The Dark is Rising Sequence
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The Dark is Rising is the name of a five-book series by Susan Cooper, as well as the name of the second of the five books. The series tells of a fantastic struggle between the forces of good, called The Light, and the forces of evil, known as The Dark. In 2005 following the successful motion picture adaptations of other fantasy classics, it was announced that the series was being developed as a major motion picture.
In The Dark Is Rising, this struggle begins with Will, an eleven-year-old boy who learns that he is an Old One, destined to wield the powers of The Light in an ancient struggle with The Dark.
His task is to find and join the pieces of one of the Things of Power before the forces of The Dark can stop him. Throughout the other novels, other characters are introduced, both members of The Light and The Dark and also humans, who have agreed to be bound with these forces and assist them in this struggle, the struggle for the fate of mankind.
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[edit] Characters
Simon, Jane and Barney Drew: The main characters of the first novel, the Drew siblings are human children who have known Merriman as a family friend nicknamed "Great Uncle Merry" for years; on holiday in Cornwall, they get caught up in the battle between The Light and The Dark and join the search for the Things of Power. In the first novel, "Over Sea, Under Stone," they search for the a Grail-like cup though this cup is never intended to be 'the' holy Grail.
Old Ones: Ancient and immortal, the Old Ones are mystical beings who possess great magical power. They are capable of performing many seemingly impossible feats, including freezing time and controlling the elements, and most of them serve The Light in the war against The Dark. The two factions struggle to determine the destiny of mankind; while The Light fights for freedom and free will, The Dark fights for chaos, confusion and the subversion of man's agency.
Will Stanton: The main character of the second novel, and a major character in all later works, he is the seventh son of a seventh son. His eleventh birthday marks the beginning of his rise to power as the last of the Old Ones. The Dark is Rising tells how he came to power, met Merriman Lyon, and joined the six signs of the Old Ones to fight The Dark. Will is the last of the Old Ones; no others will be born after him.
Merriman Lyon: Merriman is the first Old One. He and Will Stanton have a special bond as each of them is one end of the long line of Old Ones. It is said that with the birth and coming to power of Will Stanton, the circle of Old Ones is complete. A Friend of the Drew family for over a generation, he assisted Barney, Jane, and Simon in their quest for the Grail, in addition to protecting them until their task was completed; they occasionally refer to him as "Great Uncle Merry" or "Gumerry". It is also insinuated that he is the mythical Merlin.
The Lady: The Lady is an ancient figure and one of the great beings of the Light. Enigmatic and powerful, she appears as a friend and mentor to all the Old Ones. At one point in The Dark is Rising, Will Stanton makes a critical mistake and effectively abandons her to the Dark; this severely weakens The Lady, leaving her unable to help them during much of his subsequent struggle. She appears again at the end, wherein it is suggested that her name is Jana or Juno.
The Black Rider: One of the great Lords of the Dark, comparable to Merriman in power and influence. The Rider is the major nemesis of Will during his many trials. He patronises John Wayland Smith's establishment, where he meets Will for the first time and attempts to bring Will over to the Dark. He is given two names by the humans in the story; Hastings and Mitothin.
The White Rider: Another servant and Lord of The Dark, introduced in Silver on the Tree. He is an equal to the Black Rider, and despite being masculine in his true form, posed as a woman. Will Stanton hypothesized that the monochromatic 'color' of the White Rider's robes, like those of the Black Rider, reflected the extremism of their evil - completely one way or the other, rather than evenly balanced.
The Walker: A human being who betrayed the Light and was cursed to carry the Sign of Bronze, one of six talismans that repel the Dark, through the centuries until the final Old One claimed it from him. The Walker was once Hawkin, a liege man and foster son of Merriman during the 13th century. His betrayal of the Light stemmed largely from Merriman's willingness to sacrifice his life in order to protect the Book of Gramarye, the secrets of which the human Hawkin can neither possess nor partake of. In The Dark is Rising his appearance in Will Stanton's town precipitates Will's "awakening" and rise to power. He presents Will with his second sign.
The Sleepers: Ancient knights who served during the time of King Arthur. In The Grey King they are awakened from a mystic slumber by the Harp of Gold, to ride against the Dark during the final battle in Silver on the Tree.
Pendragon: This is a reference to two characters. First, it is another name for King Arthur. It is also his son who, in this series, is the person who is predestined and wields the sword that is used to cut The Midsummer's Tree. Bran Davies is his name. Will meets him in Wales during The Grey King.
The rooks: The majority of these birds are servants of The Dark and attract their forces wherever they are seen.
Farmer Dawson: An Old One who lives near Will Stanton and presents him with his first Sign.
John "Wayland" Smith: Another Old One who lives near Will Stanton; he is also a skilled smith. Though he is affiliated with the Light, he aids all who pass in his smithy. It is suggested that he might be the legendary Saxon smith, Weyland.
