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Title: Taran Wanderer
Series:
The Prydain Chronicles #4
Author: Lloyd
Alexander
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre:
Fantasy
Pages: 130
Words: 57K
This was a coming of age story in the fullest sense of that idea.
Taran wanders Prydain trying to find out who his parents were because
he wants to marry Eilonwy and thinks he has to have royal blood to
marry her. So he sets out and has many adventures and sees the
variety of the people of Prydain, the good, the bad and the just
plain stupid. He settles disputes, learns a lot of skills and by the
end realizes that he is simply Taran and that is good enough.
This is the kind of story that I think every tween and teen boy
should read. Unless they are a sports jock type of guy, in which case
they won’t be reading anyway, so it doesn’t matter in their case.
But even then, they should be forced to read this. Boys need examples
of what a man is. A boy does not grow up and mature into a man all by
himself. Without the guidance of a man, he will probably grow up to
be a big boy. Seeing another boy having adventures and becoming a man
is one of the best ways for a boy to realize that he can be something
more than just a boy. But it is a choice on his part. Taran is put in
circumstances beyond his control for almost all of the story but in
each episode he chooses how to react and what to do. He’s a great
example and I think that is wonderful.
Part of my enjoyment of the story was just seeing that idea written
out. Part of my enjoyment was the nostalgia of re-reading a favorite
story from my own teen years. And part of my enjoyment was simply the
fact that I was enjoying this re-read so much.
I chose this cover because it is the one I remember getting from our
public library in ‘90 or ‘91. It has that scary yet not “too”
scary vibe. Perfecto!
★★★★★
From Wikipedia.org
Taran
and Gurgi have returned to Caer Dallben after leaving Princess
Eilonwy at the royal court of Dinas Rhydnant for education in the
ways of a princess. Taran has come to realize that he loves Eilonwy;
but although he has proven his worth as a man, he is restless and
determined to know his parentage, partly in hopes that noble birth
will support a marriage proposal. Dallben the enchanter tells him
nothing about his heritage, but gives his approval for Taran and
Gurgi to travel on their own in search of an answer. Taran and Gurgi
travel first to the Marshes of Morva to ask the witches Orddu, Orwen
and Orgoch. Taran has nothing of great value to give in exchange, so
Orddu merely tells him of an alternative: that the Mirror of Llunet
in the far east Llawgadarn Mountains will show him who he is.
Taran
sets out to Cantrev Cadiffor to be outfitted by King Smoit. After a
border patrol of Smoit's vassal, Lord Goryon, steals his horse
Melynlas and Gurgi's pony, they spend the night with the farm couple
Aeddan and Alarca who have lost their son and livestock. Taran is
welcomed to remain, but he gently declines and leaves with new
respect for common farmers. Taran and Gurgi recover their steeds at
Goryon's fortress because Melynlas will have no other rider, and
Goryon is relieved to escape the burden of mastering him. At the
neighboring stronghold of Lord Gast, they meet their old friend
Fflewddur Fflam, who has returned to wandering as a bard, and
together they go on to Caer Cadarn, where Smoit welcomes them.
Goryon
and Gast have been feuding over their cattle stock for years,
especially over Cornillo, an exceptional cow. When their dispute
breaks out again the next day, Cornillo and the combined cattle herds
of the two lords run off. After they recover the herd, Taran
persuades King Smoit to resort to a wiser judgment to settle the
continual dispute: The rival cantrev lords shall resow the fields of
Aeddan, which have been ruined by their feud, and Cornillo is given
to Aeddan as further compensation, although the lords shall have her
next calves. The childless widower Smoit later offers to adopt Taran
as his son and future King of Cadiffor. Taran declines, but says he
will gladly accept if he discovers noble birth.
