Morgana Pendragon

Also known as:	The King's Ward My Lady The Witch (by the Dragon) Queen of Camelot Sister (by Morgause) High Priestess of the Triple Goddess (by Alator)
Biographical Information
Race:	Witch
Gender:	Female
Family:	Vivienne (mother, thought deceased) Uther Pendragon (father, deceased) Gorlois (stepfather, deceased) Ygraine Pendragon (stepmother, deceased) Morgause (maternal half-sister, deceased) Arthur Pendragon (paternal half-brother) Guinevere Pendragon (paternal half-sister-in-law)
Statistics
Affiliation:	Gorlois (deceased) Aithusa Morgause (deceased) Alvarr Mordred Helios (deceased) Agravaine (deceased)
Enemies:	Merlin Arthur Pendragon Guinevere Pendragon Knights of Camelot
Behind the Scenes
Portrayer:	Katie McGrath

“She is the darkness to your light, the hatred to your love”

— The Great Dragon on Morgana and Merlin

Morgana Pendragon is the daughter of Uther Pendragon and the half-sister of both Arthur Pendragon and Morgause. She resided within Camelot as the ward of Uther, whom she did not identify as her father for some time. She developed friendships with many of those who lived there, notably Merlin.

When Morgana found she had magic, she came to despise Uther and his own hatred of the art as her abilities made her feel like an outsider. Giving the pretence of loyalty, she remained within Camelot and later attempted to seize the throne, only for her plan to be thwarted by Merlin, leaving her to attack the kingdom from afar. She later made many more attempts to seize the throne of Camelot, she eventually succeeded, but it was short lived, her plans were once again thwarted by Merlin. On the brink of death, she was saved by the baby dragon, Aithusa, leaving her fate unknown.

Biography

Early Life

While Gorlois was away at battle, Vivienne had a brief affair with her brother-in-law, Uther Pendragon, and conceived Morgana. As she was born in the house of Gorlois no one suspected the truth. She lived with her family until she was about 10, then Gorlois was cut down by enemies of Camelot because Uther failed to send his best friend the promised reinforcements. It was stated by Uther himself that Morgana fought him from the beginning and was never afraid to speak her mind. As a young girl she often practised swordplay with her half-brother Arthur and reportedly defeated him numerous times.

Meeting Merlin

Morgana at the party for Lady Helen of Mora. (The Dragon's Call)

Morgana was first seen by Merlin during his first days in Camelot; she mistook him for Gwen while getting ready for a feast celebrating twenty years since the end of The Great Purge. Morgana resisted attending this celebration, expressing to Uther her abhorrence for the Great Purge, because of the lives taken to accomplish Uther's purpose of eliminating magic from Camelot. Nevertheless, Uther ordered her to be present. She first was introduced to Merlin when Gwen was wrongly accused of witchcraft, after witnessing his apparent attempt to sacrifice his life for Gwen's. (Although it was to save Gwen, he was actually the one responsible for the enchantment of which she had been accused) His actions led her to believe Merlin had feelings for Gwen. She helped Merlin and Arthur defeat the Afanc that Nimueh used to poison the water supply despite them telling her it was too dangerous. (The Mark of Nimueh)

Adventures

Morgana awakens from her dream. (The Gates of Avalon)

At a young age, Morgana discovered that she sometimes dreamt of terrible things that afterwards came to pass. As the court physician, Gaius gave her a variety of sleeping potions, but none proved efficacious. Her powers were first proven useful against enemies of Camelot when Morgana's dreams aided Merlin in defeating two Sidhe that wished to kill Arthur so one of their own, a young female, Sophia, might return to Avalon. (The Gates of Avalon)

Morgana later became deeply attached to Mordred, a young druid boy whose life Merlin saved at risk of Uther's wrath were his actions discovered. (The Beginning of the End) Merlin aided in the safe return of Mordred to his people, and Morgana was grateful. In return, she went with him to his home village Ealdor to help him defend it from bandits. (The Moment of Truth).

Morgana and Mordred (The Beginning of the End)

She has ever been strongly opposed to Uther's stand against magic and questioned his choice to execute Mary Collins' son, Thomas. (The Dragon's Call) She believes that magic is more something you are born with than something you choose. (The Beginning of the End) She has appeared at times to have an intuitive awareness of Merlin's abilities although she has never confronted him with it. (The Gates of Avalon, The Moment of Truth, Le Morte d'Arthur et al)

Morgana also has a darker side. Her bitterness over her father's death and Uther's pivotal role in it has caused her great turmoil and ambivalence towards Uther; when exacerbated by Uther's intention to put Gwen to death unjustly, and his actual execution of Gwen's father on charges of sorcery, her bitterness blossomed into hatred and a desire for revenge. She plotted to have Uther killed and took an active role in the performance of the intended murder. However, she repented of her intention at the last minute when confronted with the realization that Uther was truly sorry for his actions in the case of both her father and Gwen's father. She then killed Tauren, the assassin, just before he struck Uther down; Merlin killed the other sorcerers involved. (To Kill the King) After these events she warned Merlin in a trance that worse things were to come.

Exploring her Magic

Morgana while she was accidentally setting her room on fire. (The Nightmare Begins)

Morgana's magic eventually began to reveal itself. When Morgana accidentally set her room on fire and shattered a vase, she became terrified. She went to Gaius and told him she feared she had magic. Gaius knew it was true, but lied to her to protect her. Merlin advised her to seek out the Druids for help and advice. Morgana eventually found her way to a Druid camp, where she was reunited with Mordred. Merlin later arrived, saying Uther believed she had been kidnapped and was going to execute everyone in Camelot who was under suspicion unless she was returned. Morgana did not want to go back, but an army of Camelot soldiers raided the camp and brought her back. Morgana thanked Merlin for what he did for her, saying her experience has taught her not to fear her powers. While she no longer feared her powers, Morgana realised the danger in exposing them. She was terrified when Uther hired a witchfinder to expose the last traces of magic, and was desperate to keep her secret hidden. She was later taken hostage when the Witchfinder's treachery was exposed, but was saved by Merlin. Arthur mistakenly believed that Morgana and Merlin had romantic feelings for each other.

Final betrayal and disappearance

Morgana agrees to steal the Crystal. (The Witch's Quickening)

Some time later, Mordred returned, sneaking into Camelot to see Morgana with the sorcerer Alvarr, who asked Morgana to steal a powerful crystal hidden in Camelot's vaults. Morgana eventually agreed and stole the crystal, delivering it to Alvarr's camp. When the crystal was discovered to be missing, Merlin suspected Morgana, having caught her in Arthur's chambers when she was stealing the key to the vault, and followed her to the camp, witnessing her reunion with Mordred. Through Gaius, Merlin gave up the location of the camp and Uther sent Arthur and his men to retrieve the crystal and kill Alvarr's men, forcing Morgana to ride to the camp ahead of them and give Alvarr warning. Despite this, Alvarr is captured, although Mordred is able to escape, and when Uther condemns Alvarr to execution, Morgana tells Uther that she disowns him, and later uses the sleeping potion Gaius gives her to drug Alvarr's guards, allowing him to escape. Uther suspects Morgana when he heard Alvarr had help escaping, and emotionally the court that whoever is responsible has betrayed him. (The Witch's Quickening)

Sometime later, Morgana finds a letter from Morgause, asking her to meet her. Morgana meets with her and admits that she hates what Uther has become, and confesses she once had the chance to be his assassin, but saved the king's life instead because she believed he was still capable of love and goodness. However, she has since come to the realization that Uther will never change, and that should he ever discover what she is he would surely execute her. Morgause smiles, and casts a spell without warning, causing Morgana to fall asleep.

