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Demons (Shannara)
Encyclopedia
Demons is a common name for many different creatures in the Shannara
series of epic fantasy novels by Terry Brooks
. The 'true' demons were sealed long ago within an alternate universe, named the Forbidding; this prison is 'maintained' by the Ellcrys
, a sacred Elven
tree; if she dies, the Forbidding fails. The Demons first threatened the Four Lands when the Ellcrys began to die in The Elfstones of Shannara
, but were defeated by the united efforts of the Bordermen of Callahorn
, the Elves, Trolls, Dwarves, Allanon
, the Elfstones wielded by Wil Ohmsford
and Amberle Elessedil
. These same Demons played a central role the High Druid of Shannara
trilogy, where they attempted to break free of their prison once more (see below).
In addition, the Shannara prequel
novels of the Word/Void
and The Genesis of Shannara series contain demons (uncapitalized in the texts) of an apparently different origin: they are former humans who have sold their souls in service to the Void.
from The Elfstones of Shannara
, an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. The Reaper was known for its killing, being described bluntly in Elfstones:
Unlike almost all of the Demons that were trapped behind the Forbidding, the Reaper served Dagda Mor "out of whim and not out of fear or respect."
was still a Chosen, he followed her and Wil Ohmsford
to the Bloodfire. During the journey, the Reaper killed the 'original' 6 Chosen, a patrol of Elven Hunters, a band of Rovers, the entire garrison of Elves
that were stationed at the outpost in Drey Wood, the six Elves that had been sent to protect Amberle, and, lastly, the mutant Elf Wisp. However, when Wil Ohmsford
aimed the blue Elfstones at its face (not its body), the Reaper was finally killed.
When Grianne Ohmsford
was sent to the Forbidding, the Moric took her place in the Four Lands. Setting out to end the Forbidding once and for all, the Moric assimilated an Elven
Druid and set out to manipulate the Federation
into destroying Arborlon
, in order to destroy the Ellcrys tree. However, despite its possession of Sen Dunsidan, the Moric was tricked into returning to the Forbidding, where it met its end in the jaws of a dragon.
Lord, is the most powerful Demon within the Forbidding. Seeking a way to escape the realm of the Forbidding, he manipulated several treacherous Druids in the Four Lands opposed to the current Ard Rhys (High Druid), Grianne Ohmsford
in an attempt to break down the walls of the Forbidding. He provided Shadea a'Ru with a powerful potion known as 'Liquid Night', which he convinced her would send Grianne into the Forbidding, where she could not escape from her banishment. However, he withheld an aspect of the magic: by sending Grianne to the Forbidding, a Demon would be transferred to the Four Lands, where Tael hoped that it would find a way to destroy the Ellcrys
, freeing the Demons. After the switch, he sent out his Trackers to find Grianne Ohmsford, and they captured her and brought her to him. After testing her several ways, he deemed her fit to bear his children; but she managed to escape his castle with the help of an ex-tracker. Though he searched for her, he was unable to find her before she escaped the Forbidding.
; Allanon
managed to escape them, though it is not explained in the novel how he did.
series: one appeared in The Elfstones of Shannara
at Halys Cut and was killed by Allanon
; the other appeared in the High Druid of Shannara
trilogy, when it was drawn to the Darkwand by the flashing lights the staff gave off. That dragon was not killed, however; it last appeared at the end when it was 'toying' with the Moric.
novels to the entire Shannara
series, different demons appear, and they are also seeking to destroy the world. These demons are former humans who accepted an offer of service to the Void. They are described in Armageddon's Children
as being a "new demonkind, one born of the human race", and distinctly separate from the demons that appeared in The Elfstones of Shannara
. When they first accepted the offer to join the Void, they began to shed their human-form, becoming less and less human. Eventually, they were stripped down to a hard, winged husk similar to a bat, which becomes their 'true-form'. In the Word/Void series, set in the late 20th century and early 21st century, demons covertly work to cause discord among humans, striving to set into motion the events that will cause the Great Wars
; when they come about, these wars eliminate most of humanity. The Genesis of Shannara trilogy, set eighty years after Angel Fire East
, demons now dominate the planet and they have enslaved many of the remaining humans. These demons command legions of "once-men", humans who choose to join the demon's army and began to grow insane, changing mentally, psychologically, emotionally, and physically. These legions are used to overwhelm the remaining human strongholds when they are found. The demons also have begun to breed new demons by experimenting upon human children.
