Arawn - Death Lord
Encyclopedia
Arawn, Death-Lord is a fictional character
in The Chronicles of Prydain
by Lloyd Alexander
. He is the main antagonist
of the series and is based on the god of death in Welsh mythology
of the same name.
Fictional character
In the story Arawn was an evil sorcerer who ruled over Annuvin
, a dark realm beyond the borders of Prydain also known as the Land of Death. Many years before the events of the story, he was a mortal man with magical powers who was tutored by the evil Queen Achren
, ruler of Prydain. When Achren was overthrown, Arawn, who had grown very powerful, took the Iron Crown of Annuvin and became its king. Achren became a servant beneath him but always plotted his downfall.
He later came into possession of the Black Cauldron with which he created a powerful undead army known as the Cauldron-Born. He then attempted to conquer Prydain, the fictional country
where the events of the story take place. He was thwarted in this endeavour by the Sons of Don, a race of warriors from the Summer Country who stood between him and world domination
ever since.
Arawn attempted to take over Prydain by despoiling the graves of fallen warriors and using the Black Crochan to turn them into Cauldron-Born but the Crochan was stolen by three witches named Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch and eventually found its way into the hands of the evil King Morgant who planned to use it to overthrow Arawn and become ruler of Annuvin and Prydain. Morgant was later killed and the Crochan destroyed.
, with the Horned King dead and the Crochan destroyed, Arawn's power seemed seriously depleted. However, with the help of the villainous Magg
, he stole the Black Sword, Dyrnwyn, the mightiest weapon in all of Prydain but the Sword could only be used by one with a pure heart and so given the fact that Arawn was evil personified, it was quite useless to him so he kept it shut away in a cache beneath a rock in Annuvin. Unaware that he could not use it, the peoples of Prydain panicked. Arawn allies himself with King Pryderi who commanded the mightiest army in all Prydain and used him to topple Caer Dathyl. With Caer Dathyl out of the way, Arawn sent his legions of Cauldron-Born to conquer Prydain, leaving Annuvin unprotected in the process. The main protagonist, a boy called Taran, led the remaining armies of Don to Annuvin, accompanied by Arawn's former mentor, Achren who had lost the majority of her powers and blamed Arawn.
Pryderi meanwhile plotted to overthrow Arawn and steal his power as Morgant before him did but Arawn was aware of this and sends Pryderi on a suicide mission.
During the siege of Arawn's fortress Taran found Dyrnwyn and used it to destroy the Cauldron-Born. Arawn then used his powers of shape-shifting to take on the form of Gwydion and attempted to trick Taran into giving him the sword but Taran saw through the ruse and attempted to strike Arawn who turned into a shadow and fled.
When Taran's forces gathered in the main gallery Arawn took the form of a snake and attempted to bite Taran but Achren who could see through Arawn's shapeshifting powers grabbed him and sustained a fatal bite to the neck in the process. Taran decapitated Arawn with the Black Sword, killing him instantly. Taran then discovered that he was the subject of an ancient prophecy saying that some day a boy would wield the Black Sword and vanquish the Death Lord and then become king of Prydain. Taran, being the Chosen One of the prophecy, then ascended his place as ruler of Prydain but the wise enchanter Dallben stated that although Arawn, the ultimate personification of evil within Prydain is destroyed, evil would continue to exist independent of him.
though he was obviously not indestructible. In The High King
Queen Achren (then sorceress) said that if Arawn were to go into Prydain unprotected and in his true form, he would be killed on sight so Arawn always employed his shape-shifting powers when in Prydain. His shape-shifting abilities gave him the ability to take on the appearance of anyone or anything, but when he did he took on the strength and weaknesses of whatever he was disguised as. This led to his downfall in the final book of the series. Arawn was never seen in his true form over the course of the series, although when he was decapitated by Taran while in his snake-form his body and head transformed into the those of a human figure but his body was wrapped in a black robe and his head was lying face down and both immediately disintegrated, so his physical features remain unknown.
In addition to his powers, Arawn possessed an extremely cunning, Machiavellian intellect. This is evidenced by his overthrowing of his powerful former mentor, Achren and his convoluted plans over the course of the stories.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in The Chronicles of Prydain
The Chronicles of Prydain
The Chronicles of Prydain is a five-volume series of children's fantasy novels by author Lloyd Alexander...
by Lloyd Alexander
Lloyd Alexander
Lloyd Chudley Alexander was a widely influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books...
. He is the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the series and is based on the god of death in Welsh mythology
Arawn
In Welsh mythology, Arawn was the king of the otherworld realm of Annwn, appearing prominently in the first branch, and alluded to in the fourth. In later tradition, the role of king of Annwn was largely attributed to the Welsh psychopomp, Gwyn ap Nudd...
of the same name.
Fictional characterFictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
history
In the story Arawn was an evil sorcerer who ruled over AnnuvinAnnwn
Annwn or Annwfn was the Otherworld in Welsh mythology. Ruled by Arawn, or much later by Gwyn ap Nudd, it was essentially a world of delights and eternal youth where disease is absent and food is ever-abundant. It later became Christianised and identified with the land of souls that had departed...
, a dark realm beyond the borders of Prydain also known as the Land of Death. Many years before the events of the story, he was a mortal man with magical powers who was tutored by the evil Queen Achren
Achren
Achren is a fictional character and villainess in the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain, written by Lloyd Alexander.-Profile:In the novels, Achren was once Queen of Prydain, and ruled many years as a harsh and vengeful tyrant, both as ruler and then as the Death-lord Arawn's consort...