When Morgana awakes in Camelot, she thinks that the meeting with Morgause was only a dream, but as the day progresses and everyone around her begins to fall asleep she hides in her chambers until Arthur and Merlin return. Morgana is clearly frightened by what is going on around her, helpless to do anything about it, but when Merlin mentions that Morgause is behind it, Morgana reacts to the name and he becomes suspicious. Despite his suspicions, Merlin covers for her when Arthur wonders why she is the only one not affected by the spell, claiming that Gaius must have given her a draught that fought off the sleeping plague before he succumbed to it himself. Merlin later discovers that Morgause made Morgana the vessel for the sleeping plague, unbeknownst to Morgana herself. For the plague to end, either Morgause must undo the spell or Morgana must die.

Morgana is poisoned by a reluctant Merlin and as Arthur battles Morgause's knights, Morgana begins to suffocate as the hemlock enters her system, and she falls unconscious. Across the castle, Morgause feels Morgana's terror and realizes her sister is dying. She decides to call off the attack and conjures a whirlwind that allows her to leave with Morgana (The Fires of Idirsholas).

Return to Camelot

Morgana is found by a patrol from Camelot.

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A year passed by in Camelot with Uther sending his men to scours the kingdom in search of Morgana, costing his men their lives time and time again as they are slaughtered by unseen forces, but Uther will not give up or see reason. Finally, Arthur and Merlin are out patrolling the countryside, when they happen across a dishevelled, frightened Morgana stumbling through the woods. They then return Morgana to Camelot, and Gaius orders Uther to allow her to rest. When she wakes up, Morgana has a tearful moment with Arthur, explaining how she escaped the bandits who were holding her captive, and he embraces her, promising her that she's safe now. As he leaves, she notices a nervous Merlin at the door and calls him inside, telling him she knows that he poisoned her, and he swears he didn't want to, at which she smiles weakly and says she knows why he did it. To his surprise, she tearfully confesses she didn't know what she was doing, that she's sorry for what Morgause did through her, and hopes he can forgive her.

Merlin leaves her chambers smiling, relieved that she seems to have forgiven him, but unbeknownst to him it is all an act. Morgana has been in Morgause's company for the past year, and in that time she has been corrupted and Morgause has turned her against Uther. Though she feigns love for the king when they are reunited, it is a ploy to collect his tears, which Morgause then mixes with the black blood of a mandrake plant, creating a spell to drive the king insane. When she is spotted by a sentry returning to the castle, Morgana stabs the guard in cold-blood, and then slips inside to place the mandrake root under Uther's bed. By morning the king has begun to lose his sanity, hallucinating specters of the innocents he has executed over the years, including young boys he had drowned in a well and Ygraine, whose death was ultimately a result of his own greed. Merlin finds the mandrake root and suspects Morgana, following her when she goes to meet Morgause, but Morgana senses him following her and Morgause wraps him in chains, leaving him to die. Morgana returns to Camelot and feigns fear as Cenred's armies prepare to descend on Camelot, leaving Arthur to step into the role of king to defend the castle. During the battle, Morgana creeps down into the catacombs to use a magic staff to awaken the dead buried there, sending them forth to attack the knights of Camelot.

{C {C Merlin, who survived thanks to the intervention of the dragon, arrives and begs her not to do this, that there has to be another way, but she insists that Uther must be destroyed and draws her sword against him. Merlin fights her, albeit rather clumsily in comparison to Morgana's polished swordsmanship, but in the end he has to use magic to overcome her, causing the stone ceiling to come crashing down on her. Once she is unconscious, Merlin breaks the staff, destroying the undead army, and rushes back out to find Arthur. In the aftermath of the battle, Uther tells the entire court that they owe their victory to the bravery of one person- the Lady Morgana, who discovered the staff in the tomb and destroyed it. Merlin and Morgana lock gazes as she stands next to the king, all of the court applauding her, and the corner of her mouth lifts in a smirk. (The Tears of Uther Pendragon).

The Princess' Birthday

Morgana's birthday party was a lavish event, celebrated by many noble families of Camelot. Arthur gave her an ornate jewelled dagger as a present and Morgause sent a mirror with a message asking Morgana to meet her that night. Unbeknownst to Morgana, Merlin had seen several of that day's occurrences in a prophecy that also foretold Morgana murdering Uther. Her cloak billowing behind her as she walked down the corridor was also part of his vision, and so he caused a torch to flare in front of her. Tragically, this happened at the top of a stone staircase, and when Morgana reeled back from the fire she fell down the stairs, landing in an almost lifeless heap at the bottom. Gaius later determined that her skull was fractured and that the injuries were fatal. Morgana spent the next few days unconscious, though she did regain consciousness for a few minutes, during which Uther revealed a shocking secret: he had had an affair with her mother, and Morgana was a result of this. Merlin later used a spell to heal her. When Uther came to her bedside, Morgana was struggling with her emotions, and she offered him the chance to tell her the truth about her paternity. Though Uther seemed to want to tell her, he didn't tell her, and Morgana interpreted this as him being ashamed of her. If Uther had admitted the truth to her then Morgana might have had a change of heart and become loyal to Camelot once more.

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When Morgause sneaked into Camelot to see her, a rambling Morgana confessed that Uther is her father. Morgause explained to an incredulous Morgana that this was wonderful news for them, as Morgana now had a legitimate claim to the throne. Morgause tried to make Morgana promise not to do anything rash, but Morgana was unable to let it go, and retrieved the dagger Arthur gave her for her birthday, intending to kill Uther that very night. Merlin confronted her, knowing what was about to happen, but she used magic to hurl him into the wall, knocking him unconscious and knocking over a candle, starting a fire. With no one in her way, Morgana entered Uther's chambers and stood over him, the dagger held high, ready to plunge it into his heart, when Merlin raced into the doorway, and used his magic to make the window implode. Morgana dropped the dagger just as Uther wakened, and she kicked the blade under his bed, claiming that she'd become frightened by the fire. Uther embraced her, as she gave a relieved sigh behind his back (The Crystal Cave).

Plotting against Arthur

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Morgana plotting against Arthur

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During the time Arthur was forced into marrying a princess, Morgana noticed that he and Gwen had fallen in love. After speaking to Morgause about this, the two plotted to use Arthur's love for Gwen against him by conceiving a plan that would result in his death. With Arthur dead, Morgana would be able to ascend to the throne of Camelot. Morgause had Cenred kidnap Gwen and her long lost brother, Elyan. Gwen was told to bring Arthur to the Castle of Fryien where Cenred was staying, else her brother would be killed. Gwen did so, only after Merlin saw the scars left on her wrists from the chains, and admitted it was a trap so Arthur could be prepared.

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On the morning of the excursion, Morgana announced she was coming as well, and despite Merlin's attempts to convince Arthur not to let her come, Arthur was glad to have her along and pointed out that he needed Morgana to watch his back, since Merlin was useless with a sword. As they travelled, Merlin tried to get rid of Morgana by causing her horse to throw her, spraining her ankle, but Arthur helped her along. As they made camp, Arthur revealed his plan to sneak into the castle through tunnels known only to Uther and a few others of the royal court. Despite Merlin's attempts to thwart her, Morgana was able to alert Morgause and Cenred to the tunnels, and their men were waiting to ambush the party from Camelot. Cenred made a show of dragging Morgana away from the others, which allowed her to reunited with Morgause, but when Arthur and the others escaped, Morgause wasn't worried- she knew that Arthur would never leave without Morgana, and she was right. Arthur arrived to find Cenred holding Morgana hostage with a sword to her throat, and Morgause attempted to hit Arthur with a deadly spell, but Merlin's arrival interrupted it, and when Morgana insisted they leave her behind to escape since her ankle was injured, Arthur threw her over his shoulder and carried her out, much to Merlin's amusement (The Castle of Fyrien).

