User blog:Fimber/Why I understand Uther's reasons for banning magic - and why no one is a saint on "Merlin"

Sorry for the length. I don't know if anyone will even read this, but maybe when you are bored and have got the time and nothing esle to do while drinking coffee...

I don't know if the writers and producers ever thought it all through that way or rather if some elements of the stories and the characters themselves kind of developed a momentum of their own within the story, but based on the character descriptions and the plots, there seems to me much more in it than just meets the eye.

I think that Uther is one of the most controversal characters on "Merlin", and this is the very reason why I for one find him so interesting and why there is a lot to think about concerning his motivations, agendas and actions. I'm also referring to other characters and most of all to magic, the very thing that the entire show is based upon.

While especially most of his actions can't be justified or excused, like the Great Purge, for example, they can yet be explained - and there were indeed good reasons why he thought that magic was dangerous and evil. The hero of the show, Merlin, plays a big part in it, despite the fact that he actually is one of the good sorceres.

The dragons and Dragonlords

Given that Gaius explained to Merlin in season one that magic corrupted the land before Uther came to Camelot, we have to assume that there was a lot of chaos and destruction going on. The dragonlords were in control of the dragons, for example. I recently read a comment on the internet that it is not certain wether all dragonlords were "good" or "bad". Now imagine if just a few of them were at odds with some people or maybe even kingdoms. What if some of them were hungry for power or simply ruthless, or maybe just wanted revenge for something? All they had to do was to send their most powerful weapon to the place they wanted to attack.

As we learnt from season three, Merlin was capable of demanding Kilgharrah against the dragon's will and Kilgharrah had to do whatever Merlin told him to do. Perhaps other dragonlords would have tried or had indeed tried to stop those who misused their powers, perhaps not. There was one deleted scene in season three that told us about the danger the dragons brought to the Five Kingdoms. Since the scene was deleted, we don't know if it is relevant for the show at all, but when thinking of the mighty powers in the hands of the many dragonlords, we can imagine that a balance and sensible handling of this power must have been very fragile unless we are told otherwise. And who could stop a dragon? Arthur and the knights of Camelot failed to defeat Kilgharrah when he attacked Camelot. It was Merlin, a dragonlord, who ended the slaughter, but only because Kligharrah was the dragon he could demand.

Corruption and Nimueh

Gaius also stated in season one that magic was used for evil agendas. Since we know that magic is indeed very powerful, depending on how powerful the wizard or witch is that use it, it is a miracle that normal people and kingdoms survived the evil sorcery, unless every kingdom had its own magical people who balanced out - more or less successfully - the dark magic being used against non-magical people. But it can't have been only about kingdoms but there must also have been attacks and misuse of dark magic on commoners, hidden and unseen until it was too late.

So, assuming that every kingdom used to have court sorcerers, like Uther had (Nimueh), and considering how powerful the magic of the Old Religion is, perhaps we can compare the situation to today's nuclear weapon's states that keep their weapons in order to provide a balance in power. We don't know much about Nimueh's life in Camelot, but we do know that she was Uther's friend. From what we have seen about Uther, he was a man who trusted those he considered to be his friends, sometimes even blindly (like Gaius, for example). Assumingly, he had no reason to distrust Nimueh, therefore he had Gaius ask her for help in order to have a son. It has been obvious from the beginning of the show that Uther loved Igraine very much, maybe even more than it was good for him. He called her his "heart and soul" when talking to Nimueh in "Excalibur". So he had a close friend who was a witch (Nimueh), in a time of corrupting magic that was most of all used for evil, a wife he deeply loved and on whom he depended on, and the desperate wish for an heir. Here I would assume that it was not only the wish for an heir but for a child at all, since when someone loves the partner so deeply, the wish for children comes naturally. When they learnt that Igraine was incapable to conceive a child, the only solution was to ask for magical help.

