Morgana Pendragon

""No! No! NO! NO!"

- Morgana bringing the throne room of Camelot to the ground while cradling Morgause's unconscious body.

Morgana Pendragon is the illegitimate daughter of Uther Pendragon and half sister of Arthur Pendragon. She is also a witch and seer, and the only person within Camelot other than Merlin who appeared to have a natural magical gift. She is half-sister of Morgause, through their mother, Vivienne. Morgana acts like the first lady of the kingdom in official acts and ceremonies. Morgana eventually turns against Camelot becoming an enemy of Merlin, Uther, Arthur and Gwen. She is crowned Queen of Camelot after she and Morgause overthrow Uther. Her victory does not last long, however, as she is in turn overthrown by Merlin, Arthur and his Knights. She subsequently flees Camelot, taking the injured Morgause with her.

It is unknown whether or not she will return in Series 4, however, it is likely.

Meeting Merlin
Morgana was first seen by Merlin during his first days in Camelot; she mistook him for Gwen while getting ready for a feast celebrating twenty years since the end of The Great Purge. Morgana resisted attending this celebration, expressing to Uther her abhorrence for the Great Purge, because of the lives taken to accomplish Uther's purpose of eliminating magic from Camelot. Nevertheless Uther ordered her to be present.

She first was introduced to Merlin when Gwen was wrongly accused of witchcraft, after witnessing his apparent attempt to sacrifice his life for Gwen's. (Although it was to save Gwen, he was actually the one responsible for the enchantment of which she had been accused) His actions led her to believe Merlin had feelings for Gwen. She helped Merlin and Arthur defeat the Afanc that Nimueh used to poison the water supply despite them telling her it was too dangerous. (The Mark of Nimueh)

Adventures
At a young age, Morgana discovered that she sometimes dreamt of terrible things that afterwards came to pass. As the court physician, Gaius gave her a variety of sleeping drugs, but none proved efficacious. Her powers were first proven useful against enemies of Camelot when Morgana's dreams aided Merlin in defeating two Sidhe that wished to kill Arthur so one of their own, a young female, Sophia, might return to Avalon. (The Gates of Avalon)

Morgana later became deeply attached to Mordred, a young druid boy whose life Merlin saved at risk of Uther's wrath were his actions discovered. (The Beginning of the End) Merlin aided in the safe return of Mordred to his people, and Morgana was grateful. In return, she went with him to his home village Ealdor to help him defend it from bandits. (The Moment of Truth).

She has ever been strongly opposed to Uther's stand against magic and questioned his choice to execute Mary Collins' son, Tom. (The Dragon's Call) She mmmms mmsss am kokuyor mmms mmss göt kokuyor.than something you choose. (The Beginning of the End) She has appeared at times to have an intuitive awareness of Merlin's abilities although she has never confronted him with it. (The Gates of Avalon, The Moment of Truth, Le Morte d'Arthur et al)

Morgana also has a darker side. Her bitterness over her father's death and Uther's pivotal role in it has caused her great turmoil and ambivalence towards Uther; when exacerbated by Uther's intention to put Gwen to death unjustly, and his actual execution of Gwen's father on charges of sorcery, her bitterness blossomed into hatred and a desire for revenge. She plotted to have Uther killed and took an active role in the performance of the intended murder. However, she repented of her intention at the last minute when confronted with the realization that Uther was truly sorry for his actions in the case of both her father and Gwen's father. She then killed Tauren, the assassin, just before he struck Uther down; Merlin killed the other sorcerers involved. (To Kill the King) After these events she warned Merlin in a trance that worse things were to come.

Exploring her Magic
Morgana's magic eventually began to reveal itself. When Morgana accidentally set her room on fire, she became terrified. She went to Gaius and told him she feared she had magic. Gaius knew it was true, but lied to her to protect her. Merlin advised her to seek out the Druids for help. (The Nightmare Begins.)

