Destiny

"Though no man, no matter how great, can know his destiny, some lives have been foretold..."

- Kilgharrah to Merlin

Destinies are the futures of individuals that have been foretold in prophecies. Both magical and non-magical people can have destinies, and it appears to be extremely difficult (though not impossible) to avert them.

Merlin
"Your destiny is to protect the young Pendragon until he claims his crown, and when he does, magic can be returned to the realm."

- Kilgharrah to Merlin

According to Kilgharrah, it was Merlin's destiny to protect Arthur Pendragon, to help him unite the land of Albion, and to return magic to the realm (The Dragon's Call, Le Morte d'Arthur). The Druids also had prophecies to this effect, in which Merlin was known as Emrys (The Beginning of the End, The Secret Sharer).

Though Merlin's destiny was a secret to most, many people unknowingly sought to avert it by preventing Arthur's destiny from coming to pass. Morgana, for example, would have unknowingly averted it had she succeeded in killing Arthur and seizing the throne of Camelot (The Coming of Arthur, The Sword in the Stone), and the troll who posed as the Lady Catrina would have averted it had she succeeded in undermining Arthur and replacing him as Uther's heir (Beauty and the Beast).

It is unknown whether Merlin failed or fulfilled his destiny. Though Arthur's death would appear to have averted it, Kilgharrah told him that all that he had dreamt of building had come to pass. He reminded Merlin that Arthur was not just a King, but the Once and Future King, and said that when Albion's need was greatest, Arthur would rise again. This may imply that the remainder of their destinies would be fulfilled when Arthur eventually returned (The Diamond of the Day).

Arthur Pendragon
"Arthur is the Once and Future King who will unite the land of Albion."

- Kilgharrah to Merlin

According to Kilgharrah, Arthur was destined to become the Once and Future King and to unite the land of Albion (The Dragon's Call, Le Morte d'Arthur).

Many people sought to avert Arthur's destiny, including his half-sister Morgana, who desired to rule Camelot herself (The Coming of Arthur, The Sword in the Stone, The Diamond of the Day). It was also because of his destiny that Aulfric and Sophia chose him as their sacrifice to the Sidhe Elders, as they considered Arthur to be the greatest prince of all (The Gates of Avalon).

It is unknown whether Arthur failed or fulfilled his destiny. Though his death would appear to have averted it, Kilgharrah told Merlin that when Albion's need was greatest, Arthur would rise again. This may imply that the rest of their destinies would be fulfilled when Arthur eventually returned (The Diamond of the Day).

Morgana Pendragon
"You are destined to bring back the Old Ways."

- The Dochraid to Morgana

According to the Dochraid, it was Morgana's destiny to restore the customs of the Old Religion to Camelot, and possibly to Albion as a whole (Lancelot du Lac).

Morgana followed in her sister's footsteps and became a High Priestess, but made no move to reinstate the Old Religion during either of her reigns as Queen. However, it is possible that would have done so if Arthur had been captured or killed and no longer posed a threat to her authority (The Coming of Arthur, The Sword in the Stone).

At the time of her death, Morgana had not restored the Old Religion to Camelot and most of her followers and allies had been lost in the Battle of Camlann. It is therefore likely that she did not fulfill her destiny (The Diamond of the Day).

Guinevere Pendragon
"They show a ceremony in Camelot. It's my serving girl, Gwen, and she sits beside Arthur on a throne. She's crowned Queen."

- Morgana tells Morgause about her dreams

Guinevere was destined to marry Arthur Pendragon and become Queen of Camelot. Morgana first discovered this when she had a prophetic dream about Gwen being crowned Queen (Queen of Hearts).

Morgana made four attempts to avert Gwen's destiny. She led Uther to believe that Gwen had enchanted Arthur in Queen of Hearts; enchanted her into having an affair with Lancelot in Lancelot du Lac; and tried to kill her in both The Darkest Hour and The Sword in the Stone.

Guinevere married Arthur and was crowned Queen in The Sword in the Stone, thus fulfilling her destiny. Morgana, however, refused to admit defeat. She kidnapped Gwen and enchanted her into trying to kill Arthur so that she could ascend the throne and then pass the crown to Morgana (The Dark Tower, A Lesson in Vengeance, The Hollow Queen). Fortunately, Arthur and Merlin discovered and broke the enchantment before Gwen succeeded (With All My Heart).

Mordred
"It is his destiny to bring about Arthur's doom!"

- Kilgharrah to Merlin about Mordred

According to Kilgharrah, Mordred was destined to kill Arthur Pendragon (The Witch's Quickening, The Beginning of the End). Merlin later saw a vision of him killing Arthur after speaking with the Druid Seer Lochru (Arthur's Bane).

