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Well, welcome back. Today's podcast is storming through the finale of The Daily

Wire's The Pendragon Cycle, Rise of the Merlin, like Aurelius' warband against

impossible odds.

Episode by episode, spoilers sharper than a sword.

So, if you haven't watched Episode 7 yet, you need to stop and hit play now,

because we are going into the misty heart of Calathon, the legendary

wood from Welsh lore and Arthurian tales.

Now, the name Calathon is not a random decision from Lawhead. It refers to the

ancient mythic Caledonian forest, which is a vast woodland that stretches across

northern Britain in Welsh and Arthurian tradition.

It's tied to King Arthur's early battles and also to wild places beyond a Roman

order and also to Caledonia, which was the Roman name for what we now call

Scotland. So this is the edge of the known world. This is where civilization

thins and the spiritual realm presses close.

And here, in a cave deep within that forest, is where we find Merlin. Hail,

man of the wood.

He is broken, he's mad with grief, and he's huddled in the darkness, something

like Elijah fleeing Jezebel in 1 Kings 19.

We're told that he's been here for 50 years, living on locusts and honey, so

another biblical reference there, very much like John the Baptist in the

wilderness.

prophet, hermit, exile.

And just as in 1 Kings, the first remedy offered to the shattered servant of God

is not rebuke or revelation, but food and drink.

And it's always astonishing to me how often scripture reminds us that rest,

nourishment, and just basic physical care are the first steps back from

So the wise man who tends Merlin, first glimpsed in Taliesin's visions long ago,

coaxes him back toward himself.

And in one of the most heartbreaking moments of the entire series, Merlin

confesses that he cannot let go of his burden because his grief and guilt are

all that he has left of his wife, of Garniera.

Burden it may be, but it's all I have left.

So his sorrow has become almost sacred to him because it's the last place that

she exists for him.

Time has come, my son.

To be reborn.

And wow, then he sees a vision of his father Taliesin.

Then we come back to the present where we find that war has come.

Aurelius' army is camped in East Anglia near the Saxon coast and the first

arrows rain down.

And as the commanders are counting their numbers, the situation looks very grim.

15 ,000 Saxons against roughly 2 ,500 Britons. And these are really bad odds.

And Morcant, ever the opportunist, asks the obvious question.

How are we to drive out?

How do you drive out an army six times your size? And as desertion and

treachery spread, those odds are growing even worse by the hour.

Except for Gorlaz. So he's the newly one -eyed, and he is now all in with

Aurelius. In fact, so much so that he confronts Mortant, who is planning to

leave quietly.

But just as swords are drawn, reinforcements arrive. And what

they are, because it's the Atlanteans of the north with Merlin at their head.

And I got to say that King Custodon is such a great character.

I hear you brought us some Saxons to kill.

He's easily become one of my favorites over the course of this story. It really

makes you think, no wonder Ganyetta was such an extraordinary singular woman.

So then Merlin reunites with his mother and asks for Taliesin's sword.

That's big. She hasn't brought it, but the request alone is enormous because

the first time since Conietta's death, Merlin is willing to take up arms again.

At least we think so. This time for Britain.

Uther, meanwhile, continues making eyes at Gorlis' daughter, Igerna, and Merlin

questions him, and the exchange carries some unmistakable foreshadowing. Does

your brother know?

My brother has more important matters to attend to.

As do we all.

Anyone who knows their Arthurian canon hears that drumbeat of destiny growing

louder. And speaking of drumbeats, on the eve of battle, the War Council

Gorliss calls their plan desperate.

Custanin, however, remains calm because he understands that their secret weapon

is not in numbers, but in Merlin. So Uther leans into this. He's pressing

for a commitment to fight in this battle.

But Merlin, meanwhile, is pointing out the obvious problem.

I lead you into victory, Uther.

The men of Britain will proclaim me king.

So if Merlin wins for them, it's going to undermine Aurelius' authority.

So a bit of a catch -22 there. Yet Uther, deeply patriotic in his own

way, acknowledges that even if it erases Aurelius' hope of claiming the high

throne, it may still be worth the risk if Britain survives.

So that tension, the difference between winning the war and saving the nation,

sits at the heart of this episode. So at that point, Merlin withdraws to pray.

Smartest thing you can do in a situation like this.

And what he prays sounds unmistakably like

St. Patrick's breastplate, which is also known as the Lorica. Now, if you're not

familiar with that, it's traditionally dated to around 433 A .D., right in this

period. And it's a prayer of spiritual armor, binding oneself to Christ's

protection against both physical...

and supernatural threats.

Now, St. Patrick himself was not Irish, as a lot of people tend to assume, but

he was actually a Romano -Briton, and that makes this prayer especially

here. It's still an incredibly powerful prayer recited by Christians today, and

if you've never heard it, I will encourage you to maybe go find it, maybe

I particularly recommend a video reading of the prayer by Northern Irish pastor

Jamie Bambrick, and you can find that anywhere searching YouTube.