Morgana plotted against Arthur again when he went on a quest to find the golden trident and she tried to kill him by using a Phoenix Eye in a bracelet. However this failed because Merlin removed the Eye from Arthur's arm and gave it to the Fisher King, foiling her plan. Also during this time, Gwen began to suspect Morgana after she saw her with Morgause to the point that she saw Morgana using magic, finally discovering Morgana's betrayal (The Eye of the Phoenix).

A Fellow Future Queen

Morgana later began to have dreams about Gwen becoming queen. To prevent this, she told Arthur to spend the next day with Gwen, then invited Uther on a ride with her, intentionally passing the spot where Arthur and Gwen were. When Uther realised Arthur truly did love Gwen, he banished her from the city. However, when Arthur decided to join her, and then return to make Gwen his queen, Morgana realised she'd in fact caused the future she saw (much like Merlin did in The Crystal Cave). Morgana then planted suspicions in the king's mind about the possibility of an enchantment, having previously planted a poultice under Arthur's pillow. Gwen was sentenced to death, and saw Morgana's smirk on hearing her sentence, finally realising that she was behind it all. Merlin, however, thwarted Morgana's plans by pretending (by using an ageing spell to disguise himself) to be the wizard who placed the poultice to bring shame on Camelot, leaving a somewhat confused Morgana defeated. (Queen of Hearts).

Queen of Camelot

Morgana crowned queen Camelot

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Morgana and Morgause eventually managed to get their hands on the Cup of Life. Using this to turn Cenred's army immortal (and then murdering him), Morgause overran Camelot's army and captured the capital. Uther was dragged to the throne room, where he was forced onto his knees to watch Morgana's coronation. Unbeknownst to anyone in the room, Arthur and Merlin were also present, witnessing the event through a grate in the wall, and the young prince was devastated not only by Morgana's betrayal, but by his father's lies concerning the fact that Morgana was actually his sister. Arthur and Merlin escape to create a resistance movement against her reign, but Uther is imprisoned, left alive to bear witness to everything he held dear being torn down around him.

Morgana ruled for at least a week and tried to get the Knights of Camelot to pledge themselves to her, but regardless of the fact that she held a legitimate claim to the throne, the knights were loyal to Uther and refused to obey her. As punishment, and to ensure their compliance, Morgana allowed her army to execute peasants, a cold warning that any treason the knights attempted would be unleashed on the innocents of Camelot. Afterwards, Morgana visited Uther in the dungeons, mockingly calling him father and when Uther pointed out that innocent people were getting hurt, Morgana retaliated by telling him that far more innocent people had been killed under his rule. Uther begs for Morgana to kill him and not the innocent people but she says that she will execute him only when she is satisfied with the amount of suffering he received. This shattered him.

Morgana seemed hopeful that Guinevere would remain loyal to her, and indeed Gwen insisted that she had always been so, but just as Morgana had hoped Gwen freed Sir Leon from the dungeons, and Morgana's men followed them to Arthur, but Arthur was able to escape and rally a small group of knights to lay siege to Camelot. Arthur, Merlin, Elyan, Lancelot, Gwaine and Percival infiltrated Camelot, but Morgana's soldiers intercepted them, and so while the knights fought, Merlin and Lancelot set out to find and tip over the Cup of Life. Morgause attacked Merlin but Gaius intervened and Merlin attacked her with magic, causing her head to slam into a stone column, which allowed Merlin to empty the Cup, destroying the army.

File:Merlin313 2449.jpg

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Morgana arrived moments later and rushed to Morgause's side, cradling her just as Morgause had done over a year before. Merlin told her grimly that it was over, but she snarled that it had just begun, screaming in fury and grief as her cries brought the walls of the throne room crumbling down around them, forcing Merlin, Gaius and Lancelot to flee. In the aftermath, there was no sign of either Morgana or Morgause in the rubble, suggesting that, much like Morgause had whisked her to safety a year prior, Morgana had used magic to escape with Morgause. (The Coming of Arthur)

New Alliances

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At some point over the following year, Morgana allied herself with Arthur's uncle, Agravaine, who went to Camelot to "support" Arthur, as Uther was shaken by Morgana's betrayal to rule. Morgause had escaped with Morgana, greatly weakened. Morgana's own powers had grown, and she too was now a High Priestess of the Old Religion. At Morgause's request, Morgana sacrificed her sister at midnight during Samhain after a tearful goodbye. This tore the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Morgana was thrown back and knocked unconscious for a few moments; upon waking up she saw the Cailleach, who confirmed that her powers were strong, but warned her that Emrys would be her destiny and doom, without telling her that he was in fact Merlin. She also saw the Dorocha.

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Later on Morgana met Agravaine in a house in the woods, who told her that the Dorocha had brought Camelot to its knees, and that Arthur planned to sacrifice himself to close the veil. Though Agravaine was delighted by this, Morgana was still uneasy about Emrys. Agravaine comforted her and left. However, that night she had a dream that she was surrounded by dead soldiers and was begging Emrys to help her. However, he merely told her that it was all her doing, and she woke up, angrily whispering the unknown sorcerer's name. When Agravaine, who had taken charge of the kingdom in Arthur's absence, told Morgana about Gwen speaking out against him, Morgana told him of the dream she had of Gwen becoming queen and planned to kill her to prevent the vision from coming true. While Agravaine diverted Gwen's attention, Morgana secretly entered Camelot through a tunnel and knocked Gwen unconscious so that the Dorocha would kill her.

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However Gaius found Gwen and cured her before the Dorocha could kill her. Meanwhile her plan of taking revenge on Camelot by using the Dorocha had been thwarted by Lancelot who sacrificed himself to defeat them. When Morgana learned that her plans had failed she, in a rage, told Agravaine about Emrys and her belief that he thwarted them. Morgana then told Agravaine to help her find Emrys and kill him. (The Darkest Hour)

Uther's Death

Uther is fatally injured by The Gleeman who's intention it was to kill Arthur (on Odin's orders). Arthur then resorts to magic to heal his father. When Agravaine learns of this, he informs Morgana, who gives him a necklace that will reverse any healing spell used on its wearer and the magnify it tenfold. Naturally, because of the necklace, Uther is killed. Arthur then blames Dragoon the Great in particular & sorcery in general for his father's death. While Arthur was crowned king after Uther's death, Morgana was unsatisfied when he died and said that there would only be a celebration when she seizes control of Camelot.

Alliance with Queen Annis

When her husband king Caerleon is killed a grief-stricken Queen Annis declares war on Camelot, Morgana soon offers her assistance in destroying Arthur. She is able to gain the queen's trust by claiming that she wishes to avenge the death of Gorlois (a good friend of Annis) whom she views as her true father. After Arthur opts for single combat to avoid massive bloodshed Morgana enchants her half-brother's sword, making it nearly unbearable. Thanks to Merlin however her plan is foiled once more. A seething Morgana swears that next time Arthur will not be as fortunate. Annis however refuses any further assistance saying that she was mad with grief and allowed Morgana to manipulate her. When Morgana vows not to rest until all of Camelot bows before her, Annis shocks her by saying she resembles Uther great deal more than she does Gorlois.

Taking over Merlin's mind

After Merlin casts a spell to stop mercenaries from getting through to attack Arthur, he is kidnapped and brought to Morgana. She takes him back to her hut and binds him, then questions his loyalty to Arthur while tending to his wounds. Merlin tells her she fails to understand loyalty, which she quickly refutes, claimings she merely has no-one left to be loyal to. She then uses a spell to heal his wound.

