Kilgharrah

"The story we have been a part of will live long in the minds of men."

- Kilgarrah to Merlin

Kilgharrah, (also known as The Great Dragon), is a mighty Dragon who was imprisoned and chained in a cave beneath Camelot by Uther Pendragon at the conclusion of the Great Purge for 22 years. He is over a thousand years old and serves as a advisor to the sorcerer, Merlin, telling the young warlock of his destiny to protect Arthur Pendragon and help him to reunite the land of Albion. When Merlin unchained him he went on a wrath, seeking revenge on Uther, but Merlin obtained dragonlord powers from his father Balinor. From then on Kilgharrah assisted Merlin by helping him whilst in trouble and giving him crucial advice and powers.

Early life
"I have lived over a thousand years, seen civilizations rise and fall"

- Kilgharrah to Merlin Although not much has been said about Kilgharrah early life or most of his history, he once said he had lived for more than a thousand years. He most likely stayed with other dragons somewhere amongst the realm of Camelot.

Imprisonment
One day when the then King Uther was nearing the concluding part of his purge against magic,  it is said that a dragonlord named Balinor was asked by Uther to bring Kilgharrah, who at this point was the last dragon in existence to go to Camelot so that he was able to make peace with him. But both he and Balinor were betrayed. Instead, Uther imprisoned him beneath the castle in a cave where he was to stand as an example to all magical beings what would happen to them. He would be imprisoned here for nearly 22 years .He was imprisoned by being chained in a cave underneath Camelot and had little contact with others. Until his final year of imprisonment, there was not much hope that he would ever break free.

Meeting Merlin
One day, a young boy named Merlin went to stay in Camelot. While the boy slept, Kilgharrah voice was heard by him again and again, until he followed the source to the small cave. The dragon explained to Merlin there is a prophecy that speaks of his shared destiny with Prince Arthur.
 * "you are two sides of the same coin"

He tells Merlin, who does not seem pleased as he does not think much of Arthur whom he names arrogant and an idiot, that he must ensure that peace will happen under Arthur's reign but Arthur will not be able to unite Albion without Arthur. In the end, Merlin accepts his destiny and was the start of a long friendship which would blossom between him and Merlin who would seek the great dragon's help at times. (The Dragon's Call)

His time as a mentor
Merlin would seek Kilgharrah's help many times while attempting to fulfill his destiny. He helped Merlin to solve many challenging problems. But he also unusually spoke through riddles to give Merlin the chance to both figure out their meanings and find an answer alone, even though Merlin found this quite annoying. But, despite Kigharrah's best warnings, Merlin would not always do what he said. An example of this is when Merlin decided to try and save the young druid boy Mordred despite the Dragon saying in all prophecies, he would be the one to kill Arthur. He also decided to help save Uther when he overheard Morgana conspiring to kill him, despite the great dragon telling Merlin he thought it was best that Uther died.

Another one of the great dragon's abilities is being able to possess foresight. An example of this was being able to tell Merlin about his own destiny. And also at many times, he did not sit idly presenting Merlin help through riddles but he at times would directly help Merlin. Some examples of this are when Arthur's dead uncle Tristan de Bois was resurrected as a wraith, he created the sword of Excalibur to ensure both the dead and Tristan were stopped and later on in the series, when he would fly to save Merlin and his friends many times during their quests.

But, he didn't always have a close friendship with Merlin. During a quest in which Arthur was dying from a Questing Beast 's bite (Le Morte d'Arthur), Merlin had gone to the Isle of the Blessed determined to end his own life in order to spare Arthur. But, the sorceress Nimueh had refused to take Merlin's life, and nearly took his mother's instead, which had led to Gaius attempting to give up his own life. An angry Merlin had accused the great dragon of tricking him and to his surprise, the great dragon had not denied this. He claimed that Merlin's destiny would not only protect Arthur and bring about Albion but would allow both magic to the land and by extension, his own freedom. Merlin realised that all along, the great dragon had only been helping him for his own gain and promised he would never let Kilgharrah go free. Despite the great dragon's attempts to stop him, Merlin used magic to make to create a shield and he escaped. In many ways, Kilgharrah felt betrayed. Neither would speak to each other for some time. But their anger did not last for long. Some time later, Merlin needed his help again trying to stop Cornelius Sigan. But this time, the great dragon was more cautious and made Merlin promise to free him some day in return for his help which he no longer felt he so willing to give away. Although Merlin wished he had not, he unwillingly obliged. This was not the last time Merlin would seek help, and the great dragon reminded him nearly each time what he had promised. He would also often be unhappy when Merlin would still sometimes ignore what he said despite it nearly being that every other time Merlin had ignored him, it had not ended well.



