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MORGAN LE FAY

Morgan Le Fay

Morgan Le Fay was an Ancient who had lived in Atlantis millennia ago. In the Ancient language her name had been Ganos Lal, and both she and Merlin had been among the Lantians who had abandoned the Pegasus Galaxy, under siege by the Wraith, and returned to Earth. In that primitive time, Earth was a harsh place, and the Ancients had no hope of living among the people as Lantians or of rebuilding their society. Instead they spread out to many lands, and some, including Morgan and Merlin, chose to live the remainder of their lives in seclusion and meditation, eventually achieving ascension. Thousands of years later, when Merlin chose to retake human form in order to create a weapon that could be used against the Ori, the Ancients feared his intentions, and Morgan was sent to observe, and if necessary to stop him.

For a time, Morgan and Merlin were rivals, however she eventually came to accept and support his work, fearing the threat of the Ori as he did. According to Arthurian myth, Morgan Le Fay was a powerful sorceress, King Arthur's half-sister and an adversary of Merlin, who trapped Merlin in a cave and left him frozen there for all eternity. In reality, however, she was probably trying to protect him. Knowing that if she failed to stop him the Ancients would have sent another in her place, she likely destroyed Merlin's weapon and then preserved the one man capable of building it again. She placed Merlin in an Ancient stasis chamber in a cave, hidden by a gate dialing system that automatically transported the contents of the cave through a circuit of planets cut off from the rest of the gate system, and there he slept in stasis for thousands of years. Meanwhile, Morgan had put numerous safeguards in place to ensure that those questing for the Sangreal, the Holy Grail that was the key to Merlin's weapon, could only claim it by showing truth of spirit.

When SG-1 began their search for Merlin's weapon, their quest led them first to Camelot, where they learned that Arthur and his knights had journeyed to Castiana, Sahal, and Vagon Brei. Vagon Brei was the first to be visited, a world now long since devastated by a parasitic illness, but records in the village archive indicated that a cave overlooking the village had once been home to Morgan Le Fay, and many inhabitants believed that the illness that was wiping out the village had been her curse.

SG-1 turned next to the database in Atlantis to search for clues to the coordinates of Castiana and Sahal. Daniel and Vala made use of the holo room, an Ancient database in which the holographic image acted as an interface to respond to questions. Daniel began the meticulous search by trying to determine how the names of the planets might have changed over the millennia, but prodded by Vala he finally asked directly, "We're looking for the names of two planets known on Earth in ancient times and in the dialect of Old English as Castiana and Sahal." Immediately the holographic image of a woman responded, "Taoth Vaclarush and Valos Cor," then turned directly to Daniel and added, "You have your answer, Daniel Jackson. I suggest you act on it." Her ability to respond with a real time translation of a language spoken 8000 years after Atlantis was abandoned raised suspicions that she was not a hologram at all. In fact, the hologram was Morgan Le Fay, an ascended Ancient who had materialized in a holographic-like form in an attempt to offer guidance through technology without crossing the line of non-interference. Daniel attempted to convince Morgan that the time for cryptic messages had passed and that defeating the Ori was a matter of their own survival, but Morgan was afraid of doing the right thing and being punished for it. At last she turned to offer one last bit of guidance, but she managed only, "Trust that you have your answers. Merlin's weapon is not ---" before she was drawn away by the Others.

Morgan Le Fay was not seen again by SG-1, but as they continued their quest they encountered the many safeguards she had put into place to protect Merlin and his work. On the world where the Sangreal had been hidden, Morgan had left behind the Parchment of Virtues to guide knights on their perilous journey through a time distortion maze, a force field trap, a crying child, a series of riddles, a wall of fire, and a fire breathing dragon. Having passed each of Morgan's tests, SG-1 was brought at last to Merlin's cave and the conclusion of their journey.

Portrayed by: Sarah Strange

Cross Reference: Ancients, Ascension, Atlantis, Castiana, Force Field Trap, Holo Room, Merlin, Merlin's Cave, Merlin's Weapon, Parchment of Virtues, Sahal, Sangreal, Sangreal Dragon, Sangreal Planet, Taoth Vaclarush, Time Distortion Maze, Vagon Brei, Valos Cor

Episode Reference: The Pegasus Project