| Gardens of Life | |
|---|---|
| Shannara location | |
| Inhabitants | the Ellcrys |
| Location | Arborlon |
| First appearance | The Elfstones of Shannara, The Genesis of Shannara |
The Gardens of Life are a fictional location in the epic fantasy[1] Shannara series by Terry Brooks. Being the home of the Ellcrys, the magical tree that keeps the Demons of old locked away in an alternate universe (the Forbidding), it was one of the central locations in The Elfstones of Shannara.
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The Gardens of Life were surrounded by an "ivy-grown wall"[2] that had a few "arched, wrought iron gateway[s] inlaid with silver scroll and ivory chips".[3][4] Inside,
Pale silver moonlight spilled down out of the heavens and washed the summer night. Sweet smells and comforting hums rose out of the dark in slow, dizzying waves that floated and danced in the warm breezes and brushed the hedgerows and stands, the flower banks, and the bushes of the Garden of Life. Dappled shadows layered the Gardens' colors in oddly knit patterns of black and white. Tiny life forms that awoke with darkness skittered and flew with sudden, invisible bursts that left no trace of their passing.[5]
The Gardens of Life played a minor role in The Elfstones of Shannara up until the end of the novel; at the end, the "forces of good"a[›] were forced from the bluff where they had been holding the Demons for three days.[6] They managed to disengage long enough to retreat back to the Gardens of Life for a last stand due to an almost total sacrifice by Stee Jans and his Free Corps. The combined armies then managed to hold the Demons off long enough for Amberle Elessedil to return and become the new Ellcrys, therefore shoving the Demons back into the Forbidding.[6]
^ a: The "forces of good" include the Elven Army (led by Eventine Elessedil or (later) Ander Elessedil), a human contingent named the Free Corps (led by Stee Jans), a Troll army (led by Amantar) and a few Dwarf sappers (led by Browork)