, ruler of Prydain. When Achren was overthrown, Arawn, who had grown very powerful, took the Iron Crown of Annuvin and became its king. Achren became a servant beneath him but always plotted his downfall.
He later came into possession of the Black Cauldron with which he created a powerful undead army known as the Cauldron-Born. He then attempted to conquer Prydain, the fictional country
Fantasy world
A fantasy world is a fictional universe used in fantasy novels and games. Typical worlds involve magic or magical abilities and often, but not always, either a medieval or futuristic theme...
where the events of the story take place. He was thwarted in this endeavour by the Sons of Don, a race of warriors from the Summer Country who stood between him and world domination
Hegemony
Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
ever since.
The Book of Three
In the first book in the series, Arawn sent his general, the Evil Horned King, to amass a vast army with which to topple Caer Dathyl, the mightiest city in Prydain. With Caer Dathyl destroyed Arawn would have been able to enslave Prydain; however, the Horned King was destroyed by Gwydion, Prince of Prydain, Son of King Math, and his army was scattered.The Black Cauldron
In the second book in the series, The Black CauldronThe Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron can refer to:* The Black Cauldron , the second novel in The Chronicles of Prydain series* The Black Cauldron , the Disney animated film based on The Chronicles of Prydain book series...
Arawn attempted to take over Prydain by despoiling the graves of fallen warriors and using the Black Crochan to turn them into Cauldron-Born but the Crochan was stolen by three witches named Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch and eventually found its way into the hands of the evil King Morgant who planned to use it to overthrow Arawn and become ruler of Annuvin and Prydain. Morgant was later killed and the Crochan destroyed.
The High King
In the final book, The High KingThe High King
The High King is the last book in the Chronicles of Prydain fantasy series of books by Lloyd Alexander. It was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1969.-Plot overview:...
, with the Horned King dead and the Crochan destroyed, Arawn's power seemed seriously depleted. However, with the help of the villainous Magg
Magg
Magg is a character in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy Chronicles of Prydain book series. He appears as the secondary villain in the third novel of the series, The Castle of Llyr. He also makes an appearance in the fifth and final novel, The High King.- Description :Through hard work, Magg has become...
, he stole the Black Sword, Dyrnwyn, the mightiest weapon in all of Prydain but the Sword could only be used by one with a pure heart and so given the fact that Arawn was evil personified, it was quite useless to him so he kept it shut away in a cache beneath a rock in Annuvin. Unaware that he could not use it, the peoples of Prydain panicked. Arawn allies himself with King Pryderi who commanded the mightiest army in all Prydain and used him to topple Caer Dathyl. With Caer Dathyl out of the way, Arawn sent his legions of Cauldron-Born to conquer Prydain, leaving Annuvin unprotected in the process. The main protagonist, a boy called Taran, led the remaining armies of Don to Annuvin, accompanied by Arawn's former mentor, Achren who had lost the majority of her powers and blamed Arawn.
Pryderi meanwhile plotted to overthrow Arawn and steal his power as Morgant before him did but Arawn was aware of this and sends Pryderi on a suicide mission.
During the siege of Arawn's fortress Taran found Dyrnwyn and used it to destroy the Cauldron-Born. Arawn then used his powers of shape-shifting to take on the form of Gwydion and attempted to trick Taran into giving him the sword but Taran saw through the ruse and attempted to strike Arawn who turned into a shadow and fled.
When Taran's forces gathered in the main gallery Arawn took the form of a snake and attempted to bite Taran but Achren who could see through Arawn's shapeshifting powers grabbed him and sustained a fatal bite to the neck in the process. Taran decapitated Arawn with the Black Sword, killing him instantly. Taran then discovered that he was the subject of an ancient prophecy saying that some day a boy would wield the Black Sword and vanquish the Death Lord and then become king of Prydain. Taran, being the Chosen One of the prophecy, then ascended his place as ruler of Prydain but the wise enchanter Dallben stated that although Arawn, the ultimate personification of evil within Prydain is destroyed, evil would continue to exist independent of him.
Powers and abilities
Whilst he usually relied on the strength of his Huntsmen, his Gwythaints, and his Cauldron-Born armies, Arawn was immensely powerful in his own right. He appeared to be immortalImmortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
though he was obviously not indestructible. In The High King
The High King
The High King is the last book in the Chronicles of Prydain fantasy series of books by Lloyd Alexander. It was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1969.-Plot overview:...
Queen Achren (then sorceress) said that if Arawn were to go into Prydain unprotected and in his true form, he would be killed on sight so Arawn always employed his shape-shifting powers when in Prydain. His shape-shifting abilities gave him the ability to take on the appearance of anyone or anything, but when he did he took on the strength and weaknesses of whatever he was disguised as. This led to his downfall in the final book of the series. Arawn was never seen in his true form over the course of the series, although when he was decapitated by Taran while in his snake-form his body and head transformed into the those of a human figure but his body was wrapped in a black robe and his head was lying face down and both immediately disintegrated, so his physical features remain unknown.
In addition to his powers, Arawn possessed an extremely cunning, Machiavellian intellect. This is evidenced by his overthrowing of his powerful former mentor, Achren and his convoluted plans over the course of the stories.
The Black Cauldron film
Arawn does not appear in the Disney film adaptation of The Chronicles of Prydain but his role is filled by that of the Horned King. Arawn is meant to be the "spirit" trapped within the Cauldron.External links
- Arawn at the Disney Wiki an external wiki