Later, she awakens Merlin and shows him a Fomorroh. She then tells him that the High Priestesses of the Old Religion used to plant the heads of these creatures into the necks of their enemies, which allowed them to take over their minds. She then does the same to him and he is left with a single thought; killing Arthur. Merlin tries (and fails) to kill Arthur on several occasions. Gwen and Gaius realise that something is wrong with Merlin, so Gwen knocks him out. Later Gaius paralyses the Fomorroh head, extracts it and throws it into the fire. However, Gaius notices the next day that the Fomorroh has grown back and realises, and later tells Merlin, that the only way to completely get rid of the Fomorroh was to kill the mother beast. Merlin disguises himself as Dragoon The Great and (after knocking out the Knights of Camelot) rides to Morgana's hut. However, while searching for the Fomorroh, Morgana finds him and recognises him as Emrys, at first shocked she retreats, then returns denying his existence, until he finds the Fomorroh. The two enter an intense (though short) battle. During the battle she angrily demands to know who Emrys really is and why as a fellow magic user he would defend Arthur, who despises their kind. She is met with silence. Merlin manages to prise the Fomorroh from Morgana, defeats and apparently greatly wounds her. Then, he throws the Fomorroh into a fire, getting rid of it once and for all. Later Agravaine comes to visit Morgana and is clearly shocked and upset, when he finds her unconscious among the trees. He then carries her to safety.(A Servant of Two Masters)

Kidnapping Gaius

After Morgana has recovered, she and Agravaine arrange to have Gaius kidnapped in order to learn the identity of Emrys. She forms a brief alliance with Alator who learns that Emrys is actually Merlin but turns against Morgana after he learns from Gaius, that Merlin is destined to bring one day a glorious new age to the kingdom.(The Secret Sharer)

Causing Guinevere's Exile

When Agravaine comes to tell Morgana that Gwen is about to become Arthur's queen she is determined to stop her vision from coming true. She visits the Dochraid a very knowledgeable magical creature. The hag explains to Morgana that with the enchanted coin Morgause gave her she can summon a shade and bend it to her will. Morgana thus summons Lancelot and moulds his resurrected self for her purposes, though remarks that she did not feel the pleasure she expected from such absolute control, instead experiencing a sadness at the contrast between the shade-Lancelot and his former might. Nonetheless, she gives him a single mission: get between Arthur and Gwen. She also enchants a bracelet that will make Guinevere reciprocate Lancelot's lustful advances. When Morgana learns that Lancelot has fulfilled his task she orders him to take his own life.

Personality

Morgana possessed a feisty, cheeky and cool personality. She was considered by many to be very beautiful and

attracted the attention of numerous men, including Merlin and Arthur. However Morgana was much more than just a pretty face; she was fiery and independent and would not hesitate to stand up to her guardian, Uther. When the chips are down, she has also proven to be a capable fighter. Morgana constantly teased Arthur but also often tried to advise him and cared for him deeply, as exemplified by her nightmares involving Arthur's death. She was very affectionate to her maidservant Gwen, considering her a friend and a confidante. When Gwen's father was killed by Uther, it prompted Morgana to try and get revenge for both their fathers' deaths by killing him. However, Morgana later decided to save Uther from Tauren when Uther told her he was genuinely sorry for the deaths of her and Gwen's father (To Kill the King). After getting to know Merlin, Morgana also deemed him a trustworthy friend for whom she was willing to risk her life (The Moment of Truth).

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Morgana's personality became darker as her magic developed and she was alone in her terror, unable to turn to anyone for help out of fear that they would turn her over to Uther and frightened by what was happening to her. Although Gaius had known for years that she had magic, he remained firm in his position that she suffered from night-terrors and continued giving her sleeping draughts, essentially drugging her. When confronted with how desperate and scared she was, Merlin helped her locate the Druids, and swore to keep her magic a secret, but still lied to her about his own abilities, leaving her isolated and alone within the walls of Camelot. When Mordred returned (The Witch's Quickening) she was willing to help him and Alvarr by stealing a magical crystal from the vaults of Camelot, and when Alvarr was captured and sentenced to die, Morgana helped him escape, disowning Uther in the process, well aware that he would have her in Alvarr's place if he knew what she was. Despite this, when she met with Morgause she was not actively trying to destroy Uther, since she remained ignorant of what had taken place between Arthur and Uther as a result of Morgause's manipulations. Yet she confessed to Morgause, who she felt instinctively drawn to, that she hated Uther and wanted a world free of his tyranny, and Morgause decided to use her as the vessel for the sleeping plague, without Morgana's consent. Morgana's fear and confusion when all of Camelot slept around her was evident, but paled in comparison to her terror when she realized Merlin had poisoned her.

By the time she returned to Camelot, Morgana had become a different person after a year in Morgause's care. The years of witnessing Uther's cruelty, coupled with Merlin's attempt to kill her, made it easy for Morgause to corrupt her. Nowadays she would be diagnosed with post traumatic stress. Although she was an extremely skilled actress and convincingly played the part of the loving daughter and sister to Uther and Arthur, Merlin saw through it and knew she was trying to destroy Camelot. Morgana followed Morgause's orders without hesitation, killing a sentry in cold-blood when he caught her sneaking back into the castle, and using magic against the people she'd once loved. At first, Merlin and Uther were the targets of her hatred, but after the revelation that Uther was her father, Morgause convinced her that Arthur had to die, so that Morgana could take his place as Uther's heir. Morgana agreed and she participated in Morgause's schemes without hesitation, eagerly anticipating his death and she later made an attempt on Arthur's life herself by using a Phoenix Eye. Even Guinevere became a target when Morgana saw her maidservant crowned as Arthur's queen in a dream, and soon enough Gwen began to realize that her mistress meant them all harm, after catching her practising magic within the castle walls. When Gaius was possessed and revealed that Merlin had magic she was delighted instead of trying to kill him but was angry when Merlin was revealed to be innocent. Although Gaius at first was not one of her main targets, Morgana finally targeted him when she suspected that he knew of Emrys, finally turning against everyone she once cared about.

Morgana had grown incredibly embittered and power-hungry to the point where she cared only for Morgause and herself and felt that everyone else had stopped caring about her, meaning she was forced to look after herself. She turned against her closest friends and even her own family, as she knew unless things changed, people like her would always have to live in fear. Sadistic and ruthless in her determination for change, Morgana took considerable pleasure and enjoyment in harming her enemies, even those she once cared about. In spite of this, however, on rare occasions, Morgana displayed latent melancholy that she herself did not expect to feel, such as upon the death of Uther and the resurrection of Lancelot as a mere shadow of his former glory. It would also appear that Morgana is more like her biological father than she cares to admit. Both suffered greatly on an emotional level, and both are unwilling or unable to let go of the past. They wish to avenge the losses they suffered but are never satisfied, thus they are doomed to be perpetually unhappy, with Queen Annis being the first character to notice and point out the similarity to a shocked Morgana.

Relationships

Merlin

Morgana appeared to trust Merlin from early on as she went straight to him when Gwen faced execution (The Mark of Nimueh). She appeared to notice Merlin's powers after Arthur is saved from the sidhe, but is later revealed to not have known (The Gates of Avalon et al). When Merlin ran to her to hide Mordred, the Druid boy, Morgana agreed to help and thus developed a strong bond with Mordred. When Merlin's village was under attack (The Moment of Truth), Morgana journeyed with him, Gwen and Arthur to defend the village. There, Merlin overheard her saying that they were there because they cared for Merlin.

