So I was looking at my former "Canon" Map for this show, and I had remembered... 'oh yeah, England/Wales already has mountains... I should redo the map and make sure things actually match up'. And then I also added the major rivers, because why not?

So here is the newly updated map, along with the same sort of descriptions as last time! I hope you enjoy!

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Ulaid

One of the kingdoms of Eire (Ireland), known in canon as the Western Isle. Ruled by King Eochaid mac Condlai. Unlabeled in this map is the hometown of the Shanor family, the House that Lady Morgana's mother, Duchess Vivienne Shanor, immigrated from when she married Duke Gorlois le Fay.

Galwyddel

Correlating to modern-day Galloway in Scotland, Galwyddel is ruled by King Senyllt ap Dingat. No connection to canon or my own lore.

Ynys Manau: The Isle of Man, part of the Galwyddel Kingdom. Post-canon, in 550 a.d., King Senyllt is banished here when the main kingdom is taken by North Rheged, and he becomes the King of Ynys Manau.

Caer Guendoleu

Ruled by King Ceido ap Arthwys. No connection to canon or my own lore.

Bryneich

In what would become Northumbria. Ruled by King Cuncar. In real history, Cuncar was the father of Morcant Bulc, who is one of the potential inspirations for Geoffrey of Monmouth's Morgan le Fay.

North Rheged

Ruled by King Cynfarch Oer, the father of Urien Rheged. In Arthurian myth, Urien was one of Morgan le Fay's various lovers. No connection to canon or my own lore.

Ebrauc

Fictional???? Not sure, hard to find anything. Ruled by King Ellifer Gosgorddfawr. No connection to canon or my own lore.

Deira

Part of what would one day become Northumbria. Ruled by King Yffe, the father of historically known First King: Ælla. No connection to canon or my own lore. We can say that this is where Lord Elred, the man who Merlin tried to get Lancelot to claim he was the Nth son of, is from here (since the historical Ealdred I of Northumbria wasn't around until 900 a.d. or so)

Donoting

I can't find anything about this place, but it's on several maps, so I put it here. It does seem to Do Nothing, so that part is accurate at least. No connection to canon or my own lore.

South Rheged

So in my timeline, this is one of the Five Kingdoms, and was added into the group after Doabeth fell. It is ruled here by King Alined Gerren, but historically it was probably ruled by King Elidurus, if he wasn't just made up by Geoffrey.

Perilous Lands

Dark Tower: A place of dark magic. Morgana takes Guinevere here to brainwash her with the Tiene Diaga ritual. It lies beyond the Impenetrable Fortress and the Dollares Plains.

Dollares Plains: Between the Impenetrable Forest and the Dark Tower, it is a desolate wasteland ruled by heat and death.

Fisher King's Castle: The former capital of Elmet, before it was defeated. The Fisher King, Sumpter, resided here for decades, magically prolonging his life after he was infected by a battle wound. The most populous residents are the wyverns.

Impenetrable Forest: A thick forest that plays tricks on those within. It is tangled enough to break swords, and cardinal directions do not work within. Ruled by Queen Mab, a spiritual representation of all places that humanity despairs. The only way to get through is with magic or across Grettir's Bridge.

Tir-Mor

The real territory is called Lindsey before Northumbria annexed it in the 7th Century. Sophia and Aulfric claim to be royalty from here when they meet with King Uther in Camelot.

Gwynedd

Ynys Mon: An island that was populated by the druids for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. It is still a Druidic stronghold during the canon era. Known now as Anglesey.

Ynys Gybi: The Holy Island. I made this where Alator of the Catha resides since that is in an island castle.

Caerleon Castle: The capital of Gwynedd. Queen Annis renamed the castle Caerleon in remembrance of her late husband.

Stonedown: A village often contested between Gwynedd and Camelot. King Caerleon seized it after King Uther's death.

Mercia

Mountains of Andor: The mountain range between the border of Camelot and Mercia. Inside the caverns, like all caves in Albion, are packs of Wildeorren.