Merlin later returned to Kilgharrah after Uther had been enchanted into marrying a troll, a happening that the Dragon found very funny but stopped laughing when Merlin said Albion won't be born if the troll was the heir to the throne. Kilgharrah gave Merlin the knowledge on how to break the troll's spell, and also reminded Merlin of the deal he had made with him again.

When Merlin had used magic for his own recreation, which a villager witnessed,she reported it to Uther, who sent for the dreaded witchfinder Aredian. Aredian, after searching for any sign of magic, publicly accused Merlin of being a sorcerer, however Merlin was saved when his mentor Gaius falsely confessed he was the sorcerer. Merlin went to Kilgharrah for advice on how to help Gaius. At first, the Dragon was annoyed with how stupid and naive Merlin was for using magic in public but when he saw how distressed Merlin was, Kilgharrah felt genuinely sorry for him and informed Merlin that he wasn't able to help him because he didn't know how to. During one of Merlin's next visits, Kilgharrah asked him to uphold his promise and set him free. Merlin said he would, but only when he knew Camelot was safe. Merlin would later uphold this promise, and set him free, but this did not mean the end of their friendship and Merlin still would at times seek help, which was easier to obtain when he discovered he was the son of Balinor, thus making him a dragon lord.



Merlin questions him
One of the first times which Merlin would seek help with was when a tournament was being held in Camelot. Merlin had noticed that one of the men named Valiant had been using magic to win when one of the men he was fighting died. But the King had ignored these claims on the grounds there was no proof. Arthur then sacked Merlin, who sought the great dragon's help. Merlin was clouded with disbelief when he went to him and shouted that he was wrong to say that Merlin would be able to help Arthur. But as he tries to get away, the great dragon told Merlin that no one will be able to escape their destiny and that Merlin must use magic to make the truth be seen. (Valiant).

The disease
their is a disease in the water that is the cause of nimueh's sourcery, merlin goes to the dragon's cave to seek  help from the dragon, kilgharrah tells him to use the elements available to him, that the young warlock is one side of the coin arthur is the other, merlin does not understand what he means and asks for more advice but kilgharrah does not and flyes off  (The Mark of Nimueh).

Gaius's visit
gaius is troubled about the new court physician so he too goes to seek cousel from kilgharrah he tells gaius that merlin is destined to unit albion alongside arthur but their time cannot come untill uther's has passed gaius asks if that time is now and refuses to pick between them then kilgharrah tells gaius to turn a blind eye which is his talent (A Remedy to Cure All Ills).

Mordred's rising
a druid boy called mordred arrived into camelot along with his father/gaurdian they get found and get pursued by camelot guards the adult gets caught and the boy gets injured merlin see's him and he and morgana take him in and look after him and mordred calls merlin emerys merlin is confused and asks kilgharrah about it the dragon says that he has many names and should not protect the boy but does not give a reason, merlin goes back to the cave and asks why the dragon says that kilgharrah tells him that if the boy lives he cannot fulfil his destiny and merlin is shocked to hear that (The Beginning of the End).

Forging the sword
merlin needed to find a weapon that can slay the undead a book he loks at says that if a weapon is forged in a dragons breath it will be very powerful he asks guinevere for one of her father's best swords he takes it to kilgharrah and asks him to forge it kilgharrah warns merlin that this sword in the wrong hands can cause great evil and the sword is for arthur and him alone, after the battle kilgharrah calls merlin in the night and asks if the sword was succesful but when merlin tells him that uther used it not arthur kilgharrah is enraged and says that merlin has betrayed him and is not ready to be trusted (Excalibur).

