Aithusa

For the episode with the same name see: Aithusa (episode).

"The white dragon bodes well for Albion, for you and Arthur, and for the land you will build together."

- Kilgharrah to Merlin

Aithusa is a white dragon summoned from its egg by Merlin, who later saved Morgana's life by healing her wounds.

History
One night, Merlin was resting in his room when he heard Gaius talking with a stranger about something that could bring back the race of Dragons. He asked for Gaius's help in seeking it out, but the physician refused. It was later revealed to Merlin that the man was Julius Borden, who, for over 20 years had been searching for a dragon's egg.

When Merlin did not understand his mentor's hesitation, he sought Julius out and agreed to help him. Merlin wanted the egg so that Kilgharrah would no longer be the last of his kind, but Julius Borden only wanted the egg for wealth and power. When the two arrive at the ruins where the egg lays, Merlin ends up having to use magic against Borden, barely escaping with the egg, as the ruins tumbled. Merlin later summoned Kilgharrah  to learn how to hatch it and was informed that dragon eggs would only hatch when given their names by a Dragonlord. Using his power, Merlin summoned Aithusa into existence, the small dragon subsequently hatching from the egg. Kilgharrah noted that Merlin's chosen name was very fitting as it was the dragon term for the light of the sun, reflecting how Aithusa – a rare white dragon, whose name means "light of the sun" – would represent a new dawn for the world that Merlin and Arthur  would create together (Aithusa).

Aithusa presumably remained with Kilgharrah while maturing. When Morgana lost the throne of Camelot for the second time and was gravely injured fighting her way out, Aithusa flew to where she lay in the forest and healed her wounds for reasons unknown. Morgana appeared both shocked and elated at the sight of the dragon, smiling in disbelief as Aithusa flew away once again right after healing her (The Sword in the Stone).

Personality
Little is known about Aithusa's personality since he has had very little time on screen so far in the series. His reasons for saving Morgana at the end of series 4 are unknown; perhaps he simply felt sorry for her and didn't realise that she was evil or maybe he did know she was evil and was compassionate enough to save her anyway. However it is speculated that Aithusa might have a more ominous motive for saving Morgana. The fact that he was a white Dragon whose name meant "light of the sun" does not guarantee that he wasn't evil.

Legends
In the legends, Merlin saw the red dragon kill the white dragon after a long and gory duel. The red dragon is the symbol of Camelot and the white dragon is the symbol of the Saxons.

Due to this fact, fans have speculated that Kilgharrah - the Great Dragon, who has a tint of red within his scales - will be the dragon that kills Aithusa. Katie McGrath also mentioned that Aithusa saving Morgana in Series 4 finale has to do with an important story of the Arthurian Legend that is not known to everyone, strengthening this argument.

Appearances

 * Series 4
 * Aithusa
 * The Sword in the Stone: Part Two


 * Series 5

Trivia

 * It has been confirmed that Aithusa will appear in Series 5.
 * It is unknown how the future of dragons is safe by Aithusa's birth, given that he is male and Kilgharrah also has a male voice. This could be a plot hole or maybe dragons can have decendants magically, but the birth still demands two of them.
 * When the writers learnt about the fans debating whether Aithusa healing Morgana had to do with the white and red dragon legend or not, the only thing they said was that "we hoped it was a nice tease...".