Saxons

The Saxons were a league of people serving Morgana, who first appeared and were mentioned in Series 5. Saxons included both men, the Saxon army, and women, including Kara who was referred to as a Saxon (The Drawing of the Dark).

Characteristics
The Saxons had been in operation months before Series 5 began, which was three years after the events of Series 4 (The Sword in the Stone). Queen Annis proved this when she mentioned to Arthur that Saxons had began raiding villages months ago (Arthur's Bane). Arthur asked whether it was to raise an army but Annis responded it was to use them to find something in Ismere (The Diamair). It is unknown whether this is how the Saxons were amassed- this trait was in the Southrons, the army Morgana was previously allied with, who stormed villages searching for recruits (The Hunter's Heart).

The Saxons heavily characterised bandits, performing raids on villages in kingdoms to find men to help them achieve Morgana's goal in finding the Diamair. They were ruthless in achieving Morgana's goals. In Arthur's Bane, a camp in Asgorath was raided to find slaves to help find the Diamair, and Lochru, a seer, was left behind, dying. Morgana also paid good money for slaves to be handed over, Ragnor was a slave-trader who managed to capture Arthur and Merlin, amongst other unknown individuals. Camps were also raided in The Kindness of Strangers in the hunt for Alator, to find the true identity of Emrys, and in The Drawing of the Dark, where Camelot knights were killed for cargo that was bound for Camelot. This is also where Kara, the first female mentioned as a Saxon, was spotted. Merlin, seeing Mordred let Kara go, suspected Mordred was allied with the Saxons, before realising he had personal connections with Kara before she fell in league with Morgana and the Saxons.

History
"Some months ago, Saxons began raiding our villages. They're rounding up all the men they can find and taking them to Ismere."

- Queen Annis

Saxons appeared in the first episode of Series 5, under the command of Morgana and the rebel druid Ruadan. They were serving Morgana in finding slaves to dig in the mines in Ismere. Morgana, when she learnt Arthur was going to Ismere to rescue his men, said she had patrols that would alert her so they could stop Arthur and the Knights in their tracks, but Ruadan said, according to his daughter, and a spy in Camelot, Sefa, they were taking an alternate path, from the East, as suggested by Queen Guinevere. Morgana went with Ruadan and a patrol of Saxons and managed to ambush Arthur, killing most of the knights as they were severely outnumbered and surrounded. Ruadan injured Arthur's back with a mace, and Arthur retreated with Merlin, who used magic to escape the situation. After they escaped, Morgana continued patrolling the area with Saxons, yelling at them to not just stand there and find Merlin and Arthur.

The war pressed on, but Camelot's forces were clearly outnumbered. Arthur was about to take on several men by his lonesome, but was saved by a lightning beam that Merlin/Emrys cast from high above the plains of Camlann. The Saxons were forced to retreat, as Merlin took their army out with ease and Arthur's army drove them off. Aithusa was also disarmed by Merlin, and was not seen again. Morgana later choked one of her men until he collapsed, angered and devastated by Mordred's death, her loss of the battle, and the escape of Arthur. Despite this, her men continued the hunt and did not question Morgana taking it out on them. Merlin met Beroun and another unnamed Saxon out on the field, and when they detected he was with Arthur, he attacked them both with magic. Morgana only managed to find Arthur, wounded by Mordred's blade, when she captured Gwaine and used the Nathair on him to make him reveal their location, which was on the way to Avalon. Morgana travelled there by herself and attacked Merlin then taunted Arthur, wanting him to die by Mordred's hand. Merlin then stuck up behind Morgana with Excalibur, unbeknownst to her that it was an immortal blade- forged by the dragon's breath, just like the blade Mordred used to pierce Arthur- and stabbed her with it, resulting in her death. After Morgana's death, the Saxons disappeared, like the Southrons. It is assumed the remaining Saxons disbanded.

Appearances

 * Series 5
 * Arthur's Bane: Part One
 * Arthur's Bane: Part Two
 * The Kindness of Strangers
 * The Drawing of the Dark
 * The Diamond of the Day: Part One
 * The Diamond of the Day: Part Two

Legend
In the legend, the Saxons were enemies of King Arthur and invaded Britain. The white dragon also stood for the Saxons, while the red dragon stood against it, presumably for Camelot. The producers have stated that they will take the "legend of the white dragon (Aithusa) vs the red dragon (Kilgharrah), but with a twist."