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Main Characters
Nimue
Nimue
Portrayed by: Katherine Langford, Ella Prebble (young)
The main protagonist of the story, based upon The Lady of the Lake. She is a Fey girl of the Sky Folk clan who is believed to be cursed due to her mysterious powers. She is tasked with bringing the Sword of Power to Merlin, but finds herself wielding it to defend the Fey against the Red Paladins.- Adaptational Heroism: In the legends, Nimue is often depicted as villainous or morally ambiguous; here she is largely heroic.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Nimue was bullied in her village by both children and elders for her powers, which were seemingly awakened after she was attacked by a dark god.
- Blue Is Heroic: She’s The Hero of the story and frequently wears the color blue, contrasting her with the Red Paladins and symbolically linking her with water (seeing as she's based upon the Lady of the Lake).
- Child of Forbidden Love: She's revealed to be this. She was born due to her parents' affair. Her father was despised for supposedly betraying his people (so associating with him was tabooed); her mother was engaged to someone else.
- Decomposite Character: At least some aspects of the Lady of the Lake were given to her mother Lenore, rather than Nimue.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Nimue was nearly killed by a dark god and developed powers she has trouble controlling. As a result, Nimue's been shunned by most of her people as cursed; some of them even try to physically harm her, causing her to lash out with her powers and making the situation worse. Her own father also abandoned her because of her supposed "curse" and learning she wasn't biologically his.
- Elemental Powers: Nimue's magic is mostly nature-related. She can make nearby plants (trees, among others), attack people or bind them (see Green Thumb); she later manages to summon clouds of mist to confuse the Paladins and at one point sends out a blast of magic that briefly makes flames grow larger.
- Green Thumb: One of Nimue's most prominent powers is her ability to control plants such as vines. In one flashback, she is shown controlling tree vines into grabbing a girl who was bullying her and drags her away. In the present day, she uses her powers to make vines grow inside a Red Paladin who tried to kill her. She can also do less violent things like making fruit trees blossom.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: She wields the Sword of Power, an ancient Fey-forged sword, also known as the Sword of First Kings. Her possession of the Sword is partly why the other Fey look to her as their salvation.
- Heroic Bastard: She was actually conceived as a result of her parents' extramarital relationship. She's also a noble (if flawed) young woman who's The Chosen One and the protagonist.
- Luke, You Are My Father: During her first conversation with Merlin, when they're talking about why Lenore sent her daughter to him, Nimue states aloud what they've both come to realize: Merlin is Nimue's real father.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When Nimue sees the gruesome effect of her magic on a Red Paladin, she staggers away in horror and vomits.
- Offered the Crown: Sort of. Gawain and several other characters declare that Nimue and the Sword are their only hope of stopping the Paladins, so she proclaims herself the Fey Queen and everyone enthusiastically goes along with it.
- Power Incontinence: Nimue doesn't have control of the powers she has, and because of that, in times of crisis and adrenaline, her powers over nature will activate and attack whatever can cause her harm by themselves.
- Power Tattoo: Whenever Nimue's powers are active, marks of vines show up in her neck and face.
- Promoted to Love Interest: Nimue is presented here as Arthur's love interest (in some versions of the Arthurian legends she's portrayed as Merlin's lover, which is definitely not the case here given they're revealed to be father and daughter).
- A Protagonist Shall Lead Them: At the end of the seventh episode she officially becomes the leader of the Fey in their fight against the Red Paladins, taking the title of the Fey Queen.
- Red Baron: She's eventually known as "The Wolf-Blood Witch".
- Refusal of the Call: At the funeral of the Sky Folk's Summoner, Nimue is chosen by the Hidden as the new Summoner, to the shock of everyone. Despite her mother stating it's her destiny, Nimue insists she wants no part of it and even tries to run away, citing that the other elders don't want her either.
- Xenafication: In this series, the Lady of the Lake becomes a sword-wielding Magic Knight who leads a resistance.