Morgana eventually found her way to a Druid camp, where she was reunited with Mordred. Merlin later arrived, saying Uther believed she had been kidnapped and was going to execute everyone in Camelot who was under suspicion unless she was returned. Morgana did not want to go back, but an army of Camelot soldiers raided the camp and brought her back. Morgana thanked Merlin for what he did for her, saying her experience has taught her not to fear her powers.

While she no longer feared her powers, Morgana realised the danger in exposing them. She was terrified when Uther hired a witchfinder to expose the last traces of magic, and was desperate to keep her secret hidden. She was later taken hostage when the Witchfinder's treachery was exposed, but was saved by Merlin. Arthur mistakenly believed that Morgana and Merlin had romantic feelings for each other.

Final betrayal and disappearance
In the Witch's Quickening, Morgana stole a dark crystal to give it to a sorcerer named Alvarr, who had won her over. Merlin found her in Arthur's chambers with his keys, so automatically suspected her. She rode to the bandit camp and Merlin followed, and his fears were confirmed. Later on the episode, when Alvarr was taken captive, she furiously told Uther that she disowned him as her family. She later used the sleeping potion Gaius gives her to drug Alvarr's guards, allowing him to escape. Uther suspected Morgana when he heard Alvarr had help escaping, but left her alone because he was unable to prove anything. (the Witch's Quickening)

Sometime later, Morgana was approached by her half sister Morgause. Morgause enlisted her help in her plot to kill Uther and put Morgana in a trance. Morgana awoke in Camelot to find she was the only person who was not affected by a sleeping plague. Morgause used Morgana as a vessel for the sleeping plague, a fact of which she was unaware. Morgana was then poisoned by Merlin, who refused to give Morgause the cure unless she destroyed the Knights of Medhir and woke everyone up. Reluctantly, Morgause agreed and Merlin, Uther and Arthur watched Morgause conjure a whirlwind and she and Morgana disappeared. Uther was devastated and searched everywhere for his ward, still unaware that she has officially turned against him. (The Fires Of Idirsholas)

Return to Camelot
After a year of Morgause corrupting her and turning her against Uther, Morgana becomes a blood-thirsty machine of hate. She allows Arthur to take her back to Camelot and tells lies about how she has changed and how she forgives Merlin. She collects the tears of Uther and takes them to Morgause, who mixes it in black blood with a mandrake plant (a plant that magical people can hear and drive the people who cannot hear it insane). Morgana kills a soldier to stop him telling anyone she was out at night and places the Mandrake under Uther's bed, which drives the King insane overnight, giving him glimpses of people he's sentenced to death over the years. She also gave him a glimpse of his deceased wife, reducing Uther to tears. Morgause seems to have heightened Morgana's senses as well, she can tell Merlin is following her and Morgause wraps him in chains and they leave him to die. Morgana also uses her new-found magic to perform necromancy, summoning an army of the dead to aid in Camelot's conquest. Though thwarted by Merlin, Morgana still succeeded keeping her secret safe by claiming she destroyed the enchantment (The Tears of Uther Pendragon).

The Princess' Birthday
After Merlin saw Morgana killing Uther in the Crystal Cave, he accidentally caused Morgana to fall down a set of stone stairs on the evening of her birthday (thinking he was foiling an attempt on Uther's life, when really she was only going to meet Morgause) and mortally injured her. Feeling guilty as Camelot mourned Morgana's impending death, Merlin ordered Kilgharrah to give him a spell to cure her. Despite her condition Morgana overheard Uther telling Gaius that he was her real father. After giving him a chance to tell her and the people the truth about her birth, Morgana realised he cared more about his reputation than his own flesh and blood.

