Merlin BBC UK TV Show - Opinion Piece Part 19 - Gauis’ Longevity
While watching the TV show, I was surprised to notice the extra-ordinary long life span of Gauis.
Despite being the oldest recurring character in the series, he outlives Uther, Lancelot, Gwaine, Morgana and even ARTHUR!!!!!
Like For Real?
The more I think about it the answer lies in the Season 1 Episode 13 - Le Morte D'Arthur .
A quick Synopisis
In this episode, Arthur is mortally wounded by the questing beast. Merlin goes to Nimueh to bargain his life for Arthur’s. While Arthur recovers it is Merlin’s mother Hunith whose life now hangs in the balance. Merlin decides to exchange his life for Hunith’s but Gauis reaches Nimueh before Merlin and bargains his life instead
When Merlin meets Nimueh, he sees Gauis lying unconscious presumably dead.
Merlin angrily shouts, saying he bargained his life for Arthur’s, not Hunith, Gaius or anyone else. Nimueh says the Old Religion does not care who lives or dies, only the natural balance of life and death is restored i.e Life pays with Life
They engage in a magical battle; Nimueh injures Merlin who tells Nimueh: “You should not have killed my friend!” She is then struck by lightning summoned by Merlin, and dies.
Gaius awakens because Nimueh’s death has compensated for his own.
Nimueh was a priestess of the old Religion. It was she who impregnated Ygraine ( Arthur’s Mother) using magic which lead to her death and the beginning of Uther’s persecution against magic users. However despite being older than Merlin she appears to be the same age as him. This proves that her aging process is very slow and/or she has a very long life span.
Since Nimueh’s death revived Gauis, he ends up inheriting her lifespan and/or slow aging process.
This could explain how Gauis seemed to recover quite well despite being brutally tortured in the Witchfinder episode. A man of his age could not have survived or not recovered as well from such an ordeal.
I think the Merlin creators were inspired by this plot from Harry Potter.
To resist being affected by their instinctual drives, consciously not giving in to them or not expressing them too freely.
Fears :
Being defective
Motivated By :
Need To Be Right ; Improving Everything ; Justifying Themselves
The result is a personality type that has problems with repression, resistance, and aggression.
They are usually seen by others as highly self- controlled, even rigid, although this is not how they perceive themselves.
It seems to them that they are sitting on a cauldron of passions and desires, and they have to repress it, least they and everyone else around them regret it.
The result is a personality type that try to enliven others with their appreciation and attention and helps people to see positive qualities in themselves that they had not previously recognized.
On the downside, they have a tendency to become over-involved in the lives of others, and can manipulate others to get their own emotional needs met.
Success-Oriented ; Image-Conscious ; Out Of Touch With Emotions
Desires :
To feel valuable and worthwhile
Fears :
Being worthless
Motivated By :
The need to be affirmed, to distinguish themselves, to have attention and be admired
The result is a personality type that are often successful and well liked because they believe in themselves and in developing their talents and capacities.
They act as living “role models” and paragons because of their extraordinary embodiment of socially valued qualities.
They want to make sure their lives are a success, however that is defined by their family, their culture, and their social sphere.
They will try to become somebody noteworthy in their family and their community.
They will not be a “nobody.”
The downside is that, in the headlong rush to achieve whatever they believe will make them more valuable, they can become so alienated from themselves that they no longer know what they truly want, or what their real feelings or interests are.
In this state, they are easy prey to deceit, and falseness of all kinds.
The need to maintain their freedom and happiness, avoid missing out and keep themselves occupied
They can be described as extremely optimistic, exuberant and upbeat.
They are endowed with abundant vitality and a desire to fully participate in their lives each day.
They are naturally cheerful and good humored, not taking themselves too seriously, or anything else for that matter
However in pursuit of whatever seems to offer freedom and satisfaction, they tend to make worse choices, and they are less able to be satisfied because everything is experienced indirectly, through the dense filter of their fast-paced mental activity.
The result is that they can end up anxious, frustrated, and enraged, with fewer resources available to them be they physical, emotional, or financial.
They may end up ruining their health, their relationships, and their finances in their search for happiness.
The need to prove their strength and to be in control of their situation
They are true “rugged individualists”. This results in a personality that often refuse to “give in” to social convention, and they can defy fear, shame, and concern about the consequences of their actions.
Although they are usually aware of what people think of them, they do not let the opinions of others sway them.
They go about their business with a steely determination that can be awe inspiring, even intimidating to others.
On the downside, when they feel hurt and rejected they will attempt to defend themselves by rejecting others first.
The result is that they become blocked in their ability to connect with people or to love.
The need to create harmony, avoid conflict, preserve things as they are, resist whatever would upset or disturb them
The result is a personality type that demonstrate the universal temptation to ignore the disturbing aspects of life and to seek some degree of peace and comfort by “numbing out.”
They respond to pain and suffering by attempting to live in a state of premature peacefulness, whether it is in a state of false spiritual attainment, or in more gross denial.
They have a tendency to run away from the paradoxes and tensions of life by attempting to transcend them or by seeking to find simple and painless solutions to their problems
The need to possess knowledge and understand the world
The result is a personality that wants to retain everything that they have learned and carry it around in their heads.
The problem is that while they are engrossed in this process, they are not interacting with others or even increasing many other practical and social skills.
They devote more and more time to collecting and attending to their collections and less to anything related to their real emotional needs.