Uther's assisination plan
morgana along with a powerful sourcerer called tauren plans to kill uther because of what he did to gwen's father, merlin does not know what to do so asks kilgharrah for advice kilgharrah tells merlin to do nothing  because it is uther who persecutes the use of magic and his reign must end so arthur and merlin's reign can begin but merlin dosent think it is right to kill the king (To Kill the King).

Selfishness
arthur is mortally wounded by a questing beast and gaius says that no magic can save him a desperste merlin visits the great dragon and says he will do anything to save arthur kilgharrah tells merlin to go to the isle of the blessed where he will find a way to save arthur and he must be saved whatever the cost, after saving arthur but realising that merlin's mother is to die because of arthur's saving a frustrated merlin goes to kilgharrah and accuses him of sending merlin to murder his mother kilgharrah says that it is his destiny to protect arthur till he becomes king and magic is restored and then he will be free merlin realises that is all he cares about and tells him he will never be realesed kilgharrah attacks merlin with his fire but merlin shields it off and states that kilgharrah wont see him again (Le Morte d'Arthur).

Merlin's promise
a spirit of cornelius sigan attacks camelot and takes control of cedric het attacks camelot gaius tells merlin that the only person that can help us is the great dragon merlin says that he wishes to help no one but himelf but he goes anyway when he arrives kilgharrah questions his loyalty and says he will only help merlin if one day merlin will free him merlin promises and kilgharrah gives him a spell which will defeat sigan (The Curse of Cornelius Sigan).

Refusing to help
morgana now knows that she has magic and goes to a druid camp where she meets mordred again merlin asks kilgharrah for the location of the druids so he can help morgana kilgharrah says that it would be better if the witch did not know the full extent of her powers merlin refuses to believe that and says that she is the same as him in which the dragon responds that they are as different as day and night and refuses to give merlin the help he seeks (The Nightmare Begins).

Uther's marriage
uther has had a spell put on him and he marry's a troll against his own will and makes her his succeder instead of arthur when merlin tells kilgharrah that uther has married a troll kilgharrah bursts out with laughter but when merlin tells him that arthur wont be king and albion will never be born kilgharrah realises the situation and aplogises he tells merlin that uther needs to cry which is difficult because he has a heart of stone as merlin departs kilgharrah reminds him of the promise he made  and his help does not come unconditional (Beauty and the Beast: Part Two).

Gaius's death sentance
a witchfinder has come to camelot to find a soucerer the witchfinder frames gaius for using magic merlin begs the dragon for help but kilgharrah says that gaius means nothing to him once again revealing his selfish heart but when he see's that merlin is destressed by this and merlin says he is going to turn himself in kilgharrah tries to reason with merlin and says that gaius is already doomed and if merlin turns himself in the witchfinder will burn them both kilgharrah says to merlin that he does not know how to help and deeply apologises(The Witchfinder).

Arthur's unwilling love
many kings come to camelot for a peace treaty but one of them casts a spell on arthur and princess vivian so they will fall in love with each other which angers vivians father and threatens the land with war merlin asks kilgharrah's help the dragon says that the only person who can break the spell is arthur's true love guinevere (Sweet Dreams).

Morgana and Mordred
mordred and a druid called avalar come to camelot and go to morgana the three of them steal the crystal of neahtid when they do they take it to the druid camp, merlin goes to the dragon and asks for help but the dragon demands that merlin sets him free now merlin says he will when camelot is safe kilgharrah questions why he should trust merlin the boy says that he hasnt got a choice kilgharrah accepts this and offers help to merlin merlin asks kilgharrah that morgana has stolen the crystal kilgharrah laughs and says that she does not have the power to use such a thing but when merlin mentions mordred kilgharrah gets worried and tells him that it is his destiny to kill arthur and the prophicy's speak of mordred and morgana united in evil, when merlin recovers the crystal he see's kilgharrah attacking camelot later that night he hears kilgharrah shouting him to realease him now merlin is stuck between the safety of camelot and his promise (The Witch's Quickening).