Arthur
Arthur
Portrayed by: Devon Terrell
A young mercenary who seeks to regain his honor. He falls in love with Nimue and helps her protect the Fey.- Adaptational Backstory Change: Arthur is almost always depicted as the son of King Uther and Queen Igraine, who is taken by Merlin as an infant to be raised by Sir Ector. In Cursed, Arthur has no relation to Uther and Sir Ector is his uncle. Arthur's father Tor was a knight who died in a brawl defending a barmaid, and Arthur became a mercenary to pay back Tor's debts.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Arthur's father was killed in a drunken brawl, he was separated from his sister, turned to mercenary work, tried unsuccessfully to find his father's killers and is seen as a dishonorable waste of space by his uncle.
- Loser Son of Loser Dad: His uncle Ector's attitude towards him is this.
- Private Military Contractors: He starts out as a down-on-his-luck sellsword. He really wanted to be a knight, but turned to mercenary work to pay off his debts and never managed to get out. He eventually becomes a soldier for the Fey, fighting against the Red Paladins.
- Related Differently in the Adaptation:
- Traditionally Arthur and Morgana are maternal half-siblings. Here they appear to be full siblings, or at least share the same father.
- Lord Ector is usually Arthur's stepfather, but here he's his uncle.
- Shoot the Dog: Arthur shoots Bergerum with an arrow when he's wounded and captured by Paladins, to stop the Weeping Monk from torturing him in an attempt to make Gawain give himself up. It was also a quicker death than burning or having bits cut off him.
- Skewed Priorities: A slight example occurs when Arthur insists on finding out whether Gawain is a romantic rival for Nimue's affections...right before they're about to possibly die fighting dozens of Paladins to give the others a chance to escape. Gawain's initial reaction is You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!.
- Unrelated in the Adaptation: Arthur isn't Uther Pendragon's son here; instead his father is a Canon Foreigner named Tor (there is actually a Tor in the Arthurian mythos; he's usually depicted as the son of King Pellinore and becomes a Knight of the Round Table, though this version of Tor doesn't bear much resemblance to the mythological character besides the name).
Morgana
Morgana
Portrayed by: Shalom Brune-Franklin
Arthur's sister. She was sent to a convent after her father died, but is sympathetic to the Fey and becomes a close friend and ally to Nimue. However, personal tragedies may lead her down a darker path.- Adaptational Heroism: Morgana is usually a villain, but becomes a hero here, although the end of Season 1 suggests she may not stay this way.
- Adaptational Sexuality: Morgana is portrayed as only having relationships with men in other stories. Here, her only portrayed relationship is with another woman, Celia.
- The Corruptible: The Cailleach takes advantage of Morgana's grief over her lost loved ones, though especially the very recent murder of her lover Celia, to manipulate her.
- Crisis of Faith: It's implied that Morgana was never a very devout Christian to start with, but after the Red Paladins torture and kill Abbess Nora for aiding Nimue, she rips off and ditches her cross necklace, and shortly after leaves the convent for good.
- Dark and Troubled Past: After her father was murdered, she was taken away from her brother and forcibly sent to a convent by her uncle. Although she came to like the convent well-enough, she’s still a bit bitter about it.
- Don't Split Us Up: As a child she had to be dragged away from Arthur by the nuns, screaming for her brother to not let them take her.
- Given Name Reveal: For the majority of the third episode, Arthur's nun sister who helps Nimue is referred to as Igraine. Near the end, she reveals that she's only called Igraine because of a mix-up when she first came to the convent (Igraine was her grandmother's name). Her real name, which she subsequently goes back to using regularly, is Morgana.
- Lipstick Lesbian: Morgana is a feminine young woman with long hair and traditional clothing. She was in a relationship with Celia.
- Make It Look Like a Struggle: After helping Nimue escape the convent, Morgana hits herself in the head with a rock until she bleeds so she can claim to the Red Paladins that the Wolf-Blood Witch took her captive. They accept her story, but Iris is suspicious and openly questions why the Witch spared Morgana, which is partly why she also leaves soon after.
- Mythology Gag: The name she has at the convent (which she mentions was her grandmother's name) is Igraine; in the legends Igraine is the name of Morgana and Arthur's mother.
- Related Differently in the Adaptation: Morgana is usually Arthur’s maternal half-sister, fathered by Igraine’s first husband Gorlois. Here, she and Arthur have the same father, a knight named Tor.
- Second Episode Introduction: She first appears in the final minutes of the second episode, with the following episode expanding on her character.