A special form of Demon is a Changeling, which are identical to regular Demons, albeit their unique ability to effortlessly and rapidly change forms; they can shapeshift in a matter of a few seconds. One of these Demons infiltrated the Cintra and spied on the Elves for an unknown period of time; the final form he took was that of the historian Culph. He was killed by Kirisin with the Elfstones at the end of The Elves of Cintra
. Another example was the Klee, who was tracking Hawk in The Gypsy Morph
. The Klee took on the form of persons known to its targets in order to lure them away from safer locations.
Some demons prefer to cast away their human appearance, assuming a more lethal demonic form but forgoing the ability to blend in amongst the populace. An example is Delloreen of Armageddon's Children and The Elves of Cintra, who shed her human appearance to become a 10 feet (3 m) wolf-like demon because of her desire to kill Angel Perez.
The most powerful of the demons of this time is Findo Gask
, who is unlike his contemporaries in that he kills and triggers chaos out of pure curiosity, not hatred. He is the primary antagonist of the novels Angel Fire East and Armageddon's Children
. Other notable demons in these series include Delloreen and Tragen (Armageddon's Children); Penny Dreadful, Twitch, and the Ur'droch (Angel Fire East); Stefanie Winslow (A Knight of the Word
); and Nest Freemark
's father in Running with the Demon
.
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 epic fantasy 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...
. The 'true' demons were sealed long ago within an alternate universe, named the Forbidding; this prison is 'maintained' by the Ellcrys
Ellcrys
The Ellcrys is a fictional sapient tree with silver bark and crimson leaves that was "created by the bonding of earth and life". She appears in two novels of the Shannara series. She is the magical linchpin of the barrier that keeps the Demons that once overran the Four Lands trapped in an...
, a sacred Elven
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...
tree; if she dies, the Forbidding fails. The Demons first threatened the Four Lands when the Ellcrys began to die 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...
, but were defeated by the united efforts of the Bordermen of Callahorn
Callahorn
Callahorn is a fictitious autonomous country in most of the Shannara series of books by Terry Brooks. It first appeared in the opening novel, The Sword of Shannara.- Location :...
, the Elves, Trolls, Dwarves, Allanon
Allanon
Allanon is a fictional character from the epic fantasy Original Shannara Trilogy and the trilogy's prequel, First King of Shannara; all four are by Terry Brooks. Described as Brooks' "most enigmatic character", Allanon is very secretive and appears only when needed...
, the Elfstones wielded by Wil Ohmsford
Wil Ohmsford
Wil Ohmsford is a fictional character from the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, appearing in two novels: The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. He is the grandson of Shea Ohmsford and the grand-nephew of Flick Ohmsford....
and Amberle Elessedil
Amberle Elessedil
Amberle Elessedil is a fictional character from the epic fantasy novel The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks. She was meant to be the "strong female lead" that was lacking in The Sword of Shannara....
. These same Demons played a central role the High Druid of Shannara
High Druid of Shannara
High Druid of Shannara is a trilogy of fantasy novels in the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. Set 20 years after the events of The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, the series chronicles the adventures of Pen Ohmsford as he seeks to rescue his aunt, the High Druid Grianne Ohmsford.-Jarka Ruus:The...
trilogy, where they attempted to break free of their prison once more (see below).