The begining of morgana's evil
morgana and her sister morgause cast a spell on camelot where everyone has fallen to sleep merlin asks the great dragon to help but when he enters the dragon's cave kilgharrah is mocking him pretending to be asleep and then says he refuses to help because he hasnt set him free and says that camelot end is ni and there is nothing he can do about it merlin then promises to set him free, kilgharrah says that morgana is the source of this evil and she has turned her back on her own and that merlin must kill her, after morgana disapeared and camelot is safe merlin steal a sword from the knights of medhir which will break the chains that uther keeps the creature imprisoned in merlin tells kilgharrah to promise not to attack camelot but kilgharrah tells him that there has been enough baragins merlin breaks the chain and the enraged creature starts his attack on camelot (The Fires of Idirsholas).

Attacking camelot
Merlin, despite his vision of the future, later fulfilled his oath to the Great Dragon and used a sword stolen from one of the Knights of Medhir to free him. This, however, would have dire consequences for Camelot. Kilgharrah, full of rage, attacked the kingdom.

Merlin was later forced to find the last dragonlord so the Great Dragon could be defeated before he destroyed Camelot. Merlin found Balinor, a dragonlord who was his father. Balinor, ambushed by a bunch of knights, was killed after sacrificing himself for his son. Shortly before his death, Balinor said the powers of dragonlords were passed on genetically from father to son, and therefore Merlin now had the power to command Kilgharrah. Merlin managed to stop Kilgharrah in his tracks after he attacked Arthur and his men, but showed mercy by banishing him from Camelot forever. Kilgharrah commented that Merlin's attitude towards him was a sign of the man he would one day become and, before departing, told Merlin he was sure their paths would cross again (The Last Dragonlord).

Saving Merlin
A year later, when Morgause and Morgana discovered that Merlin had discovered their plans to take over Camelot, he was chained up by Morgause's magic and was then left on his own surrounded by Serkets. He tried to break his chains and fend off the Serkets using magic but failed and was stung by a Serket. After his warlock magic failed, Merlin resorted to using the power of the dragonlords and called on Kilgharrah, who came to his rescue and fended off the Serkets with his fiery breath (The Tears of Uther Pendragon: Part One). The Dragon then flew away carrying Merlin. After rescuing the young dragonlord, he told Merlin that the battle for Camelot was about to begin. Kilgharrah flew Merlin back to Camelot so that he could attempt to thwart Morgana, Morgause and King Cenred (The Tears of Uther Pendragon: Part Two).

Unwillingly saving Morgana
Merlin later called Kilgharrah to find a way to heal Morgana after she was seriously injured from falling down a flight of stairs. Kilgharrah advised him to rejoice since her death would prevent the future he had forseen she would have with Mordred, and it would mean she was unable to kill Uther. Kilgharrah also revealed that he knew Morgana was Uther's daughter, though how he learned this is unknown. Merlin first begged him and then commanded him to give him a way to save Morgana. Kilgharrah felt that Merlin was abusing his power as a Dragonlord and told him so but he had no choice but to help the young warlock (The Crystal Cave).

Uther can not be killed by magic
After being faced with the problem of his new friend Gilli having to face Uther in the tournament, again Merlin called the dragon, to ask for this advice on the subject, knowing that only another creature of magic would understand. The dragon acted calm, but was at first unwilling to help, as Merlin had ignored his advice in their last encounter and outruled him. After Merlin apologised, he listened, and gave advice, on the matter, explaining that if Gilli used magic to kill Uther, then the future where magic was allowed would not come as Arthur's views would see it as evil permanently. He said he was sorry he could offer no more helpful words, but made the point that Uther must not be killed by sorcery clear (The Sorcerer's Shadow).

Retrieving excalibur
Kilgharrah returned again after Morgana and Morgause took over Camelot, carrying Merlin to the Lake of Avalon so that he could fetch Excalibur (The Coming of Arthur: Part Two).

Attacking the Dorocha and meeting Lancelot
He also heeded Merlin's call for help when Merlin was being pursued by Dorocha and drove them away. He then warned Merlin and Lancelot that the veil between the worlds had to be repaired, and when he discovered Merlin's intentions, he pleaded with him not to sacrifice himself(The Darkest Hour: Part Two).