- Serendipitous Survival: The same day she chooses to leave the convent and go to Nemos is the same day Sister Iris burns it down, killing all the other nuns. When Morgana finds out, she feels guilty, believing she should've died alongside Celia.
- Toxic Friend Influence: She has hints of becoming one to Nimue. She wants to protect the Fey and is loyal to Nimue, but Morgana's ideas around this increasingly revolve around encouraging Nimue to go for violent solutions and use the Sword's power to crush their enemies. Nimue and Arthur are both uncomfortable with this, only wanting to use violence as a last resort.
- You Kill It, You Bought It: After killing the Widow with the Sword of Power, Morgana somehow becomes the Widow, gaining some of her powers, including being able to teleport and sense when someone is about to die.
Merlin
Merlin
Portrayed by: Gustaf Skarsgård
A centuries old druid who is famed (or infamous, in some circles) for his powers and role as an advisor to human rulers.- The Alcoholic: He drinks a lot, to the point where he's almost as notorious as a drunk as he is famous as a wizard.
- Been There, Shaped History: It's indicated that Merlin has acted as an advisor to many monarchs over the centuries, including Charlemagne and Boudicca (in the latter case, it's even hinted he and Boudicca may have hooked up, though he's evasive). It's also revealed he took part in one of the sackings of Rome.
- Court Mage: Merlin serves as an advisor to King Uther and indicates he's done so for many monarchs over the years. Matters are complicated by the fact he's lost his magic and Uther is rapidly losing patience with him.
- Dark and Troubled Past: It's revealed that Merlin was corrupted by the Sword of Power and did some terrible things he came to deeply regret, including killing innocent civilians during one of the sackings of Rome. It also ruined his relationship with Lenore. As a result, he's adamant he will never wield the Sword again and seeks to destroy it for good.
- Inept Mage: At the beginning of the series, he’s trying to hide the fact he lost his powers several years ago. He still has a great knowledge of magic, but he can’t use it himself. It’s revealed he lost his powers when Lenore drew the Sword of Power from his body.
- Momma's Boy: Merlin says he was very close to his mother as a child; he was afraid of his father and thought him brilliant but "cruel".
- Papa Wolf: Once he learns she's his daughter, Merlin is afraid that Nimue will be killed by those who seek the Sword of Power or that the Sword will corrupt as it did to him, exacerbated by the fact she's all he has left of Lenore and Lenore's dying wish was for Merlin to help Nimue. As such, he's willing to do just about anything to protect her, including trying to bargain with Cumber and Uther to spare her. When Nimue is shot and falls from a waterfall, Merlin is infuriated to the point he reclaims the Sword and unleashes lightning on the Paladins.
- Really 700 Years Old: Merlin is centuries old, but barely looks out of his thirties (his actor was around thirty-nine during the filming of Season 1).
- Related in the Adaptation: It’s revealed he’s the true father of Nimue in this retelling.
The Red Paladins
Father Carden
Father Carden
Portrayed by: Peter Mullan
The founder and leader of the Red Paladins; he is determined to wipe out the Fey and their culture in the name of God.
- Black-and-White Insanity: If you're not a Catholic and you don't wholeheartedly support his mission, you're a sinner and likely in-league with the Devil in Carden's book.
- Fantastic Racism: Towards the Fey. While he indicates his crusade is born out of religious fanaticism, the sheer enjoyment he seems to take in killing Fey make it clear it's more than just that, especially since he actually goes against Christian doctrine in many areas.
- Hate Sink: He's a manipulative, genocidal templar who is waging a campaign of genocide on an entire race of people who did nothing to him or his people under the assumption that they have it coming. He is just as oppressive to his own kind (Christian humans), willing to terrorize the entirety of a nunnery the Red Paladins are occupying. Merlin even implies that he doesn't do any of it because he actually believes in its holiness (or at least, not at first), but because he saw an opportunity to move up in society using fear and superstition as a tool.
- Hypocrite:
- He thinks pagans are sinful but willingly works with Cumber to exterminate the Fey and supports his claim to the throne, even though Cumber openly worships the Norse gods and couldn't care less about the Catholic Church. He also "adopted" and raised a Fey child to be one of his most formidable killers despite seeing Fey as Always Chaotic Evil who are meant to be killed on sight.
