Aithusa

For the episode with the same name see: Aithusa (episode).

"The white dragon bodes well for Albion, for you and Arthur, and for the land you will build together."

- Kilgharrah to Merlin

Aithusa is a white dragon summoned from her egg by Merlin, who later saved Morgana's life by healing her wounds.

Birth
Aithusa was brought into existence when the dragonlord, Merlin, rescued her egg from the Tomb of Ashkanar and Julius Borden. A dragon will only hatch when a dragonlord gives it a name. Using his power, Merlin named the hatchling Aithusa.

Kilgharrah, The Great Dragon, noted that the name Merlin chose was very fitting, for in the Dragon Tongue, her name meant "Light of the Sun". It was fitting because Aithusa was a rare white dragon, and her birth symbolised a good omen for Merlin's destiny, for Arthur, and the land that they will build together.

Saving Morgana
Aithusa presumably remained with Kilgharrah while maturing. When Morgana lost the throne of Camelot for the second time and was gravely injured fighting her way out, Aithusa flew to where she lay in the forest and healed her wounds. Morgana appeared both shocked and elated at the sight of the dragon, smiling in disbelief as Aithusa flew away once again right after healing her (The Sword in the Stone).

Three years later
Aithusa bonded with Morgana within the next three years. By the time she visited Morgana just before Arthur and Merlin arrived to rescue the Knights Morgana had captured, she had grown quite a bit larger, although still small enough to fit in Morgana's bedroom and in the caves Morgana was searching. Aithusa attacked Merlin, Arthur and Gwaine, who were all shocked that Morgana had found a Dragon. Merlin chased after her and when she tried to attack him he blocked her fire with a magical shield and then used his Dragonlord ability to stop her from attacking again. Merlin thought that something had happened to Aithusa, and it was revealled that she couldn't speak. Merlin let Aithusa go not realising that Aithusa was loyal to Morgana. Aithusa displayed her loyalty to Morgana by presumably healing her after she was wounded by Mordred and was last seen following Morgana through a blizzard. (Arthur's Bane)

Attributes
Aithusa is a female dragon,(or dragoness) with white scales, and wings with a white, almost transparent membrane. She has big, light blue eyes, four horns, short neck spikes and tail spikes. Since she is female, her body structure may turn out to be more feminine than Kilgharrah's, but for now it is unpronounced until she grows older.

Personality
Aithusa has a very mysterious personality. She saved Morgana's life, although it is unknown exactly why. This might have been out of compassion, or she might have had a darker motive. Either way, Aithusa has been shown to have a genuine bond with Morgana, who treated her like a pet. Aithusa appears to be mute since she has never been seen speaking, although this might be because she simply hasn't learned to speak since she is only three years old.

Merlin
Due to Merlin hatching Aithusa, it is assumed that Aithusa is fully loyal to Merlin, along with the fact that he is a Dragonlord. Aithusa's saving of Morgana may strain her loyalty towards Merlin.

Kilgharrah
As it is a known fact that Kilgharrah is Aithusa's Dragon guardian. It is assumed that they are allies. However, Aithusa saving Morgana could question their loyalty to each other.

Morgana
For whatever reason, Aithusa saved Morgana at the brink of death. Morgana appeared to feel respectful and grateful when she did this. Details of this event are unknown at this point, though it has been revealed that Aithusa will act as council to Morgana in Series 5.

Abilities
Aithusa is a dragon of the same type as Kilgharrah, so she has many or all of his abilities.
 * She has great magical power that is used through her breath. She can use it to heal, gift knowledge or power, and breathe fire.
 * She was able to fly only a few weeks after her hatching, even though her wings weren't fully grown.
 * When she is bigger, she will have immense physical strength. She can use her wings, spiked tail, talons, and teeth to great advantage in a fight. For now though, she is only a little bigger than a house cat.

Legends
In the legends, the red dragon kills the white dragon (symbolising Aithusa). The red dragon is most likely symbolising Kilgharrah.

Appearances

 * Series 4
 * Aithusa
 * The Sword in the Stone: Part Two


 * Series 5
 * Arthur's Bane: Part 2



Trivia

 * It has been confirmed that Aithusa will appear in Series 5.
 * When the writers learnt about the fans debating whether Aithusa healing Morgana had to do with the white and red dragon legend or not, the only thing they said was that "we hoped it was a nice tease...".
 * Katie McGrath has stated in an interview that Aithusa is female, despite being mentioned as "he" in series four.
 * It has been confirmed that Aithusa will be Morgana's confidant in Series 5 in the same way that Kilgharrah is Merlin's confidant.