Dragonlord

"You are the last dragonlord now. You alone carry the ancient gift. Deep within yourself you must find the voice that you and Kilgharrah both share. For your soul and his are brothers. When you speak to him as kin, he must obey your will."

- Balinor's voice speaking to Merlin

Dragonlord is a term given to a warlock who possess a very rare ability - they are able to talk to, tame and kill dragons, along with being able to control Wyvern, the animal-like distant cousins of dragons. According to the Old Religion, dragonlords are brothers to dragons through a connection of the soul. The powers of a dragonlord are passed on from father to son when the father dies, but dragonlords only know if they have truly inherited the power when they face their first dragon.

They were all thought to have been wiped out during the Great Purge when Uther Pendragon destroyed all creatures of magic, but one dragonlord, Balinor, avoided persecution by staying at the village of Ealdor. Whilst there, Balinor met and fell in love with Hunith, but was forced to leave her when Uther was informed of his whereabouts. Several years later, Balinor discovered that whilst with Hunith he had conceived a son, the great sorcerer Merlin, who inherited his father's gift when Balinor was murdered. Merlin then used this ability to defend Camelot from the Great Dragon.

It seems likely that some, if not all, dragonlords are able to perform magic - it is unknown if Merlin's abilities (beyond the ones he has learned) are simply the powers of an advanced Dragonlord that he has somehow been born with, or if they are unique to him. As dragonlords and dragons are considered 'spiritual brothers' they are also considered creatures of magic.

Known Dragonlords

 * Merlin
 * Balinor (deceased)
 * Balinor's father (deceased)
 * Balinor's grandfather (deceased)

Abilities
All Dragonlords, once they have inherited their gift, are able to speak to any Dragon, in the language shared by their souls. This is significant, (as most Dragons can speak human languages) as when spoken to in this way, it is impossible for the Dragon to ignore or defy the will of the Dragonlord speaking, meaning that the dragon must obey regardless of their personal feelings or desires (Although the dragons are still capable of voicing their opinions on actions that the Dragonlords ask of them even if they cannot explicitly say 'no'). This language is at least partly telepathic, as Kilgharrah was able to hear Merlin's call from many miles away, far beyond the reach of normal sound, and is seemingly partly non-verbal; some of a Dragons behaviour can be controlled by will alone.

The power also has some effect on Wyverns, although the power may be less as one still attacked after Merlin's commands, although seeing as this was later, and only one did this, its possible it was the third Wyvern mentioned earlier, that wasn't there when Merlin Commanded them to leave.

Another possible ability, though it is not stated, is demonstrated by Merlin- he is able to knock back his enemies with a dragon like roar, sending them flying. It also seems that a Dragon will only willingly let a Dragonlord ride it, making them incredibly formidable adversaries even without their own offensive magic, given the physical and magical power Dragons posess.

Dragonlords are also required for dragon eggs to hatch, the Dragonlord calling the unborn dragons into existence by naming the dragons and bringing them into the world.

Appearances
(As Merlin appears in every episode, this list only includes episodes, that feature other Dragonlords or when Merlin uses these powers)
 * The Sins of the Father (mentioned only)
 * The Last Dragonlord
 * The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part 1
 * The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part 2
 * Gwaine (episode) (hinted only)
 * The Crystal Cave
 * The Eye of the Pheonix
 * The Sorcerer's Shadow
 * The Coming of Arthur Part 2
 * The Darkest Hour Part 2
 * Aithusa