Uther Pendragon

Uther Pendragon was a King of Brittania/Britian, and the father of legendary King Arthur.

Myths & Legends
Although there are not too many detailed descriptions of King Uther, throughout literature he is often described as a strong king and a defender of the people.

Chased from the Kingdom
Uther's elder brother Constans was crowned king after their father passed away. However, Constanz is murdered by his adviser Vortigern, who seizes the throne. As the younger brothers, Uther and Aurelius Ambrosius, are still children, they flee the country.

Although Vortigern tries to ally with the Saxons and hire them as mercenaries, they turn against him.

Becoming King
As adults, Aurelius and Uther return to Brittania and burn Vortigern in his castle. After Aurelius Ambrosius becomes king, Merlin and Uther assist him, but Britain remains in a state of war.

When Aurelius falls ill, Uther leaves the castle to lead the army, which unfortunately allows an assasin to poison and kill the king. As Aurelius dies, a comet taking the form of a dragon's head (pendragon) appears in the night sky, which Merlin interprets. He says it is a sign that Ambrosius is dead and that Uther will be victorious in this battle and return to succeed his brother as king. Uther returns home victorious and is crowned king, adding "Pendragon" to his name.

Birth of Arthur
When another enemy attacks Britain, Uther must go to war again. He is not as successful this time and was only able to obtain victory with the help of Duke Gorlois of Cornwall. During the following celebration, Uther falls in love with the Duke's wife, Igraine. This causes discord and then war between the two. Merlin intervenes and assists Uther, using his magic to disguise Uther as Gorlois. While in disguise, Uther sneaks into the Duke's castle, and sleeps with Igraine, which is when Arthur was conceived. Later, Gorlois is killed and Uther marries Igraine.

Death
However, the war with the Saxons starts up once again, and King Uther leaves to battle with them. Although he eventually wins against them, he dies after drinking water from a spring the Saxons had poisoned.

Film & Animation

 * In the TV series Merlin, Uther Pendragon lives long enough to raise his son Arthur, but is a paranoid, magic-hating king.