- When trying to justify the invasive manner they're probing the nuns of the abbey, he lists off the ways Fey have self-mutilated to hide themselves, treating this as evidence of their barbaric nature. He seems to overlook the little fact he himself committed self-mutilation when he branded himself with a cross on his head (and the same is said for the other Red Paladins). It's even worse when you consider in his case, he mutilated himself simply for an imposing symbol of his devotion to god, whereas the Fey he talks about in his examples mutilated themselves to hide who they were for fear of their lives. It tells you less about how barbaric the fey are and more about how brutal the Paladins are if people are willing to go to that extreme to hide from them.
- It's made pretty clear he considers all sins equal and would brutally murder people for comparatively minor displays of heresy, yet his entire crusade is heretic and many of the actions he employs (such as crucifying his victims) would be appalling to most Christians.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: He's actually one of the first people to call Nimue the Wolf-Blood Witch and makes a big deal about capturing her and the sword she carries. As a result, word about her spreads fast, giving the Fey hope and someone to rally around. The Pope chastises Carden for this, saying he's made her into a legend.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: It's implied by Merlin and Carden's own hypocritical actions that while his fanaticism isn't faked, exactly, he is using it to wield power for his own benefit.
- Off with His Head!: Nimue uses the Sword of Power to behead him.
- Playing Both Sides: He makes deals with both Cumber and Uther to try and get his hands on Nimue and the Sword of Power, promising to back them both as the rightful king. When Uther shows leniency towards the Fey, he ultimately sides with Cumber and leads an attack on Uther's camp.
- Sinister Minister: He's a militant Catholic priest who seeks to purge the world of "sin", mostly via a genocide of the Fey. He's also happy to torture and kill humans who help the Fey (even if they didn't know). He praises all the atrocities he and his Paladins commit as being the work of God.
The Weeping Monk
The Weeping Monk/Lancelot
Portrayed by: Daniel Sharman
One of the Red Paladins' deadliest warriors, who has an uncanny knack for tracking down Fey.
- Adaptation Species Change: In the legends Lancelot is human. Here he's revealed to be an Ash Folk, a rare type of Fey.
- Anti Anti Christ: Father Carden claims he's this: he's actually Fey-kind and was spared execution by Carden, who raised him to turn against his "evil nature" and serve God. But seeing as the Red Paladins are the villains and the Fey aren't inherently evil, it's all very warped.
- Anti-Villain: Types Woobie and Well-Intentioned. He genuinely believes the Red Paladins' crusade against the Fey is righteous; he was raised by Father Carden to believe he was damned and that only by serving "God's will" can he be saved and save others. The revelation that he's actually Fey-kind himself and Carden brainwashed him from childhood into seeing himself as inherently evil only cements this.
- The Dragon: He's Father Carden's right-hand man; when he's not at his side he's leading missions on Carden's orders, and the protagonists have to fight him before facing Carden.
- The Dreaded: The first episode establishes that his name is well-known and feared amongst the Fey.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He doesn't harm children (at least directly) and when Father Carden wants Squirrel to be tortured, the Weeping Monk protests that he's only a boy and poses no threat. He later turns on the Church partly to save Squirrel's life.
- Evil Wears Black: Unique among the Paladins, he dresses in all black rather than red.
- Excessive Evil Eyeshadow: He appears to wear dark make-up or tattoos that make it seem he's permanently weeping black tears. It turns out they're actually natural markings, common for the Ash Folk.
- Given Name Reveal: He reveals his birth name in the final episode: Lancelot.
- In the Hood: He constantly wears a hooded cloak, making him look more mysterious and sinister.
- One-Man Army: He's a skilled-enough fighter to be able to take out multiple opponents with little difficulty.
- Scarily Competent Tracker: He has an uncanny knack for tracking and sensing Fey, which makes him very useful for the Paladins. It's revealed that it may actually be an inherent magical ability, given he's of the Ash Folk.
- Villainous BSoD: He has an emotional breakdown in the tenth episode, whipping himself, ignoring Father Carden's summons and staying in his tent to pray all day due to a severe crisis of conscience, questioning everything he believes. He subsequently has a Heel–Face Turn and turns on the Church to save Squirrel.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: It becomes clear that a lot of his actions are motivated by a desire to earn Father Carden's approval (which he also tends to conflate with God's approval). At one point, he breaks down and asks Carden if he would still love him even if he were regarded as damned.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Deconstructed. He won't directly harm children, even Fey children, but as Gawain points out to him he still causes them harm by destroying their homes and killing their families.