In addition, the Shannara prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
novels of the Word/Void
Word/Void
The Word & Void series by Terry Brooks is a trilogy of dark urban fantasy novels primarily set in Illinois in the late 20th and early 21st century....
and The Genesis of Shannara series contain demons (uncapitalized in the texts) of an apparently different origin: they are former humans who have sold their souls in service to the Void.
The Dagda Mor
The Reaper is a fictional characterFictional 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...
from 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...
, an epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. The Reaper was known for its killing, being described bluntly in Elfstones:
Unlike almost all of the Demons that were trapped behind the Forbidding, the Reaper served Dagda Mor "out of whim and not out of fear or respect."
Appearance
The Reaper's appearance was that of a tall ("almost seven feet tall when it rose to its full height") figure clad in a cloak and hood the "color of damp ashes". It had clawed hands, and despite its appearance moved with the "ease and grace of the best Elven Hunter." The only part of the Reaper never seen by anyone alive is its face, as it only reveals to its victims just before their death.Role in The Elfstones of Shannara
The Reaper was dispatched by the Dagda Mor for several missions, among them killing the Chosen. When it was discovered that Amberle ElessedilAmberle Elessedil
Amberle Elessedil is a fictional character from the epic fantasy novel The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks. She was meant to be the "strong female lead" that was lacking in The Sword of Shannara....
was still a Chosen, he followed her and Wil Ohmsford
Wil Ohmsford
Wil Ohmsford is a fictional character from the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, appearing in two novels: The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. He is the grandson of Shea Ohmsford and the grand-nephew of Flick Ohmsford....
to the Bloodfire. During the journey, the Reaper killed the 'original' 6 Chosen, a patrol of Elven Hunters, a band of Rovers, the entire garrison of Elves
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...
that were stationed at the outpost in Drey Wood, the six Elves that had been sent to protect Amberle, and, lastly, the mutant Elf Wisp. However, when Wil Ohmsford
Wil Ohmsford
Wil Ohmsford is a fictional character from the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, appearing in two novels: The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. He is the grandson of Shea Ohmsford and the grand-nephew of Flick Ohmsford....
aimed the blue Elfstones at its face (not its body), the Reaper was finally killed.
The Moric
The Moric is a Changeling demon; it is capable of assuming not only the form but the personality of those who it imitates. Its true appearance is unknown.When Grianne Ohmsford
Grianne Ohmsford
Grianne Ohmsford was abducted from her burning home when she was a young child by a powerful and evil warlock called the Morgawr, who knew that the power of the Wishsong held by the Ohmsford family had the potential to destroy him. He brainwashed Grianne into believing that it was the Druids,...
was sent to the Forbidding, the Moric took her place in the Four Lands. Setting out to end the Forbidding once and for all, the Moric assimilated an Elven
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...
Druid and set out to manipulate the Federation
The Federation
The Federation may refer to:* Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, often just called "The Federation", a part of the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina* The Federation , an interstellar alliance in the Star Trek fictional universe...
into destroying Arborlon
Arborlon
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...
, in order to destroy the Ellcrys tree. However, despite its possession of Sen Dunsidan, the Moric was tricked into returning to the Forbidding, where it met its end in the jaws of a dragon.
Tael Riverine
With the death of the Dagda Mor, Tael Riverine, StrakenStraken
Straken is the third book in the High Druid of Shannara trilogy of Terry Brooks' Shannara series. First published in 2005, it takes place immediately after the events of Tanequil...
Lord, is the most powerful Demon within the Forbidding. Seeking a way to escape the realm of the Forbidding, he manipulated several treacherous Druids in the Four Lands opposed to the current Ard Rhys (High Druid), Grianne Ohmsford
Grianne Ohmsford
Grianne Ohmsford was abducted from her burning home when she was a young child by a powerful and evil warlock called the Morgawr, who knew that the power of the Wishsong held by the Ohmsford family had the potential to destroy him. He brainwashed Grianne into believing that it was the Druids,...
in an attempt to break down the walls of the Forbidding. He provided Shadea a'Ru with a powerful potion known as 'Liquid Night', which he convinced her would send Grianne into the Forbidding, where she could not escape from her banishment. However, he withheld an aspect of the magic: by sending Grianne to the Forbidding, a Demon would be transferred to the Four Lands, where Tael hoped that it would find a way to destroy the Ellcrys
Ellcrys
The Ellcrys is a fictional sapient tree with silver bark and crimson leaves that was "created by the bonding of earth and life". She appears in two novels of the Shannara series. She is the magical linchpin of the barrier that keeps the Demons that once overran the Four Lands trapped in an...