Hengist's Castle: The home of the bandit lord, Hengist. He used it as a base of operations during the canon era, and it is where he held Guinevere when she was disguised as Lady Morgana.

Angard: A village in Mercia, where Merlin found Gwaine drinking.

Plains of Othanden: A plain where a battle between Camelot and Mercia was once held. Sir Pellinore was wounded here before his duel against the Black Knight.

Camelot

Northern Plains: The northern-most portion of Camelot. It is not very populated, and acts more as a 'No Man's Land'. The late Duke Gorlois le Fay's grave is at the border of the Northern Plains and Greenswood village.

Idirsholas: An ancient castle where the sorceress Medhir once seduced Seven Knights to become her undead warriors. The Fortress is long abandoned, but some say it is still cursed.

Everwick: The disputed region between Gwynedd and Camelot.

Greenswood: A small village that was said to be attacked by the griffin during its journey to the City of Camelot. This is where Sir Lancelot Banson was born, as he said it was raided by people from the Northern Plains when he was a child.

Willowdale: The other small village that was said to be attacked by the griffin during its journey to the City of Camelot.

Great Stones of Nementon: Known today as the Hoarstones, the Great Stones of Nementon were used in the days of magic in rituals used to summon and commune with the ancestors.

White Mountains: The mountain range running from Gwynedd to Nemeth. It covers nearly all of what will one day be known as Wales.

Howden: A village in the White Mountains, which was attacked by the Dorocha.

Grove of Brineved: A grove of yew trees near the White Mountains. Here is where the Court of the Disir read the will of the Triple Goddess from the pool of Caerlanrigh. The wiki says these are in the Black Mountains, but the official Season 5 map puts it near Howden, which is at the White Mountains, so it's here.

Ismere: A frozen wasteland in the White Mountains, near Camlann. It was used by Morgana, Ruadan, and their Saxon allies to search for the Diamir so they could learn of Arthur's Bane.

Camlann: A pass in the White Mountains. Desolate and dangerous, but one of the few passageways between. Site of the future Battle of Camlann.

Fyrien: A castle on the sea that was used by a merchant named Fyrien to smuggle goods into Camelot. Later it was used by King Caerleon to try and evade King Uther's army, but that failed. King Cenred and High Priestess Morgause used it as a base when kidnapping Elyan and Guinevere in a plot to lure Arthur.

Landshire: West of the White Mountains and resting on the Great Sea of Meredor. It is near the Castle of Fyrien.

Stowell: A garrison town between Landshire and Camlann. Once, King Uther used it as a staging ground for his battle against the Isle of the Blessed. In the final war between Morgana and Camelot, her armies will destroy the garrison.

Plains of Denarria: A plain between two parts of the White Mountains. It was destroyed by magic when Daobeth fell. In history, King Uther Pendragon warred against King Caerleon within the Plains, before the latter fell back to Fyrien. Morgana Pendragon also carried High Priestess Morgause through here to reach the Isle of the Blessed.

Denarria: A location on the official Season 5 Map. Assumed to be a village or residency of some kind.

Forest of Glaestig: The forest where Lancelot and Merlin rested safely from the Dorocha.

Isle of the Blessed: The sacred island of the High Priestesses, where they would go to train and learn the ways of magic. It was the home of Nimueh until her duel with Merlin; where Morgana sacrificed Morgause to open the Veil; and where Lancelot sacrificed himself to close the Veil.

Dochraid: The decrepit tree where the ancient being known as the Dochraid dwells.

Cauldron of Arianrhod: A small pool on the westernmost peak of Camelot. Here, the power of the Triple Goddess (or the White Goddess) is strong. Merlin, Mordred, and Arthur brought Guinevere here to free her from the Tiene Diaga ritual.

Morgana's Castle: The cliffside forest castle that Morgana and her Saxon army used before the final war against Camelot.