- You Are What You Hate: A really tragic example. He's actually a rare type of Fey called the Ash Folk, but Carden raised him to believe all the Fey - including himself - are inherently evil. The Weeping Monk refuses to acknowledge he's Fey while keeping it a secret from the other Paladins. He fears that no matter what he does in service to 'God', he will still not earn salvation.
Fey
Gawain
Gawain
Portrayed by: Matt Stokoe
A warrior of the Sky Folk, who leads a resistance against the Red Paladins.
- Adaptation Species Change: Played With; in the mythology, the Green Knight is certainly fey, but Gawain is not. The Green Knight is also said to have green skin (ergo his name), yet here he's a Sky Folk and thus appears to have human-passing skin and features.
- Childhood Friend: He and Nimue were close friends as children, until Gawain left the village. It's not a case of Childhood Friend Romance though; Gawain sees her as a little sister.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: He's subjected to this at the hands of Brother Salt. It's bad enough to leave him unable to walk and he eventually dies from his injuries.
- Composite Character: The Green Knight and Gawain are separate figures in the mythology, though they are linked as the Green Knight was a Trickster Mentor to Gawain. This crosses into Unrelated in the Adaptation and Age Lift, as Gawain is Arthur's nephew (and is either the son of Morgana or her nephew as well) and is significantly younger as a result.
- Cool Helmet: He has a green helmet with antlers.
- Dark and Troubled Past: He was Forced to Watch his brother be tortured to death by Paladins, unable to intervene without being captured and killed himself.
- Headbutting Heroes: Initially with Arthur. They are both passive-aggressive and occasionally outright hostile towards each other, both have different ideas on how best to proceed and Gawain distrusts Arthur at first because he's human (and a sellsword), but they both have the same goal of protecting the Fey.
- Like Brother and Sister: When Arthur asks Gawain if he loves Nimue, Gawain states he loves her like a little sister and Arthur can "marry her twice for all [he] care[s]".
- Rebel Leader: Gawain leads the Fey resistance against the Red Paladins; he carries out raids on Paladin camps, helps guide refugees safely to Nemos and tries to secure supplies for them.
- Red Baron: Gawain is known to most Fey as "The Green Knight".
- Ship Sinking: When Gawain is first introduced, his closeness with Nimue and hostility towards Arthur suggests he may have romantic feelings for Nimue, but when Arthur asks he says he thinks of her as a sibling and doesn't care if Arthur wants a relationship with her.
Lenore
Lenore
Portrayed by: Catherine Walker
A High Priestess of the Sky Folk and Nimue's mother.
- Adaptation Name Change: Typically, when the Lady of the Lake is decomposited as they are here, the name given to the lady who was Merlin's lover is Vivianne. Also crosses into Adaptational Heroine, as Vivianne is also typically given the Lady's more villainous actions.
- Arranged Marriage: Lenore had an arranged marriage to Jonah and never loved him. Which is why she didn't have a problem cheating on him with Merlin before the wedding.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: She is characterized as a loving and supportive parent, who continually defends her daughter from those who call her cursed and tries to encourage her to believe her powers could be used for good. She's also the only family Nimue has, her father having abandoned her years ago. Lenore is murdered by Red Paladins near the end of the first episode; in fact, large chunks of the second episode are dedicated to a grieving Nimue reminiscing about her mother.
- Decomposite Character: She takes on many traits of the Lady of the Lake herself, making her and Nimue something of a Legacy Character. Most notably, it's Lenore, not Nimue, who was Merlin's lover, which is why Nimue here is his daughter instead.
- High Priestess: She is the High Priestess of the Sky Folk and keeper of their temple.
- Last Request: Her dying request is for Nimue to bring the Sword of Power to Merlin, setting up the overarching plot for half the first season.
- The Lost Lenore: Lenore is revealed to be a literal example to Merlin; they had a Secret Relationship before Lenore ordered Merlin to leave to prevent the Sword from corrupting him again, and the next time Merlin saw her is when he finds her murdered body.