Horrified that Uther was related to her, and that he had lied to her all her life, she later told Morgause, who she still thought of as her sister despite the fact they were not related by blood (either this or they shared a mother: however, due to earlier dialogue between characters, it can be assumed that they are only adopted half siblings). In spite of Morgana's anger, Morgause said that it was great news- Morgana now had a legitimate claim for the throne of Camelot when Uther died. However, despite promising Morgause she wouldn't do anything rash, Morgana decided to kill Uther that night. When Merlin attempted to stop her, Morgana threw Merlin against the wall with her magic, starting a fire. She almost succeeded, but Merlin recovered quickly and ran to help Uther. As Morgana held a dagger above Uther, Merlin shattered a window, awakening Uther and saving his life. Morgana quickly dropped the dagger and kicked it under the bed. Lying that she was frightened by the fire she had started she embraced Uther, sighing with relief and frustration behind his back. (The Crystal Cave)

Plotting against Arthur
During the time Arthur was forced into marrying a princess, Morgana noticed that he and Gwen had fallen in love. After speaking to Morgause about this, the two plotted to use Arthur's love for Gwen against him by conceiving a plan that would result in his death. With Arthur dead, Morgana would be able to ascend to the throne of Camelot. Morgause had Cenred kidnap Gwen and her long lost brother, Elyan. Gwen was told to bring Arthur to the Castle of Fryien where Cenred was staying, else her brother would be killed. Gwen did so, only after Merlin saw the scars left on her wrists from the chains, and admitted it was a trap so Arthur could be prepared. On the morning of the excursion, Morgana announced she was coming as well. Arthur revealed his plan to sneak into the castle through tunnels known only to Uther and a few others of the royal court. In spite of Merlin's attempts to stop her coming with them, Morgana still reached the castle and betrayed them. After pretending to be 'captured' along with the rest of the party, Morgana spent time with her sister and Cenred, when news of Arthur's escape reached her. She was used as a 'hostage' by Cenred, and it was only thanks to Merlin stopping Morgause's spell that Morgana was forced to return to Camelot with Arthur, Gwen, Merlin and Elyan (The Castle of Fyrien).

A Fellow Future Queen
Morgana later began to have dreams about Gwen becoming queen. To prevent this, she told Arthur to spend the next day with Gwen, then invited Uther on a ride with her, intentionally passing the spot where Arthur and Gwen were. When Uther realised Arthur truly did love Gwen, he banished her from the city. However, when Arthur decided to join her, and then return to make Gwen his queen, Morgana realised she'd in fact caused the future she saw (much like Merlin did in The Crystal Cave)''. ''Morgana then planted suspicions in the king's mind about the possibility of an enchantment, having previously planted a poultice under Arthur's pillow. Gwen was sentenced to death, and saw Morgana's smirk on hearing her sentence, finally realising that she was behind it all. Merlin, however, thwarted Morgana's plans by pretending (by using an ageing spell to disguise himself) to be the wizard who placed the poultice to bring shame on Camelot, leaving a somewhat confused Morgana defeated. (Queen of Hearts).

Queen of Camelot
Morgana and Morgause eventually managed to get their hands on the Cup of Life. Using this to turn Cenred's army immortal (and then murdering him), Morgause overran Camelot's army and captured the capital. When Uther was captured and brought before Morgause, Morgana revealed her treachery to her father and was crowned queen. She proceeded to establish a reign of terror, forcing a devastated Uther to watch and Arthur to create a resistance movement against her reign.

Morgana ruled for at least a week and tried to get the Knights of Camelot to pledge themselves to her. When this failed her immortal army attacked innocent people. Morgana visited Uther in the dungeons, mockingly calling him father and when Uther pointed out that innocent people were getting hurt, Morgana retaliated by telling him that far more innocent people had been killed under his rule. She and Morgause later manipulated Guinevere and Sir Leon into leading them to Arthur but Arthur and his allies managed to escape.

When Arthur, Merlin, Elyan, Lancelot, Gwaine and Percival infiltrated Camelot, Morgana's soldiers intercepted them. Morgause attacked Merlin but Gaius intervened and attacked her with magic allowing Merlin to empty the Cup, destroying the army. Morgana was devastated and rushed to Morgause's side, cradling her just as Morgause had done over a year before. She then used magic, bringing the whole room crashing down to escape with Morgause. (The Coming of Arthur)

The Future
The Great Dragon has said that Morgana's destiny is to form an evil alliance with Mordred