Mordred unknowingly attempted to fulfill his destiny when he became an ally of Alvarr. The older sorcerer planned to have Mordred use the Crystal of Neahtid to strike down Uther and all who served him, which included Arthur (The Witch's Quickening).

Merlin made three attempts to avert Mordred's destiny. He tried to use his magic to trip Mordred so that the Knights could catch him in The Witch's Quickening; refused to use his magic to heal Mordred and advised Arthur not to give in to the Disir's demands in The Disir; and left him to the mercy of Morgana in With All My Heart.

Mordred himself appeared to have averted his destiny when he chose to save Arthur from Morgana (Arthur's Bane). He was made a Knight of Camelot and became one of Arthur's closest friends, but ultimately turned against the King after his lover, Kara, was executed for treason (The Drawing of the Dark).

Mordred and Morgana conspired to take away Merlin's magic and then launched an attack on Camelot. They later took part in the Battle of Camlann, where Mordred fulfilled his destiny by fatally wounding Arthur before ultimately being killed himself (The Diamond of the Day).

Merlin and Arthur
"He and the young Pendragon one day will unite the land of Albion."

- Kilgharrah to Gaius about Merlin

According to Kilgharrah, Merlin and Arthur Pendragon were destined to unite the land of Albion (The Dragon's Call, A Remedy to Cure All Ills).

Merlin was quite skeptical of this at first, as he and Arthur had gotten off on the wrong foot and he thought that the prince was an idiot. When he admitted as much, however, the Dragon merely replied that perhaps it was his destiny to change that (The Dragon's Call).

Merlin and Arthur came to be good friends over the years, and eventually Merlin began to take on the role of Arthur's unofficial advisor. It was partially due to his influence that Arthur became willing to openly recognize the worth of commoners. For example, he knighted common men who had proven their loyalty and skill, and chose Guinevere as his Queen because of her counsel and nobility (The Coming of Arthur, The Sword in the Stone). Merlin also influenced Arthur to be more compassionate and to make peace with his enemies when possible. For example, he urged Arthur to spare Caerleon's life and to make peace with Odin rather than seek revenge (His Father's Son, Another's Sorrow).

There were many people who sought to avert their destiny. Among them were High Priestesses Nimueh and Morgause, who sought revenge against Camelot for the Great Purge; Morgana, who sought revenge for her father and half-brother's war against magic and desired the throne of Camelot; and Mordred, who was destined to kill Arthur and turned against him after his lover, Kara, was executed for treason. It is unknown whether Merlin and Arthur fulfilled their destiny. Though Arthur's death would appear to have averted it, Kilgharrah told Merlin that all that he had dreamt of building had come to pass. He reminded him that Arthur was not just a King, but the Once and Future King, and said that when Albion's need was greatest, Arthur would rise again. This may imply that the remainder of their destiny would be fulfilled when Arthur eventually returned (The Diamond of the Day).

Mordred and Morgana
"The ancient prophecies speak of an alliance of Mordred and Morgana united in evil."

- Kilgharrah to Merlin

According to Kilgharrah, there were ancients prophecies which foretold an alliance between Mordred and Morgana, the former of whom was destined to bring about Arthur's doom (The Witch's Quickening).

Morgana first met Mordred when she tried to help him escape from Camelot. She was oddly drawn to him and at one point told Gwen that she believed that there was a bond between them like nothing she'd ever felt before (The Beginning of the End). This bond was also evident when they were reunited in The Nightmare Begins.

Mordred and Morgana first became allies against Camelot when they helped Alvarr obtain the Crystal of Neahtid. The older sorcerer recruited Morgana to steal the Crystal from the castle vaults and hoped that Mordred would be able to use it to strike down Uther and all who served him. Their plan failed, however, and Mordred was forced to flee after the Knights of Camelot discovered their camp (The Witch's Quickening).

Mordred and Morgana eventually met again several years later. Now a High Priestess of the Old Religion and openly an enemy of Camelot, Morgana was searching for the Diamair in order to learn more about Arthur's Bane while Mordred was working for a Saxon slaver. Though he was no longer a child, Morgana immediately sensed who he was and was overjoyed to see him. But though she assumed that he would be a trusted ally, Mordred soon became disturbed by how bitter and hateful Morgana had become and ultimately chose to betray her and became Knight of Camelot (Arthur's Bane).

