Horned King
Encyclopedia
The Horned King is a fictional character from the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain
, and in the film The Black Cauldron
by Disney (voiced by John Hurt
).
In the book series, he appears only in the first book, The Book of Three
. He is Arawn
's champion and the War Leader of Annuvin. The Horned King is described as a huge man wearing armor (except for his arms, which are naked and stained crimson), a red cape and an antlered skull mask. The antlers are presumably where he gets his name.
Arawn sends the Horned King to capture the pig Hen Wen
from Caer Dallben
. He follows Taran
across Prydain
in search of the oracular pig Hen Wen, but cannot find her. In the end, he marches his army to Caer Dathyl
and attacks Taran when he and Eilonwy try to warn the Sons of Don of the impending attack. Taran tries to fight him with the sword Dyrnwyn, but is nearly slain by the sword's fire in his attempt to draw it. Gwydion
is able to defeat the Horned King by speaking his true name, which is never revealed; upon the utterance of his name, the Horned King is struck by a lightning blast and consumed by flames, disappearing below the surface.
film The Black Cauldron
combines scenes from the first two books, and uses the Horned King in place of Arawn as the movie's prime antagonist. He looks quite different in the movie; the antlers remain, but he wears a red hooded robe. Instead of a normal human, he appears to be an undead
, skeletal creature whose eyes glow red upon being angered or excited (a lich
) and is more on par with a sorcerer. He was voiced by John Hurt
.
In the movie, the Horned King searches for the title object, seeking to use its power to bring to life an army of undead soldiers and conquer the world. Deploying his servant, Creeper, the dragon-like Gwythaints
and human soldiers, the King seeks out the pig Hen Wen to aid in his quest. He eventually accomplishes his goal, but is thwarted some time later, when Gurgi
throws himself into the Cauldron. When he attempts to cast Taran into the Cauldron as well, he ends up being consumed by the Cauldron's power and destroyed.
In addition, the Horned King makes appearances in several of Disney's House of Mouse
episodes.
He is also mentioned in the episode "Rent Day" when Goofy lists a Disney Villains menu to Pete, saying a dish named "Horned King Crablegs."
This same version appeared as the final boss in the Sega Master System
and Game Gear
title, Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse
. The Horned King goes under the moniker of "The Phantom" in the game and is colored differently, white bones and black robe as opposed to green bones and crimson robe. In the Super Famicom game Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken, Pete plays the role of the Horned King in the game's final level, based on the park's former Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour attraction, where an encounter with the Horned King served as the climax. The Horned King appears in the Japanese version of Crazy Castle 2, where as in the American version he is replaced by Witch Lezah from the Warner Brothers cartoons.
In the Italian
version of The Black Cauldron, Horned King was called Re Cornelius (King Cornelius) because the Italian word for horned (cornuto) means also "a person that has been betrayed by the proper partner".
The Chronicles of Prydain
The Chronicles of Prydain is a five-volume series of children's fantasy novels by author Lloyd Alexander...
, and in the film The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron (film)
The Black Cauldron is a 1985 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and originally released to theatres on July 24, 1985...
by Disney (voiced by John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
).
In the book series, he appears only in the first book, The Book of Three
The Book of Three (novel)
The Book of Three is the first of Lloyd Alexander's five-part novel series The Chronicles of Prydain . Inspired by Welsh mythology, it follows the adventures of Taran, a boy in the care of the enchanter Dallben, as he enters manhood while fighting the forces of the evil Arawn Death-Lord...
. He is Arawn
Arawn - Death Lord
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 history :...
's champion and the War Leader of Annuvin. The Horned King is described as a huge man wearing armor (except for his arms, which are naked and stained crimson), a red cape and an antlered skull mask. The antlers are presumably where he gets his name.
Arawn sends the Horned King to capture the pig Hen Wen
Hen Wen
Hen Wen is a white sow featured in Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain. She is an oracular pig - that is, she has the ability to prophesy about future events and reveal hidden information...
from Caer Dallben
Caer Dallben
Caer Dallben is a cottage farm within the lands of Prydain and the starting point for each book of Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain. It is also the setting for the series' final chapter....