Personality
Morgana possessed a feisty and cheeky personality. She was considered by many to be very beautiful and attracted the attention of numerous men, including Merlin and Arthur during the first series. However Morgana was much more than just a pretty face; she was fiery and independent and would not hesitate to stand up to her guardian, Uther. When the chips are down, she has also proven to be a capable fighter. Morgana constantly teased Arthur but also often tried to advise him and cared for him deeply, as exemplified by her nightmares involving Arthur's death. She was very affectionate to her maidservant Gwen, considering her a friend and a confidante. When Gwen's father was killed by Uther it prompted Morgana to try and get revenge for both their fathers' deaths by killing him. However, Morgana later decided to save Uther from Tauren when Uther told her he was genuinely sorry for the deaths of her and Gwen's father (To Kill the King). After getting to know Merlin, Morgana also deemed him a trustworthy friend for whom she was willing to risk her life (The Moment of Truth).

In the second series, Morgana's personality became darker as her magic developed and no one seemed willing to help her. She first turned to Gaius, who refused to acknowledge her magic, and later to Merlin, who led her to the Druids. She was later willing to betray Uther to help Mordred (The Witch's Quickening) with whom she had formed a close bond with in an earlier episode. (The Beginning of the End) She later grew to hate Uther, wishing that she had just let Tauren kill him when she had the chance, and once again is involved in a plot to kill him. (The Fires Of Idirsholas) According to The Great Dragon Morgana is destined to form an evil alliance with Mordred.

By the time she returned in series three, Morgana had become a different person. She was murderous, arrogant, selfish and cruel and had a tendency to smirk maliciously when nobody was watching. She stabbed a sentry and then finished him off with poison. She held a grudge against Merlin and led him to Morgause so that she could kill him. Morgana also used magic to drive Uther insane whilst putting on a convincing act of love and affection. Though she was a convincing actress who was able to hide her true nature from almost everyone in Camelot, Morgana has become twisted, evil and full of hate.

Morgana had grown incredibly selfish and powerhungry during her time with Morgause and by the time she returned to Camelot she cared only for Morgause and herself. Her selfishness was displayed by her willingness to turn against the very people that cared for her, simply because she hated Uther as well as her willingness to let innocent people die just to make an example of her power. Her hatred of Uther developed into a hatred of not only the king but also the kingdom itself and increased even more when she found out he was her real father. She thought he cared more about his reputation than he did about her. Morgana was also very ungrateful to Uther for all the love and care he showed her and even though he continued treating her as a father should treat a daughter, she still wanted to kill him.

Morgana turned against her closest friends including Guinevere, Merlin and even her own half brother Arthur attempting to organise Arthur's death in order to replace him on the throne of Camelot. She replaced her father on the throne of Camelot after smugly telling him that she knew she was his daughter. Morgana became a tyrant just as Uther had been before her showing that she was a hypocrite as well as a traitor and had no qualms about ordering the deaths of innocent people. She had also become sadistic taking pleasure in Uther's anguish over her betrayal.

Merlin
When Merlin first arrived in Camelot, he had a crush on the beautiful Morgana. In return, she too developed feelings for him though they both do not pursue them. Morgana appeared to trust Merlin from early on as she went straight to him when Gwen faced execution (The Mark of Nimueh). She appeared to notice Merlin's powers after Arthur is saved from the sidhe, but is later revealed to not have known (The Gates of Avalon et al). When Merlin ran to her to hide Mordred, the Druid boy, Morgana agreed to help and thus developed a strong bond with Mordred. When Merlin's village was under attack (The Moment of Truth), Morgana journeyed with him, Gwen and Arthur to defend the village. There, Merlin overheard her saying that they were there because they cared for Merlin.

Merlin chose to distance himself from her after her attempt on Uther's life, however, he ended up closer to her when she became confused by her developing powers (The Nightmare Begins). The pair remained friends until Merlin discovered that Morgana had once again allied with Uther's enemies.

