User blog:ReganX/Kilgharrah: Prophet or Puppet Master

Inspired by this intriguing blog entry by Morganaforever: Is Kilgharrah a good prophet?

I think that, whatever Kilgharrah's abilities as a prophet, or lack thereof, he could turn out to be a phenomenal puppet master.

Based on Morgana's vision of the aftermath of a battle, with Merlin standing over her, Lochru telling Merlin that the seeds of Camelot's destruction are being sown, the Diamair's confirmation that Arthur's Bane is himself, and the fact that Arthur has failed the Disir's test, I can't imagine that Camelot is going to last much longer. The battle Morgana foresaw is likely to be the Battle of Camlann, and if Series 5 is to be the last, I doubt that it'll end without resolving the build-up towards this battle.

Merlin believes that Arthur will unite Albion and return magic to the land on the strength of Kilgharrah's word. Arthur has been King for more than four years, and was Regent for another year, and magic is still illegal. While Arthur seems to be on good terms with most of the other monarchs, I doubt that any of them would be inclined to surrender the sovereignty of their kingdoms to him, and Arthur has no plans to force them to accept him as their High King, whether they like it or not.

Once freed from captivity, Kilgharrah attacked Camelot and would have killed Arthur if Merlin had not intervened. Those do not sound like the actions of somebody who wants the future he predicted to come to pass. Nor do they sound like the actions of somebody who believes that the future is set in stone.

Where Morgana and Mordred are concerned, are we to believe that Kilgharrah has lived more than a thousand years and, by his own account, seen civilisations rise and fall, and learned a great deal about human nature, but is unable to recognise a self-fulfilling prophecy when it's dancing in front of him wearing a scarlet tutu?

The same episode that Kilgharrah predicts that Mordred and Morgana will be united in evil, Merlin uses magic to trip Mordred - a child who has not harmed anybody except in self-defence - so he can be captured by soldiers who will bring him to his execution, after he has led an army to the camp that is Mordred's home so they can kill everybody there. Who can blame Mordred for being angry over that? All things considered, I'd say that angry thoughts were a moderate response to that kind of betrayal. In the next episode, he poisons Morgana, when Kilgharrah tells him that killing her is the only way to end the sickness. After his betrayal, followed by a year with Morgause, she returns to Camelot viewing him and everybody else as her enemies.

My theory:

When Merlin arrived at Camelot, Kilgharrah could sense his power. It was the first time in twenty years that there was even a remote possibility that he could be freed. He wasn't going to allow it to pass him by.

Merlin was used to being an outcast because of his magic, so much so that his mother sent him from his home for fear of what would become of him if he remained in Ealdor. He hated not being able to use his magic openly. In his own words: ''If I can't use magic, what have I got?! I'm just a nobody, and I always will be. If I can't use magic, I might as well die.''

I think it's safe to say that that this was a young man who would have found the idea of having a great destiny, one that would lead to him no longer having to hide his magic, very appealing. Far from being a nobody, he is being told that, not only will he play a crucial role in shaping the future of Albion, he will also make the country a place where people like him don't have to hide their gifts. It's something that he would want to believe. His disbelief is on the grounds that Arthur is an idiot, not that he wouldn't be capable of achieving what Kilgharrah predicts he will achieve. He suggests that the prophecy must refer to another Arthur, not that it could possibly mean a different Merlin.

By feeding Merlin one alleged prophecy that he wanted to believe, Kilgharrah ensured that Merlin would be inclined to believe his other predictions, even if he didn't want to believe were true.

It could be a case of Wizard's First Rule, from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series: ''People are stupid. [...] Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true.''

Once Merlin took the bait, Kilgharrah could use him to manipulate events and people.

He knew that Morgana had magic and he knew that she was Uther's daughter.

What if his true goal was not to set Merlin and Arthur on the path to their supposed destiny to work together to unite Albion and restore magic but to pit Arthur and Morgana against one another? I imagine that the idea of Uther's beloved son restoring magic would be satisfying for Kilgharrah but, as revenge goes, it's pretty tame. Uther wiped out Kilgharrah's race and imprisoned him for more than twenty years. What better revenge could Kilgharrah have that to see to it that, between them, Uther's two children will tear apart the kingdom he built and end the Pendragon line?