[edit] Artifacts
Things of Power: The Old Ones have four Things of Power that will be used in the final battle which will allow them to defeat The Dark: the circle of Signs, The Grail, The Harp, and The Sword. The sword is obtained in Silver on the Tree. Over Sea, Under Stone and Greenwitch tell of the grail. The Grey King is the story of the harp.
The Signs: A set of six circles quartered (divided evenly in four sections) by crosses. The six signs are each made of a different material and represent a different element: wood, bronze, iron, water, fire, and stone. In the presence of these, the Dark is powerless.
The Book of Gramarye: An ancient book, it teaches Old Ones about their powers, and through it, they actually experience the use of them. This book is protected by a device that if touched, will detonate and destroy any human that attempts to gain access to the book. This powerful book is further protected in that it is written in a language that only an Old One can read and understand. It is blasted out of existence by Merriman after Will has read it.
The Grail: Presumably the source of the Holy Grail legend, it is an artifact of power used by The Light. There are markings on it in a language called Ogham, which is long lost. It is eventually translated by the Old Ones, thanks to a code held by the Greenwitch.
The Crystal Sword: An ancient sword, used by the heir of King Arthur to cut the ripe branch of the midsummer's tree. It is named Eirias; ergo, "blazing". In the presence of the Dark, it burns with blue fire.
The Harp (The Harp of Gold): A harp that is obtained by The Light in The Grey King in order to wake the Sleepers in preparation for the final battle. Whoever plays the harp has the protection of the High Magic.
The Doors: A set of carved oak doors that lead out of Time. Old Ones can summon these doors to appear at will to transport themselves through time and space. The doors disappear when the Old Ones pass through them. Their origin is not explained in the books.
[edit] The Magics
Old Magic: A powerful earthly or elemental magic more ancient than The Light or The Dark, only the Old Magic has the strength that is required to end the struggle permanently. In the final battle that is described in Silver on the Tree, the Old Magic is used.
Wild Magic: An emotional magic, not as strong as the Old Magic, it first is used in The Dark is Rising to provide strength to the forces of The Light in the book's final battle. In Greenwitch, we learn that the Wild Magic is equal in strength to both the Dark and the Light, but that it stands apart from each.
High Magic: The most powerful magic, being of the Cosmos. A spell of this type is used by the Old Ones in Greenwitch to be able to communicate with Tethys, the Queen of the Sea, and plead for her help in obtaining the scroll that will help translate the writing on the Grail. In The Grey King, Will Stanton and Bran Davies obtain the Harp of Gold from a place guarded by the High Magic after being tested by a Lord of the Dark, a Lord of the Light, and a Lord of the High Magic.
[edit] Miscellaneous
Old Speech: This is the spoken form of the ancient language of the Old Ones. When an Old One comes to power, this language is used instinctively by the Old One when speaking to members of The Light or The Dark. Will Stanton begins to do this without even realizing it. When an Old One speaks the Old Speech in front of a normal human, it will sound like gibberish. Some agents of the Dark, such as The Rider can also speak Old Speech, but with a distinctive accent which gives them away to the Old Ones.
[edit] Rhymes
Small rhyming prophecies serve to guide the protagonists throughout the series.
This is one, which is often quoted in parts as they become relevant to the story:
When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back;
Three from the circle, three from the track;
Wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone;
Five will return, and one go alone.
Iron for the birthday, bronze carried long;
Wood from the burning, stone out of song;
Fire in the candle-ring, water from the thaw;
Six Signs the circle, and the grail gone before.
Fire on the mountain shall find the harp of gold
Played to wake the Sleepers, oldest of the old;
Power from the green witch, lost beneath the sea;
All shall find the light at last, silver on the tree.
This second rhyme only refers to events in The Grey King and Silver on the Tree:
On the day of the dead, when the year too dies,
Must the youngest open the oldest hills
Through the door of the birds, where the breeze breaks.
There fire shall fly from the raven boy,
And the silver eyes that see the wind,
And the light shall have the harp of gold.
By the pleasant lake the Sleepers lie,
On Cadfan’s Way where the kestrels call;
Though grim from the Grey King shadows fall,
Yet singing the golden harp shall guide
To break their sleep and bid them ride.
When light from the lost land shall return,
Six Sleepers shall ride, six Signs shall burn,
And where the midsummer tree grows tall
By Pendragon’s sword the Dark shall fall.
Y maent yr mynyddoedd yn canu,
ac y mae’r arglwyddes yn dod.
(The last two lines are in Welsh and are translated in the book into English as "The mountains are singing / and the lady comes". This translation is slightly incorrect, since with the plural noun subject mynyddoedd 'mountains' the verb should be singular mae, not plural maent, and the following word should be contracted with it, giving mae’r just as in the next line.)
[edit] Works in the series
[edit] Over Sea, Under Stone
The characters in this book are younger than those in the rest of the series, and the issues are presented as less cosmic. Overall the book is aimed at younger readers than the other four books in the series.
