continuity error (The Sword in the Stone).