Nimueh claimed that it was not her doing that Igraine died in childbirth but that it was the law of the Old Religion. However, when Merlin fought Nimueh in "Le morte d'Arthur", he accused Nimueh of being the one who chooses the life that is to be taken in exchange for another, and evidentally, she was indeed capable of taking Gaius' life in exchange for Merlin, saying that she hadn't known how important he was. This implies that she was not only the one who had the power to choose over life and death (let alone that she was a member of the Old Religion) but also that she chose those she wanted to live and to use for her own agendas (Merlin being important as a member of the Old Religion). So when Nimueh either chose Igraine or at least let her die without interfering, she also missed to warn Uther that it could even be Igraine who might die.

Given that Uther loved Igraine so much and later started to hate magic so tremendously because of her death, it is out of question that he would have never agreed to use magic if he had known that he would risk Igraine's life. Nimueh, on the other hand, knew that someone very close to Uther would die in exchange for the child's life, therefore she knew that it could be even Igraine (in case she didn't even choose her intentionally), but she did not warn Uther about it. Nimueh warned him about consequences and that a life had to be taken but obviously not about the possibility that it could be Igraine's life. The question is, why?

 Falling from grace 

Supposingly, from Uther's point of view, his trusted and powerful friend Nimueh betrayed him in the most terrible way that he could imagine: killing or being responsible for the death of his beloved wife in order to bring into life the most innocent thing in the world - a baby. If he couldn't trust his close friend who had magic, although Nimueh knew how much Igraine meant to him, and if he, the strong and proud King Uther, was incapable to control magic, then magic was never to be trusted, would always corrupt and will always bring evil in the end.

We know that Uther had always been proud and always endevoured to be in control of everything that fell under his responsibility, like his kingdom and his duties. If he failed to control magic, then why would anyone be able of controlling it or dealing with it without corrupting? The fact that Nimueh was his friend back then gives us a hint that despite the danger of evil magic and the chaos, he was not prejusticed towards magic but realised that when he was betrayed by the Old Religion/Nimueh, it was impossible to resist the temptation of using magic without falling from grace sooner or later. He himself did it when asking Nimueh for magical help, even if having good intentions (a baby). Although he did not do it intentionally, he sealed Igraine's fate when asking for magical help and being betrayed by his friend Nimueh in the process. This proved that even a good and innocent thing (the child in this case) would always have terrible consequences when magic was involved, and later we learnt that he was even right (Hunith almost dying when Merlin saved Arthur, Gaius almost dying when trying to save Merlin, Morgana destroying everyone and everything because Merlin healed her...). This and the fact that most sorcerers used magic for evil in those days convinced Uther once and for all that there is no reason whatsoever to trust magic and the Old Religion. It would always deceive and defeat those who would fall for it.

The solution he could think of was to completely eradicate all magic, even the good" magic due to the fact that he thought nobody could ever resist the evil in a long term.

 Old friends and betrayal 

Despite the total hunt for sorcerers during the Great Purge, Uther still clinged to Gaius who used to practise magic before the ban. He also didn't kill Nimueh but banned her from Camelot. This indicates that he refused to kill those he liked or used to like (Nimueh) and could still differ between evil sorcerers and good ones (Gaius) and probably couldn't kill Nimueh due to his once friendly feelings for her, in case that there weren't other good reasons for sparing her. Differing between good and evil sorcerers but hunting magic despite of this, shows that he was willing to make exceptions for those he knew personally and liked as long as the new law was not violated, and it also shows how determined he was to execute the law at all costs, being a strict ruler in the desperate try to bring order and what he considered to be safety to the land. Since he didn't kill Gaius and Nimueh, he assumingly also let go off other sorcerers for a while, but maybe changed that by time when more and more magical sorcerers/witches started to hate and probably stop Uther in the fight against magic. It is also entirely possible that he only spared Gaius and Nimueh and nobody else. The reason for letting Gaius live and keeping the friendship with him might be just that: the friendship. Uther had always trusted Gaius with the exception of the one time when Gaius publicly "confessed" of having used magic, which for the time being must have proved Uther right that nobody can resist the dark magic forever until he learnt the truth about the set up. Later, when even the Witchfinder, the one who actually hunted sorcerers, was "convicted of sorcery", there was no doubt for him that really everyone would be corrupted by magic sooner or later. No one was safe and no one could resist. It's wasn't actually Uther's fault that others unintenionally helped to convince him of this again.