Daobeth: The ruined city that was once the greatest of all the kingdoms in Albion. In 53 AD, the Romans under Governor Aulus Didius Gallus, who were infiltrating the kingdom, tried to kill the dragons living in the White Mountains. In retaliation, the dragons razed the city to ashes, effectively ending the Kingdom. It was absorbed by Camelot, which is why Camelot is twice the size of the other Kingdoms.

Pool of Nemhain: The sacred pool where Morgana resurrected the Shade of Lancelot.

Valley of the Fallen Kings: The low-lying areas in between the peaks of the White Mountains. Usually filled with bandits and mist, the Valley is said to be haunted.

Morgana's Hovel: The hovel Morgana used between her two reigns.

Crystal Cave: The birthplace of all magic in Albion. Here, the seer Taliesin met with Merlin to show him the future, and Merlin also regained his magic here in time for the Battle of Camlann.

Darkling Woods: The woods to the north of the City of Camelot. Many people use this forest as a way of covert communication or hiding places.

Morgause's Cave: The cave that Morgause used as a base of operations while Morgana spied for her in Camelot.

Avalon: The lake of Avalon, a gateway to the Sidhe realm. Many deaths have happened here, and it was where the Bastet Freya held the sword Excalibur until Merlin used it again before he placed it within the stone.

City of Camelot: The capital city of Camelot and the Five Kingdoms. It is in modern-day Birmingham, and the castle itself is now known as Weoley Castle; the true history was hidden by magic.

Forest of Brechfa: A forest to the south of the City of Camelot.

Vale of Denarria: A vale near the Camelot/Mercia border. It was here that Hengist demanded Camelot send ransom for the kidnapped "Lady Morgana", actually a disguised Guinevere.

Ridge of Chemary: A ridge on the border of Camelot and Escetir. This location is also known as the Forest of Chemary or the Forest of Ascetir.

Mountains of Isgard: It is the Camelotian branch of the Feorre Mountains, and it separates the main bulk of Camelot from the Forest of Balor.

Ashwick: A region near the border of Odin's Kingdom and Camelot.

Forest of Balor: South of the Mountains of Isgard, the Forest of Balor is home to a cave filled with large spiders and a plant that can be used for poisons.

Longstead: A village in Camelot at the foot of the Feorre Mountains. Guinevere's friends, John and Mary Howden, lived here. It was also attacked by the Lamia.

Dyfed

Home of King Olaf and his daughter Princess Vivian.

Asgorath Mountains: The mountains between Dyfed and Camelot. These mountains are home to the Nathair serpents, often used by magical persons for torture purposes.

Nemeth

Loath's Tomb: The tomb of the ancient Nemeth King, Loath. Here is where the disguised Morgana and her hostage Princess Mithian end up luring Arthur to for King Odin to attempt to kill.

Gedref: The disputed lands between Camelot and Nemeth. Apparently some of the best swordsmiths in Albion are from here.

Labyrinth of Gedref: The magical labyrinth where Arthur went to save Camelot after killing the Unicorn.

Gawant

Ruled by King Godwinn and his daughter Princess Elena.

Black Mountains: The southern end of the White Mountains.

Escetir

Forest of Gedney: The forest where Sir Leon was revived with the Cup of Life by the Druid Iseldir.

Ealdor: Merlin's home village. His mother, Hunith, lives there, and Guinevere was a resident for a time after her banishment from Camelot. It was attacked by bandits, and defended by Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, and Guinevere once.

Jarl's Fort: The fortress of Jarl, a slave trader. Merlin and Arthur were captured here, where they met up with Gwaine once more before fleeing.

Engerd: A village that Balinor once passed through while he was leaving Ealdor. Here, Arthur and Merlin interrogate a man named Asgerd about Balinor's location.

Forest of Merendra: Description

Feorre Mountains: The Escetir portion of the Mountains of Isgard.

Tomb of Ashkanar: The magical tomb of an ancient Dragonlord known as Ashkanar. Sealed away with a key broken into various pieces was the last known dragon egg, which would one day be hatched into Aithusa.