But the upshot here is that Peleus is quite right to say that in his focused

pleas to heaven, Merlin is already beginning to engage the battle. He's

fighting on his knees.

So Uther continues meeting with Igerna, much to Gorlaz's displeasure.

Meanwhile, Custanin is gently pressing Carus to encourage Merlin to act and not

just to wait for deliverance from the Lord.

And then we hear something that's really noteworthy. You're a lady of the lake.

You are King Golas of Tintagel, yes?

Caris is called the Lady of the Lake, and that obviously has some huge

implications for where this story is going.

We also hear the name Tintagel, and that's a real place in Cornwall later

associated with Arthur's conception and birth.

In medieval tradition, Tintagel becomes this liminal space between worlds,

between royalty and prophecy.

And these are really not subtle hints. These are the Arthurian signposts that

Lawhead is using to blaze like signal fires, pointing out the direction we're

heading. Now, like his father Taliesin, Merlin used this song as both history

and prayer. And that was standard for medieval bards, who were not just

entertainers. They were also memory keepers. They were morale builders and

spiritual anchors. Now, in Celtic and Welsh tradition, they also rallied

warriors pre -battle with praise poems.

satire against foes and genealogies that would make the warriors on the field of

battle proud. And it also served to unify those troops and to strengthen

resolve. Think something like bagpipes for Scots. So those songs are really

important, and it works.

Merlin's speech that follows reminds them what they fight for, a united

where the true God is worshipped and justice, not pagan blood sacrifice,

So emboldened by Merlin's words, the warriors find fresh vigor and unity

they head out to that battle at dawn.

Final goodbyes are exchanged, father and son, father and daughter.

Merlin meets Aurelius privately and confesses his failure. He says that he

neglected his calling as Britain's bard to uphold the army through song and

prayer during battle. So obviously he plans to do that differently this time.

And historically, this matters because in early medieval warfare, the spiritual

battle was believed to determine the physical one.

Leaders did pray, priests did intercede, and bards did sing. So victory was

never merely tactical. There was very much a spiritual element to it.

Uther, however, offers Merlin another form of service.

He leaves him a sword.

So he's not fully trusting in prayer. He would like to see Merlin pick up a

weapon. But the next morning, Merlin tells Peleus that they will not fight.

Aurelius rallies his men and draws the sword of Britain, the sword of Magnus

Maximus, and he gives it to Uther, his war chief. And that moment lands hard

because it echoes forward in time toward everything that we know is eventually

coming in this story.

Then we hear the unsettling horns of the Saxons. And with them, they bring a

Saxon dangling human heads like talismans. So two religions are going to

on this battlefield.

One built on blood sacrifice and the other built on sacrificial love.

Now, despite Hengist acknowledging that the horses help make up the deficit in

troops, the Saxons look confident.

The Brits, however, look afraid.

Men are starting to run in panic.

At that point, Uther uses Merlin's trick of emboldening his men through song,

and it appears to work.

And what we see here is Merlin's increasing influence over Uther. And we

know that this also worked for historical medieval armies who did

kind of rhythmic chanting or singing for morale, intimidation, and coordination.

Merlin is standing above the battlefield, praying, a little like

his arms while Joshua fought the Amalekites. And now the fog and chaos of

The Britons seem to be acquitting themselves well, but the problem is

vastly outnumbered. And just when Hengist's vanguard is overcome, he sends

second wave while the Brits are already stretched to their limit.

But there is still hope for Aurelius' strategy as he and his band ride to

Hemhengistin from behind.

And with a word of caution, Merlin finally releases his steward, Peleus, to

fight. Now, back at the field hospital, Carus and Egerna are being kept sadly

busy by the mangled bodies of their fallen men. Back on the hill overlooking

Battle Valley, a vision of Ganyetta urges Merlin to fight rather than pray.

But is she a vision from heaven or is she a vision from hell?

Oh, okay. Actually, it's Morgan. So vision from hell it is.

But what a great piece of dialogue here.

You owe me a debt.

You owe me a father.

I got chills in that moment. And we also learned that Morgan intended to kill

her sister way back in episode two, but she accidentally hit Taliesin instead.

But even with a mistake here or there, Morgan has always been playing the long

game. And historically, she echoes Morgan Le Fay, who, fun fact, I played

high school in a costume that some of the parents did consider a little bit

scandalous. She's sometimes sister, she's sometimes aunt, she's sometimes

enchantress, but she's always a seductress.

And Morgan Le Fay, whatever name she inhabits in all of these various

traditions, is always an enigmatic figure who's working outside moral

So in the 13th century Vulgate cycle, she imprisons her master Merlin in a

And in other Welsh folklore, she will entrap him in a tree. But here we learn

a terrible development.

The Saxons anticipated Aurelius' strategy, and they demand that Morgan's

stepson, Lot, loose his arrows on his own men.

From the distant hill, Morgan continues to taunt Merlin. It seems she actually

is playing 4D chess and has plans for a future that will see neither Hengist nor

Aurelius on the throne. Her desire is to see Merlin take up the sword and rule.

