The Eternal Flame is the third book in The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy by T. A. Barron

T. A. Barron

Thomas Archibald Barron is an American writer of fantasy literature, books for children and young adults, and nature books.-Biography:...

. It was preceded by Child of the Dark Prophecy

Child of the Dark Prophecy

Child of the Dark Prophecy is the first novel in The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy by T. A. Barron. It is set in a world made up of a great tree and its seven roots inhabited by creatures.-Plot summary:...

and Shadows on the Stars

Shadows on the Stars

Shadows on the Stars is the second book in The Great Tree of Avalon series by T. A. Barron. Child of the Dark Prophecy was the first book, and The Eternal Flame the last...

. The hardcover version of this book was published by Penguin Young Readers Group in 2006.

Plot introduction

Avalon

Avalon

Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 pseudohistorical account Historia Regum Britanniae as the place where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged and later where Arthur was...

 is at the edge of destruction. It seems as if the wicked spirit warlord Rhita Gawr has already gained his victory. The ancient tree has but tiniest hope in the young wizard Tamwyn, the apprentice priestess Elli, the fierce eagleman Scree, the graceful elf maiden Brionna, and the allies of Avalon who hope to prevail over Rhita Gawr's forces. The fate of Avalon lies in three key battles: one involves defeating an immortal serpent (Rhita Gawr himself) and relighting stars; one destroying a powerful crystal, the crystal of vengeláno created by Rhita Gawr; and one on the Plains of Isenwy that will result in the death of many innocent lives.

Characters

• Tamwyn: A young man who has for the majority of his lifetime lived in the realm of Rahnawyn with his adopted brother, Scree. He has suspicions that he might be the Dark Child destined to bring an end to Avalon, as he is 17 years old and seems to think there is a hidden darkness in him. His name means "Dark Flame" in the language of the flamelons, his mother's people. His father is Krystallus, Merlin's explorer son. Although they have never met, Tamwyn seeks to follow in his father's footsteps, even before learning of his father's identity. Loves Elli.

• Scree: An eagleboy, having the ability to change between human form and that of an eagle. After his parents were murdered, he is adopted by Tamwyn's mother Halona, and raised by her until he is ten years old. As their mother attempts to teach the two the art of portalseeking, wherein the traveler is teleported through the vascular system of Avalon itself, she is killed by the assassin-like birds called ghoulacas. The two boys enter the portal to escape. Tamwyn is sent to Olanabram, while Scree returns to Rahnawyn. The two then spend the next seven years in search of one another.

• Elliriyanna Lailoken/Elli: A young trainee at the Society of the Whole. Her parents were killed in gnome
  Gnome
  A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
  
   raids; she was herself kept in slavery for the majority of her life, clinging to the only remnant of her parents: a harp
  Harp
  The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
  
   made by her father. After escaping shortly before the events of this book took place, she goes to the Drumadian compound to become a priestess, hoping to follow in her father's footsteps. Her memories continue to haunt her. Loves Tamwyn and is consequently somewhat frustrated by his shortcomings.

• Nuic: Elli's faithful maryth; one of the diverse creatures voluntarily bound in partnership to Drumadian priests and priestesses. He is an old creature, often referring to ancient events at which he was present. He is a small pinnacle sprite; a rotund mountain-dweller whose color changes according to his thoughts and emotions. He is often sarcastic and impatient, though he is wise and witty. Nuic is said to have been the maryth to Rhia, daughter of the Drumadian founder.

• Kulwych: An evil sorcerer who desires to gain totalitarian control of Avalon. He especially hates Merlin and wishes to rid Avalon of that wizard's image. He is shown to be a servant of Rhita Gawr. Kulwych is known as White Hands because he hides his battle-scarred body beneath a cloak, allowing only his perfectly white hands to show. His plan involves the creation of a dam by which to capture the water of Geyser
  Geyser
  A geyser is a spring characterized by intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by a vapour phase . The word geyser comes from Geysir, the name of an erupting spring at Haukadalur, Iceland; that name, in turn, comes from the Icelandic verb geysa, "to gush", the verb...
  
   Crystillia, wherein is eláno enough to make a crystal. He plans then to corrupt the crystal, making it a thing of destruction rather than creation. Having done so, he is reduced to Rhita Gawr's second-in-command, though he retains his former manner toward his own minions.

• Brionna: A young elf
  Elf
  An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
  
   from El Urien who is captured by White Hands' arms master, Harlech. She is forced to work on Kulwych's dam. Later, Kulwych blackmails her into stealing the staff Ohnyalei from Scree, who has been its keeper, by threatening the life of her grandfather Tressimir. Brionna obeys, fearing to lose her grandfather. She meets and befriends Shim, a giant
  Giant (mythology)
  The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
  
   who has become dwarf-sized under the influence of a curse. Brionna, having stolen Ohnyalei, is betrayed by Kulwych. She later abets the destruction of his dam. Brionna accompanies Elli on the quest to destroy the crystal of vengeláno.

• Rhita Gawr: A shape-changing, immortal spirit who seeks to dominate all the worlds. Emerges slowly into physical form throughout the first two books. He is arrogant, cruel, egocentric, and prone to undervaluing all whom he meets.

Supporting characters

• Shim: A giant who has been reduced to the size of a dwarf, not once but twice, having grown to giant-size in between. He is as old as Avalon itself. Shim is a friend of Merlin's, encountered first in The Lost Years of Merlin. In Child of the Dark Prophecy, he befriends Brionna. Shim always speaks with a particular mannerism, distinguished by his haphazard use of suffices and his use of synonymous adjectives such as "certainly, definitely, absolutely" in trios.