Continuing
eastward, they cross the river Ystrad. Taran's pet crow Kaw reveals
the hiding place of a polished bone the size of a toothpick, which
has been stashed high in a tree. Fflewddur's mount Llyan, a giant
cat, brings a green and yellow frog, who is really their old friend
Doli the dwarf. Doli has been transformed during his investigation of
a deadly threat to the Fair Folk: A human wizard named Morda has
attained the power to enchant them, and to raid their underground
realms. Taran, Gurgi and Fflewddur investigate Morda's abode, but are
all captured. Morda begins to boast to his captives, explaining that
during a winter many years ago, he was sought out by the enchantress
Angharad, who was searching for her kidnapped daughter Eilonwy, but
left her to die from exhaustion. Among her possessions, Morda found
an amulet, a gift to her from the Fair Folk which became the primary
source of his power, and an empty book, which he gave to Glew when
the latter begged him to make him a sorcerer.
Morda
turns Fflewddur and Gurgi into a hare and a mouse, respectively, but
fails to transform Taran. Taran deduces that the bone splinter Kaw
found is Morda's little finger, in which he has stored his own life
force to attain immortality and then cut off of his hand to keep it
safe, and that Morda is unable to harm Taran so long as he possesses
it. As Taran and Morda struggle over the bone, Morda inadvertently
snaps it, causing his own death and ending the spell which
transformed the companions. After recovering Angharad's amulet, Taran
reflects that it could make him powerful, but decides to return it to
Doli's people, the Fair Folk, who made it. Just before they part
ways, Doli identifies the ceremonial horn Eilonwy recovered from the
ruins of Caer Colur, which Taran still carries with him, as a magical
item with which Taran can issue one single call for aid from the Fair
Folk.
Taran,
Gurgi, and Fflewddur camp next with the ruffian Dorath and his band.
Their hosts suspect a quest for treasure and offer guidance to
Llunet, in exchange for a share. The guests try to slip away early
next morning, but Dorath prevents it and extracts a wager on
hand-to-hand combat with Taran. He cheats and takes Taran's sword,
then departs.
An
old shepherd with decrepit holdings, Craddoc, welcomes the companions
next. From Taran's account of the mission, Craddoc reveals that Taran
is, in fact, his son. Fflewddur departs, but Taran and Gurgi remain
and labor beside Craddoc. Taran and Craddoc develop a bond, but Taran
also resents the end of his dream of noble birth. During the next
winter, however, Craddoc suffers a bad fall down a mountain gorge and
Taran is unable to rescue him. Near death, Craddoc reveals that he
merely posed as Taran's father to gain himself a son. The gorge and
the weather threaten Taran as well, and he finally summons the Fair
Folk, who are able to save only Taran and Gurgi.
After
burying Craddoc, Taran and Gurgi continue eastward, across Little
Avren to the Free Commots, and stay for a while with lucky Llonio and
his family on the banks of the river. Next, Taran assists and learns
the trades of three great craftmasters: Hevydd the smith, Dwyvach the
weaver, and Annlaw the potter. He learns enough that he would be
welcome to remain as an assistant, and gains a new sword, a new
cloak, and a new bowl, but still cannot find fulfillment. While
ferrying the wares of Annlaw to Commot Isav, he leads the poor
farming village in resistance of a raid by Dorath, killing half the
band at no loss of life on the farmers' side.
Upon
Taran's return, Annlaw tells him the way to the Mirror of Llunet,
which he knows about, but has never visited. After a short journey,
Taran and Gurgi find the Mirror: a pool of water at the mouth of a
cave beyond the Lake of Llunet. Taran gazes into it, but Dorath
interrupts and defiles the pool. He and Taran meet in a swordfight,
in which Taran's old sword shatters on his new one and Dorath flees.
Taran does not pursue but returns to Annlaw, whom he tells that the
Mirror showed his own reflection and nothing more. He does not feel
cheated by Orddu, for he has seen what he has become by his own labor
and all he has learned on the way. With new confidence in himself, he
and Gurgi depart back to Caer Dallben.