And for a while, it might have been our desire, too.

But I think we, the viewers, at this point have to stop and ask ourselves, if

Morgan wants it, could it possibly be a good idea?

Through her magic, she transforms his ordinary sword into the Fisher King's

sword, manipulating Merlin's emotions, both with that and also with the vision

of his lost wife.

And, you know, she is kind of right. The Britons do need deliverance here. But

tempting Merlin to give in to his power is just a ploy for Morgan.

She plans to rule through her nephew by having him usurp Aurelius. And right

this second, Aurelius' chances of victory do look to be dwindling. The

are drawing to the end of their strength.

point that we have Custon out there pummeling the enemy with his own false

And further highlighting this, at the hospital tents, Caris is having to arm

herself now as she sees Saxon troops approaching even that supposedly safe

space. Back on the hill, now we know what Morgan's plan is. She will rule

through her nephew, the mighty Merlin, if she can get him to usurp Aurelius'

place. But still, Merlin desperately cries out to Christ for guidance.

And through that power slows the world. We're suddenly plunged into this

flashback from Merlin's madness, except that this is the healing moment that

finally brings him out of that madness because there is Taliesin. We get this

sweet image of a father bathing his son, something that he never had the

opportunity to do in life, thanks to Morgan.

And it also acts as this sort of second baptism for Merlin. It's very

reminiscent of Taliesin's baptism back in episode two.

Because Merlin needs to have those sins of his youth that continue to plague his

conscience washed away so that he can be useful today.

And Taliesin tells him what every good father tells his child.

You.

You were my vision, my son.

When Merlin cries that Taliesin is wrong and that he's failed.

Taliesin doesn't deny it, but he does tell him that he can go back and start

again. So it's really just this beautiful, tender scene as Taliesin

his first shave and haircut.

Just very touching.

He at last lets go of the past as we learn how Peleus first found him. But

all of the temptation, Merlin refuses to take up the sword and thus the throne.

And with that refusal, we see that Aurelius was successful in his gambit.

With the help of Lot, he had taken the head of Hengist. So now we know that Lot

ultimately followed his higher instincts and gave his allegiance to Aurelius.

And that was the one fatal flaw in Morgan's plan.

She didn't consider that someone else in her sphere might not make the mercenary

decision, but might actually make a principal decision.

So I guess Morgan's stepson was the one who was really playing 4D chess.

Demoralized by the loss of their leader, the Saxon ranks quickly fall apart.

Morgan realizes that she has failed, but she does pledge to regroup for further

nefarious business on another day. As to what she sacrificed for the victory

that did not come, we see the image of her son's torque.

So it appears that our little crab torturer from episode four is no longer

us. And so the surviving kings of Britain...

take the knee to recognize Aurelius as their united High King. And that

Uther, who presents the Sword of Britain to his brother. And for the first time,

we hear the title of Pendragon when Merlin bestows it on Aurelius. All hail

Aurelius, High King and Pendragon of Britain.

So what is a Pendragon, you ask?

Well, it's a Welsh -derived title meaning chief dragon or figuratively

warrior or commander -in -chief.

Scholars believe it referred to the use of the dragon standard, the Draco, which

was a war banner adopted from Roman cavalry by British leaders to signify

command.

Now, in Arthurian legend, Pendragon is commonly associated with Uther, not

Aurelius. So maybe we're getting a little foreshadowing here of division

the brothers, as Uther looks conflicted when he hears that. And as he walks

away, Goros makes it clear that he would actually prefer to give his beautiful

daughter to Aurelius, who already looks very smitten.

But what we do know is that Uther has changed a lot in this story.

As Merlin and Uther clasp arms, we start to see just how far Uther has come as a

character here. Because he's gone from somebody who only distrusts Merlin and

only has cynicism for him.

to someone who starts to think, well, gosh, you know, maybe this Merlin does

know a thing or two, and maybe his help is going to be useful in ruling the

kingdom. But at that same moment, Merlin has a vision of another future peril,

as the ownership of the Sword of Britain, which is resting in Agurna's

disputed. So at that point, Merlin then picks it up and drives it into that

iconic stone to prevent any further squabbling.

And that is where the story ends.

Not so much with a king, but with a choice.

Who is going to be the one to pull that sword from the stone? And when?

And that brings us to the end of this rewatch journey.

From the fall of Atlantis to the rise of kings, from prophecy and sacrifice to

love, loss, and the terrible cost of power, this series has reminded us why

Arthurian story endures.

Lawhead's vision and this adaptation insist that Britain is not saved by

strength alone, but by faith. It is not saved by conquest, but by choosing the

good when the throne itself is within reach.

So Merlin's greatest act is not wielding a sword, but laying it down. And in

doing so, he makes room for the once and future king to come.

So if you've walked this road with us, we would love to hear from you. What

moments stayed with you? Which ones were difficult for you to watch? Leave us a

comment, share your thoughts, and join the conversation.

Because legends only remain alive when they're told together.

Thanks for joining us.