 Evil sorcerers 

Over the seasons of "Merlin" we have witnessed a lot of sorcerers and magical creatures that did not have good intentions, and not all of them encountered Camelot because they wanted revenge on Uther. Some of them had total different agendas or were just "evil" (The Questing Beast, The Lamia, created by the Old Religion to defeat others, Cornelius Sigan who wasn't banned/hunted by Uther but by the former king because of his evil sorcery, Katrina/the troll, non-magical Cenred who used magic just to gain power when conquering Camelot, the Sidhe, the Pixies). All the sorcerers and magical beings must have proven Uther right that nothing good can come from magic, and supposingly, when also hunting down the peaceful druids but not Gaius (despite the presumed ability to differ between good and bad), the law and its acceptance became more and more important. Gaius seemingly respected the law in Uther's opinion, the druids didn't when continuing to practise magic and therefore conspiring with the "evil". He had two choices: allowing magic and being forced to have court sorcerers in order to gain at least a minimum of control over dark magic - and by that conspiring with what he considered to be evil and what killed his wife. Or forbidding and banning it from Camelot and therefore restoring order and safety, as he thought. In his eyes, a mere prohibition could never be enough to ban magic completely from the land, therefore he had to execute the law strictly and made it a dogma for everyone.

The hunt for all sorcerers and the mass murders cannot be justified, but in Uther's defence, when considering his history and the happenings we saw in the show, everyone who practised magic was not seen as normal person with certain rights anymore but rather as a mindless victim or even a changend creature that chose the dark side. Supposingly, in Uther's eyes, everyone who turned to magic lost his soul in the process, which would explain why he even had children drowned who were born with magic, because Uther was actually a very protective person and set great value upon honour. It can never be justified that he killed even children, but to explain this action and to connect it to his character description, he probably really thought that even those children were ripped off their humanity and souls due to their magic - which, as we know, can only be evil in his eyes. And killing children has nothing to do with honour at all, moreover it actually contradicts his protective character trait.

 Grief and the danger of magic 

But obviously, there were also other reasons for his hatred of magic. Aside from protecting his kingdom and all its people as well as himself from magic, the death of his wife must have filled him with sadness, desperation, bitterness and vengeance. The fact that he never even wanted to talk about Igraine showed that the mere thought of her obviously caused too much pain. It also probaly stated out that the whole situation about her death was a heavy shock that he did not manage to overcome until the day he died.

His hatred did not focus on a particular person who he blamed for Igraine's death but on something that was above people, an invisible enemy that kind of possessed people and took advantage of them, including himself. Fighting and taking revenge on a person is much easier than fighting a thing, an entity that you can't get a hold of. So in addition to his grief over the loss of his wife, Uther must have grown "mad" of trying to eliminate this invisible, all powerful enemy, as if someone would desperately try to fight a disease that can't be defeated.

If we, in our modern and civilized world, suddenly witnessed the existance of magic being used to have an advantage over others, if we learnt that there were sorcerers who could easily manipulate our minds and lifes by using magic, and if they were capable of demanding the elements, destroying us, leaving us vulnerable and entirely to their mercy, we would never feel safe. We certainly would do everything to gain an advantage over them, make us equal to their powers or even try to eliminate them.

