Isle of the Blessed

"When I was first brought here these hallways were more beautiful than any palace, and they were teaming with women... This whole isle was pulsing with possibility and life. And it can be like that again."

- Morgause to Morgana

The Isle of the Blessed is thought to be the centre of the Old Religion and the focus of its power, though the sorcerer Taliesin claimed magic came into existence in the Crystal Cave. The Isle of the Blessed is a rather small isle in the middle of a lake, shrouded by mist. The lake is located near the Great Seas of Meredor.

History
In the times of the Old Religion, the High Priestesses of the Old Religon would gather on Samhain Eve on the Isle of the Blessed where they would sacrifice a living human to tear the Veil between the worlds of the living and the Spirit world (The Darkest Hour).

The High Priestesses lived on the Isle of the Blessed, served by the Blood Guard. They looked after the Cup of Life and the Rowan Staff, a powerful magical instrument carved from the Rowan Tree that grows at the very heart of the Isle of the Blessed. The Rowan Tree was also the symbol of the Blood Guard (The Tears of Uther Pendragon).

Morgana’s healing bracelet was forged on the Isle of the Blessed by a High Priestess of the Old Religion (The Secret Sharer).

After Arthur Pendragon was bitten by a Questing Beast, Merlin went to Kilgharrah who told him to travel to the Isle of the Blessed and accept the heavy price that he would have to pay to the High Priestess of the Old Religion he would find there, in order to save Arthur’s life.

On the Isle of the Blessed he encountered Nimueh. He was told that to save Arthur’s life, another life had to be given to the ancient gods. Merlin chose to sacrifice his own, and Nimueh  gave him a vial of water from the Cup of Life that would revive Arthur. But the life that was taken was not Merlin’s, but his mother’s, who became ill with a terrible disease that would kill her. Merlin intended to once again visit Nimueh  and bargain his own life for his mother’s, but Gaius arrived before him, and sacrificed his life for Hunith, who later recovered from the illness.



Merlin blamed Nimueh for Gaius’ death, and attacked her. Nimueh easily overpowered him in a magical battle, and seemingly killed him. But as she turned her back to him, Merlin rose up and and summoned a lightning that killed her. Nimueh’s death was used as payment and Gaius lived (Le Morte d'Arthur).

Merlin thought that the Cup was destroyed when he killed Nimueh, however, the Cup remained and fell into the possession of a group of Druids located past the border into Cenred’s kingdom (The Coming of Arthur).

A few years later, Morgause gave Morgana a staff carved from the Rowan Tree, which she used to awaken the dead in the Great Battle for Camelot. However, Merlin destroyed it to break the enchantment and save Camelot (The Tears of Uther Pendragon).

A year after their failed invasion of Camelot, Morgana took the wounded Morgause to the Isle of the Blessed. On the shores of the lake, they met a ferryman, paid by Morgause to taken them to the Isle, which had been infested with Wyverns.



Right before midnight on Samhain Eve, Morgause told Morgana to use her in a blood-sacrifice to tear the Veil between this world and the next. After a tearful goodbye, Morgana used her new and terrible powers to open a split in by killing her sister on the sacrificial altar. The Cailleach came forward with the Dorocha.

Arthur decided to go to the Isle of the Blessed to sacrifice himself to heal the broken veil. He, along with Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table, eventually arrived at the Isle of the Blessed but were attacked by wyverns. Merlin used his Dragonlord powers to command the wyverns to leave but more wyverns arrived. Arthur offered his life to heal the Veil but before he could go, Merlin knocked him unconscious with a stunning spell. Merlin offered to sacrifice himself but the Cailleach told him that his time among men was not over. Lancelot walked into the Veil and vanished as it was closed (The Darkest Hour).

Appearances

 * Series 1
 * The Mark of Nimueh
 * The Poisoned Chalice
 * Le Morte d'Arthur


 * Series 3
 * The Tears of Uther Pendragon: Part Two
 * The Crystal Cave
 * The Coming of Arthur: Part One
 * The Coming of Arthur: Part Two


 * Series 4
 * The Darkest Hour: Part One
 * The Darkest Hour: Part Two
 * The Secret Sharer
 * Lancelot du Lac

Ancient Mythology



 * The Isle of the Blessed or a similar concept is a recurring feature in many different religions across the world.
 * In Greek mythology, it is the Elysian Fields, the final resting place for the souls of heroes and virtuous men.
 * In Celtic belief, the Island of the Blessed is synonymous with Avalon, the Celtic Otherworld. However, historically, the centre of the “Old Religion”, the seat of the Druids, was the Island of Anglesey.

Trivia

 * The appearance of Isle changed a lot from Series 1 to Series 4, mainly becoming bigger. In Series 1 it was a rather small isle, with only a few ruined buildings. In Series 4 it looked like a city or a castle, on different levels and with many buildings and towers. An explanation which is probable is that, it was rebuilt between Series 1 and Series 4 (which, however, is highly unlikely, being the Isle in ruins). Another explanation is that the Isle grows larger depenging on the magic power of its inhabitants. During season 4, Morgana, Morgause as well as Wyvens appeared in that island, so it grew larger than when only Nimueh lived there.


 * It is unknown why in Series 4 the Isle was infested with Wyverns, while in Series 1 it wasn’t. A possible explanation could be that, while Nimueh was alive, she inhabited the Isle and used her magic to keep them away, but after her death, on the Isle of the Blessed there was nothing to stop them from infesting it.
 * The Isle of the Blessed has more in common with the legend's Avalon, the place that Morgan le Fay reigns and the final resting place of King Arthur.


 * It is also unknown why the Ferryman was not in Series 1; a possible explanation could be that he was scared of Nimueh and what she could do to him.


 * Nimueh, High Priestess of the Old Religion, probably lived on the Isle of the Blessed and was probably where her cave was located. She often travelled to and from there (The Poisoned Chalice, Excalibur), but it seems she did not need the ferryman and his boat to cross the lake.


 * It is possible that the Isle of the Blessed appeared in the episodes "The Mark of Nimueh" and "The Poisoned Chalice" since Nimueh's cave may have been there.

Morgause's description
In a deleted scene from "The Darkest Hour: Part One," when Morgana and Morgause arrived on the Isle of the Blessed, the High Priestess described to her sister the Isle as it was at her time:

"When I was first brought here these hallways were more beautiful than any palace, and they were teaming with women. Women just like you and I, High Priestesses of the Old Religion. And the air was perfumed with magic. You could smell it as you approached across the lake. This all isle was pulsing with possibility and life. And it can be like that again. As the last of our kind it is up to you to right the wrongs done to us by Uther Pendragon. [She groans] Come, Samhain is almost upon us. We must hurry. Soon the Veil between the two worlds will be at its thinnest."