. He follows Taran
Taran (character)
Taran is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Prydain series, as well as in the film and game named after the second novel, The Black Cauldron.-Profile:...
across Prydain
Prydain
Prydain is the modern Welsh name for Britain.-Medieval:Prydain is the medieval Welsh term for the island of Britain . More specifically, Prydain may refer to the Brittonic parts of the island; that is, the parts south of Caledonia...
in search of the oracular pig Hen Wen, but cannot find her. In the end, he marches his army to Caer Dathyl
Caer Dathyl
Caer Dathyl was a Welsh fortress in Arfon in northern Gwynedd referred to in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, the Tale of Math fab Mathonwy. Its precise location is currently unknown and has been the subject of speculation. In the tale, it is the seat of Math's court to which Gwydion ap Don...
and attacks Taran when he and Eilonwy try to warn the Sons of Don of the impending attack. Taran tries to fight him with the sword Dyrnwyn, but is nearly slain by the sword's fire in his attempt to draw it. Gwydion
Gwydion
Gwydion fab Dôn is a magician, hero and trickster of Welsh mythology, appearing most prominently in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, which focuses largely on his relationship with his young nephew, Lleu Llaw Gyffes...
is able to defeat the Horned King by speaking his true name, which is never revealed; upon the utterance of his name, the Horned King is struck by a lightning blast and consumed by flames, disappearing below the surface.
Disney version
The animated DisneyWalt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
film The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron (film)
The Black Cauldron is a 1985 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and originally released to theatres on July 24, 1985...
combines scenes from the first two books, and uses the Horned King in place of Arawn as the movie's prime antagonist. He looks quite different in the movie; the antlers remain, but he wears a red hooded robe. Instead of a normal human, he appears to be an undead
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
, skeletal creature whose eyes glow red upon being angered or excited (a lich
Lich
In modern fantasy fiction, a lich is a type of undead creature. Often such a creature is the result of a transformation, as a powerful magician or king striving for eternal life uses spells or rituals to bind his intellect to his animated corpse and thereby achieve a form of immortality...
) and is more on par with a sorcerer. He was voiced by John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
.
In the movie, the Horned King searches for the title object, seeking to use its power to bring to life an army of undead soldiers and conquer the world. Deploying his servant, Creeper, the dragon-like Gwythaints
Gwythaints
Gwythaints are fictional characters in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. They are a race of ferocious eagles under the command of Arawn Death-Lord, the primary villain of the series.-Description and origins:...
and human soldiers, the King seeks out the pig Hen Wen to aid in his quest. He eventually accomplishes his goal, but is thwarted some time later, when Gurgi
Gurgi
Gurgi is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Prydain, the series of fantasy novels by Lloyd Alexander. Gurgi is the hero Taran's faithful companion, appearing in all five books.- Profile :...
throws himself into the Cauldron. When he attempts to cast Taran into the Cauldron as well, he ends up being consumed by the Cauldron's power and destroyed.
In addition, the Horned King makes appearances in several of Disney's House of Mouse
Disney's House of Mouse
Disney's House of Mouse is an American animated television series, produced by Walt Disney Television, that originally aired from 2001 to 2003-Premise:...
episodes.
- In the episode "Gone Goofy" he enters the club and shakes hands with DonaldDonald DuckDonald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
. - In the episode named "Max's Embrrassing Date" he sits at a table behind Max GoofMax GoofMax Goof is a fictional character who is the teenage son of the popular Disney character Goofy. He first appeared in the 1992 television series Goof Troop...
and Roxanne throughout their date. - In another episode named "Goofy For A Day" while Goofy sings a spoof of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!", he is seen at a table where a penguin waiter serves him his dinner.
He is also mentioned in the episode "Rent Day" when Goofy lists a Disney Villains menu to Pete, saying a dish named "Horned King Crablegs."
This same version appeared as the final boss in the Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
and Game Gear
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
title, Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse
Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse
Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is a platform game released by SEGA for the Sega Master System in 1992 and Sega Game Gear in 1993. It is a sequel to Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, which was also released for Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.-Story:...
. The Horned King goes under the moniker of "The Phantom" in the game and is colored differently, white bones and black robe as opposed to green bones and crimson robe. In the Super Famicom game Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken, Pete plays the role of the Horned King in the game's final level, based on the park's former Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour attraction, where an encounter with the Horned King served as the climax. The Horned King appears in the Japanese version of Crazy Castle 2, where as in the American version he is replaced by Witch Lezah from the Warner Brothers cartoons.
In the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
version of The Black Cauldron, Horned King was called Re Cornelius (King Cornelius) because the Italian word for horned (cornuto) means also "a person that has been betrayed by the proper partner".