Fire Spells

Fire Spells are incantations used to manipulate the element of fire.

The most dangerous of the four elements, fire is associated with pure energy in its most powerful form. It is also the element most frequently used by sorcerers.

Merlin in particular was known to be skilled in the use of these spells. He was able to use them to light torches, disarm enemies, and even conjure infernos.

History
Merlin defeated the Afanc by combining the element of air with the fire from Arthur's torch (The Mark of Nimueh).

Edwin Muirden used a nonverbal spell to light a candle while arranging his alchemy instruments. Later, when Gaius confronted him about his plan to kill Uther, Edwin used his magic to trap him in a ring of fire. The flames vanished after Edwin was killed by Merlin (A Remedy to Cure All Ills).

Merlin used a fire spell to make a branch fall on a bandit (The Gates of Avalon).

While investigating the origins of the Black Knight, Merlin used his magic to light a torch. He later attempted to kill the Knight with a fire spell after Arthur challenged him to a duel. The spell Merlin used conjured a line of fire that began at his feet and traveled along the ground to consume the Knight. However, because the Knight was a wraith, he could not be killed by mortal magic and emerged from the flames unharmed (Excalibur).

While on the road to Ealdor, Merlin conjured a dragon out of sparks to amuse himself. He later used his magic to heat a bandit's sword and, during the Battle of Ealdor, to start a blaze that trapped Kanen and his men (The Moment of Truth).

After discovering that Nimueh had killed Gaius, Merlin engaged her in a duel and sent a beam of magical energy at her from the palm of his hand. She easily blocked the attack and retaliated by throwing explosive fireballs at him, one of which struck Merlin in the chest (Le Morte d'Arthur).

When Morgana's magic began to manifest itself, she accidentally set the curtains in her chambers on fire by relighting some candles and causing the flames to grow. At Merlin's suggestion, Morgana went to the Druids for advice, but her sudden disappearance led Uther to believe that she'd been kidnapped and Merlin was forced to go after her. He lit a fire during his journey to keep himself warm (The Nightmare Begins).

When Aredian took Morgana hostage, Merlin enchanted his dagger to make it too hot to hold (The Witchfinder).

When he and Arthur were attacked by bandits, Merlin used his magic to light one of their spears on fire (The Sins of the Father).

After helping Freya escape from the bounty hunter Halig, Merlin lit a torch to lead her through the catacombs. He cheered her up by making candle flames dance in the air, and later used a fire spell to ignite her funeral pyre (The Lady of the Lake).

Trickler used a nonverbal spell to breathe fire while entertaining the court. He later used another spell to light a candle while preparing a love potion (Sweet Dreams).

During the Great Battle for Camelot, Merlin killed some of Cenred's men by conjuring a wave of fire to block their path (The Tears of Uther Pendragon).

Morgause used a nonverbal spell to attack Arthur with a column of fire. However, Merlin quickly incanted a spell that caused the column to explode. The force of the explosion knocked Morgause and Cenred unconscious and caused the castle ceiling to collapse on top of them (The Castle of Fyrien).

Morgana lit a poppet on fire while activating the Phoenix Eye she'd given to Arthur (The Eye of the Phoenix).

When Morgana began having visions of Gwen becoming Queen, Morgause arranged to meet with her and lit a torch to lead Morgana to her hiding place. They came up with a plan to frame Gwen for enchanting Arthur, but Merlin disguised himself as an elderly sorcerer and took the blame instead. Later, when Merlin was led to his execution, he incanted a spell that set the pyre ablaze and allowed him to escape (Queen of Hearts).

While participating in the Decennial Tournament, Gilli used a nonverbal spell to heat his opponent's sword. Merlin later revealed his magic to Gilli by conjuring a flame in the palm of his hand (The Sorcerer's Shadow).

When the slave trader Jarl forced Arthur and Gwaine to fight to the death for his amusement, Merlin used his magic to set some ropes on fire and the trio escaped in the confusion (The Coming of Arthur).

Merlin used his magic to light a fire while camping at Daobeth and while taking shelter in a hunter's lodge (The Darkest Hour).