Aithusa
When Merlin learned of the existence of another dragon egg in a lost tomb, he resolved to go after the egg in memory of his father's sacrifices to ensure Kilgharrah's survival. Having recovered the egg, Merlin summoned it into existence by naming the unborn dragon Aithusa, Kilgharrah noting that the resulting white dragon which was a rare breed even when the dragons were numerous, as well as being named after the light of the sun in the dragon tongue reflected the new dawn that Merlin and Arthur would create together (Aithusa).

Overthrowing Morgana
Kilgharrah later returned when Morgana overthrew Camelot again. Merlin commanded him to fend off Agravaine and his men when they pursued him and Arthur. Kilgharrah succeeded in driving them away and when Merlin told him that Arthur lost his conviction as king, Kilgharrah told him that he alone could restore Arthur's faith. Merlin took Kilgharrah's advice and restored Arthur's faith by making him wield Excalibur and later overthrow Morgana once more (The Sword in the Stone: Part Two).

Lochru's Prophecy
Kilgharrah was summoned once again by Merlin to find out if he knew anything about Lochru's doomsday prophecy. The Great Dragon knew nothing about 'Arthur's Bane' but was familar with Lochru's order, the vates. Kilgharrah told his friend that the vates' powers of foretelling were unrivaled. When Merlin said the vision felt like a burden Kilgharrah counciled him to have heart and use the knowledge to help guide rather then hinder him (Arthur's Bane: Part One).

The Disir
Kilgharrah said Merlin was right to ask his advice about the Disir's judgement of Arthur. The disir have always been the mouthpiece of the Tripple Goddess and their ruling foretold Arthur's demise. The dragon did reassure Merlin that there were many possible futures and that there was hope remaining for Camelot. As before Kilgharrah remained adamant about Mordred's destiny though. The young druid will cause Arthur's downfall and must thus be stopped at all costs (The Disir).

Injury and Age
After Kilgharrah rescued and healed Merlin from a near fatal arrow shot wound, Merlin discovered that Kilgharrah's wing had been injured and offered to heal him. Kilgharrah informed Merlin that there were some things that even a warlock as great as he could not overcome. He tells Merlin that he is old and that his time has almost come. When Merlin asks if he will ever see him again, rather than answering, the great dragon turns and flies away. He is seen flying with some difficulty (The Kindness of Strangers)

Saying Goodbye
When Arthur died Merlin cried out for Kilgharrah and asked for one more favour to take him to the Lake of Avalon, but when they arrived Kigharrah told Merlin that there was nothing he could do and that Arthur is the once and future king, and that one day he will rise again. He then tells Merlin it has been a privilege knowing the young warlock and flyes away for the last time (The Diamond of the Day: Part Two).

Personality
"I'm not a horse, Merlin."

- Kilgarrah, when Merlin asked to be airlifted across 30 miles of land occupied by King Cenred

Kilgharrah acted as a mentor to Merlin and is very wise, though he tended to speak in riddles which sometimes irritated Merlin. More often than not, Kilgharrah left Merlin with more questions than answers. The Dragon possessed great knowledge of the future and Merlin found his advice useful, though he didn't always follow it. Kilgharrah's knowledge and wisdom allowed him to find a solution to almost any problem and one of the few exceptions was when he was unable to help Merlin save Gaius because that problem could not be solved by his knowledge of magic.

Eventually Kilgharrah revealed to Merlin that one of his reasons for helping him was to gain his freedom. Although the Dragon could be selfish at times, he was capable of thinking about others and felt genuinely sorry for Merlin when he told him he would be unable to help him save Gaius. Merlin once considered Kilgharrah a friend but became less trusting after the Dragon revealed one of his true intentions. However, Balinor claimed that they were spiritual brothers due to Merlin's heritage as a Dragonlord and the two of them became friends again.