In the first half of the second series, Morgana's powers began to take control and Merlin immediately empathised with her. He attempted on multiple occasions to convince Gaius to acknowledge and guide Morgana's magic to no avail. Morgana later confided in Merlin her suspicions of her magic, after the two had reassured each other that they were trusted friends to the other. Merlin eventually advised her to seek the Druids despite Gaius and The Great Dragon's warnings not to get involved, saying to the two that he could not abandon her and that he understood what she was going through (The Nightmare Begins). However when Morgana descended further into the dark side near the end of the second series, Merlin poisoned her to save Camelot from Morgana's half sister Morgause. He said that he did not want to see her in pain and he did not want to kill her, but he had no choice.

After Morgana's return to Camelot, she lied to Merlin by telling him she regretted what she did. Initially he believed her until he accidentally discovered the enchantment on Uther. Morgana in fact hated him after he had poisoned her, and purposely led him to Morgause, with the intention of killing him. However her hatred for Merlin could be considered reasonable after he poisoned her, and hurt her badly. This may imply that the friendship that Morgana had with Merlin had more of a impact than anyone thought.

Since then Morgana and Merlin appear to be highly hostile to each other: in the presence of Arthur and Gwen they tend to be polite, but not friendly. Uncharacteristically, Merlin is shown to be very cold to Morgana and vice versa. It appears that Merlin has given up trying to see the good in her. However it is not yet known why Morgana had chosen not to have Merlin executed publicly despite the latter constantly thwarting her plans. Her hatred of Merlin increased when Merlin defeated and possibly killed Morgause because when Merlin told her it was over, Morgana responded by furiously telling Merlin that it had just begun before using magic to bring the room down with her screams. Its highly possible that if Morgana and Morgause (should she recover from her wounds) ever return to Camelot, they may realize that Merlin posesses great powers and will use any means necessary to exploit and destroy him.

Arthur
Morgana appeared to have some level of sibling rivalry with Arthur and she often teased him but also sometimes tried to advise him. They fell out with each other at times but, having grown up together, cared for the other very much (until Morgana's transformation). The two were apparently attracted to each other in the first series, occasionally displaying jealousy when the other is courted by outsiders, but Arthur later turned his attention to Guinevere in series two.

Morgana had several prophetic dreams concerning Arthur's death (The Gates of Avalon, Le Morte d'Artur) and each time desperately attempted to save him, once becoming hysterical. Arthur had in turn defended and aided Morgana when she had angered Uther (To Kill the King). However, Morgana was also unafraid to go behind Arthur's back and even trick him when she felt that he was in the wrong: for example, harboring Mordred. She often tried to advise Arthur against following Uther's sometimes unfeeling orders and instead doing what he deemed as just. She once called him a "better man" than his father, adding as an afterthought that he "always were."

After Morgana's "kidnap," Arthur is delighted by her return to Camelot and the two appear very affectionate, but this was a bluff, as Morgana now only cares about bringing Camelot down, though she did not appear to hate Arthur himself. However, this changed when Morgana discovered that Uther is her father; as Arthur is the Crown Prince, once Uther is dead, Arthur would be the only thing standing in Morgana's way for the throne. Despite his more neutral feeling towards magic than Uther's aggressive stance, which was the main reason why Morgana despised Uther, she still doesn't care about Arthur and has no problem with plotting with Morgause to assassinate Arthur so she can take the throne. Arthur discovered her treachery when he saw her being crowned as Queen and he created a rebellion against her to save Camelot which he succeeded in doing.

Guinevere
Morgana had a close friendship with her maid, Gwen, whom she treated as an equal rather than a servant. Gwen frequently comforted Morgana when she woke up from nightmares. When Uther's soldiers killed Gwen's father, Tom, Morgana was enraged and tried to kill her guardian but later changed her mind. As time went on Morgana noted that Gwen was getting more secretive, and wondered if there was a man involved (which there was). Despite their close friendship, Morgana never confided in Gwen about magic, instead turning to Merlin.

When Morgana was taken away by Morgause, Gwen appeared to miss her. In series 3, Morgana does not have the same friendly relationship with Gwen and treats her more like a mistress would treat her maid. Their relationship grew worse as time went on and it is rumoured that Morgana will slap Gwen in a later episode.

