Nimueh is a High Priestess of the Old Religion, a former member of the court of Camelot, and the main antagonist of Series 1. A survivor of the Great Purge, she primarily seeks revenge against Uther before turning her attention to Merlin and Arthur.
Biography
Before the Purge
- “I did as you asked! I used the magic you so despise to give your barren wife the son you craved.”
- — Nimueh to Uther[src]
Twenty years before Merlin arrived in Camelot, Nimueh was a High Priestess of the Old Religion and a member of the court of Camelot. She was friends with Gaius, the Court Physician, as well as King Uther and Queen Ygraine.
Because Ygraine was barren, Uther asked Nimueh to use magic to allow her to conceive a son and heir. Nimueh did so, and as a result, their son Arthur was born. However, the branch of magic she used required that another life be given in return and Ygraine consequently died in childbirth.
Devastated by her death, Uther blamed magic - and Nimueh in particular - and instigated the Great Purge, killing off hundreds of sorcerers and driving the surviving practitioners out of Camelot. Nimueh escaped the slaughter, but was thrown from the court and vowed to avenge the death of her people (Excalibur, Le Morte d'Arthur).
Creating the Afanc
Soon after Merlin arrived in Camelot, Nimueh sought revenge against Camelot by creating an Afanc to poison the city's water supply. The effects of the creature's venom resembled that of a magical plague and resulted in dozens of deaths.
Nimueh's plan was ultimately thwarted by Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana, who destroyed the Afanc using the combined elements of wind and fire. Gaius later found the remains of the Afanc's egg in the water cavern and showed it to Uther. He pointed out Nimueh's signature mark on the shell to prove that the plague was her handiwork, leaving Uther distraught (The Mark of Nimueh).
The Poisoned Chalice
Nimueh disguised as a serving girl.
Having sworn revenge on Merlin for killing her Afanc, Nimueh devised a plan to both kill him and incite a war between Camelot and the neighbouring kingdom of Mercia. She entered Camelot disguised as a servant in Lord Bayard's employ and exchanged a ceremonial goblet meant as a gift for Arthur with one that she had poisoned. She later inveigled for Merlin to drink from it.
After Merlin collapsed from the poison, Uther assumed that Arthur had been the intended target and had Bayard and his people arrested. Nimueh slipped away before she was discovered, but later saw through her scrying fount that Arthur was searching for a cure to save Merlin. She intercepted him and led him deep in the Caves beneath the Forest of Balor, where she trapped him and left him for dead.
However, Arthur was guided to safety by Merlin's light spell and managed to retrieve the Mortaeus Flower needed to save him. Gaius later informed Uther that the poison used on Merlin had been magical in nature and convinced him that Nimueh, not Bayard, was responsible. Bayard and his men were released from prison and war was averted between the two kingdoms (The Poisoned Chalice).
Resurrecting Tristan
- “I have watched so many people I love die at your hands, Uther Pendragon. Now it is your turn.”
- — Nimueh to Uther[src]
Sometime later, Nimueh tried to kill Uther by resurrecting his brother-in-law, Tristan de Bois, as a wraith. Tristan crashed Arthur's coronation and issued a challenge of single combat, which was accepted by Sir Owain and then Sir Pellinore. After their deaths, Arthur issued his own challenge against Uther's wishes and Tristan accepted.
The night before the duel, Nimueh appeared to Uther in the council chambers. She confirmed that she was responsible for raising Tristan from the dead and confronted Uther about the Great Purge and his own role in Ygraine's death, then vanished. Uther vowed that he would not let her take Arthur from him and arranged for Gaius to drug Arthur so he could duel Tristan in his place.
The next day, Nimeuh was among the audience that gathered to watch the duel between Uther and Tristan. She witnessed Uther kill Tristan with the sword Excalibur, and - infuriated by her defeat - fled Camelot once more (Excalibur).
Death
Merlin vs Nimueh
When Arthur was bitten by the Questing Beast, Merlin traveled to the Isle of the Blessed and found Nimueh. She agreed to use the power over life and death to save Arthur with water from the Cup of Life. However, though Merlin agreed to trade his own life for Arthur's, he later discovered that Nimueh had taken his mother's life instead.