Merlin chose to distance himself from her after her attempt on Uther's life, however, he ended up becoming closer to her when she became confused by her developing powers. He attempted on multiple occasions to convince Gaius to acknowledge and guide Morgana's magic to no avail. Morgana later confided in Merlin her suspicions of her magic, after the two had reassured each other that they were trusted friends to the other. Merlin eventually advised her to seek the Druids despite Gaius and The Great Dragon's warnings not to get involved, saying to the two that he could not abandon her and that he understood what she was going through (The Nightmare Begins). The pair remained friends until Merlin discovered that Morgana had once again allied with Uther's enemies. When Morgause made Morgana the vessel for the sleeping plague, Merlin had no choice but to poison her to save Arthur and Camelot. Although he is remorseful for it, the fact remains that he chose to kill her rather than telling her the truth, which might very well have convinced her to drink the hemlock on her own to save Arthur, since Morgause had turned her into the vessel without her knowledge or consent. It was unclear if Merlin believed she was complicit in Morgause's plan, but Gaius certainly thought she was, and told Merlin it wasn't his fault that Morgana had chosen to use her gifts for evil.

When Morgana returned to Camelot, Merlin was anxious that she would expose him, but she tearfully said she understood why he did it, and confessed she had no idea what she was doing. Thinking she had forgiven him, Merlin was noticably happy, until he discovered the enchantment on Uther. When he followed her to meet with Morgause, Morgana dropped the act and revealed her loathing for Merlin, leaving him to die. Curiously, Morgana does not expose Merlin for the poisoning, though Uther would surely have him executed on the spot for it. Perhaps she fears he will expose her for her magic, or convince Arthur of her treachery, but it could be likely that she wanted to kill him herself, or let Morgause kill him, for his attempt in trying to poison her. What Morgana does not know is that she owes her life to Merlin when he cured her in The Crystal Cave.

With all pretence now dropped, Morgana and Merlin appeared to be highly hostile to each other but in the presence of Arthur and Gwen they tend to be polite, but not friendly. Uncharacteristically, Merlin has shown to be very cold towards Morgana and vice versa. It appears that Merlin has given up trying to see the good in her, although he did force the Great Dragon to help heal her after he accidentally fractured her skull. This was to alleviate his guilt, witnessing how distraught Arthur and Uther were, although he straight away felt bad about what happened when he said 'No", and also cried in his bedroom for a series of several days over it. After Morgana crowned herself queen of Camelot, Merlin helped Arthur rally a resistance, and destroyed the immortal army by emptying Cup of Life after he hurled Morgause into a stone pillar. Morgana entered momentarily, discovering Morgause's lifeless body and realized she's lost, but she warned Merlin it's only begun before disappearing with her sister.

The following year, Morgana has learned of a sorcerer called Emrys but is still unaware that he is Merlin and Merlin has magical powers. She and Merlin do not meet over the course of a year, although Merlin still acknowledges her plans to seize the throne and continuously thwarts them. She tortures Merlin upon his capture by Mercian knights but tends to his wounds. Later when Merlin comes to Morgana's hut disguised as Emrys to destroy the Famorrah, she discovers him and denies his existance but the then have a short but intense magical battle, Morgana come close to killing him several times during the battle but then Emrys conjurs a whirlwind that she is defenceless to and this spell causes her to be badly wounded and unconcious. (A Servant of Two Masters).

Morgana went to Alator of the Catha and formed a brief alliance she got him to abduct Gaius to find out who and where her mortal enemy Emrys was. Despite this when Alator finds out he turns against Morgana and when she asks him who Emrys is he knock her out with a stunning spell, saving Merlin from Morgana.(The Secret Sharer)

Arthur

Morgana and Arthur grew up together and their relationship had always been strong. On the surface they seemed like foster siblings, teasing one another mercilessly and exchanging snarky comments at every turn, but there was also a much deeper connection between them. Morgana was Arthur's advisor and moral compass from early on; she was the only one who could get him to stand up to his father or to defy the king by doing what he knew in his heart was right. Despite being raised together, Arthur and Morgana developed romantic feelings for one another at some point. Whenever knights flattered Morgana it irked Arthur, and he in turn openly accused her of being jealous when she tried to dissuade him from pursuing Sophia. They had several tender moments where it was clear that the love they had for each other went much deeper than attraction, and the prophetic dreams that terrified Morgana most were ones of Arthur's death (The Gates of Avalon, Le Morte d'Arthur). Each time she desperately attempted to save him, once becoming hysterical in front of the knights when she knew he would not be coming back alive from a quest. Just as Morgana was fiercely protective of Arthur, he in turn did everything in his power to keep her safe and happy. He defended her to his father, securing her release from the dungeons (To Kill the King) and agreed to defy the king and smuggle Mordred out of Camelot for her sake.

However, Arthur's attention changed to focus primarily on Guinevere, and as such his relationship with Morgana suffered. Caught up in his romantic problems, he failed to realise that Morgana was struggling with something serious, and unintentionally left her even more isolated as she wrestled with her growing magic. When she was "kidnapped" by the druids, however, Arthur mounted a rescue and brought her back safely to Camelot, although unaware that this was not what she wanted. The more he became infatuated with Gwen, the more his relationship with Morgana shifted towards that of brother and sister, and when Uther married Catrina , the two were horrified to discover their new stepmother was a troll. When Morgause unleashed the sleeping spell on Camelot using Morgana as the vessel, Arthur asked her why she was the only one not affected without meaning to sound accusatory, but simply desperately hoping she knew a way to stop the plague. However, Morgana was defensive, believing her magic to be the reason she was immune, and could not trust Arthur enough to risk telling him the truth. Although she knew he loved her, she was afraid of how he might react if he knew she had magic.

After Morgause disappeared with Morgana, Arthur spent a year searching for her, feeling that he had failed to protect her. It was on a scouting trip that he stumbled across her, dishevelled and frightened but alive, and with great relief Arthur brought her back to Camelot where he tenderly listened to her recount her escape and promised her she was safe. When Uther fell ill and Arthur was faced with the burden of ruling, he sought comfort from Morgana, embracing her and telling her how glad he was that she was there with him. Unbeknownst to Arthur, Morgana was, in fact, responsible for Uther's decline, and she continued to plot against the king in secret. When Merlin inadvertently caused a fatal head wound in Morgana in an attempt to stop her from killing Uther, Arthur was utterly grief-stricken at the thought of losing her, ironically telling Merlin he would "sacrifice [his] place on the throne for her to see another sunrise". For a time, Morgana's hatred was directed solely at Uther, and at times she showed no animosity towards Arthur, but after the discovery that Uther was her father, Morgause pointed out that Arthur was all that stood between Morgana and the crown, despite her being illegitimate and unrecognised. After this, Morgana began to plot against her half-sibling while he remained a doting brother, even risking his life to go back into Cenred's stronghold to rescue her, unaware that it was a trap to get him killed. It wasn't until Morgause's army overtook Camelot and Morgana crowned herself queen that Arthur learned of her treachery, and he was devastated as Merlin tried to rally him to recover and take back his kingdom. Arthur lamented that he'd known Morgana his whole life, and that he didn't understand how she could do this to them, but in the end he leads his knights against her to take back the kingdom. In the aftermath, he told Merlin that Uther wasn't the same man, that Morgana's betrayal had broken him, and it's clear that Arthur, too, has been shattered by it.

Over a year after Arthur learned of her betrayal, Morgana still plotted against Arthur and willingly caused Uther's death which resulted in Arthur being crowned King of Camelot.

Guinevere

Morgana had a close friendship with her maid, Gwen, whom she treated as an equal rather than a servant. Gwen frequently comforted Morgana when she woke up from nightmares. When Uther's soldiers killed Gwen's father, Tom, Morgana was enraged and tried to kill her guardian but later changed her mind. As time went on Morgana noted that Gwen was getting more secretive, and wondered if there was a man involved (which there was). Despite their close friendship, Morgana never confided in Gwen about magic, instead turning to Merlin.

When Morgana was taken away by Morgause, Gwen appeared to miss her, but after Morgana's return it became obvious that her experiences had changed her. Morgana was distant, and treated Gwen like a servant rather than a friend, although she did give Gwen an embroidered handkerchief she received as a birthday present, albeit as an excuse to get Gwen to leave the room so she could read a message sent by Morgause.