• Henni: Henni is a hoolah; a mischievous, reckless, comical person who sees life as a game. He enjoys seeing people become frustrated or hot-tempered, because they are then excited and therefore appear absurd to him. He fulfills this liking by joining the travelling group consisting of Elli, Nuic, Llynia, Llynia's maryth Fairlyn, and Tamwyn, whom he teases relentlessly. Henni, for his part, becomes more sober as a result of his experiences of violence and danger. Although Tamwyn presumes him dead after their involuntary separation en route to the stars, it is implied at the end of the book that he is still alive. He is reunited with Tamwyn in The Eternal Flame and accompanies him further up the Tree.

• Llynia: A priestess of the Society of the Whole. Llynia is excessively arrogant, egocentric, and anthropocentric. She torments Elli constantly and abuses all whom she meets, except the gardener Hanwan Bellamir, who is as anthropocentric as she despite his gentler demeanor. Later, she joins the anthropocentric movement "Humanity First", which seeks to impose human rule on all nonhuman life.

• Batty Lad/Basilgarrad: A small, green-eyed, bat
  Bat
  Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
  
  -like creature who joins Tamwyn. Batty Lad is happy-go-lucky, cheerful, and talkative. He speaks very quickly, with a tendency toward colorful language. His origins are implied to be of great significance. Although Tamwyn presumes him dead after their involuntary separation en route to the stars, it is implied at the end of the book that he is still alive. In The Eternal Flame, Batty Lad is revealed to be none other than Basilgarrad, the mighty dragon
  Dragon
  A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
  
   who once carried Merlin to the stars; repeating this history, Basilgarrad carries Tamwyn to relight the constellation Wizard's Staff, so that the doors to Rhita Gawr's world may be closed. Because Rhita Gawr has taken dragon's form, Basilgarrad fights him directly.

• Rhiannon: T. A. Barron's re-invention of the Lady of the Lake
  Lady of the Lake
  The Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play parts in the Arthurian legend. These characters' roles include giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father...
  
  . Rhia, as she is sometimes called, is vital, optimistic, friendly, humorous, courteous, compassionate, wise, and skilled in magical arts. She is very much in touch with nature, though at times she surrenders to her frustrations. She is Merlin's sister and Tamwyn's great-aunt.

• Krystallus Eopia: Though he did not actually take action in the book, Krystallus was often mentioned. Son of the wizard Merlin and deer
  Deer
  Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
  
  -woman Hallia, Krystallus was a great explorer who died on his greatest expedition, the journey to the stars. The Lady of the Lake later revealed to Tamwyn that Krystallus was his father. Tamwyn finds Krystallus' grave at the knothole. The Lamp dark.

• Deth Macoll: An assassin and master of disguise. Poses as a jester to infiltrate Elli's party. Later reveals himself, only to seemingly fall to his death. He is later revealed to be alive in The Eternal Flame, wherein he is truly killed while attacking Kulwych.

• Olewyn: Though not named until Shadows on the Stars, he is quite prominent in all three books. Appearing several times, he is a mysterious bard
  Bard
  In medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
  
   whose knowledge of the status quo far exceeds that which he chooses to reveal. He is notable for his broad, white beard; for his skills of music and poetry; and for the creature called a museo, which dwells in his hat. This creature possesses the most musical voice of all voices in Avalon. He takes part in the final Battle of Avalon, at the end of which he is revealed to be a disguised Merlin.

The Seven Root-Realms of the Great Tree of Avalon

The Great Tree of Avalon splits into seven roots (realms):

• Airroot (Y Swylarna)
• Mudroot (Maloch)
• Stoneroot (Olanabram)
• Waterroot (Brynchilla)
• Fireroot (Rahnawyn)
• Shadowroot (Lastrael)
• Woodroot (El Urien)

Each is named for the primary component of its environments.

The Middle Realm of The Great Tree of Avalon

The Middle Realm of Avalon is the trunk of the Great Tree, which has a few important places:

• The Great Hall of Heartwood
• The Spiral Cascades
• Murals of the Story Painters
• Lost Realm of the Fire Angels (Ayonowyn)
• Merlin's Knothole

The Starward Realms of the Great Tree of Avalon

The Starward Realms of Avalon are the branches and stars. Much of The Eternal Flame occurs here.

The Stars

• Pegasus
• The Wizard's Staff
• Golden Bough
• The Mysteries (also known as The Circles)
• Fires of Ogallad the Worthy

The Branches

• Bubbling Pits of Resin
• Holosarr "Lowest Realm" to the Taliwonn
• Merlin's Pinnacle
• Starlight's Palette: Lakes of Astonishing Clarity
• River of Time (Cryll Onnawesh)
• Stargazing Point of Angus Oge
• Outer Holosarr
• Forestlands of Etollassa

Great Tree of Avalon Series
Child of the Dark Prophecy Child of the Dark Prophecy Child of the Dark Prophecy is the first novel in The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy by T. A. Barron. It is set in a world made up of a great tree and its seven roots inhabited by creatures.-Plot summary:...
Shadows on the Stars Shadows on the Stars Shadows on the Stars is the second book in The Great Tree of Avalon series by T. A. Barron. Child of the Dark Prophecy was the first book, and The Eternal Flame the last...
The Eternal Flame