, freeing the Demons. After the switch, he sent out his Trackers to find Grianne Ohmsford, and they captured her and brought her to him. After testing her several ways, he deemed her fit to bear his children; but she managed to escape his castle with the help of an ex-tracker. Though he searched for her, he was unable to find her before she escaped the Forbidding.
Appearance
Tael Riverine is a Straken, and as such, he is a powerful wielder of magic, perhaps even more powerful than Grianne Ohmsford. His appearance is that of a tall, muscular man with dark black skin. Spines extend from his body from everywhere but his head, and he wears an outfit of several weapons strapped to his body. He has cold, ice-blue eyes.Demon Species
Aside from powerful demons such as the Straken Lords, there are also Demons that are far more common, and exist in larger numbers.Furies
Furies are Demons that have gone mad with bloodlust. They were described graphically in The Elfstones of Shannara: "They were grotesque creatures, their bodies a sinuous mass of grey hair, their limbs bent and vaguely human, their multiple fingers grown to claws. ... [Their faces] were the face of women, their features twisted with savagery, their mouths...the jaws of monstrous cats." These creatures came from the Forbidding with the help of the Dagda Mor. These creatures were trying to destroy Allanon during his first encounter with the Dagda Mor.Demon-wolves
Demon-wolves were referred to in The Elfstones of Shannara as being "things that were wolf-like, but much larger, and with faces that appeared grotesquely human as they lifted in the moonlight, long teeth snapping."Role played
In The Elfstones of Shannara, Demon-wolves gave chase to Allanon, Wil and Amberle as they fled her home, Havenstead. They would have caught Wil and Amberle if they wouldn't have been 'whisked away' by the King of the Silver RiverKing of the Silver River
The King of the Silver River is a fictional character from the Shannara series of epic fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. He has appeared in many of the novels in the series as a recurring character.- Biography :...
; Allanon
Allanon
Allanon is a fictional character from the epic fantasy Original Shannara Trilogy and the trilogy's prequel, First King of Shannara; all four are by Terry Brooks. Described as Brooks' "most enigmatic character", Allanon is very secretive and appears only when needed...
managed to escape them, though it is not explained in the novel how he did.
Dragons
Two Dragons appeared in different parts of the ShannaraShannara
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: one appeared 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...
at Halys Cut and was killed by Allanon
Allanon
Allanon is a fictional character from the epic fantasy Original Shannara Trilogy and the trilogy's prequel, First King of Shannara; all four are by Terry Brooks. Described as Brooks' "most enigmatic character", Allanon is very secretive and appears only when needed...
; the other appeared in the High Druid of Shannara
High Druid of Shannara
High Druid of Shannara is a trilogy of fantasy novels in the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. Set 20 years after the events of The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, the series chronicles the adventures of Pen Ohmsford as he seeks to rescue his aunt, the High Druid Grianne Ohmsford.-Jarka Ruus:The...
trilogy, when it was drawn to the Darkwand by the flashing lights the staff gave off. That dragon was not killed, however; it last appeared at the end when it was 'toying' with the Moric.
Demons of the Word & Void and The Genesis of Shannara series
In the novels of the Word & Void and The Genesis of Shannara series, the prequelPrequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
novels to the entire 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, different demons appear, and they are also seeking to destroy the world. These demons are former humans who accepted an offer of service to the Void. They are described in Armageddon's Children
Armageddon'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...
as being a "new demonkind, one born of the human race", and distinctly separate from the demons that appeared 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...