 Arthur and Morgana 

Then there was Arthur. A baby that was created through magic, regardless that he was conceived the biological way. Arthur was all that was left from Igraine, a part of her, the one that Uther loved so much and obviosly beyond the common love between husband and wife. Arthur could only live because Igraine died, but that did not make Uther hating his son, on the contrary. He obviously also feared for Arthur's life as long as magic was present. He wanted to save Arthur from being seduced by magic and from being killed by it, by all the evil sorcerers out there that non-magical people could hardly defend themselves against. Arthur was not only the future king but most of all Uther's son. Naturally, he wanted to protect him and make him open his eyes to see how dangerous he thought magic was. Why did Uther desperately try to keep the secret about the true circumstances of Arthur's birth from him? Probably due to several reasons. One of them might have been that he did not want Arthur to learn that even his own father once fell for this "evil" thing. Moreover, Uther probably felt guilt over the death of his wife, even though he could not forsee that she was the one to die. But what Arthur didn't understand when he attempted to kill Uther after he had talked to Igraine or maybe only the illusion of Igraine: if Arthur had learnt about the truth, meaning that magic was evolved in his birth, Uther would have risked to turn his own son against him since Arthur was the product of magical interference and therefore probably would have felt like fighting hisself by eradicating magic. Uther could not risk to have Arthur questioning or even hating himself - or the opposite, hating Uther and turning to magic and by that risking the kingdom and his own life.

Uther's presumed fear that Arthur might hate and despise himself, being born of magic, was understandable. We could see what happened when Morgana learnt about her magical powers and at first started to hate herself and then began to hate everyone else to an unnatural extent that made her inhumane and filled with hatred. Although her total hatred and malice is incomprehensible and way overstated, it is part of the story and evidence for what can happen when someone realizes that they are what actually was supposed to be evil. Would it have helped if Uther had told Arthur from the very beginning and would it have been better to teach Morgana that there might be exceptions, that magic can also be used for good? It probably would. But how was Uther supposed to justify his hunt on magic when on the other hand teaching his children that good can come from it (like Arthur)? Uther would have been forced to find out with everyone who had used magic if they were good or bad ones, he would have been forced to change the law and start everything all over again, allowing magic up to a certain point, having court sorcerers, maybe even an army of magical people, allowing what killed his wife and what he thought would corrupt everyone sooner or later, maybe even his children (which actually indeed happened with Morgana). He would have risked to have his children turn against him and to question the entire situation since Arthur was born of magic and Morgana has magical powers (it's still unknown if Uther had known about Morgana's true nature). They might have built alliances with other sorcerers and their loyalites could have been divided (Uther's fear in regard to Morgause corrupting Morgana with which he was right). And regarding all the reasons above, concerning evil sorcery and desperately trying to keep the balance in power with sorcerers and witches, it is unknown what life would have been with magic being legal and by that giving everyone the opportunity to gain almost undefeatable advantages over others, opening the door for dark magic. And this dilemma naturally leads again to the one and only solution: forbidding magic completely and keeping the secret safe (Arthur's birth). All this must have been such a burden, it is a miracle that Uther didn't go nuts. And Arthur is in the lucky position that he has friends like Merlin and Gaius who guide him and take care of his emotional health, otherwise Arthur would become similar to Uther, given that he doesn't have a probem with killing others (and meanwhile and sadly, Merlin follows that path), also mistrusts magic and has seen people die by its hands, especially his own father. Not to mention that Arthur himself almost died several times due to magic.

Morgana, as exagerrated and meanwhile ridiculous her character has become, is the best example for corrupting magical powers. Since it's still not clarified why she has become that evil (there is no other word to describe her) it is obvious that her "new" powers have driven her mad and totally thrown her off course. No matter how often she wrongly states that she has become what Uther made of her and that she is just doing what he did, she started to suffer from mental alienation the moment she figured what powers she posesses. Finally she is in a position to hurt others and to have power over them, and all of a sudden her goodness and sense for justice is gone. There is no justification and actually no real reason for her hatred and her actions, for she enjoys the misery and torment of others, even of those she used to love and who loved her. She proves for those who can't deal with such powers and the responsibility that comes with it. She is totally incapable of seeing reality and differing between right and wrong, and even Uther couldn't convince her that she is loved and respected. Living in fear (because of hiding her powers) and disagreeing with and opposing the one she was afraid of (Uther, if he had learnt about her powers, as she thought) is a total different thing from starting to hate and destroy everyone she once cared about and who were on her side. Magic completely corrupted Morgana, although she used to be strong, just and determined once. What is necessary to make other sorecerers, maybe even Merlin, choosing the dark side and to get insane?

