Wyvern

"Wyverns. Distant cousins of the dragon. They're creatures of magic, so be careful"

- Gwaine Wyvern are magical beasts and are distant cousins of dragons.

History
When Arthur Pendragon set upon a quest to retrieve the golden trident of the Fisher King, he travelled to the Perilous Lands and reached the King 's Dark Tower. There, he was attacked by different wyverns, with which the tower was infested. The Prince, being his life force sucked out by a Phoenix Eye, would have been killed, if Merlin and Gwaine hadn't saved him. As the wyverns were related to dragons, a Dragonlord, like Merlin, was able to command them (The Eye of the Phoenix).

Morgana, High Priestess of the Old Religion, took her dying sister Morgause to the Isle of the Blessed to sacrifice her in the ritual that could tear the Veil between the two worlds. The Isle was now infested with wyverns, but these creatures didn't attack the sisters or the old man who ferried them across the lake.

Upon ariving at the Isle of the Blessed, the Knights of the Round Table were attacked by two wyverns. Merlin was able to comand them to leave, but more attacked. Elyan, Sir Leon and Percival held them off, so that the other knights could complete their quest (The Darkest Hour).

Appearance
Wyvern are similar in appearance to dragons. However unlike the dragons, who are very large, wyverns are only slightly larger than a human. A Wyvern is also more birdlike and has red eyes. They also have horns. As they didn't breathe fire when fighting Merlin, Arthur and Gwaine, it is likely they don't have that ability. Unlike dragons, the wyverns were never shown talking, suggesting they are more animal-like. Wyverns don't seem to have an aptitude for magic, either.

Appearances

 * Series 3
 * The Eye of the Phoenix


 * Series 4
 * The Darkest Hour: Part One
 * The Darkest Hour: Part Two

Myth
Wyveren were thought to have the characteristics of dragons and birds, and to be aggressive predators, attacking anything thought to be a good meal. Their main damage came from their talons and tail. In myths, the wyverns couldn't breathe fire.

Although they have the strength and ferocity of dragons, wyverns lack the grace and intelligence which are innate to dragons. Wyverns typically prey on deer, goats, and other such creatures. Unlike dragons, which can be sometimes good and sometimes evil, the wyvern is unambiguously malicious.

Wyvrens are found often in heraldry. The wyvern represents war, envy, and pestilence, and is a sign of strength to those who bear it.

The origin of the word wyvern comes from thirteenth-century word wyver, which in turn is derived from the French wyvere, which means both "viper" and "life."

Trivia

 * Interestingly, although the creatures did not attack Morgana or Morgause, they didn't hesitate to attack Arthur's party, despite Merlin being one of them and, had it not been for his dragonlord powers, they would have been killed. It is unknown if the sisters possessed some ability to keep them away or just coincidentally managed to get to the area without being noticed by the savage creatures.
 * "Wyvern" is also the name of a character that appeared in the second Pirates of the Caribbean film.