Balinor's Cave: The cave where Balinor lived after fleeing Camelot and then Ealdor.

Lamia's Castle: The castle where the Lamia lived.

Amata

Ruled by King Sarrum until his death. Historically, the first king was named Wehha sometime before 571, so it works out. Somewhere in this land, Sarrum kept Morgana and Aithusa locked within a well trapped in darkness for upwards of two years.

Essex

Historical kingdom, but nothing relating to canon or my own lore. Ruled by King Æscwine

Lunden

A region surrounding the growing city of London. No relation to canon or my own lore.

Dumnonia

Morgause's Castle: The castle that Morgause resides in during her Season 2 appearances. Arthur and Merlin travel here after the duel between Arthur and Morgause, and it is where Arthur speaks with the spirit of his mother.

Helva: A city where magic is freely practiced. Before the final war, Morgana ends up razing the town in her rageful hunt of Alator, signifying that she is genuinely insane after her time imprisoned in Amata. I like to think she magically fixed it up after she left but we just never saw it.

Odin's Castle: The home castle of King Odin Borson.

Wenham: Where King Odin met with the mercenary known as The Gleeman.

Tintagel: The ancient seat of House le Fay. Here is where Lady Morgana spent the first ten years of her life, up until Odin Borson came and took over. Now it is just a ruined husk.

Wessex

One of the first Saxon kingdoms. The historical king at this time was King Cynric, and in my lore, he is allied with High Priestess Morgana for several years up until the Battle at Camlann. After that, he makes peace with Camelot to focus on keeping King Odin and King Lot from taking his lands.

Isle of Mora: Known as the Isle of Wight to us modern-day folk, this island is where Helen of Mora comes from.

Kent

Place: Historical, no context for canon or my own lore. Ruled by King Eormenric.

Sussex

Place: Historical location, no connection to canon or my own lore. Ruled by someone, I guess?

I hear this tune quite a few times but first hear it at 37:14 of Series 2 Episode 13. Its played when something heroic is about to happen. I cant find this tune on Spotify either. Please help me find it is possible. Thanks.

She might be a troll, but she knows a thing or two about human nature. Source of the episode: season 2 episode 5.

I want to reopen this debate as I saw it was already discussed but I wanted to give my own spin on it. I personally think Merlin had two very different relationships with Lancelot and Arthur.

When it came to Arthur, I believe he considered him his best friend. The one he would protect over anyone in the world. At the end of the day, he spent his time with Arthur, assisting him in quests and making sure he was safe. It's because of Merlin that Arthur was making it through his trials and tribulations mostly unharmed.

However, when it came to Lancelot, I think it was EDIT: different. I believe he had a BROTHER in Lancelot rather than a best friend. Lancelot protected Merlin and his secret the way an elder brother would protect his younger brother. He was like family to Merlin. You don't always see your siblings but when you do, you know the bond is as strong as ever and nothing can relinquish it. It seemed to me that no matter how much time had passed by, Lancelot would always come back to Camelot if Merlin asked him to. The same way my own brother would get on a plane and fly across the world if I told him that I was not feeling safe; he would do it without hesitation.

I think that is so beautiful! And it adds weight to Lancelot's death because when he dies... you realize that Merlin no longer has someone around his generation that knows about his secret. It must have felt so nice to know that his "big brother" was around during the time between season 3 and season 4 when Lancelot had finally become a knight and was allowed back in Camelot. That Merlin was not alone in a court and that there was someone out there who was looking after him rather than he always having to look after the others.

You can tell which of these relationships I prefer. I love Merlin and Arthur but Lancelot and Merlin reminded me of a brotherly bond whereas Arthur and Merlin reminded me of a bond of best friends.

What do you think?

an update on my tomadachi island lol, I mean I guess it’s show accurate

Hello!