Considering this, Uther's ban of magic is comprehensible (though not the killing part from our today's point of view, of course) except for one vital thing: banning the use of magic would be alright and seems to be sensible, but killing those who were born with magic and therefore didn't chose it, or those who practised it for good purposes like healing, was wrong, of course. But again here was the dilemma that Uther thought, and probably was right about, that no one with magical powers could resist using them - and therefore sooner or later would corrupt and use it for evil plans and own advantages. If I was Uther and would definitely be convinced that magic was evil and dangerous by its very nature, I wouldn't have found a way out of the situation either. He was partly right but also wrong.

 Gaius: 

Gaius supported Uther's point of view by pretending to be his ally in the fight against magic, although what Gaius did is understandable. By doing that he had the opportunity to secretly help sorcerers who he considered to be good and innocent ones, like Alice, his one and only love and Merlin (evidentally one of the good guys but not a saint at all) and many others. On the other hand, he never really tried to help Uther carry the burden, to maybe overcome the death of Igraine, and he never really talked to him like he talked to Arthur in season four about Dragoon and the sorcerers that are not evil. Instead he manipulated Uther and fomented his hatred towards magic. If none of his trusted friends ever questioned all of Uther's actions and if someone who witnessed what happened back then first hand and what caused the hatred, seemingly supports the hunt on magic, why would Uther ever change his mind? Gaius was calm and gentle, and when even someone like Gaius seemingly supported the Great Purge and the hunt on magic, it must have convinced Uther even more. Morgana had tried it several times, yet she was much younger than Uther and he surely thought that she could never understand what was really going on. But Gaius was the one who had been there from the beginning, who knew what had happened and who is old enough to be Uther's father. Although Gaius might have been afraid of punishment, he actually supported Uther's downfall by smuggling Morgause out of Camelot and therefore giving her the opportunity to manipulate Morgana who killed her father in the end. Of course, Gaius could not know and of course, he helped a baby (whatever the reason was why Morgause had to be smuggled out of Camelot) but every action is followed by reaction, and the things and happenings that surround us shape our fate and personality. What one considers to be the right thing can turn out to be a fatal mistake later. It all depends on the perspective and it's true for everyone.

Gaius thought that Uther was a good king in regard to wealth, peace and prosperity - and he was right, given that Camelot was indeed a place like this unless magic was involved. But he also missed the chance to slowly guide Uther in order to maybe change his mind about the strict law, wether it would have a been a good or bad idea considering that with all the evil sorcery, magic was indeed dangerous. When pretending to be on Uther's side, he not only lied and constantly betrayed him but he also helped Uther to sentence sorcerers to death while saving himself and failing in helping Uther to deal with what made him suffer for decades. When Igraine died almost 30 years ago, Uther was still young and surely would have kind of looked up to a father figure that Gaius should have been to him, commoner or not. Unfortunately, unlike Arthur, Uther was not lucky enough to have someone like Merlin by his side.

Merlin

Merlin has been introduced to us as a good person, a wizard with a destiny and the duty to bring back magic to the land. On the first sight, it seems to be alright and the only right thing to do since Merlin has always presented high moral standards and has tried to help everyone the best he could, using magic most of all for good purposes and to help people, even Uther and his enemy Morgana. In all those episodes, completely despite the many evil or ruthless sorcerers and magical creatures, we have been "told" that magic is a good thing and that it has to be re-established in Camelot in order to make it the greatest kingdom ever. All this because magic actually seems to be represented by good Merlin. The question is: why should magic be restored and allowed in Camelot when we have already learnt in season one that magic was responsible for total chaos in the land and when the Five Kingdoms were threatened by it?

Another question is, why magic is supposed to play such a big part in the reunification of Albion. We know that the kingdoms fell apart and that chaos ruled the land before Uther conquered Camelot, so we have to assume that it wasn't the hunt on magic that caused destruction but magic itself (being used for evil purposes). What do other kingdoms think about magic or the ban of it? Surely, they can't support magic when it was evident that it almost destroyed the lands before it was banned.