Morgana soon discovered Gwen's feelings for Arthur when he was forced to marry a princess and she later used this to lure Arthur to a trap in the Castle of Fyrien. When Morgana received visions of a future where Gwen was queen of Camelot, she was angry and felt as if she was being robbed of her birthright, so she subtly revealed Gwen and Arthur's courtship to Uther and framed Gwen for enchanting Arthur in order to stop this future from happening. Morgana intended for Gwen to be banished, knowing Arthur would choose exile to be with her, but Uther ordered Gwen to be executed instead. Although this wasn't part of her plan, Morgana did not seem bothered by it, and was annoyed and confused when Merlin thwarted her again. Gwen, who had witnessed Morgana using magic already and had seen her with Morgause, was now firmly convinced that Morgana was no longer a friend to any of them, but they continued the pretence of civility. When Morgana was crowned Queen after Cenred's army invaded, Gwen assured Morgana that she was still loyal, but conspired with Sir Leon to escape Camelot and restore Arthur to the throne. Morgana was furious, and thought to have Gwen executed, but instead she allowed Gwen and Leon to escape and lead her forces to Arthur's hideout.

After her betrayal was exposed, a year later, Morgana, who was determined to prevent her vision of Gwen becoming Queen from coming true, attempted to kill Gwen by knocking her unconscious so that the Dorocha would finish her off. Gaius, however, foiled her plan by curing Gwen.

Gaius

Morgana often went to Gaius for potions that were supposed to help her with her nightmares. Sometimes they worked but most of the time they did not. Morgana admitted to Aredian that her dreams got worse when Gaius started treating them, though she insisted that this was just a coincidence. She trusted Gaius a great deal, even though she told Aredian that she had no idea what he'd put in the potions, because he took care of her and his draughts were the only thing that let her get any sleep. Gaius seemed very fond of Morgana, often calling her "my child" in a grandfatherly tone, but Gaius was firm in believing that Morgana is better off not knowing of her powers, often lying to her about the importance of her dreams and powers in hopes of protecting her from Uther's hatred of magic. He believed that the draughts, which essentially drugged her so that she could not dream, were the best treatment, and was angry when Merlin argued with him about it. Despite his fondness for Morgana, after the sleeping plague he seemed to believe Morgana had allied herself with Morgause, despite the fact that this wasn't true. He told Merlin he did the right thing by poisoning her, that Morgana chose to use her gifts for evil, and he was suspicious of her when she returned. Although he acted as if nothing had changed, Gaius helped Merlin work to thwart her plots time and time again, and when he was possessed by a goblin he told her that her heart was full of darkness. After Morgause's army overtook Camelot and Morgana was crowned queen, Gaius hid with Merlin and Arthur until they returned to challenge her. When Merlin was attempting to destroy the Cup of Life, Gaius and Merlin used magic against Morgause, slamming her into a stone pillar and nearly killing her, as she was dying when Morgana found her. Although Gaius at first was not one of her main targets, he finally became one of her targets once she suspected that he knew of Emrys, leading to his kidnap. When Gaius told her to kill him, Morgana, however, was happy to torture Gaius in order to find out Emrys' true identity.

Uther

Morgana had a rather strained relationship with her father, Uther, who she thought was merely her guardian for most of her life, as her deceased father had been Uther's best friend. She frequently stood up to him when she thought he was being unfair or cruel and was not above defying him to do what was right. Despite his affection for her, Uther was not above punishing her for such defiance, and once had her thrown in chains in the dungeon for publicly challenging him. After the death of Gwen's father, Morgana conspired with the sorcerer Tauren to kill the king, believing Camelot would be better off with Arthur on the throne, but when Uther confessed his regret over Tom's death, admitting he was arrogant and foolhardy, she couldn't go through with it. When Tauren attacked, she warned Uther and then ended up killing Tauren herself as he was about to stab the king.

Despite his show of repentance, Uther continued to execute people in his campaign against magic, and Morgana became more and more distressed, realizing she'd been wrong to think he was capable of change. When Mordred returned, she agreed to help steal a crystal from Uther, and later freed a sorcerer from the dungeons. Uther suspected her involvement, emotionally warning that whoever was responsible had betrayed him, but Morgana merely lifted her chin, defiant. When Morgause's sleeping plague fell over Camelot, Arthur left Morgana alone with a sleeping Uther, handing her his sword so she could protect both herself and the king, but Morgana did not act against Uther, instead she merely sat, frightened, holding the sword and waited for Arthur to return. After Merlin poisoned her and Morgause steals her away, Uther was distraught, blaming himself, and spent a year letting his army get slaughtered as he hunted down magical groups that might know where to find her.

After her return, Morgana seemingly reconciled with Uther, and he had clearly forgiven her for defying him, but she had returned only to help Morgause topple him once and for all. She used magic to drive him insane, taking vindictive pleasure in his terror, seeing the fear he wrought now turned against him. Although Merlin thwarted her, Morgana continued to plot against Uther, but after she took a fall down the stairs and seemed to be at death's door, she learnt Uther is her father, not Gorlois. Uther was grief-stricken until she recovered, and for a brief moment Morgana seemed on the verge of forgiving him, urging him to recognize her, but when it became clear he never would, Morgana's hatred for him became frenzied. Although Morgause urged caution, Morgana was emotionally unstable in the wake of this revelation, and attempted to kill him with the dagger Arthur gave her for her birthday, but she was foiled by Merlin once again.

When Morgause finally conquered Camelot, Uther was captured and brought to the throne room on his knees, where he said Morgause had no right to the throne. Uther finally discovered Morgana's treachery when Morgana stepped out, agreeing with Uther's words but saying she does and Morgana told him she had known he was her father for some time. While the guards hold him on his knees, Uther watched his daughter crowned Queen of Camelot, and hung his head in anguish. Later, locked in the dungeons and witnessing the execution of peasants through the bars, Uther begged Morgana to kill him instead of innocent people, but she said he would live until she was satisfied with the amount of suffering he experienced as her revenge for his numerous crimes against those with magic. She left Uther in the dungeons to rot, stopping only to confirm that she hated him beyond his ability to understand, and when Arthur rescued him later it is clear that he had a breakdown of sorts as a result of Morgana's betrayal.

Over the next year, Uther did not recover from his breakdown over Morgana's betrayal and became ill. When Morgana learned that Uther was mortally wounded, she rejoiced and hoped that her face would haunt him in his final moments. She also willingy caused her father's death when she was informed that Arthur was using magic to save Uther. She enchanted a necklace that would reverse any healing spell and make the wounds 10 times worse. Despite causing Uther's death, she was unsatisfied and said that there would only be cause for celebration when she seized control over Camelot. She also told Agravaine that she had felt him die; whether this means she felt any remorse or simply sensed it through her magic is unknown however the latter is more likely.

Mordred

Morgana developed a close bond with the druid boy, Mordred, after Merlin snuck him into the castle when the soldiers were searching for him. She sheltered him while guards searched the castle, and cradled him when he felt his mentor being executed out in the courtyard. After Gaius treated his wounds, Morgana attempted to smuggle Mordred out of Camelot, telling Gwen that she was risking her life because there was a bond between them, like nothing she'd ever felt before. Their escape was foiled by Arthur, who had no choice but to turn them in since there were witnesses, but later helped Morgana get the boy safely back to his people. When Morgana sought out the druids for help with her magic, she was reunited with Mordred, who led the druids to her when she was attacked by scorpions in the woods. The boy told her now he could take care of her as she had him, but their time together was cut short when Arthur led a rescue mission to bring her back to Camelot. As the druids tried to flee with her, Morgana was visibly concerned with Mordred's safety, and he was reluctant to leave her behind, but in the end he escaped while Morgana returned to Camelot with Arthur. The two were reunited again when Mordred came into the care of the sorceror Alvarr, who found him after the druid massacre, and Alvarr used his relationship with Morgana to get her to steal a crystal from the vaults of Camelot. Morgana's initial agreement was solely for Mordred's sake, as she wanted Alvarr to get the boy out of Camelot before they were caught, and when she delivered the crystal to their camp Mordred ran to embrace her. They were separated again when Morgana had to return to Camelot, but the dragon warned Merlin that Morgana and Mordred share a destiny, that they will form an alliance against Camelot one day.

