Merlin - The Disir
Nov. 3rd, 2012 11:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
daibhidcOoh, interesting.
We open with a swordfight between Arthur and Mordred. Oh, yeah, remember Mordred? He's in this one. Despite Merlin's continued misgivings, he joins the knights as they set out to fight an evil sorcerer. Over the course of which, he is remarkably good natured about some hazing that would make anyone consider being a regicidal maniac.
The sorcerer turns out to just want to give Arthur a runemark. However he's killed by Elyan and Gwaine because he attacks them when they try to take him to Arthur, even though that's what he wants. He's clearly in possession of the Idiot Ball, and given Merlin and Arthur's subsequent decisions, it's apparent it got passed on along with the runemark.
Because when Arthur decides to take the judgement of the Disir seriously, he does so in the most "disrespecting their beliefs" manner possible. Going armed into their sacred space, knocking over their relics, the works. And Mordred pays the price. At which point, despite Gaius's remonstrations, Merlin refuses to heal him, because he's been listening to a dragon whose solution to all problems is "You should kill them before they have a chance do anything wrong" again.
And then when Arthur realises he needs to make amends, Merlin is still stewing over Mordred, and is worried that if Arthur makes restitution, the Disir will heal Mordred. So without wondering if there's a connection between the Disir prophesising the doom of Camelot if Arthur rejects them and his visions of Mordred being the doom of Camelot, Merlin actually shoots down the possibility of legalising sorcery when Arthur is considering it. So he rejects the Old Religion, and Mordred is healed to fulfil his destiny. As Merlin asks "How could I be so stupid?"
Mythwatch: The Disir are from Norse mythology, where they're spirits of fate who can be benevolent or malevolent. They're also in a Mighty Thor story where they're the Evil Valkyrie. Their names (not given in the episode that I noticed) seem to be random syllables. Osgar is a Saxon name, and the Wikipedia page is a 10th century abbot. And, yeah, Triple Goddess, Wicca, Robert Graves, yadda yadda. (It's late, okay?)
We open with a swordfight between Arthur and Mordred. Oh, yeah, remember Mordred? He's in this one. Despite Merlin's continued misgivings, he joins the knights as they set out to fight an evil sorcerer. Over the course of which, he is remarkably good natured about some hazing that would make anyone consider being a regicidal maniac.
The sorcerer turns out to just want to give Arthur a runemark. However he's killed by Elyan and Gwaine because he attacks them when they try to take him to Arthur, even though that's what he wants. He's clearly in possession of the Idiot Ball, and given Merlin and Arthur's subsequent decisions, it's apparent it got passed on along with the runemark.
Because when Arthur decides to take the judgement of the Disir seriously, he does so in the most "disrespecting their beliefs" manner possible. Going armed into their sacred space, knocking over their relics, the works. And Mordred pays the price. At which point, despite Gaius's remonstrations, Merlin refuses to heal him, because he's been listening to a dragon whose solution to all problems is "You should kill them before they have a chance do anything wrong" again.
And then when Arthur realises he needs to make amends, Merlin is still stewing over Mordred, and is worried that if Arthur makes restitution, the Disir will heal Mordred. So without wondering if there's a connection between the Disir prophesising the doom of Camelot if Arthur rejects them and his visions of Mordred being the doom of Camelot, Merlin actually shoots down the possibility of legalising sorcery when Arthur is considering it. So he rejects the Old Religion, and Mordred is healed to fulfil his destiny. As Merlin asks "How could I be so stupid?"
Mythwatch: The Disir are from Norse mythology, where they're spirits of fate who can be benevolent or malevolent. They're also in a Mighty Thor story where they're the Evil Valkyrie. Their names (not given in the episode that I noticed) seem to be random syllables. Osgar is a Saxon name, and the Wikipedia page is a 10th century abbot. And, yeah, Triple Goddess, Wicca, Robert Graves, yadda yadda. (It's late, okay?)