After retrieving the Fomorroh from Morgana's hovel, Merlin used a nonverbal spell to light a fire. He then tossed the creature into the flames while incanting a spell to stop it from regenerating (A Servant of Two Masters).

When Morgana hired him to determine Emrys's true identity, Alator tortured Gaius with a fire spell. Gaius managed to use magic to extinguish the flames, but Alator cast another spell to strengthen them (The Secret Sharer).

Merlin used his magic to relight the torches extinguished by Lamia (Lamia).

Merlin cast a nonverbal spell to ignite Lancelot's funeral pyre (Lancelot du Lac).

When Morgana and Helios attacked Camelot, Merlin blocked off a corridor by expanding the flames from two opposite torches. He also lit a cart on fire in Ealdor, and later burned a poppet while casting an enchantment to block Morgana's magic (The Sword in the Stone).

While reciting a prayer to the Old Religion, Ruadan sensed someone coming and used a nonverbal spell to extinguish two torches. The spell acted as though the flames were being sucked back into the wood. Later, after he was mortally wounded by Elyan, Ruadan created a wall of fire to stop the knights from chasing after him and Sefa (Arthur's Bane).

After Arthur accidentally released his father from the Spirit World, Uther used magic to set the castle kitchens on fire in an attempt to kill Guinevere. Later, while searching the citadel for Uther's spirit, Merlin used his magic to light all the torches in the armoury (The Death Song of Uther Pendragon).

While chasing Alator through the Darkling Woods, Morgana captured him with a spell that caused contained explosions of fire to pop up from the ground. His servant Finna met with Merlin to tell him what had happened, but they were discovered by the Knights of Camelot. After promising to find Finna, Merlin summoned a wall of fire between them and the knights to aid their escape. Finna later used her magic to burn symbols into tree trunks so Merlin would be able to track her (The Kindness of Strangers).

Morgana asked Ari to demonstrate his skills by extinguishing several braziers. Later, after subjecting him to the Gean Canach, she forced him to try to relight the braziers.

When their army attacked Camelot's garrison at Fort Stowell, Mordred and Morgana combined their magic to conjure a massive sphere of fire that they sent flying towards the fort. It exploded when it made contact with the ground, killing many men.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Camlann, Merlin revealed his magic to Arthur by conjuring a dragon out flames. The king reacted poorly to the revelation, but later suggested that Merlin use his magic to light a campfire after watching him struggle with the usual methods. Merlin used a nonverbal spell to do so (The Diamond of the Day).

Known Spells

 * Used by Merlin to incinerate the Afanc (The Mark of Nimueh):
 * "Lyfte ic þe in balwen ac forhienan se wideor!"


 * Used by Edwin to summon a ring of fire around Gaius (A Remedy to Cure All Ills):
 * "Forbairn ypile!"


 * Used by Merlin to make a branch fall on a bandit (The Gates of Avalon):
 * "Forbearnan firgenholt."


 * Used by Merlin to light a torch (Excalibur):
 * "Leoc morla."


 * Used by Merlin to trap the Black Knight in an inferno (Excalibur):
 * "Cume hay forbearnar."


 * Used by Merlin to conjure a dragon out of sparks (The Moment of Truth):
 * "Draca."


 * Used by Merlin to heat a bandit's sword (The Moment of Truth):
 * "Ahatian!"


 * Used by Merlin to start a blaze that trapped Kanen and his men (The Moment of Truth):
 * "Baern."


 * Used by Merlin to fire a blast of magical energy from the palm of his hand (Le Morte d'Arthur):
 * "Astrice!"


 * Used by Nimueh to throw fireballs at Merlin (Le Morte d'Arthur):
 * "Forbearne! Akwele!"


 * Used by Merlin light several torches (The Nightmare Begins):
 * "For-bear-nahn fehr-gun-halt."


 * Used by Merlin to light a campfire (The Nightmare Begins):
 * "Forbearnahn."


 * Used by Merlin to heat Aredian's dagger (The Witchfinder):
 * "Forbearnan."


