Arborlon
Encyclopedia
Arborlon is the capital city of the Elves
in the fictional Shannara
series of novels by Terry Brooks
. In the Original Shannara Trilogy
, the first 3 books, Arborlon is located in the Westland of The Four Lands
. In The Elfstones of Shannara
, the defense of Arborlon is one of the central plot lines. Arborlon is not visited again until The Elf Queen of Shannara
, where it is discovered that the Elves moved the entire city from the Four Lands to an island off the west coast by the use of a magical stone known as the Loden. Arborlon is the only city of Elves that Brooks has described in detail, but there is another city of Elves in the Westland known as Wing Hove. These Elves consider themselves a separate people from the Elves of Arborlon, although their ancestors originated from Arborlon.
and other isolated cottages to the west. The entire area, including the Gardens of Life, are known as Arborlon, however. The Carolan provides a measure of security to Arborlon, serving as the city's boundaries on the east, north, and south. The entrances to Arborlon are to the west and the east, with impassible mountains to the north and south. On the west side of the Carolan, there is the Elfitch, a series of seven stone ramps and iron gates which lead from the top of the Carolan to the base of the bluff at the east bank of the Rill Song river. On the east side there are smaller stairways which lead down to the Valley of Rhenn to the east of Arborlon.
. The Heritage of Shannara
series takes place approximately 100 years after Arborlon's removal from the Westland. The Elf Queen of Shannara, third book in the Heritage series, describes Arborlon's removal and its new location. The Loden Elfstone was used to remove the entire city of Arborlon, including the Gardens of Life and other trees and vegetation, from the Carolan. Arborlon sits on a bluff similar to the Carolan on Morrowindl. When Morrowindl began to become dangerous due to the spawning of many dangerous creatures around the island, the "Keel" was constructed around Arborlon. It is a large stone wall, constructed by hand, but maintained by the magic of the Ruhk Staff and the Loden. The Keel has three sets of gates leading out of the city, one main gate and two smaller ones. There is also a moat just inside the city walls. There are dozens of places where the moat is bridged to provide access to the top of the wall of the Keel. By the end of The Elf Queen of Shannara, Arborlon has been removed from Morrowindl and placed on its prior location in the Westland atop the Carolan.
, the first book of the most recent trilogy The Genesis of Shannara, Arborlon is located deep in the woods of Oregon
. The descriptions of Arborlon in Armageddon's Children match its initial descriptions in The Elfstones of Shannara, showing how the city itself remained largely unchanged in the 2 millennia that separates the two books. In the third book of the Genesis series, The Gypsy Morph
, the Loden is used to remove and subsequently carry Arborlon from Oregon to an area near Spokane, Washington
by a young Elf named Kirisin Belloruus.
of the Great Wars by Hawk
, the Gypsy Morph. He used the last of his magic to encircle and protect Arborlon and the other survivors. Arborlon remained intact while the landscape of the Earth was changed into the landscape of The Four Lands.
Elves (Shannara)
Elves are one of the races in the Shannara series of epic fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. They are the only race of the faerie creatures still in the World, though they now have become mortal. Though Elves usually refers to the Westland Elves, Elves can be split into two: the "Land Elves" and the...
in the fictional Shannara
Shannara
Shannara is an epic fantasy series of novels written by Terry Brooks, beginning with The Sword of Shannara in 1977 and continuing through Bearers of the Black Staff which was released on August 24, 2010, as well as a prequel, First King of Shannara...
series of novels by Terry Brooks
Terry Brooks
Terence Dean "Terry" Brooks is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy, and has also written two movie novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career, and has over 21 million copies of his books in print...
. In the Original Shannara Trilogy
Original Shannara Trilogy
The Original Shannara Trilogy consists of the first three Shannara novels by Terry Brooks...
, the first 3 books, Arborlon is located in the Westland of The Four Lands
The Four Lands
The Four Lands is the fictional world where Terry Brooks' Shannara series is set. The Genesis of Shannara trilogy reveals the Four Lands to be located in the modern Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada. Much of the landscape has been changed from a future holocaust, but some...
. In The Elfstones of Shannara
The Elfstones of Shannara
The Elfstones of Shannara is an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. It is the first sequel to The Sword of Shannara and the second book in The Original Shannara Trilogy...
, the defense of Arborlon is one of the central plot lines. Arborlon is not visited again until The Elf Queen of Shannara
The Elf Queen of Shannara
The Elf Queen of Shannara is the third book of the tetralogy The Heritage of Shannara written by Terry Brooks. It was first published in 1992.- Plot summary :...
, where it is discovered that the Elves moved the entire city from the Four Lands to an island off the west coast by the use of a magical stone known as the Loden. Arborlon is the only city of Elves that Brooks has described in detail, but there is another city of Elves in the Westland known as Wing Hove. These Elves consider themselves a separate people from the Elves of Arborlon, although their ancestors originated from Arborlon.