Kilgharrah is a vengeful creature and had a tendency to hold grudges. He attacked Camelot after Merlin set him free, killing innocent people in the process, in order to take revenge for his imprisonment and the near extinction of his kind. However he was grateful to Merlin for showing him mercy when he could have killed him and believed that their paths would cross again, which was true. He was angry when Merlin abused his power as a Dragonlord and was still resentful when Merlin called him to help a boy named Gilli.

Kilgharrah is also judgemental at times. The great dragon never doubted that Morgana and Mordred would turn to evil, mainly because he knows of old prophecies foretelling this. But it has been shown that not all prophecies come true, and that when they do it's mostly because people make them come true. He also had a sense of pride and seemed slightly outraged when Merlin asked him for a ride telling him that he was not a horse.

Kilgharrah also had a sense of humour, but he usually showed this humour at inappropriate times. For example when Merlin told him that Uther Pendragon's new wife was a troll Kilgharrah went into a fit of laughter while Merlin could not see the funny side of it. He also laughed about Morgana when Merlin told him that she had stolen an important crystal. Despite Merlin's protests, Kilgharrah frequently called Morgana a witch. At one point during the episode involving the Knights of Medhir, Kilgharrah pretended to be asleep like the other people of Camelot, however this was a nasty joke and it was because Merlin had not set him free, which led to him denying to help Merlin.

Merlin
"It will be an empty world without you, young warlock."

- Kilgarrah to Merlin Kilgharrah is the one who informed Merlin of his destiny. Whenever Merlin is lost as to what to do, particularly when it involved magic, he turned to the Great Dragon for advise or outright assistance. The Dragon acted as a mentor to Merlin, even though Merlin didn't always do as the Dragon advised him. Merlin actually considered the Dragon a friend at one point but when he discovered that one of he`s reasons for helping him in order to gain his freedom. and had tricked him into sacrificing his mother, even though it was not true, Merlin turned his back on him, vowing to never allow him to be released.



Merlin returned to the Dragon when he needed help defeating the spirit of Cornelius Sigan. The Dragon agreed to help, on the condition that Merlin promised to one day free him, which Merlin, as he was under lots of pressure and needed to save Arthur, Uther and all the citizens of Camelot, agreed to do. Merlin regained his trust in the Dragon, and continued to seek his aid when he needed it. The Dragon appeared to be quite fond of Merlin and he had proven that he can care about more than his own freedom as he felt genuinely sorry for Merlin, when he told him he was unable to help him save Gaius.

Merlin later released the Great Dragon, who proceeded to lay waste to Camelot as revenge for his imprisonment and his species' near-eradication. Merlin, who inherited the powers of a dragonlord from his father, Balinor, managed to get the Dragon under his control, but chose to spare him instead of kill him. The Dragon was grateful for Merlin's choice to not kill him, and departed after telling him he was sure they would meet again.



Because of Merlin's heritage as a dragonlord, he and Kilgharrah were spiritual brothers and they have shown that they genuinely care about each other, since Merlin spared Kilgharrah when the Dragon was at his mercy and Kilgharrah willingly came to Merlin's rescue when he was surrounded by serkets sent at him by Morgause and Morgana. After rescuing Merlin. Kilgharrah used magic to heal him and indicated that he had come to save Merlin because he wanted to rather than because he had to. Kilgharrah also appeared content to allow Merlin to ride him back to Camelot. When Merlin called Kilgharrah back to find a way to heal Morgana, Kilgharrah advised him to let her die and was angry when Merlin ordered him to help, feeling that Merlin was abusing his power. Though they parted on less than good terms, it wasn't as bad as the time Merlin told Kilgharrah he would never be freed and although Kilgharrah reprimanded him for it when they next met, he appeared to have forgiven him and simply reminded him that he shouldn't do it again.

Kilgharrah later encountered Merlin and Lancelot, who became the only person apart from Merlin to meet Kilgharrah since his attack on Camelot. When Kilgharrah learned that there was still a Dragon egg in existence he asked Merlin to get it for him and was overjoyed when Merlin hatched Aithusa.

Gaius
Kilgharrah has known Gaius for at least twenty years and Gaius respects the Dragon's power and wisdom. However they were not friends and Kilgharrah appeared to be slightly disdainful towards Gaius, claiming that he had a talent for turning a blind eye. The Dragon also claimed that Gaius meant nothing to him. Despite this Kilgharrah was genuinely sorrowful when he heard that Gaius was about to be executed, though this was for Merlin's sake rather than Gaius'.

