Merlin again.

[daibhidc]

Okay, so this week it's confirmed that Merlin/Gwen and Arthur/Morgana are OTPs, the storyline was some nonsense about demonic cholera, and the Big Bad of the series was revealed as ... Nimue.

But did any of that bother me? No, I was too busy wondering how Gwen knew the word "sandwich"...

Comments

[scarfman]

It's not arthuriana of there aren't any anachronisms.

[ciciaye.livejournal.com]

In the Arthur legend I remember, Nimue was an ordinary woman, not a wicked witch, and she was Merlin's one true love.

CCA

[flesh-eating dragon (from livejournal.com)]

In Guardian of the Balance by Irene Radford, the only Arthurian novel on my bookshelf, Nimue feigns love for Merlin in order to manipulate him. One thing she wants him to do is to break his geas of celibacy, which he broke once before (otherwise the whole novel couldn't be written from the perspective of his daughter) but if he breaks it again the gods will take away his gift of prophecy etc.

[pedanther]

Nimue's characterization varies a lot: in some tellings she's Merlin's one true love, in some she's manipulating him for personal gain, and I remember at least one where she's not really that into him and only goes along with it because she can't think of a polite way to tell a mighty mage she's not interested.

But one thing that's usually consistent is that she's younger and less magically-experienced than Merlin is.

(On the other hand, I suppose it's too late to start expecting consistency from this series, yes?)

[daibhid-c.livejournal.com]

She's usually got a bit of magical ability, and generally ends up using it to lock Merlin in a crystal cave for some reason.

But this is Merlin, where Merlin is Arthur's servant, Arthur is known to be Uther's heir, Guenevere is Morgana's servant, Morgana is Uther's ward (not daughter by his first wife), and there's a dragon beneath Camelot that gives Merlin advice. Following the Standard Version doesn't seem to be a priority.