Magical Creatures: The Afanc

The Afanc was the creature which contaminated the water supply of Camelot way back in Series 1, episode 3, The Mark of Nimueh.
So now I will be thinking back, and studying each aspect of the Afanc.

Where do Afanc's come from?
An Avank is a creature conjured from clay using very powerful magic. They are placed inside some kind of egg:

Then they hatch out and grow into this:

This Afanc was conjured by the sorceress Nimueh and sent to Camelot's water supply to contaminate it.

Contaminated Water
As I said, this Afanc was sent to Camelot where it hatched out and contaminated the water. I'm not exactly sure how the Afanc could contaminate the water. Maybe it was like Morgause's sleeping spell over Camelot with Morgana as the living presence sustaining it: Nimueh used a spell to contaminate the water and the Afanc sustained the magic. Anyway, if you drink the contaminated water, your skin turns white, and you lose all your strength - then die.

Cures to the Illness
There is no scientific or medical cure to the illness caused by the Afanc. Your only hope would be magic, like when Merlin healed Gwen's father using a magic poultice...

Or to kill the Afanc.

How to Destroy an Afanc
An Afanc is made up of two of the four base elements, Earth and Water. The other two base elements, Wind and Fire, will destroy it.

So that's pretty much all I know about the Afanc!

See Other Magical Creatures Posts

Dragons

Sidhe

PS: I realise this is totaly un-Merlin related, but have you heard about the petition against a coal mine being build on the edge of the iMfolozi wilderness in South Africa? Find out more here. Once the petition is over, I will remove this text.