Though Mordred appeared to have averted their shared destiny, Morgana was still fond of him and at one point tried to reason with him, but Mordred once again chose to remain loyal to Arthur (With All My Heart). This changed, however, after his lover was executed for treason. Angry and betrayed, Mordred went to Morgana and told her that he was no longer an ally of Camelot and that he knew the identity of her enemy Emrys: Merlin (The Drawing of the Dark). Allies once more, Mordred and Morgana conspired to take away Merlin's magic and then launched an attack on Camelot. When they learned that Merlin was heading for the Crystal Cave, Mordred recognized its significance and told Morgana that he was probably trying to get his magic back, which prompted her to intercept Merlin and trap him within the Cave.

With Merlin out of the way, Mordred and Morgana carried out their prophesied alliance in the Battle of Camlann. With no one to counter Morgana's magic and a dragon at their command, the Saxons appeared to have the war all but won until Merlin arrived. Having regained his magic and escaped from the Cave, he struck down the Saxons with lightning, knocked Morgana unconscious, and commanded Aithusa away from the battle. Mordred, meanwhile, sought out Arthur and fatally wounded him before he was finally killed himself (The Diamond of the Day).

Morgana and Emrys
"The one they call Emrys will walk in your shadow. He is your destiny, and he is your doom."

- The Cailleach to Morgana

According to the Cailleach, Morgana was destined to die by the hand of a sorcerer called Emrys, which was the name that Druids had for Merlin. Morgana was greatly distressed by this prophecy, especially after she had a prophetic dream of herself begging an old man called Emrys for help during a battle (The Darkest Hour).

After she discovered the old man from her dream stealing her Fomorroh, Morgana became determined to discover his identity (A Servant of Two Masters). She hired Alator of the Catha to kidnap Gaius and torture him into revealing who Emrys was. Alator succeeded, but ultimately chose to betray Morgana in order to protect Emrys's identity (The Secret Sharer). Three years later, Morgana hunted down Alator and tried to torture him into telling her what she knew. When that failed, she killed him and hunted down his servant Finna, who committed suicide in order to protect the secret (The Kindness of Strangers).

Morgana was at an impasse until Mordred came to her and informed her that Merlin was Emrys (The Drawing of the Dark). No longer afraid now that she knew who she was up against, Morgana conspired with Mordred to take away Merlin's magic and later trapped him within the Crystal Cave so that he couldn't help Arthur during the Battle of Camlann (The Diamond of the Day).

In the end, however, her efforts were for naught. Merlin regained his magic and escaped from the Cave, arriving at the battle just in time to save Arthur from an onslaught of Saxons. As Morgana screamed in rage, he struck her and her army down with lightning, knocking her off the ledge she was standing on and rendering her unconscious. When she eventually woke up, her army was scattered, the battle had been lost, and Mordred was dead. Desperate for revenge, Morgana followed Merlin and Arthur to the Lake of Avalon and attacked Merlin with her magic. Assuming that he was unconscious, she then turned her attention to Arthur, intending to gloat over his imminent death.

Much to her surprise, however, Merlin had not been harmed by her attack and they faced off. Undaunted by the sight of Excalibur in his hand, she reminded him that as a High Priestess no mortal blade could kill her. In response, Merlin ran her through. She made no move to defend herself, and could only gasp in shock and pain as he revealed Excalibur was not a mortal blade, but had been forged in a dragon's breath. Within minutes, Morgana was dead, and their destiny fulfilled (The Diamond of the Day).

Creatures Capable of Knowing One's Destiny

 * Kilgharrah has the ability to know someone's destiny and does his best to help Merlin fufill his. It is unknown if all dragons have this ability.
 * The Druids also have the ability to know ones destiny, namely Merlin's, who is called Emrys by them.
 * The Cailleach told Morgana about her and Emrys' future, which means that she too is aware of the mortals' destinies.
 * Nimueh told Arthur it was not his destiny to die by her hand, although she did not seem to know Merlin's destiny.
 * Taliesin said that he and Merlin were destined to meet, meaning that he is was also aware of the young warlock's, and possibly Arthur and Morgana's futures.
 * After Morgana caused Gwen's banishment from Camelot, Merlin said that she was destined to marry Arthur. However he is most likely not a creature that knows ones destiny, since he could not foresee Mordred and Morgana's future.

Inaccuracies

 * Nimueh attempted to have Arthur killed, despite not being his destiny to die by her hand (The Poisoned Chalice).
 * Taliesin showed Merlin the future in order to prevent Morgana from learning the truth and killing the king. However, he made the young warlock activate the future instead (The Crystal Cave).
 * Merlin is not known to be a seer or have any ability to know one's destiny. However he claimed that it was Arthur's destiny to marry Guinevere (The Hunter's Heart). However, he was able to see the future through the crystals in the crystal caves.