. When they first accepted the offer to join the Void, they began to shed their human-form, becoming less and less human. Eventually, they were stripped down to a hard, winged husk similar to a bat, which becomes their 'true-form'. In the Word/Void series, set in the late 20th century and early 21st century, demons covertly work to cause discord among humans, striving to set into motion the events that will cause the Great Wars
The Great Wars
The Great Wars are a fictional conflict from the Shannara series by Terry Brooks.According to legend, the Great Wars were a result of several things. These things were common to most societies: territorial dispute, political disagreement, and so on...
; when they come about, these wars eliminate most of humanity. The Genesis of Shannara trilogy, set eighty years after Angel Fire East
Angel Fire East
Angel Fire East is the third and final novel in the Word & Void series by Terry Brooks, written as a prequel to his Shannara series. It was first published in 1999 by Ballantine's Del Rey division. The novel takes place around Christmas in 2012, ten years after the events of A Knight of the Word...
, demons now dominate the planet and they have enslaved many of the remaining humans. These demons command legions of "once-men", humans who choose to join the demon's army and began to grow insane, changing mentally, psychologically, emotionally, and physically. These legions are used to overwhelm the remaining human strongholds when they are found. The demons also have begun to breed new demons by experimenting upon human children.
A special form of Demon is a Changeling, which are identical to regular Demons, albeit their unique ability to effortlessly and rapidly change forms; they can shapeshift in a matter of a few seconds. One of these Demons infiltrated the Cintra and spied on the Elves for an unknown period of time; the final form he took was that of the historian Culph. He was killed by Kirisin with the Elfstones at the end of The Elves of Cintra
The Elves of Cintra
The Elves of Cintra is the second novel in Terry Brooks's epic fantasy trilogy The Genesis of Shannara. The series bridges the events of Brooks' Word & Void series with his acclaimed novel The Sword of Shannara and the subsequent trilogy. It takes place in an apocalyptic world around the year 2100...
. Another example was the Klee, who was tracking Hawk in 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 Klee took on the form of persons known to its targets in order to lure them away from safer locations.
Some demons prefer to cast away their human appearance, assuming a more lethal demonic form but forgoing the ability to blend in amongst the populace. An example is Delloreen of Armageddon's Children and The Elves of Cintra, who shed her human appearance to become a 10 feet (3 m) wolf-like demon because of her desire to kill Angel Perez.
The most powerful of the demons of this time is Findo Gask
Findo Gask
Findo Gask is a small village in Perth and Kinross in Scotland, just off the main A9 road. It is in Strathearn, the valley of the River Earn.There are nearby remains associated with the Roman Road to the south and the Roman Frontier on the Gask Ridge....
, who is unlike his contemporaries in that he kills and triggers chaos out of pure curiosity, not hatred. He is the primary antagonist of the novels Angel Fire East and Armageddon's Children
Armageddon'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...
. Other notable demons in these series include Delloreen and Tragen (Armageddon's Children); Penny Dreadful, Twitch, and the Ur'droch (Angel Fire East); Stefanie Winslow (A Knight of the Word
A Knight of the Word
A Knight of the Word is the second novel in the Word & Void series by Terry Brooks, written as a prequel to his Shannara series. It was first published in 1998 by Ballantine's Del Rey division . The setting is primarily Seattle, Washington around Halloween in 2002, five years after the events of...
); and Nest Freemark
Nest Freemark
Nest Freemark is a fictional character from the Word/Void trilogy of novels by Terry Brooks, written as a prequel series...
's father in Running with the Demon
Running with the Demon
Running with the Demon is the first book in the Word & Void fantasy series, written by Terry Brooks as a prequel to his Shannara series. It was first published in 1997 by Ballantine's Del Rey division. The story takes place in a fictional town named Hopewell, Illinois, but is actually based on...
.