This is probably a long shot, but Im looking for a fic from fanficition net i read over ten years, maybe more than fifteen years ago? Its a magic reveal where Merlin gets absorbed(?) into Arthur's consciousness or something along those lines where Arthur can sense/hear Merlin's thoughts and protective streak.

The knights (Gwaine and Lancelot for sure I think, the others I can't remember if they were also there) Arthur, Merlin, and maybe Gwen and Morgana as well, travel to Cenred's palace to separate Arthur and Merlin

Thanks in advance!

I wanted to know if there were any short fics that have Camelot's reaction to Emyrs. I already have:

Emyrs the Really, Truly Terrible by lindenwaverly

That Time of Truth by hwc

Haven't You Heard by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle

2000s-2010s edition

Part 1? I love the idea of their whole group always hanging out at each others' place

(+ some osborn arthur??)

I drew this a short while ago and forgot to post it here :]

I’m rewatching Merlin while reading a time travel return to Camelot fanfic.

Spoiler Warning: ⚠️ If you have seen Dark and Merlin then great read on! If you have only seen Dark then this won't mean much to you as a post but if you have only seen Merlin and have no interest in watching Dark in the future then you can also read on too I guess.

Merlin mirrors Dark they both have an incapable tragedy which I've just realised.

Merlin is told by a higher authority (the Dragon) that he has a grand, capital-D Destiny: protect Arthur, bring magic back, and unite Albion. He spends five seasons executing that "prophecy".

But just like Jonas, Merlin falls into the self-fulfilling prophecy trap. In his desperation to stop the bad things from happening (like trying to stop Morgana or Mordred because of what the dragon foretold), Merlin's own secretive, paranoid actions are often the exact things that push them into becoming villains in the first place.

By trying to "fix" the future, he accidentally paves the road right to it. Arthur dies before the golden age truly starts.

You can choose to believe that Arthur has already fulfilled the prophecy and united the lands of Albion which is viable because it was his destiny to unite them not rule them.

So looking at the bigger picture, Merlin did unite the peoples of Albion through his journey; it just didn’t look like the happy, victorious kingdom he thought he was building.

The Kilgharrah / Adam Manipulation Theory

The fan theory that Kilgharrah (The Great Dragon) is the true villain is one of the most fascinating ideas.

When you look closely, his role maps perfectly onto Adam in Dark:

The Massive Vendetta: Kilgharrah was locked in a cave for 20 years by Uther, who slaughtered his entire species. He has every reason to want the Pendragon dynasty completely wiped out.

The theory suggests Kilgharrah didn't feed Merlin prophecies out of the goodness of his heart.

He used an impressionable, powerful young boy as a weapon. By giving Merlin riddles and telling him who to trust or kill, he puppet-mastered the entire fall of Camelot from his cave.

The Parallel to Adam: Just like Adam uses Young Jonas’s desire to "do the right thing" to ensure the apocalypse happens, Kilgharrah uses Young Merlin’s loyalty to ensure Uther’s line suffers.

Whether you fully believe the dragon was evil or just an ancient being speaking in absolute cosmic rules, the dynamic is exactly the same.

The characters are just pawns being moved across a board by a player who has already seen how the game ends.

However Merlin is not Dark despite them both being tragic in genre, Merlin is a feel good and Dark is a feeling weird.

So I present this final reverse psychology theory to all you Kilgrarrah haters and Kilgraah defenders alike.

If Kilgharrah was just a malicious puppet-master trying to destroy the Pendragons to bring about a golden age of magic, then his grand plan was a total failure.

When we see an immortal Merlin walking past Glastonbury Tor in the modern day, magic is completely gone.

It is a world of trucks, asphalt, and ordinary humans. If the dragon was manipulating things to create a permanent magical utopia, it didn’t work.

This might suggest Kilgharrah wasn't lying; he was just enslaved to the same tragic parameters of prophecy that Merlin was.

He truly believed Arthur was the key, but prophecy is a slippery, ironic thing. Arthur did unite the lands of Albion structurally, but the "Golden Age" they built was short-lived, and magic ultimately faded away into myth and history anyway.

