Board Thread:Show-Related Questions and Answers/@comment-26116863-20151117024202/@comment-8345449-20151211061730

ChocolatEyes613 wrote: From how I understood the theory, the magic granted from the Holy Grail is Dark by nature. Merlin found a way to harness the Darkness for good, which is why he was deemed worthy to drink from the cup. Merlin told Emma that Nimue was the origin of dark magic. "You need its power to talk to the first dark one, to reach all the way back to the origin of dark magic." This implies that magic granted from the Holy Grail was originally light. Merlin was the very first light magic user (unless others have drank from the Grail before) and Nimue was the first dark magic user.

Andrewh7 wrote: Did Merlin lose his magic and immortality when Emma untethered him from Excalibur? Seems to be the case. Merlin told Snow and the rest in the forest that he no longer had magic.