Merlin

Merlin is a young warlock sent to Camelot by his mother to stay with Gaius, the court physician, in order to give him guidance and make sense of his powers. There he meets Arthur Pendragon, the prince of Camelot, and is made his servant.

Merlin frequently has to use his powers to protect Arthur as well as his other family, friends and peers while keeping his powers secret from most of them, in particular King Uther Pendragon.

Biography
Merlin was born in the small village Ealdor in Albion. His mother is Hunith and his father is unknown. Merlin was born with a strange power that enables him to slow down the movement of time, both mentally and physically, and move objects to wherever he wishes.

According to The Great Dragon, Merlin's birth has been prophesized by many cultures. For example the Druids refer to him as "Emrys" (Meaning "Immortal"), and it is the name Mordred calls him by. (The Beginning of the End)

The Dragon states that it is Merlin's destiny to protect Arthur Pendragon, aid him in uniting the kingdoms of Albion and return magic to land.

Series 1
Upon his arrival in Camelot Merlin saves Gaius from a fatal fall from a balcony in his apartments in the city. He gives Merlin a magic spell book in order to advance his skills but advices Merlin to hide his powers as the king, Uther Pendragon, has made all forms of magic illegal.

During his first week in Camelot Merlin hears a voice calling him. He goes down to he dungeons of the castle and discovers The Great Dragon. The dragon tells Merlin that he is destined for great things, and that he will aid Arthur in his destiny to become king. Throughout the series the dragon frequently gave Merlin advice, although Merlin rarely understood them at first as the advice is usually in riddles.

As well as being dogsbody to Gaius, Merlin became the personal servant to Arthur after he saved him from being impaled by a dagger thrown by Mary Collins. Although the pair share an antagonistic relationship at first the two quickly begin to trust each other. Merlin also befriends Guinevere, known as "Gwen", servant to Morgana, and later Morgana herself.

Merlin frequently uses his magic to help others, sometimes without thinking of the consequences. When Gwen's father's life is threatened by a strange plague in Camelot Merlin uses his magic to heal him; this subsequently leads Arthur to assume she healed him with witchcraft and had caused the plague in the first place. (The Mark of Nimueh) Merlin uses his magic to help a swordsman named Lancelot to make him look like a nobleman's son to enable him to join the Knights of Camelot and later to enchant his lance to aid in killing a Griffin. (Lancelot)

He uses his powers to save Uther from being killed by one of Edwin Muirden's beetles despite the risk of his powers being discovered. (A Remedy to Cure All Ills) He takes this risk again when his home village is attacked by bandits and he raises a wind in front of Arthur in order to help them win the fight. However his friend Will, who is fatally wound during the battle, takes the blame for the magic before he dies. (The Moment of Truth)

However Merlin's magic has also helped expose witches and warlocks with more sinister motives. He managed to expose Knight Valiant's magical snake shield during the final of the sword tournament, saving Arthur's life. (Valiant)

Merlin frequently also has to make life altering choices, often dealing with the Dragon's advice to him. The first of two notable examples occur when he has to choose whether to help Mordred escape from Camelot or to allow him to be caught and killed; Merlin ultimately chose the former when Mordred begged him to help him. The second is after the death of Gwen's father and Morgana plots with Tauren to kill Uther and the Dragon advises him to do nothing. Despite his intense dislike of Uther because of his persecution against his kind Merlin refuses to believe that it is right to kill him. He ultimately chooses to save him when Gwen states that she wouldn't kill him because that would make her no better that Uther. (To Kill the King)

Series 2
Merlin chose to cut all ties with the Dragon. The Dragon appears to have a terrible retribution about it and angrily calls Merlin's name (which appears to have been heard by Morgana.) Morgana also warned Merlin of times to come. (Le Morte d'Arthur)

Personality
Merlin shows exceptional talent and potential in his magical abilities and his keenness to further his education despite the risks carried with using magic. He can be outspoken as well as being foolish, as with his first meeting with Arthur. He will at times use his magical abilities for himself, as when he fights Arthur in the market place (The Dragon's Call) and to soften his workload. (Valiant) However most of the time Merlin will use his magic to help others, although this will sometimes have consequences.

Merlin is very naive; he appears unaware that Gwen had romantic feelings for him (or doesn't feel the same way), telling anyone who asks that they are just friends. (Lancelot) He is also very selfless; when Gwen is sentenced to death for witchcraft he confesses that it was him who cured Gwen's father with magic, despite the fact it would have cost him his life. (The Mark of Nimueh) Also, after he had been poisoned by Nimueh, he sent a light to guide Arthur out of the caves beyond the Forest of Balor and advised him not to take the Mortaeus flower flower despite the fact that without it he would die (The Poisoned Chalice). He later offered to give his life in return for Arthur's on several occasions (The Labyrinth of Gedref, Le Morte d'Arthur).

Nonetheless there is also a darker side to Merlin's personality where he will go to extreme measures to protect those he cares about, even if it means killing them. He has been indirectly responsible for the deaths of Mary Collins when she tried to kill Arthur (The Dragon's Call), Edwin Muirden when he tried to kill Gaius (A Remedy to Cure All Ills) and Tristan De Bois's wraith by allowing Uther to use Excalibur. (Excalibur) At times Merlin has been forced to actively kill people to protect Arthur, such as Sophia (The Gates of Avalon), Tauren's henchmen (To Kill the King) and Nimueh. (Le Morte d'Arthur)

Abilities
Merlin's magical abilities go far beyond that of other sorcerers. According to Gaius magic needs to be studied and perfected for many years, but Merlin's basic magic ability has been there since his birth. (The Dragon's Call)

He has the ability to slow down an object's movement through time as well as move them on demand e.g. when he stops an axe in mid air and turns it around on Edwin. (A Remedy to Cure All Ills et al) He does this without using incantations and can use it to enhance incantations. (The Gates of Avalon)

He can use telepathy to contact other people with magical abilities. (The Beginning of the End) He can also sense powerful magic, such as the mage stone. (To Kill the King)

He is the only sorcerer other than Nimueh who has mastered the power of life and death. (Le Morte d'Arthur)

The only people who know of Merlin's powers are Gaius and Lancelot. Arthur is vaguely but finds it difficult to accept the idea that Merlin is a sorcerer on account of his low opinion of Merlin's competence, as well as knowing what would happen to him if the king found out. (The Poisoned Chalice, The Mark of Nimueh) Morgana also appears to have some awareness of his powers, intrigued by his keenness to help a young druid boy from execution (The Moment of Truth) and feeling the need to seek him out to warn him about her fears about the future. (Le Morte d'Arthur)

Legends
Merlin is based on the famous wizard and advisor to King Arthur in the Arthurian legends. Merlin is said to have been the child of a Demetian princess who was impregnated by a demon, specifically an incubus. Other legends state his father was a fairy, an angel or the devil. He was feared by many people from a young age who believed him to be the son of a devil due to the fact he had no known mortal father.

He is credited at having been present at Arthur's birth. He predicted Arthur's greatness and became his tutor and trusted advisor, ultimately aiding him in becoming king by helping him win wars again the kings who opposed his succession.

Merlin was enchanted and trapped in a cave after stealing all his magical knowledge by the Lady of the Lake. Other minor legends attribute his death to Morgan Le Fay who, after seducing him, turned herself into an oak tree and buried him. Merlin's death was a leading cause in Arthur's ultimate downfall as he was no longer there to protect or advise him.

It is yet to see whether the demonic background will come into play although it is clear that Merlin's powers go far beyond that of any human wizard in the show so far. For the purposes of storytelling Merlin's age has been lowered to being the same age as Arthur.