When Merlin tried to help everyone, even those of whom he was afraid of (Uther) or those who fought against him and Camelot (Morgana), it seemed that Merlin's destiny was to unite magical and non-magical people and to bring peace to them in order to make them see that a peaceful coexistance is possible. Meanwhile, Merlin has changed and it seems that he has already chosen his side and only tries to bring back magic, no matter the costs. The balance between the two sides, magic and non-magic, has been disturbed and Merlin is on his way to enforce his agenda by sacrificing what once defined him: his morals. He is constantly lying to Arthur, manipulating him and he is also using him like a puppet on a string, only to have him fullfill Merlin's wishes (restoring magic).

When Uther was mortally wounded by the Gleeman's dagger, Merlin actually was in a position to heal him, yet he didn't and told Arthur to accept that his father will die. He only acted when he saw a chance to bring back magic and by that took advantage of the misery of at least two people, namely his best friend Arthur and the one who was about to die (Uther). How could Merlin let Uther die (before he saw his chance and disguised as Dragoon) but be convinced at the same time that he does the right thing and that magic and its supporters are worth to be allowed when magic would have done indeed a good thing (healing) but wasn't used at first, only to let someone die who exactly thought that of it, which is that magic wasn't used for good?

Merlin is surely not a bad guy, but meanwhile he is a fighter for his kind in the attempt to bring back a religion. The Old Religion. He never questions it, no matter how many evil sorcerers appear and no matter how powerful and uncontrollable it is in the (many) wrong hands. Sure, he can't question himself, since he was born with magic. But he can question his destiny and most of all the way he meanwhile tries to fullfill it. If his destiny was to end killing every sorcerer, even the innocents, by showing that there is no need for it, it would be the right thing, but he can't do that by proving that magic is only used for own advantages and at the expense of other people's lifes. With every further step into this rather selfish direction, he proves Uther right. What could be more powerful than being master over live and death? Magic/Nimueh decided who had to live and who had to die when Arthur was born and when Igraine died. The most powerful magic at all caused a terrible thing and killed an innocent person, pushed someone into grief and misery and caused a terrible hunt. And the same powerful magic was used by Merlin to serve his purpose and cost the life of the one who was magic's victim in the first place. Merlin did not try to heal Uther out of goodness or mercy, not even for his best friend who suffered from his father's upcoming demise. He simply wanted to manipulate and to prove something to Arthur that actually contradicted itself - if magic was really used also for good, he would have healed Uther immediately instead of watching him die and trying to heal him later when he saw an advantage for himself and his kind.

It seems like it is not about right and wrong, good and bad anymore but only about the Old Religion vs the ban of magic and a life without the Old Religion. Two political agendas that still oppose each other. Merlin is not merely the really good guy anymore but a fighter for his own beliefs and for his "religion", disregarding what way he choses. Is he on the way to the dark(er) side and is magic slowly corrupting him? And if so, wasn't Uther right all along then? Of course, the Old religion is not like a religion that we know. It's something that is not based only on belief but something that really exists on "Merlin", meaning the magic. So Merlin isn't fighting for something he only beliefs in but for something that is evident, since magic really exists on the show and since he is one of its members, being born with magical powers. It is something that is above "normal" human beings, a higher power with which comes a responsibility that actually is beyond human's capability to handle. We know from the legends that Arthur unites the lands of Albion and that Merlin will be his advisor, but we as the viewers have an advantage over Uther. We know that in the fictional stories Merlin will succeed in making peace between magic and the non-magical "normal" people.

The question is, how many people will have to die until the final goal is reached, and how is it even possible? When we take a closer look at the situation, Uther is actually much closer to us than Merlin, Arthur and everyone else is, simply because we are used to a life without magic (of course!), which is something that Uther was trying to gain. Uther tried to get rid of what we would call "unnatural". He was trying to build a land of progress and maybe even science, totally liberated from what nobody can really understand or handle.