The pair have had one encounter in the underground dungeon. Gaius required assistance in regards to Uther Pendragon's issues. Kilgharrah stated that Gaius is good for turning a blind eye and he should do the same on this occasion. Kilgharrah showed no aggression towards Gaius. Gaius and Kilgharrah haven't met again after Kilgharrah was released by Merlin.

Balinor
"He gave up everything in his life to save me."

- Kilgharrah on Balinor

Considering Balinor knew Kilgharrah's true name, it's likely that they knew each other well in the past and considering Balinor was a dragonlord, they most likely thought of each other as spiritual brothers. Balinor felt that Kilgharrah's rage and hatred towards Uther Pendragon was justified due to Uther betraying both the Dragon and Balinor, after the Dragonlord brought Kilgharrah to Camelot. It is unknown if Kilgharrah blamed Balinor for his imprisonment, but it is unlikely since he probably knew that Balinor had been tricked by Uther and had not meant to betray him. Balinor also crafted a small figurine of a dragon which appeared to be based on Kilgharrah.

Arthur Pendragon
"Let Arthur's reign begin."

- Kilgarrah

As Arthur Pendragon was destined to unite Albion along with Merlin, Kilgharrah frequently gave Merlin advice to help them fulfill their destiny. However, he temporarily lost his beliefs in Arthur when he attacked Camelot after he was released by Merlin, presumably driven by revenge for his imprisonment. He later directly encountered Arthur when he attempted to protect the kingdom but attempted to kill him and was only stopped when Merlin used the power of a dragonlord to stop him attacking the kingdom. After that, Kilgharrah regained his respect for Arthur and continued to help Merlin but warned Merlin that Arthur's heart would be hardened against magic if he saw Uther die at its hand. They have yet to meet on civil terms.

Morgana Pendragon
"She. Is. Dangerous."

- Kilgarrah, on Morgana

Although Kilgharrah hasn't yet met Morgana, Kilgharrah gave lots of advice to Merlin about Morgana referring to her as "the Witch". He warned Merlin of Morgana's betrayal but Merlin still disobeyed him, with disastrous consequences on a number of occasions. Kilgharrah also knew of Morgana's true parentage, that Uther was her father, although he had never seen Morgana himself or if he had, he did not remember her, and she could have been born after he was imprisoned by Uther, which may have contributed to his hatred of her.

Uther Pendragon
Kilgharrah hated Uther Pendragon ever since Uther banned magic and killed almost all the Dragons. Uther had Kilgharrah imprisoned to show what happens to those who are magical. Insulted by this and hungry for revenge, the Dragon attacked Uther's kingdom after Merlin had freed him. The Dragon would have completely destroyed Camelot if it was not for Merlin's dragonlord ability. Kilgharrah stated that Uther's heart was "as cold as stone" and that he'd "never been sorry for anything" though this was actually untrue which implies that Kilgharrah was unaware of Uther's softer side. Kilgharrah also thought it was hilarious when Uther married a troll.

However, after Uther had died, Kilgharrah didn't waste a word on the death of his arch-enemy he wanted to get rid of for so long. Despite the fact that he had advised Merlin to let Uther die several times and despite his hatred for him, Kilgharrah remained completely silent about Uther's death as if he had forgotten about what he had desired for more than twenty years.

Lancelot
Kilgharrah only met Lancelot once but had already foreseen his destiny and told him that he was destined to be one of the greatest and most noble knights Camelot had ever known. It's likely Kilgharrah shows great respect to him.

Aithusa
Kilgharrah hadn't seen Aithusa before Merlin hatched her, however, Aithusa is the reason why Kilgharrah is not the last dragon in the world. Kilgharrah was very grateful to Merlin when he received the egg from The Tomb of Ashkanar. It's possible, as alluded to by the latest events of Aithusa saving Morgana, that Aithusa's loyalty towards Kilgharrah (and Merlin) has changed, although Kilgharrah reported nothing to Merlin a few days before this event. However, at the time he may not have known about Aithusa's possibly purposeful betrayal of him and alliance to Morgana.