- Sympathetic Adulterer: Lenore cheated on her fiancé by sleeping with Merlin, though she's presented sympathetically as she didn't choose to marry Jonah and she truly fell in love with Merlin.
Pym
Pym
Portrayed by: Lily Newmark
A Sky Folk girl who is best friends with Nimue.
- Affectionate Nickname: Aaron, a boy from Gramaire who has a crush on her, calls her Minnow. She regards Aaron as an Abhorrent Admirer, but she keeps it to protect herself and also lets Dof call her Minnow.
- Best Friend: She's Nimue's best friend (and her only friend besides Squirrel, until she meets Arthur and Morgana).
- Exact Words: When the Red Spear considers hiring her as a healer, Pym proclaims that she's "never lost a patient". Seeing as she's never had any patients, it's technically true.
- Nice Girl: She is non-confrontational, loyal and kind. It's telling that despite most of the Sky Folk seeing Nimue as cursed, Pym stands by her.
- Plucky Comic Relief: The overall story has a rather serious and dark tone, except when Pym takes center stage. Her story arc and even her personality are much more comedic and lighthearted, even though she’s also on the run from the Red Paladins.
- Put on a Bus to Hell: In the first episode she's dragged off by the Paladins and we don't know what happened to her. In the fourth episode it's revealed she escaped and is hiding in Gramaire.
- Shrinking Violet: She tends to be meek and easily intimidated, though she becomes better at standing her ground and is tougher than she looks.
- Tragic Keepsake: Dof insists she keep his Sigurd pendant - which he gave her to keep her safe - as he's dying and she wears it constantly from then on.
Squirrel
Squirrel
Portrayed by: Billy Jenkins
A young Sky Folk boy who is friends with Nimue and aspires to become a warrior.
- Given Name Reveal: It's revealed that his birth name is Percival, though he doesn't much like it.
- Intergenerational Friendship:
- Downplayed with Nimue. He is good friends with Nimue despite them not being in the same age group; Nimue is in her late teens while Squirrel looks about 10 (his actor was around 12 during the filming of Season 1).
- He's a loyal companion of the Green Knight, who is nearly two decades older.
- Morality Pet: He becomes this to the Weeping Monk.
- Mouthy Kid: He's a stubborn, snarky kid who curses more than expected, while also being brave and loyal to his friends.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: He prefers to go by his nickname of Squirrel.
Pendragon Kingdom
Uther Pendragon
King Uther Pendragon
Portrayed by: Sebastian Armesto
The ruler of a nearby kingdom, who is struggling to maintain control due to a recent drought and the Red Paladins running rampant over his lands.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: It's revealed that in this retelling, Uther is actually a peasant woman's son, who was forcibly adopted by Queen Lunete to replace her stillborn son.
- Adaptational Heroism: Uther's not exactly a saint here, but he's never depicted as having started a war with a lord over his wife, nor having used magic to commit rape by deception, as he does in the legends.
- Age Lift: Uther is portrayed as much younger than usual (his actor was around 37 during filming, only a decade older than Arthur's actor, although this is justified given they're not father and son here).
- Don't Create a Martyr: When the Paladins call for Nimue's torture and execution, Uther lampshades this trope, saying that publicly burning her will just turn her into a martyr for the Fey to rally around and keep the conflict going.
- Freudian Excuse: With a mother like Lady Lunete, it's not that surprising he turned out to be self-absorbed and neurotic. She herself admits she "wasn't meant to be a mother".
- Hates Their Parent: He has a strained relationship with his mother, Lady Lunete, hating that she's always trying to manipulate him for her own gain. He does occasionally listen to her, though. And then he finds out the truth of his birth and things really go downhill.
- Hidden Depths: He's not actually as stupid and spineless as he initially appears. He's able to successfully manipulate Lunete, makes it clear he's not going to tolerate Father Carden's antics if he can help it and knows that executing Nimue will simply anger the Fey further.
- Manchild: Despite being a man grown and a king, he comes off as a whiny spoiled brat who tends to resort to screaming and Percussive Therapy when things don't go his way. He's also easily manipulated, overly dependent on other people and not good at sticking to his decisions.
- Oblivious Adoption: He learns that Queen Lunete isn't his biological mother; the baby son she gave birth to was stillborn and she secretly adopted Uther to pass him off as her late husband's trueborn son. It's Played for Drama, as it means Uther actually has no lawful claim to the throne and he also discovers Lunete killed his birth mother to hide her secret.
