In almost all versions of Arthurian legend, Nimue is the architect of Merlin's downfall. Nimue is often depicted as an apprentice of Merlin's, along with other familiar sorceresses like Morgan le Fay and Sebile.
By the end, viewers learn that not only did he and her mother have a relationship, but Nimue is actually Merlin's daughter. Although it's somewhat of a tender moment in the midst of all the grit, it doesn't match up to the legend.
What is the relationship between Merlin and Nimue?
She met Merlin when she was 16 years of age. Merlin fell in love with Nimue. He was so in love with her that he was constantly at her side. Nimue accompanied Merlin on a journey so that she might learn his magic.
She was friends also with King Uther Pendragon. Uther, desiring a son and heir, realised that Ygraine was incapable of providing one and asked Gaius to approach Nimueh with a request that she use the power over life and death to help his wife get pregnant. She did so, and as a result Arthur was born.
Nimue's mother instructed her to bring the Sword of Power to Merlin so they can save the Fey. He promises never to lie to her. Merlin is later revealed to be Nimue's biological father.
Over the course of the next several months, they fall in love, and Merlin reveals the truth about the Grail and how he acquired magic. He expresses a wish to reforge the grail into a sword that can destroy his immortality, so that he can live a normal mortal life with Nimue as his wife.
Guinevere is childless in most stories. The few exceptions of that include Arthur's son named Loholt or Ilinot in Perlesvaus and Parzival (first mentioned in Erec and Enide).
In this verse play, based largely on the Vita Merlini, Geoffrey's Ganieda is split into two characters, Merlin's sister Gwyndyth and Redderch's queen Langoreth. Their attitudes to Merlin in his madness are contrasted: Gwyndyth patient and comforting, Langoreth exasperated with how well he is being treated.
She's a pretty nice, rounded characters. Nimue isn't 'evil' at all. Nimue takes Merlin's power because she loves him, and traps him in the cave/tree (depends which version of the Arthurian legend you have) because she wants to keep him for herself.
Merlin is in love with the Lady of the Lake despite his age, and every time she comes he promises to teach her magic in exchange for her love. Every time this happens, she binds him in the tree by using magical thread which the Norns had at one time taught her how to spin.
After enchanting Merlin, Malory's Nimue replaces him as Arthur's magician aide and trusted adviser. When Arthur himself is in need in Malory's text, some incarnation of the Lady of the Lake, or her magic, or her agent, reaches out to help him.
Appearing in the Estoire de Merlin and the Lancelot, she is called both "Viviane" and "Niniane." Here again, Nymue appears as a positive figure, primarily because of her role as Lancelot's foster mother, and this positive characterization carries over into her affair with Merlin.
Merlin is not aware that Nimue has also used the Grail to become immortal and gain magic, which she reveals after the Grail is reforged into Excalibur and Nimue rips out Vortigan's heart before crushing it. This act of dark magic takes root inside Nimue and turns her into the first Dark One.
She is variously depicted as the lover of Merlin, the foster mother of Lancelot, and the protector of Arthur, upon whom she bestows the sword Excalibur.
He added: "I know that some people thought Merlin couldn't possibly be Black, but since watching the series I've actually found some mediaeval documents that claim that he was 'dark' – and they're talking about his skin colour. "So I think [the casting director(s)] actually were ahead of the curve on that one.
Merlin was a great and powerful wizard who lived centuries before our story takes place. He studied at Hogwarts and was a Slytherin. JKR got his name from Merlin, the wizard-advisor of King Arthur. In fact, we Potterheads like to think that our Merlin was King Arthur's advisor.
Arthur, son of Igraine and Uther Pendragon, is thus Morgan's half-brother, and her full sisters include Mordred's mother, the Queen of Orkney. The young Morgan unhappily marries Urien, with whom she has a son, Yvain.
One of the sole reasons Morgana turned into a villain was because she was corrupted by Morgause. With Morgana in Morgause's company for a year, the witch successfully brainwashed her sister into believing Uther and Arthur were the real evil.
He is a legendary figure who serves as an advisor. He is a master of ancient magic and he is loyal to the Fey cause, though many of the Fey revile him due to his seeming allegiance to King Uther Pendragon. Merlin is also revealed to be the biological father to the main character of the series, Nimue.
Once Merlin is out of play, Nimue replaces him as the court mage and becomes a trusted advisor to King Arthur. In Le Morte d'Arthur, she goes on to save Arthur's life on multiple occasions, rescuing him from attacks at the hands of his enemies.
Interestingly, the Lady of the Lake is often seen as the positive aspect of Arthurian feminine magick, with Morgana being the more dangerous aspect, but Nimue is also famed for being Merlin's lover who betrayed him when he had invested her with all the knowledge that she could gain from him.