Kilgharrah may have insight into the possible future but that doesn't mean that he's being truthful or that he's not using his knowledge to shape events to his liking.

It was suggested on another blog that Morgana's latest move against Guinevere is going to lead Arthur to go all out against her, enlisting the aid of the other monarchs of Albion to join forces to bring her down, and that suggestion gave me a lot of food for thought:

- Kilgharrah said that Arthur would unite Albion. He didn't say what the purpose of this union would be, how long it would last or who would be left standing at the end. It could be that Albion will unite under Arthur's leadership to fight Morgana, their common enemy. If Morgana's vision is any indication (and her visions have proven to be accurate in the past) this will not end well for them. The casualties will be huge and Camelot, along with the other kingdoms of Albion, could end up falling to the Saxons.

- Mordred is supposed to kill Arthur. Kilgharrah never mentioned why he would do this, or whether or not he would be wrong to do it. Right now, Mordred is either loyal to Arthur or doing an excellent impression of it. However, his feelings could change given that Arthur clearly has no inclination to repeal the laws against magic. He stabbed Morgana to protect Arthur but he didn't like doing it. If Arthur goes into full on vengeance mode against Morgana, it's conceivable that Mordred could intercede to protect her, particularly if, like Morgana in Arthur's Bane, Arthur doesn't just kill her quickly once he has her at his mercy, he decides to opt for slow and painful... an option that will be more likely if Guinevere dies as a result of Morgana's brainwashing/enchantment.

- The Diamair said that Arthur's Bane is Arthur. His determination to avenge the woman he loves could lead to his death, and to the destruction of Camelot.

- In Morgana's vision, Old!Merlin asks her if it was worth it. I think that the answer is going to be no. For years, she has been obsessed with taking what she believes to be her rightful place on the throne of Camelot. After the battle is over, there may no longer be a Camelot for her to take, even if she is the last Pendragon standing. It could be the shock she needs to make her see past the anger, hatred and need for vengeance that has poisoned her, allowing her to get to work on restoring the Old Religion.

I could see a scenario where Guinevere ends up dead due to Morgana, either as a result of her manipulation or because they face off and she loses. Arthur is furious, and perhaps guilty that he hasn't taken stronger measures against Morgana before she targeted Guinevere, and he swears vengeance. He recruits support from his allies to send their forces against Morgana, who teams up with the Saxons. Magic is still illegal so Merlin can't use it openly but he offers his help in the guise of Dragoon the Great. This help is grudgingly accepted to counteract the other side's magical advantage.

During the battle, Arthur guns for Morgana, they fight, he ends up disarming her but, rather than kill her quickly, he wants her to suffer. Mordred steps in to prevent torture, he and Arthur fight and end up killing one another. The battlefield is littered with the casualties on both sides but the Saxons end up winning, just about.

A seriously but not mortally wounded Morgana pleads with Emrys for help and he asks her if it was worth it. Technically, her side has won but, not only is there little left of Camelot for her to claim - assuming that her Saxon allies have any intention of allowing her to claim the throne - the idea of being Queen holds no appeal for her.

She's faced with the realisation of just how much she lost for the sake of a prize that she never truly wanted, except as a means of avenging Uther's refusal to acknowledge her. Her sister? Dead. Her brother? Dead. Her closest friend? Dead, after enduring mental and emotional torture at her hands. Mordred, the little boy she once swore to protect? Died trying to protect her. The people of Camelot, who she once cared about? Died hating her or will live to suffer at the hands of the Saxons. Her fellow magic users? She hasn't done anything to improve their lot.

I think that she would be genuinely remorseful. Merlin could kill her but, since he believes that her regret is sincere, he makes the choice not to continue the cycle of hatred and vengeance. He lets her go and she retreats to the Isle of the Blessed, where she dedicates her life to restoring this sanctuary for the Old Religion, serving the Goddess and making amends for her past wrongdoing.

Camelot lives on in legend and, despite the brevity of Arthur's reign, he is remembered as a great King.