It has been confirmed that three years after Aithusa's betrayal after she saved Morgana from death, Kilgharrah will not be the same dragon he used to be, due to his ward's betrayal.

Mordred
Kilgharrah has not met Mordred, although he has already foreseen his future. Kilgharrah warned Merlin not to save Mordred due to the fact that he's destined to murder Arthur. Like Morgana, Mordred is most likely the most-hated antagonist on Kilgharrah's list.

Abilities
Kilgharrah is tremendously powerful, and is perhaps the strongest magical creature in the series with the possible exceptions of Merlin and the Cailleach. Like all members of his kind, he can to breathe fire, usually using this ability as an attack, but on one occasion he used his fire to enhance the power of a weapon forged for Arthur. Kilgharrah also appeared to be immune to the powers of even a powerful sorcerer such as Merlin, not even flinching when Merlin hurled an enchanted spear at him; the weapon simply bounced off his scales. Kilgharrah is also very graceful for such a massive creature and is far more agile than he appeared able to easily evade numerous arrows while attacking Camelot even when they were fired at the same time. Additionally he is able to defeat a whole group of knights, including Arthur, with very little effort, though Arthur managed to inflict a wound on the Dragon before being knocked unconscious.

In addition to being virtually unbeatable in combat, Kilgharrah can transmit his thoughts into the minds of others, which he used to provide Merlin with a way of defeating Cornelius Sigan and to give him the spell he needed to heal Morgana. He is also capable of communicating with people telepathically and is the only being in Camelot apart from Merlin and Morgana who is able to hear Mordred speaking telepathically. Kilgharrah is also immune to the powerful sleeping spell that Morgause placed on Camelot. Kilgharrah also had healing powers as he saved Merlin's life when he was stung by a Serket and was also able to free Merlin from his chains. However Kilgharrah was unable to free himself while he was a prisoner of Uther but considering he gave Merlin specific instructions on how to free him, his chains must have been full of magic (this is evidence of Uther Pendragon’s hypocritical nature).

Kilgharrah is capable of foreseeing the future, frequently speaking to Merlin about the destiny he and Arthur shared, as well as foreseeing that Morgana would turn evil and that Mordred would put Arthur in mortal danger. Additionally Kilgharrah possessed more knowledge of magic than anyone else alive, which came through over a thousand years of experience.

However despite his power, Kilgharrah is, like all Dragons, powerless to resist or disobey the call of a Dragonlord, requiring him to obey all orders he receives from a Dragonlord regardless of his opinion or desires, although he can still disagree with a Dragonlord's command, but he cannot directly refuse a request.

Appearances

 * Series 1
 * The Dragon's Call
 * Valiant
 * The Mark of Nimueh
 * A Remedy to Cure All Ills
 * The Beginning of the End
 * Excalibur
 * To Kill the King
 * Le Morte d'Arthur


 * Series 2
 * The Curse of Cornelius Sigan
 * The Nightmare Begins
 * Beauty and the Beast: Part Two
 * The Witchfinder
 * Sweet Dreams
 * The Witch's Quickening
 * The Fires of Idirsholas
 * The Last Dragonlord


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


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


 * Series 5
 * Arthur's Bane: Part One
 * The Disir
 * The Kindness of Strangers
 * The Diamond of the Day: Part Two

Trivia

 * The Great Dragon is computer generated but is voiced by English actor, John Hurt.
 * Kilgharrah has yellow eyes, and they look exactly like the eyes of a sorcerer when they are using magic. This could be because he is a creature of magic. However Aithusa, also a creature of magic, has blue eyes.
 * The Dragon's face is done using motion capture technology. John Hurt's facial movements are used to create that of Kilgharrah's while recording his lines for the show.
 * John Hurt is credited in all the episodes, even though Kigharrah's role and appearances becomes less frequent after his freedom. This is probably because each episode always starts with Kilgharrah's voice saying "In a land of myth and a time of magic the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy/man. His name...Merlin."