- Royal "We": He's fond of using this. In this case, it also underlines how he conflates what's best for his kingdom with what's best for him.
- Took a Level in Badass: He spends most of the first season as a whiny, incompetent monarch who is manipulated by everyone, especially his mother and Merlin. By the end though, he's amassing armies, standing up to the Paladins, covertly investigating the circumstances of his birth and manipulates Lunete into drinking poisoned wine. Even Merlin is a bit impressed.
- Unrelated in the Adaptation: Unlike in the legends, Arthur isn't his son in Cursed.
Lunete Pendragon
Lady Lunete Pendragon
Portrayed by: Polly Walker
The scheming mother and former regent of King Uther.- Abusive Parent: She's emotionally abusive to Uther; she constantly tries to control and undermine him, and it's implied she was never very affectionate, treating him more as a tool to gain power than her son. She later bluntly tells him she's not his real mother and that her "true" son would never have been so weak, which is a horrible thing to say to an adopted child.
- Ambition Is Evil: All her worst acts were committed to maintain her position as queen, including poisoning a peasant woman to take her newborn son, to hide the fact her own child had died.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: Lady Lunete is the Queen Mother and former Queen Regent of Uther's kingdom. She's a scheming, power-hungry Manipulative Bitch who is constantly trying to meddle in the kingdom's affairs and rule through her son. It's eventually revealed she took a peasant woman's baby to replace her stillborn son in order to keep her power, and had the woman murdered to keep her secret.
- Never a Self-Made Woman: Lunete is well aware of this and despises it. She always felt she was destined to rule, but the patriarchal world she lived in wouldn't let her, so she had to settle for ruling through her son.
- Regent for Life: She intended to become this, ruling the kingdom through her son, but her strained relationship with Uther and his lack of trust in her put a spanner in that.
Vikings
Cumber
King Cumber
Portrayed by: Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson
A Viking king who claims to be the true heir to Uther's kingdom.
- Action Dad: He has two daughters and brings them on raids with him.
- Establishing Character Moment: His first scene has him beheading a captive soldier and sparing another so he can tell Uther that the true heir has come to claim the throne.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He clearly cares for his two daughters. And when Merlin gives him the blanket that held his stillborn cousin, he holds it to his face and seems quite emotional.
- Outliving One's Offspring: The Red Spear kills his second daughter, Dagmar.
- Red Baron: He is known as "The Ice King" due to coming from the far north.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: He's prepared to personally fight for the throne he claims is his.
- Villain Has a Point: He actually is the rightful heir the Pendragon kingdom; his royal cousin was stillborn and Uther is an imposter secretly adopted by Queen Lunete (although Uther himself is initially unaware of this). Uther and his adoptive mother are also clearly unfit to rule, though it's doubtful Cumber would be much better.
The Red Spear
The Red Spear
Portrayed by: Bella Dayne
The leader of a group of raiders, who opposes Cumber.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: The book Cursed is based on reveals she's actually Guinevere, in which case her backstory differs greatly from the mythological character. In the myth Guinevere is often depicted as a British noblewoman whose family is descended from Roman nobility; in Cursed she's a Viking shieldmaiden presumably from Scandinavia.
- Adaptational Nationality: In this series she's from Scandinavia given she's a Viking (the exact country isn't specified). In the original myths Guinevere is British with Roman ancestry.
- Braids of Action: She wears part of her hair braided as befits a Viking warrior.
- Dark Action Girl: She's the captain of a longship and fights alongside her crew.
- Jerkass: She's generally bad-tempered and aggressive. She was willing to have Pym thrown overboard to drown because she thinks Fey are bad luck (as opposed to just ditching her on land) and only stops plundering small coastal settlements because they have nothing worth stealing (though that's typical behavior for a Viking raider).
- Mean Boss: She agrees to hire Pym as a healer, but spends a lot of her time threatening, yelling and swearing at her even as she's doing her best to patch her and her raiders up.
- Pragmatic Villainy: At Pym's suggestion, she switches from attacking villages to raiding the camps of the Red Paladins, because the Paladins have already stolen all the wealth from these people.
