Fanlore:Featured Article Archives/2019: Week 48
Slash Dragon is the fannish name for the Great Dragon, Kilgharrah, in Merlin. The name doesn't have a single point of origin, but rather appears to have been independently invented by just about every slash fan who's ever seen the Great Dragon talk about Merlin and Arthur, their shared destinies, how they are two sides of the same coin, and how they should spend more time together.
A parodist on livejournal (slash_dragon, who also happens to be a kinkme_merlin mod) sums up the attitude on their profile very well:
King Uther tried to destroy all magic in the land and locked me in a cave in the deepest pits below the castle of Camelot. Here I have remained, waiting for the Once and Future King to have hot sex with Merlin.
Many fans consider the Slash Dragon to be the greatest Merthur shipper, or consider him to be the voice of the fandom. The actor John Hurt, who voices Kilgharrah, is also affectionately known as the "Slash Dragon" thanks to this association.