Morgana Pendragon

Morgana is the ward of Uther Pendragon, adoptive sister of Arthur Pendragon and friend of Gwen and Merlin. She is also a witch and seer, and the only person within Camelot other than Merlin who appeared to have a natural magical gift. Her half-sister is Morgause. (The Sins of the Father). She acts like the first lady of the kingdom in official acts and ceremonies.

Early life
Morgana was the daughter of Gorlois, an ally of Uther. Following her father's death in battle when she was ten years old, Uther adopted her as his own and raised her as his daughter. (To Kill the King)

Meeting Merlin
Morgana was first seen by Merlin during his first days in Camelot where she mistakes him for Gwen while getting ready for a feast celebrating twenty years since the end of The Great Purge, a celebration that she did not wish to enjoy since she didn't think the Great Purge was a good thing.

She first met Merlin face to face when Gwen is wrongly accused of witchcraft after witnessing him apparently attempting to sacrifice his life for Gwen's (Although it was to save Gwen, he was actually the one who did the enchantment), and his actions led her to believe Merlin was in love with 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)

Sweet Dreams
When she was young, Morgana discovered that she dreams about terrible things that to happen in the future. As the court physician, Gaius gave her a variety of sleeping drugs, but none of them helped. Her powers have first been of use against some enemies as Morgana's dreams aid Merlin in defeating two Sidhe that wished to kill Arthur in order for the young female, Sophia, to return to Avalon. (The Gates of Avalon)

Morgana's Stand
Morgana became very attached to Mordred, a young druid boy that Merlin saved, risking the wrath with Uther in order to do so. (The Beginning of the End) When Merlin helped her get Mordred back to his people Morgana was grateful to him and went with him to his home village Ealdor to help him defend it from bandits. (The Moment of Truth)

She was strongly opposed to Uther's stand against magic and questioned his choice to execute Mary Collins' son, Tom. (The Dragon's Call) She shared her views with Merlin; that magic is something you are born with rather than something you choose. (The Beginning of the End) She appeared to have an awareness of Merlin's abilities although she has never confronted him about it. (The Gates of Avalon, The Moment of Truth, Le Morte d'Arthur et al)

Morgana also had a darker side. She plotted to have Uther killed as revenge for her father's death, as well as Gwen's. However, she changed her mind at the last minute when she realized Uther was truly sorry for his actions, and killed Tauren, the assassin who wished to kill Uther, while Merlin killed the other sorcerers involved. (To Kill the King)

The plot to kill Uther appeared to have left a strain on her friendship with Merlin, who appeared unsympathetic to her when she warned him that worse things were to come (of course, this also could be because she was in a trance-like state when she spoke to him and her odd behavior startled him).

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.

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.

Betraying Uther
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. After the meeting, 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)

Morgause succeeded in healing her but she did not appear in the Series Two finale. However Giaus commented to Gwen that Morgana was strong and wherever she was, she would be able to fight to the end (The Last Dragonlord).

Return to Camelot
In Series 3, Morgana is found after being away from Camelot for over a year. But by now, Morgana has become darker and officially turned against the kingdom, resulting in estrangement with Gwen. 

Personality
Morgana possessed a feisty and sassy personality. She was considered by many to be very beautiful and attracted the attention of numerous men, including Arthur during the first season. However Morgana was much more than just a pretty face; she was fiery and independent and wouldn't 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 tried to advise him. She was very affectionate to her maidservant Gwen considering her a friend more than a servant. 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 fathers. (To Kill the King)

In Season 2 Morgana's personality became darker. She was 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 claimed 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.

In the series 3 trailer Morgana becomes a much darker individual. She is also seen with a knife and stabs someone with it, which appears to be Merlin.

Merlin
At the start of the first season, Merlin has a crush on the beautiful Morgana. 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 being offered to the sidhe. (The Gates of Avalon et al) Merlin choose to distance himself from her after her attempt on Uther's life. They continue to have feelings for each other but never pursue it romantically. Nonetheless they remained friends until Merlin discovered that Morgana had once again allied with Uthers enemies. (The Moment of Truth, To Kill the King, Le Morte d'Arthur) Near the end of the second season Merlin poisoned her to save Camelot from Morgana's half sister Morgause. He said that he didn't want to see her in pain and he didn't want to kill her, but he had no choice.

It has been confirmed that Morgana will return in Series 3, and she lies to Merlin by telling him she regrets what she did.

Arthur
Morgana appeared to have some level of sibling rivalry with Arthur and she often teased him but also sometimes tries to advise him. Morgana and Arthur fell out with each other at times but they still cared for each other very much. They were apparently attracted to each other in the first season but Arthur later turned his attention to Guinevere.

Guinevere
Morgana had a close friendship with her maid, Gwen who 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). When Morgana was taken away by Morgause, Gwen appeared to miss her. In series 3 ,Morgana won't have the same friendly relationship with Gwen-just master-servant.

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 didn't. Morgana told Aredian that her dreams got worse when Gaius started treating them, though she appeared to know that it wasn't 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". But Gaius later praised Merlin's choice to poison Morgana, saying that he feared Morgana chose to use her magic for evil.

Uther
Morgana had a rather strained relationship with her guardian, Uther. 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, Taurin 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.

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 was Morgause's half sister though for most of her life, Morgana didn't know she had a half sister. 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. Uther believes that Morgause kidnapped Morgana and does not want her to get away with it.

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 and Morgana'a bond with Mordred to win her over. After Morgana gave Alvarr the crystal, one of Alvarr's followers commented on how well he had played her. However, Alvarr appeared to be genuinely attracted and grateful to Morgana and refused to reveal her part in the Crystal's theft when he was on trial. Morgana later helped Alvarr escape Camelot's dungeon.

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 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)

Later on, Morgana was also able to ignite a fire in her bedroom using magic. She also made her window and a vase explode. (The Nightmare Begins)

On the physical plane, Morgana is a skilled swordswoman, having been taught by Arthur, and held her own against a number of men attempting to raid Merlin's village. It's been suggested 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)

In the legend
Morgana is loosely based on Morgan Le Fay, is 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.

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.