Morgause

Morgana is Morgause's younger half sister, though for many years she had no idea of her existence as Morgause was smuggled out of Camelot as a baby and given to the Priestesses of the Old Religion. Nevertheless, Morgana felt that Morgause was familiar to her when they met during Morgause's stay in Camelot, and Morgause gifted her with a bracelet that had once belonged to Morgause's mother, Vivienne, which blocked Morgana's nightmares. Although Morgause nearly caused Arthur to kill Uther, Morgana remained ignorant of these events since Arthur and Uther swore the witnesses to silence, and so when Morgause requested that she meet with her, Morgana agreed. During their meeting, Morgana admittied her hatred of Uther, but had no idea Morgause intended to use her as an instrument to topple Camelot. When Merlin figured out that Morgana was the vessel for the sleeping plague and poisoned her, Morgause abandoned her attempt to conquer Camelot in order to save her sister, visibly distraught as she held Morgana's lifeless body in her arms. After learning it was hemlock Merlin used, Morgause spirited Morgana away to heal her, and kept Morgana in her care for a year, teaching her how to use her magic.

By the time she returned to Camelot, Morgana had been corrupted and turned against Uther, and was completely loyal to Morgause, who seemed at times to be pulling Morgana's strings. However since manipulation was a normal part of Morgause's personality she may not have actually realised she was controlling Morgana instead seeing herself as a mentor and confidant. Despite appearing to manipulate Morgana, Morgause never acted as though she were Morgana's superior as she did with everyone else and revealed that she genuinely did care about her half sister having saved her life on at least one occasion. Morgana and Morgause also called each other sister and hugged each other at least once. At one point Morgause kissed Morgana on the cheek as a sign of affection.

When Morgana discovered that Uther was her father, Morgause was delighted, despite the fact that this meant Vivienne had betrayed Gorlois by sleeping with Uther, since it gave Morgana a legitimate claim to the throne. Morgause pointed out that Arthur was now an obstacle to the crown, and began plotting to kill him to clear the way for Morgana's rule. When her armies took Camelot, Morgause looked on with pride as Morgana was crowned Queen, but given the cold nature of Morgana's rule, it seems that Morgause may still have been the one in control, as she advised every move Morgana made.

When Morgause was attacked by Merlin with help from Gaius and crumpled to the floor, seriously injured, Morgana was devastated, and her screams of grief bring the throne room walls crashing down around them. Just as Morgause spirited her away to heal her a year earlier, Morgana escaped with Morgause, hoping it was not too late to save her sister.

After a year, Morgana was still shown to be taking care of Morgause (who was alive but extremely crippled) and protected her from a patrol of knights led by Sir Leon and Sir Elyan. When they arrived at the Isle of the Blessed, Morgana showed extreme reluctance to use Morgause as a blood sacrifice to tear the veil between the worlds. However, Morgause convinced Morgana to do it explaining that it was her final gift to her. With this in mind, Morgana sacrificed Morgause tearing the veil and unleashed the Dorocha upon Camelot.

Alvarr

Alvarr approached Morgana to enlist her help in stealing the Crystal of Neatid, using Mordred as a pawn to win her over. Morgana agreed to help primarily for Mordred's sake, but Alvarr, a con man at heart, used his charm to gain her favour, and she seemed to genuinely find him dashing. Having someone to talk with about her magic was a relief for Morgana, and Alvarr knew exactly how to play her so that she felt as if they were kindred spirits, despite the fact that he had a woman in his band. Morgana delivered the crystal to Alvarr and then returned to Camelot, and Alvarr's lover commended him on how well he played the Lady Morgana, which Alvarr did not seem to regret since it achieved his goal. Indeed, it paid off further for Alvarr when Morgana returned to warn him that Arthur's men were marching on their encampment, although she would have likely come regardless to ensure that Mordred escaped. When Alvarr intends to ambush and kill the knights, Morgana was horrified and said he couldn't kill them all, he needed to fight only to escape, clearly worried about Arthur and the knights she knew are good men. Alvarr did fight, but was captured, and brought back to Camelot where Uther ordered him to be executed at dawn. Morgana was furious and told Uther she saw him for what he really was, and that she disowned him, before using the sleeping draught Gaius prepared for her to drug the dungeon guards, allowing Alvarr to escape. Though he was shamelessly using her for his own purposes, Alvarr seemed genuinely humbled when she freed him, and it's evident she has his sincere gratitude for all she's done for him.

Vivienne

It is not known how Morgana felt about her mother, Vivienne, as she has not mentioned her much. Morgana probably would not have had many memories of her, seeing as she lived with Uther from a very early age. It is not known where Vivienne is now, whether she has died or whether she is living somewhere else.

Gorlois

Gorlois was probably the person that Morgana felt closest to during her childhood. When he left to go to battle, he, at some point called to Uther for reinforcements. However, Uther failed to deliver them and so Gorlois was outnumbered and killed. Morgana was only 10 years old at the time and did not have many memories of Gorlois when he died. She, 6 years later, told Uther at her father's graveside that she only knew that she loved him and that he was taken from her. Morgana blames Uther for his death, for if he had sent the reinforcements, that might not have happened. She also may have felt slightly guilty, as she was the result of a betrayal against Gorlois, which was revealed when she overheard Uther's confession of her true parentage. Although she claimed to Queen Annis that she was working with her in order to honour Gorlois, Annis realised that she was more like Uther than she thought.

Agravaine

Agravaine served as Morgana's spy in Camelot and was loyal to her due to his sister Igraine's death via Uther's actions, though Morgana did not seem to return this loyalty as she once told Merlin that, after Morgause's death, she had no one left to be loyal to. Agravaine often visited her in her hut to feed her information about what was happening in Camelot and helped her murder Uther Pendragon. Although she displayed no affection towards Agravaine, he was shown to care deeply about her, exhibiting deep concern upon finding her unconscious in the forest after her duel with Merlin (disguised as the aged sorcerer Emrys) and tending to her in her vulnerable state. Whether Morgana actually felt any gratitude for his care is unknown, though seems unlikely as she seemingly regards him as a minion of sorts and takes his servitude as her uncle for granted.

Abilities

Morgana in battle. (The Moment of Truth)

{C {C

Morgana is a seer, a person who could see the future in their dreams. She often suffered from nightmares as a result of this ability. She also had some level of telepathy as she was the only person other than Merlin able to hear Mordred speaking in their heads. (The Beginning of the End) Morgana is also a sorceress and she was able to ignite a fire in her bedroom by accidentally using magic. She also made her window and a vase explode, without meaning to. (The Nightmare Begins)

{C {C In the year spent with Morgause, Morgana's skill with magic improved and she gained control over her abilities. However, she admitted that her magic was still considerably weaker than Morgause's magic (The Tears of Uther Pendragon), many of her spells relying on her using an object of some sort- such as when she tried to kill Arthur by using a phoenix eye (The Eye of the Phoenix) as the central focus for the spell rather than simply conjuring something on her own. The only exception to this has been when she was able to use magic to knock Merlin unconscious during their brief struggle when she attempted to murder Uther in his sleep after discovering he was her father (The Crystal Cave), but given the emotionally-charged circumstances she may not have intended to use magic.

