User blog comment:Dryuuu/Why Aithusa healed Merlin/@comment-4917269-20120315165127

I agree with the wiki contributor that "aithusa might have healed morgana to give her a chance to repent and stuff.." because that way, Morgana has the chance to continue her Heroine's Journey. I'm a fan of the heroic archetype method of story telling. And, I admit, I didn't see it at first until I went over the episodes for Gwen's Journey as a Hero (you know, that bracelet thing with Arthur and Lancelot resulting in Gwen becoming Queen, which didn't make much sense to me at first, until it became evident that that episode had Gwen's apotheosis and metamorphoses as a heroine). Then, it became evident that Aithusa breathing life into Morgana provided her with an apotheosis, a chance for her to fulfill her destiny which IS the same as that of Merlin's and Arthur's and Gwen's but has become twisted because of the Morgana prism of her own making: that she alone can restore the old religion to the land.

Here's the Heroine's Journey based on the elements of Maureen Murdock that Morgana's followed up to Season 4: Stage 1: SEPARATION FROM THE FEMININE: The rejection of typically female values, the Mother (Triple) Goddess, and the female archetype. (Beginning in Season 1 Episode 1, during her refusal to join the celebration and later challenging Uther in To Kill the King in Episode 12) Stage 2: IDENTIFICATION WITH THE MASCULINE & GATHERING OF ALLIES: The heroine finds a Mentor (Morgause) to guide her through the male dominated world who initiates her into her new realm or masculine combat or contests. (Seen as early as Season 1 on meeting Merlin, Mordred, the Druids and progressing through the Seasons as Morgana became more like Uther). Stage 3: ROAD OF TRIALS, MEETING OGRES & DRAGONS & FALSE KNIGHTS : A series of trials in which she must integrate the masculine qualities needed to complete her quest by internalizing traditionally male strengths and slaying of male monster archetypes: # Two-headed Dragon of Dependency - conflicting needs of her endeavor and family must be 'slain' by finding a balance between them. (The conflict between her magic and her familial ties to Arthur and Uther) # Ogre, the Tyrant of Inferiority -(Uther) # Knight in shining Armour - The illusion of the person who will solve all her problems must be seen through and dispatched; otherwise, she returns to being a maiden in distress (Agravaine) Stage 4: FINDING THE ILLUSORY BOON OF SUCCESS: At the highpoint of her struggle, Morgana gains the throne but she learns that it is easier to judge how to rule than to actually rule. Morgana obtains her goal of her quest but this is illusory because this alone does not return the old religion and make the land safe for magic. Instead, she is hated and it seems so is magic. (The Coming of Arthur in S03 and the Sword in the Stone in S04). And she enters, Stage 5: PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL ARIDITY: DEATH. But, she is given a second chance. If she chooses, she can continue with that Journey and after making amends and such, help to reintegrate the land with magic.

If the Heroine's Journey holds, then Morgana will engage in the other 5 stages. And we can see where this should lead for Season 5: the Journey of Morgana, Gwen, Arthur, and Merlin as they all become some form of Hero/Anti-Hero (Classic, Chilvaric, Romantic, or Modern/Modern variant). And in the process, there will result in conflicts pitting Morgana against Merlin and his allies, the formation of alliances between Morgana and either Gwen, Arthur, and/or Merlin, the adoption of villainous traits by the other Heroes and heroic traits by the villain in the process, until they all transform into fundamentally the same sort of protagonist, and eventually, some sort of synthesis between the factions that will result in the creation of Albion.