When Morgana received visions of a future where Gwen was queen of Camelot, she subtly revealed Gwen and Arthur's courtship to Uther and framed Gwen for enchanting Arthur (and in doing so attempted to kill her) in order to stop this future from happening. Unknown to Morgana, this revealed Morgana's loyalties to Gwen, who had already seen her use magic (The Eye of the Phoenix). Despite this Gwen and Morgana still pretended to be friends and it is was possible that Morgana still cared for Gwen, as she offered her a chance when Cenred's immortal army invaded Camelot. However, Morgana discovered Gwen was conspiring with Sir Leon to escape Camelot and planned to have Gwen executed, but Morgause convinced her to keep Gwen alive so that she could lead them to Arthur.

Gaius
Morgana often went to Gaius for potions that were supposed to help her with her nightmares. Sometimes they worked but most of the time they did not. Morgana told Aredian that her dreams got worse when Gaius started treating them, though she appeared to know that it was not Gaius' fault. She trusted Gaius a great deal, even though she told Aredian that she had no idea what he'd put in the potions. On at least one occasion, Gaius called Morgana "my child." However, Gaius was firm in believing that Morgana is better off not knowing of her powers, often lying to her about the importance of her dreams and powers in hopes of protecting her from Uther's hatred of magic. But Gaius later believed Merlin did the right thing when he poisoned Morgana, saying that he feared Morgana chose to use her magic for evil. Unlike others, her feelings and attitude towards Gaius did not change much after her return, though she was a bit more haughty to him when a goblin (disguised as Gaius) refused her a medicine. However Gaius later helped Merlin to defeat or possibly kill Morgause to save Camelot but it is unknown whether if Morgana knew that and it is unknown how she felt towards him if she did.

Uther
Morgana had a rather strained relationship with her father, Uther, who she thought was merely her guardian. She frequently stood up to him when she thought he was being unfair or cruel. She claimed that Uther was neither wise, nor just and told him that he continued making enemies, which got her chained up in the dungeons. After the death of Gwen's father, Tom, Morgana conspired with the sorcerer Tauren to kill Uther. However she later saved his life when Uther told her that she was the daughter he never had and that he was truly sorry about Tom's death as well as the death of Morgana's own father. Gradually however, Morgana grew to resent Uther again and this resentment developed into hatred causing her to turn against him once more, this time for real. Uther had no idea of this and was heartbroken by her 'kidnap'. After her return to Camelot Morgana actively plots to bring about Uther's downfall, she succeeded in driving him temporally insane with the use of magic whilst putting on a convincing act of love and affection.

Morgana later learned that Uther was her real father. Instead of feeling closer to him, Morgana hated him more than ever since he'd lied to her all her life and she felt he cared more about his reputation than his own flesh and blood. This also made her an heir to the throne and if Uther died, only Arthur could prevent her from taking over the kingdom. Although all her assassination attempts on Arthur failed because of Merlin's behind-the-scenes manipulations, Morgana and Morgause did finally succeed in conquering Camelot and dethroning Uther. At her coronation, Morgana revealed to Uther that she knew she was his daughter and that she had been working against him ever since Morgause had taken her away from Camelot, devastating the now fallen tyrant. Morgana took sadistic pleasure in Uther's pain over her betrayal.

Mordred
Morgana developed a close bond with the druid boy, Mordred. She sheltered him while Uther was searching for him and later tried to get him out of Camelot but was caught by Arthur and his men. With the help of Arthur and Merlin, Mordred managed to escape Camelot. Morgana later met up with him at a druid camp, and finally helped him and his guardian, Alvarr, steal a crystal from Uther. Morgana was also the only person besides Merlin and other druids who was able to hear Mordred when he spoke telepathically.