 The Old Religion 

Fortunately, religion hasn't been a subject on the show, at least not "our" big religions. However, The Old Religion describes a way of life, an ideal maybe and something you have to conjur and to what you have to be loyal to. It's similar to a religion, just not with one god but with a higher power (magic) and many powerful magical people who nearly get a god-like status since with their powers, they can change the laws of physics and act beyond and above normal human beings. Although Merlin is one of the good - or one of the better - sorcerers, The Old Religion itself with all its representatives isn't exactly just a good institution, so to speak. It obviously has a history full of cruelty, violence and corruption.

When comparing The Old religion to our religions like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism or any religion which were and still are full of cruelty and violence too, the difference is clear: while our religion is just something people believe in and and try to defend or to convert people with their human weapons (sadly and unfortunately), The Old Religion is indeed a very real (in the show real!) power that is indeed used. Its power is way above everything that humans could ever achieve with their normal abilities, let alone fight against. While in our religions it's the believers who interprete it and act, disregarding if it's right or wrong, the Old Religion consists of magic and its god-like sorcerers who don't stand for guidance and mercy, like God, Allah, Jehova or Buddha do. They ARE the religion, they HAVE the powers and it's not only nature with it's cruelty that is supposed to be compensated by a forgiving and loving god but it's most of all their doing when terrible things happen that non-magical people can't defend themselves against. Is it any wonder that Uther and certainly a lot of other people were scared by it and tried to get rid of it once and for all?

Uther never discriminated or fought someone who believed in something, like some religious people did and still do. He fought those of whom he thought would conspire with the very "real" (on the show) evil, but not due to different religious beliefs (like in real life that people go to hell when denying God/Allah, for example) but because of real and evident powers that were uncontrollable and dangerous. He didn't want to rule the world (like Hitler did, for example) but actually wanted peace with other kingdoms. He wasn't a racist because sorcerers aren't exactly a race but either people who use the most powerful and therefore dangerous tool, or people who were born with the powers, regardless what race they are - humans, creatures (Pixies, Sidhe etc...). Skin colour or ethnic origion didn't matter to him, as long as magic wasn't involved.

Without downplaying the cruelty of the Great Purge, the only thing he was fighting was just that: a thing. The magic that in his eyes sooner or later would overrule and enslave the human kind. All in all, I think it is not wrong to say that Uther wanted a world ruled by "normal" human beings with more or less equal powers (regarding nature). Good intentions but mostly wrong actions. He was tilting at windmills because in the show, magic is part of the nature and life and couldn't be eradicated. Therefore the war could never really end. So it takes Merlin to restore a balance and to be the keeper of the sensible use of magic in order to prevent that magic towers above human beings. But:

 Merlin's and Arthur's destiny: 

Arthur's destiny is to unite the lands of Albion and to allow magic again because obviously, for some reason magic plays a part in the unification, even if it is unknown why. Merlin's destiny is to protect Arthur (actually, his destiny was to protect Arthur until he is king) and to help Arthur seeing that magic is nothing that should be forbidden. If Arthur's destiny is to end the witch-hunt and to allow magic again, then why did the Old Religion/Nimueh let Igraine die in the first place when her death caused the beginning of the hunt on magic? If Arthur is the chosen one but his birth caused the situation he was chosen for to end, why was he born at all when actually the hunt for magic wouldn't have started without his birth? And why is it Merlin's destiny to protect Arthur, meaning why was Merlin born as the chosen one to help and push Arthur into that direction, obviously chosen by the Old Religion, when it would have been so much easier to not let Igraine die or to not have created Arthur, since Uther's hatred for magic wouldn't have even started in this case?

It seems as if everything was planned from the beginning. Merlin's destiny and fate has been determined since "the dawn of time" (which is a real looooong time...), so actually, his birth and his destiny to help Arthur was set in stone long before humans walked the earth, according to the "dawn of time"-statement. That means that Arthur's birth was planned too, which means that the hunt on magic was planned as well, otherwise Arthur's birth and destiny as well as Merlin's wouldn't be necessary. It would make sense if none of that would have been planned and if Merlin and Arthur were chosen somewehere along the way after their birth due to something that happened that didn't have to do with them. But that's not the case. Merlin's destiny was determined long before he or anyone else was born. And this means that Igraine's death and everything that followed this happening was planned and wanted or at least foreseen - therefore, everyone, Uther, Igraine, Gaius, Morgana, Arthur, Merlin, Hunith, Balinor, everyone... were and are manipulated and used. Their fate and everyone else's fate has never lied in their hands.