In this tale, Susan Cooper introduces us to Merriman, a pivotal character for the forces of the Light and also ties him with three young mortal children in a quest by the sea which will lead them over sea and under stone to find a grail of legend to help the Light in its struggle against the Dark.
[edit] The Dark is Rising
In this book, a boy begins to have strange experiences on his eleventh birthday, just before Christmas. He is one of the Old Ones, a guardian and warrior for The Light. He learns that he must find an ancient Things of Power for The Light in order to battle the forces of The Dark.
This book is the key book for the main character, Will Stanton. It is in this book that he joins one of the Things of Power, the circle of Signs, and uses it to ward off the forces of The Dark.
The book features elements of English Folklore that are especially associated with the Thames Valley with Herne the Hunter making an appearance.
[edit] Greenwitch
This story returns to the characters introduced in Over Sea, Under Stone, uniting them with Will Stanton, and involves a quest for magic from beneath the sea.
Jane Drew witnesses the creation of a ritualistic offering known as the 'Greenwitch', and senses both great power and great sadness in it. She wishes that the Greenwitch could be happy, and that wish has important consequences later when it turns out that the Greenwitch possesses something that will unlock the secrets of the Grail.
[edit] The Grey King
In this book, Will is sent to Wales to recuperate after an illness. Here he meets Bran, the Pendragon and befriends him. He must also awaken the Sleepers to fight the Dark.
The Grey King was awarded the 1976 Newbery Medal.
Welsh folklore is an important point in the book.
[edit] Silver on the Tree
All of the main characters from the other books in the sequence come together in this book, some meeting each other for the first time and the current struggle between the Light and the Dark is resolved and all immortal characters save Will Stanton leave the Earth forever. All the mortal characters lose all memory of any dealings with magic and the Old Ones. The Drews and Bran have snatches of something come back to them in dreams, though...
[edit] Film adaptation
According to the Internet Movie Database, And an official press release, the first movie will be called The Dark Is Rising. John Hodge, who frequently collaborates with Danny Boyle, is to write the screenplay but no director or cast has yet been announced. The release is tentatively scheduled for 2007 for the U.S. and the U.K.
[edit] Trivia
- The books inspired the band Mercury Rev to release a track called The Dark is Rising in 2002. It reached #16 in the UK Top 40.
- Science Fiction author and filker Julia Ecklar has set the rhyming prophecies to music, and the resulting song won the 1997 Pegasus Award for Best Sorcery Song.
[edit] Random Tidbits about the Stanton Family
Mr. Roger Stanton: The father of the family. He owns a small jewelry shop, and seems to be the main source of income for the family.
Mrs. Alice Stanton: The mother of the family. She adds to the income by raising chickens and rabbits to sell, and comes from a long line of farmers.
Tom Stanton: Would have been the oldest of the Stanton children, but he died after three days of a lung disease found commonly in infants.
Stephen Stanton: He is the oldest of the Stanton children. He is rarely ever home, and seems to have a very special bond with Will, the youngest, who and greatly admires him. He has also been in Britain’s Royal Navy for many years, and is a Lieutenant there, currently.
Max Stanton: He, of course, is the second oldest of the Stanton children. He has long, dark hair (which Will and James claim makes him look like a girl) and is a very good artist. He even made a very pretty cross out of copper wire for the Christmas tree at his first year of art school. He has a sweetheart from his London art school. (She has ‘blonde-tresses’, and sends enormous letters in blue envelopes daily to him.)
Gwen Stanton: The first of the female Stanton children. She is a very good cook.
Robin and Paul Stanton: The twins. Robin: He is large, has a deep voice, and is the more muscular of the twins. Paul: He is the ‘quiet twin’, and is the ‘family genius’. He plays the flute, and doesn’t seem to do much else. He also seems to be very kind and compassionate.
Barbara Stanton: The second of the Stantons' girls. She seems to like to boss people around, and her favorite phrase must be ‘Shut up’, because she uses it so often. She is sixteen years old.
Mary Stanton: The third and last of the Stanton’s girls. She is sort of bratty, and likes to complain a lot. She is fourteen years old.
James Stanton: He’s really an ordinary young boy; he enjoys the jokes of most children his age. This is easily illustrated in the scene where he thoroughly enjoys giving Max a good taunt about his supposed “girlfriend”, Maggie Barnes. The Maggie in question, however, is no ordinary girl; she is an agent of the Dark, eventually banished by Merriman.
Will Stanton: Will is the youngest of not only the Stanton Family, but also of the Old Ones. He is eleven years old, and the day he turned so was the same day he was informed of his gift. To the Old Ones, he is called the Sign Seeker. He is thin, and has blue eyes and straight brown hair that often covers one, or both of his eyes. It is also often said that he has a round face, and seems to be very, very mature for his age.