In order to stop Merlin from sacrificing himself, Gaius went to Nimueh and agreed to trade his life for Hunith's. Merlin arrived soon after the trade was complete and angrily confronted Nimueh over her deception. She tried to convince Merlin to join her, but he refused. They dueled and Nimueh appeared to win, but Merlin quickly recovered and struck her down with lightning, killing her. He then revived Gaius by trading her life for his (Le Morte d'Arthur).
Personality
Nimueh smugly surprises Merlin.
Nimueh was a bitter, mischievous, somewhat vain woman who wished to bring ruin on Camelot - and Uther in particular - to avenge her friends and family. She was proud of her status as a High Priestess and often boasted of her magical skills. She was also hinted to be very ambitious, as she once mused that together she and Merlin could have ruled the world (Le Morte d'Arthur).
Nimueh was very persistent and often held a grudge. She allowed her hatred for Uther and Camelot to fester for twenty years, and favored carefully constructed revenge plots that would achieve multiple goals at once. For example, if her plan to poison Merlin had worked, she would have gotten revenge on him for foiling her previous plan, eliminated him as a future threat, and started a war between Camelot and Mercia (The Poisoned Chalice).
Though made bitter and vengeful by the events of the Great Purge, Nimueh seemed to be partially responsible for it because of her role in Ygraine's death. Though she told Uther she had no control over Ygraine's death and would never have granted his wish if she had foreseen the consequences, she later proved herself capable of ensuring that Hunith's life would be taken for Arthur's and Gaius' life would be taken for Hunith's (Excalibur, Le Morte d'Arthur).
Relationships
Uther Pendragon
Nimueh confronts Uther about the Great Purge.
Nimueh was a member of Uther's court in the days before the Great Purge. They appear to have been friends, as Nimueh was willing to use her magic to allow Uther and Ygraine to conceive an heir.
It is unclear whether Nimueh intentionally took Ygraine's life in payment for Arthur's, or if Ygraine's was taken by chance. However, Uther blamed Nimueh and instituted the Great Purge. Nimueh was exiled from Camelot, her way of life was destroyed, and many of her loved ones were killed (Excalibur).
Twenty years later, Nimueh began seeking revenge against Uther. Though her schemes were primarily focused on making Uther suffer by destroying Camelot, but on one occasion she raised Tristan de Bois from the dead to target Uther personally (The Mark of Nimueh, The Poisoned Chalice, Excalibur).
Arthur Pendragon
Nimueh lures Arthur into a trap.
Though she despised Uther and Camelot, Nimueh appeared to have a neutral opinion of Arthur. She had no interest in killing him directly, but had no qualms with facilitating his death if doing so would achieve her goals (The Poisoned Chalice, Excalibur).
Nimueh agreed to save Arthur's life when he was bitten by the Questing Beast, and later hinted to Gaius that she may have done so as atonement for her role in Ygraine's death. After Gaius informed her of Merlin and Arthur's shared destiny, Nimueh became more interested in the young prince and planned to usurp Merlin's role in helping Arthur become King (Le Morte d'Arthur).
Merlin
Nimueh tries to kill Merlin.
Nimueh first encountered Merlin when he used his magic to destroy her Afanc. Nimueh was furious and poisoned him in revenge, but Merlin survived due to the combined efforts of Gaius, Arthur, and Gwen (The Mark of Nimueh, The Poisoned Chalice).
Nimueh next encountered Merlin after Arthur was bitten by the Questing Beast. She was amused by Merlin's horrified reaction to her presence, and though she agreed to save Arthur, she tricked Merlin into sacrificing his mother's life to do so.
Nimueh seemed intrigued when Gaius told her of Merlin and Arthur's shared destiny and tried to recruit Merlin to her side when he arrived to confront her. However, she continued to dismiss Merlin's magic as childish tricks and generally underestimated him, which led to her death when she failed to defend herself from his conjured lightning storm (Le Morte d'Arthur).
