- This article is about Gwen and Elyan's father, Tom. For the article about Tom the miner, see: Tom (miner).
Tom was the husband of Gwen's Mother and the father of Guinevere Pendragon and Elyan. He worked as a blacksmith in the city of Camelot until he was executed after inadvertently committing treason.
After his death, Tom became father-in-law to King Arthur Pendragon through his daughter's marriage.
Biography
Life in Camelot
Tom and his daughter, Guinevere.
Tom worked as a blacksmith in the city of Camelot. At some point he married Gwen's Mother and had two children, Guinevere and Elyan.
Elyan left home at some point after Tom's wife died, but Gwen stayed with Tom and found a job in the citadel as the Lady Morgana's personal maidservant (The Dragon's Call, The Castle of Fyrien).
Tom was among the victims of Nimueh's magical plague. He was the only person to survive the illness due to Merlin secretly using magic to heal him, but his mysterious recovery led Uther to conclude that Gwen was the sorceress who had caused the illness and she was arrested and nearly executed.
Fortunately, Merlin and Gaius discovered the true cause of the illness and Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana killed the Afanc that was poisoning the water supply. Tom later accompanied Merlin and Morgana to the dungeons when Gwen was released and was happily reunited with his daughter (The Mark of Nimueh).
When Nimueh raised Tristan de Bois from the dead, Gwen took one of Tom's swords - the best sword he'd ever made - and gave it to Merlin for Arthur (Excalibur).
Sometime later, Tom was approached by Tauren, who offered to pay him a fortune if he would help him with an experiment. Unaware that Tauren was a sorcerer with designs against Camelot, Tom agreed to help and they met in his forge during the night. Just as Tom became aware of Tauren's true intentions, the forge was raided by Arthur and his Knights and Tom was arrested for treason.
Tom moments before his death.
After Uther made it clear that he believed Tom to be guilty and his trial would be a mere formality, Morgana visited Tom in the dungeons and gave him the keys to his cell. That night, Tom attempted to escape from prison and Uther, declaring Tom's actions to be an admission of guilt, ordered the guards to kill him on sight (To Kill the King).
Legacy
The morning after his death, Tom's body was wheeled out of Camelot on the back of a cart. It was seen by Gwen, who wailed in grief and ran after it, as well as Morgana from her chamber window. Tom's death reawakened Morgana's anger over her own father's death, causing her to angrily confront Uther and later to attempt to assassinate him (To Kill the King).
When Gwen and Elyan were reunited in the Castle of Fyrien, Gwen confronted Elyan about how he failed to return or contact her after Tom died (The Castle of Fyrien).
When Gwen was on trial for sorcery, she accused Uther of wrongfully executing her father and Uther, in turn, accused her of enchanting Arthur in revenge (Queen of Hearts).
When Arthur realised there was a traitor in their midst, he briefly considered Elyan as a possibility because his father had killed Elyan's father (A Servant of Two Masters).
Three years after Gwen became Queen of Camelot, she and Elyan visited Tom's grave. They reminisced about their father and Gwen left flowers (The Dark Tower).
Personality
According to Merlin, Tom was the gentlest soul he'd ever met. He was a loving father to Gwen and Elyan and taught them both about his work. Though Elyan eventually left home to travel and fell out contact, Gwen stayed with Tom and he became determined to make her happy and create a better life for her (To Kill the King, The Castle of Fyrien, The Coming of Arthur).
Unfortunately, Tom's determination to make a better life for his family cost him his life when he mistakenly put his trust in a man named Tauren. Tauren later turned out to be a sorcerer with designs against Camelot, but by the time Tom realised this he had inadvertently committed treason. He was arrested and later killed when he tried to escape from jail (To Kill the King).
Abilities
According to Gaius, Tom's forge was the finest in the kingdom. He was a skilled blacksmith and an effective teacher, as both of his children were proficient in his craft (To Kill the King, The Castle of Fyrien, The Coming of Arthur).
Though not a dedicated swordsmith, Tom also dabbled in creating swords. He forged the sword that would become Excalibur, which Uther considered to be the finest blade he'd ever used (Excalibur).
Tom also appeared to possess impressive physical strength, as he was strong enough to knock out a guard during his escape (To Kill the King).
Appearances
- Series 1
- Valiant (Mentioned only)
- The Mark of Nimueh
- A Remedy to Cure All Ills (Mentioned only)
- Excalibur (Mentioned only)
- To Kill the King
- Series 2
- The Witchfinder (Mentioned only)
- Series 3
- The Castle of Fyrien (Mentioned only)
- Queen of Hearts (Mentioned only)
- The Coming of Arthur: Part Two (Mentioned only)
- Series 4
- His Father's Son (Mentioned only)
- A Servant of Two Masters (Mentioned only)
- The Hunter's Heart (Mentioned only)
- Series 5
- The Dark Tower (Mentioned only)
Trivia
Gallery
