Sleeping Enchantments are enchantments that influence sleep. Some spells are mild, inducing sleep for a few hours at most, while others are powerful enough to put an entire city to sleep indefinitely.
History
Mary Collins cast a powerful sleeping enchantment over the Court of Camelot in an attempt to assassinate Arthur Pendragon. She disguised herself as Lady Helen, a renowned singer, and cast the enchantment in the form of a song.
This enchantment caused the banquet room to grow progressively darker and webs to form around the sleeping victims. Merlin, however, was able to protect himself by covering his ears. He quickly used his magic to make a chandelier fall on Mary, stopping her song and lifting the enchantment (The Dragon's Call).
Edwin Muirden used an enchantment to put his Elanthia Beetles back to sleep after Merlin accidentally woke them (A Remedy to Cure All Ills).
Morgause placed a sleeping enchantment on Morgana's bracelet to block her prophetic dreams (The Sins of the Father).
When Vivian entered Arthur's room while under the influence of Trickler's love spell, Merlin cast a spell to put her sleep. He hid her in the wardrobe until Arthur and her father left, then carried her back to her chambers (Sweet Dreams).
After Morgana agreed to help bring about Uther's downfall, Morgause made her the source of an enchantment that put all of Camelot to sleep. She first put Morgana to sleep, then drew a circle around her body with a stick while incanting a spell. As she chanted the spell, Morgana's body glowed with a blue light.
The enchantment caused the people around Morgana to feel lethargic and eventually fall into an eternal sleep. It was so powerful that even Merlin's magic could not protect him; only Morgana, as the source, was immune.
Merlin tried using several spells to wake Gaius, but none of them worked. He later learned from Kilgharrah that because the enchantment was sustained by a living vessel, the only way to lift it was to kill the source. Morgause ultimately lifted the spell herself after Merlin poisoned Morgana (The Fires of Idirsholas).
Alator placed a sleeping enchantment on Gaius while kidnapping him (The Secret Sharer).
After helping Arthur carry Guinevere to the Cauldron of Arianrhod, Merlin (disguised as the Dolma) cast a spell to wake her from her drugged sleep (With All My Heart).
Known Spells
- Used by Mary Collins to sing the Court of Camelot to sleep (The Dragon's Call):
- "Blah khien barrah fweelah. Blah khien aiza krum. Aloe khio bragam harah eefnell. Broe floe mesing lah, breeyoolah naaadryu. Broilin sar akhwah, roe hagroe nonestroe. Broilin sar akhwah, mortsin danah dradeh. Broilin sar akhwah, noe... Weeben proe, proe sah yakmah, haryay nakhah. AGAH! MADAH! SADAH! HAGAH!"
- Used by Edwin Muirden to put the Elanthia Beetles to sleep (A Remedy to Cure All Ills):
- "Sfeffin."
- Used by Morgause to enchant Morgana's bracelet (The Sins of the Father):
- "Gefultume hi thaet heo onslaepe."
- Used by Merlin to put Vivian to sleep (Sweet Dreams):
- "Swefe nu!"
- Used by Morgause to make Morgana the source of an enchantment that put all of Camelot to sleep (The Fires of Idirsholas):
- "Acenne slaep swylce cwalu. Acenne slaep swylce cwalu. Acenne slaep swylce cwalu."
- Used by Merlin while attempting to wake Gaius (The Fires of Idirsholas):
- "Ic the bebeode thaet thu nu slaepest!"
- Used by Alator to put Gaius to sleep (The Secret Sharer):
- "Onslaep nu!"
- Used by Merlin (as the Dolma) to wake Gwen from a drugged sleep (With All My Heart):
- "Gielde ic thec thissa meowlessawole... Gyden aeblaece."
Appearances
- Series 1
- The Dragon's Call
- A Remedy to Cure All Ills
- Series 2
- The Sins of the Father
- Sweet Dreams
- The Fires of Idirsholas
- Series 4
- The Secret Sharer
- Series 5
- With All My Heart
Trivia
- A loose translation of Mary Collins's song in The Dragon's Call is:
- "Lovely night has come to us, lovely night, soft and dark; the lovely night that ends a long and hard, weary day; so rest... Lay your body down, forget your life. Spiders of the night come, spin your silky webs. Spiders of the night come, bind them in their sleep. Now, spiders of the night, spin! Wrapped in your shroud, dead to the world... just like my son: dead, dead, dead, DEAD!"