'Arthur was destined to unite the lands not rule over them' theory supports this.

The real tragedy of Merlin's modern day magic being lost forever in that fictional reality is what makes Merlin go from a fun fantasy show to a profound masterpiece.

Quite similar to Dark but less depressing. (Please gng I haven't seen season 3 of Dark yet so no spoilers but I can already deduce these parallels).

The ending tells us that the battle was won, but the world changed anyway. Merlin did everything right. He saved Arthur a thousand times, he united Albion, and he became the greatest sorcerer to ever live.

But time is the ultimate conqueror. Dynasties fall, kingdoms fade, and magic eventually dried up, leaving Merlin as a lonely, immortal relic of a forgotten age, still waiting by the lake for a king who will likely never return.

It is beautifully tragic, and it connects right back. Sometimes the characters give absolutely everything they have to a cosmic cause, and while they technically fulfill the "prophecy," the universe resets or moves on in a way they never could have predicted.

Is Merlin underappreciated?

It layers these massive, brain-bending themes of fate beneath what looks like a simple, charming Saturday-night fantasy show.

And if your still hooked on the theory that Kilgarahh is in fact evil then I guess you could argue he thought Arthur's death would bring magic back to Camelot but the fact that it doesn't end up happening this way doesn't necessarily exempt Kilgarrah from this intention.

Personally, The Great Dragon's wise words will always convince me that he was just a victim of fate even though he believed he could control destiny.

Merlin tried desperately to save Arthur Pendragon, only to be told by Kilgharrah: “Merlin, there is nothing you can do.” After Merlin insisted he had failed... Kilgharrah replied with such depth and reassurance: “No, young warlock. For all you’ve dreamt of building has come to pass.” Still, Merlin couldn’t accept it: “I can’t lose him… he is my friend.”

“Though no man, no matter how great, can know his destiny, some lives have been foretold, Merlin. (Fate - like in Dark everything is already written).

"Arthur is not just a king; he is the once and future king. Take heart, for when Albion’s need is greatest… Arthur will rise again." (Even if not literally).

"The story we have been a part of will live long in the minds of men."

It has because of this created a show with an incredible undeniable narrative bending spin to a beloved historical legend. If you didn't understand the point of the ending I would say this is it. People who say they were promised a 10 season Small ville style origin story clearly didn't notice these obvious hints to the subtext of the inevitability of fate which seems to make this show despite it being not what some fans expected.

Whatever your interpretation of the show, if you look at it differently now, then surely I've convinced you just how awesome it is!

To be fair im only on season 2 episode 2 but i feel like their relationship came out of nowhere like they interacted only two times before this and now they are somehow deeply inlove alright… i feel like they arnt compatible like at all pls tell me she doesnt end up queen 😭

Not saying Merlin should've listened to the dragon, but its so much worse whenever you know what's coming...

Hi everyone! :) A few years ago I asked for everyone’s favourite Merlin quotes for a ‘Merlin once said…’ video. Now, I’m asking for everyone’s favourite Arthur Pendragon quotes for a video all about the once and future King :) So make sure to comment your favourite line down below :) Thanks in advance :)

Merlin magic is revealed, he was making shapes with fire, other people stand with merlin, one is a little kid, they show Arthur that magic isn't evil. It's on ao3 I think.

HI, i was deeply involved in the Merlin fandom at the time the show aired (like staying up for hyped up press releases that broke my heart when they announced the end of the show not a new season involved) and have not been able to watch the final episode since it aired. I finally bit the bullet last weekend.

I am so happy to see the Merlin Family still thriving. Also has anyone read Colins book? It arrived yesterday and ai am looking forward ro reading it

The episode has always confused me. I know Arthur blows the horn and reunites with his father, who leaves the spirit world and starts causing havoc in Camelot.

But was that really Uther, or was it some darker, more evil version of him?