This all proves Uther right, actually. If the fates of countless people are predetermined and fully depend on what magic/The Old Religion plans for them, everyone is nothing but a slave for a higher power that decides over happiness and misery of the obviously totally powerless people. Uther didn't know about Arthur's and Merlin's fate, so he couldn't know about the whole thing, but he did see that magic and the Old Religion was something that was beyond human comprehension and therefore, considering what magic was used for and what happened to Igraine, something that should never fall into people's hands. And since a life has to be taken in exchange for another, even the healing magic harbors unforseen dangers and often the death of an innocent person.

 Protection and helplessness 

Despite the cruelty towards sorcerers/magic and the Great Purge (which, of course, can't be justified or excused), Uther was described as an overprotective man who most of all wanted to protect his children and whose effort was to provide safety, which was shown when he always avoided to go to war with other kingdoms. Obviously, he saw Camelot as some kind of a safe harbour and desperately tried to keep it that way, a bit like he was shutting himself and entire Camelot off from the "evil" and unpredictable outside. And he never enjoyed killing those who were accused of having practised magic which could be seen when he always had a drink after sentencing someone to death and being constantly depressed. This wasn't celebrating at all.

The helplessness of non-magical people was evident throughout the seasons of "Merlin", because every time a sorcerer/witch/magical creature appeared and attacked either Camelot or one of the people, it took Merlin, another sorcerer, to sort it out and to save everyone. There was just one exception and it happened in season four: Arthur saved himself when he confessed to the ghost of the druid boy that possessed Elyan. Fortunately, this ghost was actually the ghost of a former good kid/sorcerer and fortunately, the boy decided to forgive Arthur. Every other offender and aggressor, wether creature or sorcerer, could not be defeated or stopped by the humans but only by Merlin, the most powerful sorcerer of all. The Cailleach, for example, not only was willing to have the world of the living be destroyed by the dorocha and therefore watched innocents being killed, she also even demanded a blood sacrifice to close the veil. According to Kilgharrah, it was only her demand and not a law by nature. Again it is obvious that the safety of the world lies in the hands of single magical people who most of the time are neither mercyful nor just.

In our time and real world, the imbalance in power through mighty weapons and wealth against poverty can only work with trust. Trust in the common sense and reason to not use those weapons in order to not destroy other countries or even the world. But we are dealing with our own kind, with other human beings who have got the same strengths and weaknesses and who we understand. On "Merlin", Uther dealt with something that was incomprehensible and unpredictable, as well as with people and creatures that had unimaginable and "unnatural" powers, used by, as he probably thought, soulless creatures with which "normal" people had no common ground. His fight was lost the second he started it.

Magic and its power remains to be an exteremly dangerous thing that, once it is unleashed, brings most of the time destruction that sorcerers like Merlin have to either prevent or to limit the damage afterwards. But only as long as wizards like Merlin follow their path of goodness and morals - and since they are not gods but do have the power of gods, their moral compass and sensible use of such powers is very fragile. Killing everyone is definitely not the right way, and up to a certain point, even the powerful sorcerers surely depend on the non-magical humans. But dependence also tempts to gain power over those others depend on, like wealthy and powerful people (Kings, royals, rich people, governments... in every period of time) depend on those "beneath" them and oppress and use them.

I would wish for Merlin to return to his older self of being compassionate and good, and that he manages to balance out the powers of magic vs the non-magical society. He should question the Old Religion and find a way to limit its powers or to control it so that a normal life is possible for everyone, even if I don't know how this could ever work and what kind of solution it would be. And I wish Uther would have lived to see it to finally make peace with what brought misery upon him and countless others on both sides.

Fimber 21:46, May 29, 2012 (UTC)