- Red Baron: She's constantly referred to by her epithet of "The Red Spear"; her given name is currently unknown (although the book the show is based on reveals her name is Guinevere).
- Xenafication: In this take on the Arthurian Legend, Guinevere goes from a noblewoman to a Viking raider, with an aggressive personality to match.
Dof
Dof
Portrayed by: Nikolaj Dencker Schmidt
One of the Red Spear's raiders, who forms a close friendship with Pym.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: He dies in Pym's arms after being mortally wounded.
- Interspecies Romance: He's aware that Pym is Fey-kind, but he isn't bothered in the slightest and is clearly attracted to her.
- Nice Guy: He may be a Viking raider, but he's a surprisingly compassionate and amiable bloke, especially towards Pym. He speaks up for her to get a place on the Red Spear's longship, helps her cope with sea-sickness and comforts her when she's afraid.
Yvoire Abbey
Iris
Sister Iris
Portrayed by: Emily Coates
A troubled young nun who aspires to join the Red Paladins.
- The Bad Guy Wins: By the end of the first season, Iris has gotten everything she wanted; she has (seemingly) killed the Wolf-Blood Witch and earned praise and recognition from the Holy Father himself for her actions. Although she doesn't get to be a Paladin, she gets something even better when she's initiated into the Trinity Guard, who are far more elite than the Paladins.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Iris says that according to the nuns who took her in, her father strangled her mother to death shortly after Iris was born, out of anger she wasn't a boy.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: She's pale and dark-haired, with an unsettling demeanor and a violent streak.
- Locked into Strangeness: After nearly being struck by the lightning conjured by Merlin, Iris is left with a scar on one side of her face and white streaks in her hair.
- Sanity Slippage: Iris was far from being the poster child of sound mental health to start with, but by the end of the season she's become even more unstable; at one point she's seen arguing with herself in a room painted with bloody crosses, and even holds her arm over a candle as she's psyching herself up to kill Nimue.
- Teens Are Monsters: She's implied to be a young teen and is a fanatical supporter of the Red Paladins. She eventually burns down her abbey, killing many of the nuns, to "cleanse" it of sin and sets out to join the Paladins. By the end of the first season, she's murdered two Fey and seemingly manages to kill Nimue by shooting her repeatedly with arrows.
Celia
Sister Celia
Portrayed by: Sophie Harkness
A nun who is in a romantic relationship with Morgana.
- Ambiguous Situation: It's unclear if Morgana is actually communicating with Celia's ghost, or if she's just an illusion conjured by the Cailleach.
- Bury Your Gays: She's killed off in the same episode she was introduced, although her ghost continues to show up on behalf of the Cailleach, who teaches Morgana magic.
- Lipstick Lesbian: Celia is a feminine young woman with long hair and traditional clothing. She was in a relationship with Morgana.
- The Lost Lenore: She becomes this to Morgana, who's grief and guilt over Celia's death makes her vulnerable to the Cailleach's manipulations; the dark goddess uses Celia's specter to persuade Morgana that she is (allegedly) destined to become the most powerful sorceress in the land.
- Nice Girl: She's depicted as a sweet, gentle girl who always thinks the best of everybody.
- Satellite Love Interest: Her entire character revolves around her relationship with Morgana.
Abbess Nora
Abbess Nora
Portrayed by: Caroline Lee Johnson
The head of Yvoire Abbey.
- Good Shepherd: Although stern and strict toward her nuns, she is a caring woman who unlike the Church doesn't believe all Fey are evil, allowing Nimue shelter in the abbey.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: She shelters Nimue and when the Paladins find out, they torture her and drag her off to a presumably grisly fate, seeing her actions as a grave sin.
- Parental Substitute: She serves as this to Morgana, as both her parents died and she was sent to the convent as a child. Morgana clearly cares for her and is devastated when the Red Paladins take her.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: She allows Nimue to shelter in the abbey, no questions asked, despite suspecting she's a Fey refugee. When Father Carden questions whether they have been any new arrivals at the convent, she lies to his face that there's "no one she can think of".
- Stern Nun: She's quite strict and serious, though she's a genuinely caring person beneath this.
- Traumatic Haircut: To punish and humiliate her for aiding the Fey, the Paladins shave her hair off so brutally her scalp is bloody.