Gaius
- “You stood and watched as our friends burned in the Great Purge. You are nothing but a traitor.”
- — Nimueh to Gaius[src]
Nimueh sacrifices Gaius.
In the days before the Great Purge, Gaius and Nimueh were friends, fellow sorcerers, and members of Uther's court. Uther sent Gaius to ask Nimueh to use magic to allow Ygraine to conceive an heir, which may suggest a close relationship between the two (Excalibur).
After Uther instituted the Great Purge, Gaius stopped practicing magic and remained a member of the court of Camelot. Like many survivors, Nimueh hated Gaius for standing by while others were persecuted. She mocked him when he came to her to sacrifice himself for Merlin, and taunted him before agreeing to take his life (Le Morte d'Arthur).
Abilities
- “Your childish tricks are useless against me, Merlin. I am a Priestess of the Old Religion.”
- — Merlin to Nimueh[src]
Nimueh conjures a powerful fireball.
As a High Priestess of the Old Religion, Nimueh was a very powerful sorceress who had mastered multiple branches of magic. She was able to use elemental magic to create an Afanc; necromancy to resurrect Tristan de Bois as a wraith; and the power over life and death to trade one life for another. Nimueh was also knowledgeable in the use of magical plants (The Mark of Nimueh, The Poisoned Chalice, Excalibur, Le Morte d'Arthur).
Nimueh claimed to have powers of prediction, implying that she may have been a Seer. She was particularly adept at scrying with the use of special fount, but was never shown viewing anything but events happening in the present. Her status a Priestess also gave her access to other magical artifacts such as the Cup of Life (The Mark of Nimueh, The Poisoned Chalice, Le Morte d'Arthur).
Nimueh was also a highly skilled duelist. When she dueled Merlin, she easily deflected his magical attack and responded with a series of powerful, explosive fireballs, eventually striking him in the chest (Le Morte d'Arthur).
Appearances
- Series 1
- The Mark of Nimueh
- The Poisoned Chalice
- Excalibur
- Le Morte d'Arthur
- Series 2
- The Once and Future Queen (Mentioned indirectly)
- The Sins of the Father (Mentioned only)
- Series 3
- The Coming of Arthur: Part One (Mentioned only)
Trivia
- Nimueh's youthful appearance compared to others of her generation is a mystery. However, Gaius once speculated that she could be using magic to disguise her appearance (The Poisoned Chalice).
In the Legend
Nimueh on the Isle of the Blessed.
Nimue (alternately known as Viviane, Niniane, or Nyneve) is the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend. She is both Merlin's lover and apprentice. After Merlin taught her all his secrets, she used her power to trap and effectively kill him. Thereafter, she was an ally of King Arthur's.
Nimue plays many important roles in the legends, including giving Arthur the sword Excalibur, raising Lancelot after the death of his father, and taking the dying Arthur to Avalon.
There is little similarity between the Nimue of the legends and Nimueh in the series, as most of her roles are carried out by other characters. For example, Merlin obtains Excalibur for Arthur, Freya becomes the Lady of the Lake, and Morgana traps Merlin in the Crystal Cave.
Gallery
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To view the Nimueh gallery, click here.
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See Also
| Series 1 Enemies |
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| The Dragon's Call: Mary Collins † • Lady Helen (indirect) † Valiant: Valiant † • Devlin • Serpent Shield The Mark of Nimueh: Nimueh † • Afanc † The Poisoned Chalice: Nimueh † • Balorian Spiders • Cockatrice Lancelot: Griffin A Remedy to Cure All Ills: Edwin Muirden † • Elanthia Beetles The Gates of Avalon: Sophia † • Aulfric † • Sidhe elder The Beginning of the End: Uther Pendragon † Excalibur: Nimueh † • Tristan de Bois † The Moment of Truth: Kanen The Labyrinth of Gedref: Arthur Pendragon (indirect) † To Kill the King: Tauren • Morgana † • Uther Pendragon † Le Morte d'Arthur: Nimueh † • Questing Beast • Kilgharrah |