 * Used by Merlin to light a spear on fire (The Sins of the Father):
 * "Gar onbaerne."


 * Used by Merlin to light a torch (The Lady of the Lake):
 * "Bryne."


 * Used by Merlin to make candle flames float in the air (The Lady of the Lake):
 * "Hoppath nu swycle swa ligfleogan!"


 * Used by Merlin to light Freya's funeral pyre (The Lady of the Lake):
 * "Westiray. Wecce on saebat baelfyra maest."


 * Used by Merlin to block a path with a wave of fire (The Tears of Uther Pendragon):
 * "Forbearnan!"


 * Used by Merlin to destroy Morgause's column of fire (The Castle of Fyrien):
 * "Merrtorrsweoolhat!"


 * Used by Merlin to consume a pyre in flame (Queen of Hearts):
 * "Intende lig, intende lig!"


 * Used by Merlin to conjure a flame in the palm of his hand (The Sorcerer's Shadow):
 * "Forbearnan."


 * Used by Merlin to set ropes on fire (The Coming of Arthur):
 * "Forbaern aeltaewlice!"


 * Used by Merlin to light a fire (The Darkest Hour):
 * "Bael onbryne!"


 * Used by Merlin to incinerate the Fomorroh (A Servant of Two Masters):
 * "Ontend disne wyrm pæt he licge unastyred a butan ende!"


 * Used by Alator to mentally torture Gaius (The Secret Sharer):
 * "Lig-fyr onbærne swithe!"


 * Used by Gaius to extinguish the fire (The Secret Sharer):
 * "Acwence tha bælblysse!"


 * Used by Alator to strengthen his spell (The Secret Sharer):
 * "Fyr withere!"


 * Used by Merlin to relight some torches (Lamia):
 * "Scin scir!"


 * Used by Merlin to block a corridor, and later to set a cart on fire (The Sword in the Stone):
 * "Bael onbryne!"


 * Used by Merlin to enchant a poppet (The Sword in the Stone):
 * "Ontend eallne thaes drycraeftes hire sawle!"


 * Used by Ruadan to block the Knights' path (Arthur's Bane):
 * "Bael onbryne!"


 * Used by Merlin to light all the torches in the armoury (The Death Song of Uther Pendragon):
 * "Bael onbryne!"


 * Used by Merlin to conjure a wall of fire (The Kindness of Strangers):
 * "Ligfyr!"


 * Used by Ari to extinguish some brazier (The Diamond of the Day):
 * "Forp fleoge!"


 * Used by Ari in an attempt to relight the braziers (The Diamond of the Day):
 * "Bael onbryne!"


 * Used by Mordred and Morgana to create a massive sphere of fire (The Diamond of the Day):
 * "Thurh minum gewealde ond thinum maegen... geclippath we thone lieg the ealla awestath."


 * Used by Merlin to create a dragon out of flames (The Diamond of the Day):
 * "Upastiye draca!"

Appearances

 * Series 1
 * The Mark of Nimueh
 * A Remedy to Cure All Ills
 * The Gates of Avalon
 * Excalibur
 * The Moment of Truth
 * Le Morte d'Arthur


 * Series 2
 * The Nightmare Begins
 * The Witchfinder
 * The Sins of the Father
 * The Lady of the Lake
 * Sweet Dreams


 * Series 3
 * The Tears of Uther Pendragon
 * The Castle of Fyrien
 * The Eye of the Phoenix
 * Queen of Hearts
 * The Sorcerer's Shadow
 * The Coming of Arthur: Part One


 * Series 4
 * The Darkest Hour
 * A Servant of Two Masters
 * The Secret Sharer
 * Lamia
 * Lancelot du Lac
 * The Sword in the Stone


 * Series 5
 * Arthur's Bane
 * The Death Song of Uther Pendragon
 * The Kindness of Strangers
 * The Diamond of the Day

Trivia

 * Some types of light spells may be related to fire magic, as the spell Morgause used to illuminate Gwen's trail ("Scin scir!") was later used by Merlin to relight torches (The Coming of Arthur, Lamia).