Arborlon in the Westland
In The Elfstones of Shannara, Arborlon is described in great detail. It is situated atop a flat towering rock known as the Carolan, which rises steeply from the east shore of the Rill Song, a Westland river. Arborlon is high above the surrounding land, although it is within a dense area of forest as well. The city proper, where the Palace is located, is on the east side of the Carolan, with the Gardens of LifeGardens of Life
The Gardens of Life are a fictional location in the epic fantasy Shannara series by Terry Brooks. Being the home of the Ellcrys, the magical tree that keeps the Demons of old locked away in an alternate universe , it was one of the central locations in The Elfstones of Shannara.- Description :The...
and other isolated cottages to the west. The entire area, including the Gardens of Life, are known as Arborlon, however. The Carolan provides a measure of security to Arborlon, serving as the city's boundaries on the east, north, and south. The entrances to Arborlon are to the west and the east, with impassible mountains to the north and south. On the west side of the Carolan, there is the Elfitch, a series of seven stone ramps and iron gates which lead from the top of the Carolan to the base of the bluff at the east bank of the Rill Song river. On the east side there are smaller stairways which lead down to the Valley of Rhenn to the east of Arborlon.
Arborlon on Morrowindl
Arborlon was moved to Morrowindl, an island about 200 miles across off the coast of the Westland, 200 years following the events of The Wishsong of ShannaraThe Wishsong of Shannara
The Wishsong of Shannara, an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks, is the third and final novel in the Original Shannara Trilogy, with the other two being The Sword of Shannara and The Elfstones of Shannara. The story revolves around Jair and Brin Ohmsford, the children of the main characters from...
. The Heritage of Shannara
Heritage of Shannara
The Heritage of Shannara is a series of four fantasy novels by Terry Brooks, set hundreds of years after the original Shannara trilogy. Unlike the original trilogy, however, this series is all one, cohesive story, in contrast to the three isolated stories of the originals...
series takes place approximately 100 years after Arborlon's removal from the Westland. The Elf Queen of Shannara, third book in the Heritage series, describes Arborlon's removal and its new location. The Loden Elfstone was used to remove the entire city of Arborlon, including the Gardens of Life and other trees and vegetation, from the Carolan. Arborlon sits on a bluff similar to the Carolan on Morrowindl. When Morrowindl began to become dangerous due to the spawning of many dangerous creatures around the island, the "Keel" was constructed around Arborlon. It is a large stone wall, constructed by hand, but maintained by the magic of the Ruhk Staff and the Loden. The Keel has three sets of gates leading out of the city, one main gate and two smaller ones. There is also a moat just inside the city walls. There are dozens of places where the moat is bridged to provide access to the top of the wall of the Keel. By the end of The Elf Queen of Shannara, Arborlon has been removed from Morrowindl and placed on its prior location in the Westland atop the Carolan.
Arborlon before the Great Wars
In Armageddon's ChildrenArmageddon's Children
Armageddon's Children is the first novel in Terry Brooks' fantasy trilogy The Genesis of Shannara, which bridges the events of Brooks' Word/Void trilogy with his Shannara series...
, the first book of the most recent trilogy The Genesis of Shannara, Arborlon is located deep in the woods of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. The descriptions of Arborlon in Armageddon's Children match its initial descriptions in The Elfstones of Shannara, showing how the city itself remained largely unchanged in the 2 millennia that separates the two books. In the third book of the Genesis series, The Gypsy Morph
The Gypsy Morph
The Gypsy Morph is the third novel in Terry Brooks' fantasy trilogy entitled The Genesis of Shannara, which bridges the events of Brooks' Word & Void series with his Shannara series. It takes place in an apocalyptic world around the year 2100 and immediately follows the novel The Elves of Cintra...
, the Loden is used to remove and subsequently carry Arborlon from Oregon to an area near Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
by a young Elf named Kirisin Belloruus.
Arborlon during the Great Wars
In its new location near Spokane, Arborlon is protected by the nuclear holocaustNuclear holocaust
Nuclear holocaust refers to the possibility of the near complete annihilation of human civilization by nuclear warfare. Under such a scenario, all or most of the Earth is made uninhabitable by nuclear weapons in future world wars....
of the Great Wars by Hawk
Hawk (Shannara)
Hawk, also known as John Ross Freemark in Angel Fire East, is a fictional character from Terry Brooks' Genesis of Shannara trilogy of novels, written as a prequel to his Shannara series...
, the Gypsy Morph. He used the last of his magic to encircle and protect Arborlon and the other survivors. Arborlon remained intact while the landscape of the Earth was changed into the landscape of The Four Lands.