Morgause
Morgana is most likely Morgause's younger half sister, though for many years she had no idea of her existence. Nevertheless, Morgana felt that Morgause was familiar to her when they met during Morgause's stay in Camelot. She later conspired with her half sister to kill Uther. Morgause truly cared about Morgana as she abandoned her attempt on Uther's life in order to save Morgana after she was poisoned by Merlin. Morgause took Morgana away to heal her however Uther believed that Morgause kidnapped Morgana and was determined to seek revenge.

By Series 3 Morgause had corrupted Morgana completely and permanently turned her against Uther. Morgause appeared to be Morgana's only friend and confidant and frequently comforts or advises her. Due to Uther's revelation that he was Morgana's father it is unknown whether she and Morgause are related at all, though in The Sins of the Father Morgause implies that her and Morgana share a mother before giving Morgana a healing bracelet. Unlike Morgana, Morgause was delighted when she discovered that Morgana was Uther's daughter, since it gave her a legitimate claim to the throne of Camelot. Morgause watched proudly as Morgana was crowned Queen.

Morgana genuinely loved Morgause and when she was badly injured by Merlin and Gaius (and possibly killed), she was devastated and cried over Morgause's body.'Morgause was the only person that Morgana truly cared about.

Alvarr
Alvarr approached Morgana to enlist her help in stealing the Crystal of Neatid. To do this, he used a combination of his own charm and charisma as well as the girl's bond with Mordred to win her over. After Morgana gave Alvarr the crystal, the two spoke for awhile and he revealed that Mordred had told him about her own magical powers. When she became frightened, he immediately comforted her, calling her a brave woman. It seems that having someone to talk to about her magic and who understood how she felt seemed to finally put Morgana at ease with her magic.

After she left, one of Alvarr's followers commented on how well he played her. However, Alvarr seemed to be captivated by her beauty and grateful for her help. This gratitude increased even more when she came to warn him that Arthur and the knights were coming to recapture the crystal, enabling him and his fighters to prepare for the attack. When she wanted to stay and help, Alvarr seemed concerned about her safety and said a battlefield was no place for her. Before she could protest, he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek and left, leaving a startled Morgana behind.

After he was captured and put on trial by Uther, Alvarr refused to reveal her part in the crystal's theft and Morgana later helped him escape from the dungeons.

Abilities
Morgana is a seer, a person who could see the future in their dreams. She often suffered from nightmares as a result of this ability. She also had some level of telepathy as she was the only person other than Merlin able to hear Mordred speaking in their heads. (The Beginning of the End) Morgana was also a sorceress and she was able to ignite a fire in her bedroom by accidentally using magic. She also made her window and a vase explode, again without meaning to. (The Nightmare Begins)

In the year spent with Morgause, Morgana's skill with magic improved and she gained control over her abilities. However, she admitted that her magic was still considerably weaker than Morgause's magic (The Tears of Uther Pendragon), many of her spells relying on her using a central focus for the spell rather than simply conjuring something on her own. The only exception to this has been when she was able to use magic to knock Merlin unconscious during their brief struggle when she attempted to murder Uther in his sleep after discovering he was her father (The Crystal Cave), but given the emotionally-charged circumstances she may not have intended to use magic. Morgana also used magic to help her when she tried to kill Arthur by using a phoenix eye. (The Eye of the Phoenix)

When Morgause was wounded, or perhaps even killed, by Gaius and Merlin, Morgana displayed tremendous magical power by bringing the whole room crashing down with magical screams. Her grief for Morgause augmented her powers to an extremely high degree. (The Coming of Arthur)

Morgana was also a skilled swordswoman and held her own against a number of men attempting to raid Merlin's village. She also easily overpowered Merlin during the seige of Camelot and disarmed him twice. In the end, Merlin only defeated her by using his magic. It has been indicated that she might have even bested Arthur with a sword before, though this is unconfirmed as Arthur denied it when Morgana mentioned it. (The Moment of Truth)

Behind the scenes

 * The creators of Merlin have likened the series to Smallville, an American television show which chronicles the early life of Superman. Morgana could be thought of as Merlin's version of Lex Luthor who in Smallville, begins as the friend of Clark Kent/Superman but is ultimately consumed by evil.
 * In The Beginning of the End, The Nightmare Begins and The Crystal Cave, Morgana is seen wearing a red cloak reminiscent of Little Red Riding Hood.
 * Morgana has appeared in all episodes apart from The Last Dragonlord.