When Morgause was wounded by Gaius and Merlin, Morgana displayed tremendous magical power by bringing the whole room crashing down with magical screams. Her grief for Morgause augmented her powers to an extremely high degree, although it is unknown if she could actually control the magic. (The Coming of Arthur)

One year later, Morgana's magical powers had grown under Morgause's continued tutelage, and she finally

Morgana having gained full control over her powers.

became a High Priestess of the Old Religion. She showed very strong magic when she was able to fend off no less than four Knights of Camelot, even killing two of them. Later on she's seen performing a difficult ritual to tear the veil between the worlds. Morgana also knocked out a knight without even looking at him when he discovered her entering Camelot illegally. Also, Morgana cast powerful magic, knocking Gwen and two knights over, from a remarkable distance (The Darkest Hour). Morgana also thwarted Merlin's attempt to cure Uther magically, by enchanting a necklace that counteracts any healing spell and makes an ailment 10 times as bad. (The Wicked Day) Morgana used an enchantment on Arthur's sword to make it ten times as heavy when he fought Derian in an attempt to have him killed. (His Father's Son) However, while she has great skill in casting complex spells, she has little experience using magic in direct combat, as shown when she directly engaged Merlin in a magical duel. Although she did come close (partially due to his weakened condition of having his body that of a frail old man), she was defeated by him, and was wounded. (A Servant Of Two Masters). Morgana used telekinesis to cause her dagger to follow Merlin wherever he moved, this would of killed him if Alator had not intervened and knocked Morgana out with a stunning spell. (The Secret Sharer)

Morgana was also a skilled swordswoman and held her own against a number of men attempting to raid Merlin's village. She also easily overpowered Merlin during the siege of Camelot and disarmed him twice. In the end, Merlin only defeated her by using his magic. It has been indicated that she might have even bested Arthur with a sword before, though this is unconfirmed as Arthur denied it when Morgana mentioned it. (The Moment of Truth)

In addition to her magical abilities and combat skills, Morgana was shown to be an extremely talented actress who was able to hide her true nature from almost everyone in Camelot including her father and half brother. Before she became queen the only people who knew of her true allegiance were Merlin, Gaius and Gwen, and these three were only aware of her true allegiance due to Merlin and Gaius's prior knowledge of her magical abilities and Gwen walking in on Morgana preparing a spell by accident.

Behind the scenes

File:Kat.jpg

Katie McGrath and Emilia Fox filming The Coming of Arthur-Part 2

• The creators of Merlin have likened the series to Smallville, an American television show which chronicles the early life of Superman. Morgana could be thought of as Merlin's version of Lex Luthor, who initially appears in Smallville as the friend of Clark Kent/Superman before he is ultimately consumed by evil due to his own inflated sense of self-importance.
• She is also similar to Magneto from X-Men in that both are members of a powerful but persecuted race who are prejudiced against normal human beings and wish to rule over them, beginning as friends of another member of their kind who seeks peace between them and humans- Professor Charles Xavier for Magneto- before their differing views on possible co-existence drive them apart.
• Morgana has appeared in all episodes apart from Love in the Time of Dragons, The Last Dragonlord, The Lady of the Lake, Aithusa.and Lamia

In the legend

Morgan Le Fay - is said to be the daughter of Gorlois, Duke of Tintagil and of his wife, Igraine. Morgan had two sisters Morgause and Elaine. Igraine also bore King Uther Pendragon a son who became the legendary King of Camelot. Morgan and her sisters were schooled in a nunnery after the death of her father, upon which Igraine became wife of Uther Pendragon. Morgan is usually portrayed as a wicked enchantress who learned her initial mysterious skills from her corrupt education in an early Christian nunnery. Later, Merlin helped her to extend her magical powers. Morgan became queen by marrying King Uriens of Gorre, a section of Ancient Britain following the departure of the Romans. They had a son, Sir Ewain, but she actually kept several lovers behind her husband’s back. Uriens greatly supported Arthur, which just made her hate Arthur even more. Morgan fell in love with the King's nephew, Giomar. Guinevere, however, put an end to the romance. She even sent the Green Knight to Camelot in order to frighten Guinevere to death.

Morgan stole his enchanted sword Excalibur and its magic scabbard while Arthur laid wounded in the nunnery after battle against the Saxons in 415 AD. (The wearer of the scabbard would lose no blood, thanks to its magic, no matter how seriously he was wounded.) She had the sword and scabbard replaced with exact copies, which lacked enchantments. Morgan presented her lover, Sir Accolon, with the true Excalibur and magic scabbard, and told him that if he killed a particular knight the next day, he would become her husband and the next king of Britain. According to Morgan, this unnamed knight’s death would make it possible for her to kill King Arthur and her husband, King Uriens. Accolon fought the knight the next day, unaware his armoured opponent was really King Arthur himself. Armed with Excalibur, Accolon seriously wounded King Arthur, who nevertheless fought back with great skill and courage. Yet, Arthur might have been doomed had not Merlin’s lover, the Lady of the Lake used her powers to force Accolon to drop Excalibur. Knowing that Accolon’s sword was the true Excalibur, Arthur seized it and quickly defeated Accolon, who then realized Morgan’s plot. Horrified to learn his opponent was King Arthur himself, Accolon repented before dying of his injuries. Until now, Arthur had fully trusted his half-sister Morgan, but now he swore a vengeance upon her. He regretted giving her a castle of her own, but he could not take it back without laying a siege. Thereafter, Ewain thwarted Morgan’s attempt to murder her husband King Uriens. She assuaged the youth’s fears and made him keep it a secret on promises to restrain her treachery. Learning of Accolon’s death and the failure of her plot against Arthur, Morgan became enraged and herself stole the magic scabbard herself and hurled it into a lake. She then returned to Gorre intent on further harm on Arthur. Morgan attempted to make Alisander le Orphelin, the nephew of King Mark, her paramour and even tried vamping Lancelot, preferring to keep only one lover at a time. After the death of Sir Hemison, she kept Lancelot imprisoned in her castle and tried to get him to share a bed with her. The tryst might have been to tarnish his sterling image, turn him against Arthur or just because he loved Genevieve. Morgan existed at the center of a network of enchantresses and female villains. King Mark appealed to her and the Queen of Norgales to set the country afire against wicked knights such as Sir Malgrin and Breuse Sans Pitie. Morgan’s nephew, Mordred, began working with her for the first time in sharing their treachery against King Arthur. Morgan’s many attempts to bring ruin upon Camelot were continually thwarted by Arthur, Merlin, Sir Percia of Scandia who was the original Black Knight and the Knights of the Round Table.

After some years without keeping contact with King Arthur, Morgan was believed by Arthur to be deceased, but she had actually retired in secret to her castle near Tauroc, Wales after her ordeal with Chthon. Arthur chanced upon her during a hunting trip and spent a week as her guest as she showed him the murals of Lancelot which she had painted in his room as her guest, possibly to get in good fervour with him. The two were immediately reconciled. In late life she moved to the Isle of Avalon, and it was to here that she and her allies, the Queens of Northgalis and the Wastelands, took her wounded brother to be healed after the Battle of Camlann.

Kingdom of Camelot

Queen: Guinevere Pendragon Court Physician: Gaius Keeper of the Royal Library: Geoffrey of Monmouth Knights: Sir Leon • Sir Percival • Sir Brennis • Sir Cador • Sir Geraint Other Allies: Merlin • Annis • Odin • Rodor • Mithian • Godwyn • Bayard • Elena • Alined • The Diamair • Vivian • Olaf Former Allies: Morgana Pendragon † • Nimueh † • Cedric † ? • Cornelius Sigan † • Tristan de Bois † • Lady Catrina † • Edwin Muirden † • Uther Pendragon † • Agravaine de Bois †• Sefa• Mordred †