Diamair

Diamair
Also known as:	The Key to All Knowledge
Status:	Alive
Biographical Information
Race:	Unknown (extinct)
Gender:	Female (presumably)
Statistics
Affiliation:	Merlin Gwaine †
Enemies:	Saxons Ruadan † Morgana Pendragon †
Behind the Scenes
Portrayer:	Josette Simon
List of Appearances:	Arthur's Bane

“The Diamair will tell us. The Diamair is the key to all knowledge.”

— Ruadan to Morgana^[src]

The Diamair was a powerful creature of magic known as the key to all knowledge. She resided in the caverns beneath the Fortress of Ismere and was the last of her kind.

Biography

Morgana and Ruadan searched for the Diamair to learn the secret of Arthur's bane. With this information they hoped to bring about his prophesied death. Neither knew exactly what the Diamair was, only that it was the key to all knowledge and was located in the caverns beneath the Fortress of Ismere. They spent three months searching the caverns by enslaving people captured from nearby kingdoms to dig for them, but found nothing.

When a patrol of sixty Knights of Camelot entered Ismere, they were captured by Morgana's enchanted wolves and added to her ranks of slaves. Among them were Percival and Gwaine, the latter of whom caught several glimpses of the Diamair while he worked, though he didn't know what she was. One day, he saw the Diamair's light deeper in the caverns and followed it. However, he was caught by a pair of Saxon guards, who viciously beat him and left him for dead.

The Diamair rescued Gwaine and healed his wounds with her magic. Gwaine was thankful for her help, but confused and curious about her origins. The Diamair explained that she was the last of her kind. At one time, they had been revered by all, but for hundreds of years they were shunned and hunted until she alone remained.

The Diamiar stayed with Gwaine until Merlin and Arthur arrived to rescue him, at which point she fled. She later returned, however, and healed Merlin after he was badly wounded by Morgana. Merlin realised that she was the Key that Morgana was searching for, and the Diamiar assured him that Morgana would never find her. She also asked him if there was anything he wished to ask her, and commended his wisdom when he initially declined. However, Merlin could not resists asking for the truth about Arthur's bane, and the Diamiar replied that it was Arthur himself (Arthur's Bane).

Abilities

The Diamair was known in Druid legend as the key to all knowledge, as she was cognizant of all that was and all that would ever be. Examples of her gift include the knowledge that Gwaine was a man worthy of her help; that Merlin was Emrys; that Morgana searched for her and would never find her; and that Arthur was his own bane.

According to the Diamiar, her kind were once revered for their knowledge, but for hundreds of years they were shunned and hunted until she alone remained. For this reason she considered her gift to be both a blessing and a curse, and once told Merlin that her knowledge was something few wise men would ever want.

In addition to her incredible knowledge, the Diamiar appeared to be highly skilled at healing magic. She was able to heal both Gwaine and Merlin of potentially life threatening injuries. She was also able to hide Gwaine from Saxons by covering him in shadow (Arthur's Bane).

Trivia

• The Diamair has been compared to an alien by some fans.
• Though the Diamair's gender was not specified, most fans consider it to be female because its anatomy resembled that of a female human. However, there is no guarantee that her kind had the same anatomy - including gender organs - as humans, or that they even had specified genders.

Mythology

The Well of Segais (referred to in the Dindsenchas as a topur diamair, or "secret well") was one of a number of magical wells located in the Celtic Otherworld in Irish mythology. The Well of Segais was known as the Well of Wisdom and was the source of the River Boyne.

According to legend, the River Boyne was home to the Salmon of Knowledge, an ordinary salmon that ate nine hazelnuts that fell into the Well of Knowledge from the nine hazel trees surrounding it. By eating the nuts, the salmon gained all the world's knowledge, and it was said that the first person to eat of its flesh would gain this knowledge in turn.

Gallery