Wraiths are tormented souls whose bodies have been raised from the dead and reanimated by necromancy. No mortal weapon can kill them and nothing can stop them until they achieve their revenge.
History[]
Nimueh raised Tristan de Bois from the dead as a wraith to take revenge on Uther Pendragon, who he blamed for the death of his sister Ygraine. Tristan challenged the Knights of Camelot to single combat, killing both Sir Owain and Sir Pellinore before he finally dueled Uther and was killed by the sword Excalibur, which had been burnished in a dragon's breath and had the power to kill the undead (Excalibur).
Characteristics[]
Wraiths are created by harnessing the grief and rage of a tormented soul to reanimate their physical remains. Because they are undead, wraiths cannot be killed by mortal weapons or magic and their bodies are practically indestructible.
Wraiths can only be destroyed by enchanted weapons such as the sword Excalibur, which was burnished in a dragon's breath. Otherwise, they will not stop until they satisfy their grief and rage by achieving their revenge (Excalibur).
Mythology[]
A Wraith is similar to the Inferi of the Harry Potterverse. They are also similar to zombies, being reanimated by a Dark Wizard, similar to Nimueh's reanimation of Tristan de Bois.
Trivia[]
- Imagery of a wraith appears as part of the title sequence from Series 1 to 3.
- Wraiths differ from Shades in that a physical body is required to raise them from the dead (Excalibur, Lancelot du Lac).