In the legend
Morgana is loosely based on Morgan Le Fay, a powerful sorceress in the Arthurian legend. Early works featuring Morgan do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a fay or magician. She became much more prominent in the later cyclical prose works such as the Lancelot-Grail and the Post-Vulgate Cycle, in which she becomes an antagonist to King Arthur. The early accounts of Geoffrey of Monmouth and Gerald of Wales refer to Morgan in conjunction with the Isle of Apples (later Avalon) to which the fatally-wounded Arthur was carried. To the former she was an enchantress, one of nine sisters, while to the latter she was the ruler and patroness of an area near Glastonbury and a close blood-relation of King Arthur. In the early romances of Chrétien de Troyes, also, she figures as a healer.

Though in later stories she becomes an adversary of the Round Table when Guinevere discovers her adultery with one of her husband's knights, she eventually reconciles with her brother, and even retains her original role, serving as one of the four enchantresses who carry the king to Avalon after his final battle at Camlann. Still in other versions, she is killed by one of Arthur's knights whilst disguised as a snake.

As her epithet "le Fay" (from the French la fée, meaning fairy) indicates, the figure of Morgan appears to have been originally a supernatural being. While later works make her specifically human, her magical powers are retained.[1] Inspiration for her character came from earlier Welsh mythology and literature; she has often been compared with the goddess Modron, a figure derived from the continental Dea Matrona featured with some frequency in medieval Welsh literature. Modron appears in Welsh Triad 70, in which her children by Urien, Owain and Morfydd, are called the "Three Blessed Womb-Burdens of the Island of Britain,"[2] and a later folktale preserved in Peniarth MS 147 records the story behind this conception more fully.[3] Urien is Morgan le Fay's husband in the continental romances, while Owain mab Urien is the historical figure behind their son Ywain. Additionally, Modron is called "daughter of Avallach," a Welsh ancestor deity whose name can also be interpreted as a noun meaning "a place of apples".[4] In fact, in the story of Owain and Morvydd's conception in Peniarth 147, Modron is called the "daughter of the king of Avallach." This is similar to Avalon, the "Isle of Apples" with which Morgan le Fay has been associated since her earliest appearances. Additional speculation sometimes connects Morgan with the Irish goddess Morrígan, though there are few similarities between the two beyond the spelling of their names.

Morgan first appears by name in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini, written about 1150. Purportedly an account of the wizard Merlin's later adventures, it elaborates some episodes from Geoffrey's more famous earlier work, Historia Regum Britanniae. In the Historia, Geoffrey explains that after Arthur is seriously wounded at the Battle of Camlann, he is taken off to Avalon, the Isle of Apples, to be healed. In the Vita Merlini he describes this island in more detail and names "Morgen" as the chief of nine magical sisters who dwell there. Morgan retains this role as Arthur's otherworldly healer in much later literature.

Before the cyclical Old French romances, appearances of Morgan are few. Chrétien de Troyes mentions her in his first romance Erec and Enide, completed around 1170; he says one guest at the titular characters' wedding, a certain Guigomar, lord of the Isle of Avalon, is a friend of Morgan. She is later mentioned in the same poem when Arthur provides a wounded Erec with a healing balm made by Morgan; this episode affirms her early role as a healer. Chrétien again refers to Morgan as a great healer in his later romance Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, in an episode in which two ladies restore the maddened hero to his senses with a concoction provided by Morgan. However, it should be noted that while Modron is the mother of Owain in Welsh literature, and Morgan would be assigned this role in later French literature, this first continental association between Ywain and Morgan does not imply they are son and mother.

The mythological figure of Morgana has also been linked to the Irish death goddess, Morrigan and the evil sorceress Medea from the epic of Jason and the Argonauts. Like Morgana, both women are often depicted as either benevolent or evil or sometimes a mixture of the two.