Front covers, unknown edition |
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| Author | Lloyd Alexander |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Evaline Ness (maps) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | High fantasy, Children's literature |
| Publisher | Holt, Rinehart and Winston |
| Published | 1964–1968 |
| Media type | |
| No. of books | 5 |
| Followed by | The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain (1973) |
The Chronicles of Prydain is a series of five children's fantasy novels by Lloyd Alexander.[1] Henry Holt published one annually from 1964 to 1968, the second winning a 1966 Newbery Honor and the last winning the 1969 Newbery Medal.[2]
The Internet Speculative Fiction Database catalogs all Prydain publications, Alexander's fiction and one reference companion, as the Prydain series.[1] A nearly complete omnibus edition of the fiction was published in 1991 as The Prydain Chronicles.[3]
The five novels may be considered a bildungsroman, for they follow one protagonist Taran from youth to maturity, most overtly in the fourth book, Taran Wanderer.[4] Taran has the title Assistant Pig-Keeper at Caer Dallben but initially dreams of being a grand hero. His most important companions in adventure are Princess Eilonwy, a girl his age; Fflewddur Fflam, a wandering bard and minor king; Gurgi, a feral yet gentle man/beast; and Doli, a dwarf.
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Thematically the novels draw upon Welsh mythology, particularly the Mabinogion.[5] The novels are not, however, retellings of those myths, a point Alexander himself makes in an author's note for The Book of Three: stories have been conflated, and characters have been changed in both role and motive, so a student of Welsh culture should be prepared as Arawn becomes the books' dark archenemy and Gwydion's negative traits are replaced with unclouded heroism.
Appropriately, the author's note also reveals the geography is ultimately derived from Wales, though Alexander notes that Prydain is separate from Wales both in physical geography and history.
"Always interested in mythology", Alexander received army combat intelligence training in Wales during World War II. That exposed him to its castles, scenery, and language, which became "part of the raw material for the Prydain books". Originally he "planned to write one or two – three at the very most".[6][7]
At one point they planned a trilogy with titles The Battle of the Trees, The Lion with the Steady Hand, and Little Gwion.[8] In Welsh mythology the former features the sons of Don led by Gwydion against the forces of Arawn, and the legend of Gwion concerns the bard Taliesin as a boy. Later, a four-volume series would conclude with The High King of Prydain. The editor felt that something was missing between third and fourth volumes, so Taran Wanderer was written one month after The Castle of Llyr was published.[8]
The stories that are now collected in The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain actually were published in three different volumes: two picture books and one short story collection. They act as backstories which fill in gaps for minor characters.
Prydain's geography, culture, and names are based on ancient Wales, especially the tales of the Mabinogion. Prydain is a magical land engaged in a series of battles with its neighbor, Annuvin, the Land of Death. It is the setting for four of the five books in the series.
Once ruled over by the evil Queen Achren, Prydain was liberated by the Sons of Don, who established a new government at Caer Dathyl. The High King rules over all the land, seconded by his war leader, with many subject kings ruling the various territories of Prydain. Only the Free Commots, a land of craftsmen who answer only to the High King, are outside any subject king's jurisdiction.
Significant locations in Prydain include Caer Dallben, the farm homestead of the enchanter Dallben, Caer Colur, the ancestral home of the House of Llyr, Spiral Castle, Achren's fortress, and the Marshes of Morva, a haunted swamp that is home to the witches Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch.
Underneath and within Prydrain is the kingdom of the Fair Folk, a diminutive supernatural race that mostly keeps to its own affairs. The Fair Folk have no love for the Death-Lord Arawn however and occasionally aid the humans of Prydain against him.
In addition to the races of men and Fair Folk, Prydain is home to the Sons of Don and their descendants (who are ostensibly related to the gods of Welsh mythology, though this is never overtly stated in the series). Other varieties of creatures such as the undead Cauldron-Born, the monstrous birdlike Gwythaints, and oddities such as the furry, human-like Gurgi (whose race is undetermined) also reside in Prydain.
Having garnered a Newbery Medal and a Newbery Honor, Prydain is widely recognized as a valuable contribution to children's literature. Decades after their publication The Chronicles of Prydain hold their own in sales and readership and may be comparable to children's fantasy series such as The Chronicles of Narnia.
Ruth Hill Viguers writes in A Critical History of Children's Literature, "Like most good fantasies, the books are related to humanity; the characters have failings but also the potential for greatness."[9]
Taran and companions race to defeat the warlord of Arawn.
Taran and companions struggle to capture a magical cauldron that generates Arawn's zombie army.
Taran escorts Eilonwy to a royal court for her education. There she is kidnapped and he leads a band to rescue her.
Taran searches for his identity, nominally his parentage.
Taran and companions join Prydain's great effort to defeat Arawn finally.
Characters are listed under the titles of the books where they first appear.
The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain (1999 expanded edition)[10] is a collection of eight short stories by Alexander, all set in Prydain before the events of the five novels. Two were picture books contemporary with the series and six constituted the 1973 first edition of the collection, Alexander's happy response to heavy demand by fans. The six concern events "before the birth of Taran Assistant Pig-Keeper".[11]
Coll and His White Pig (1965) and The Truthful Harp (1967) were 32-page picture books illustrated by Evaline Ness.[13][14] They feature as younger adults two of Taran's human companions in The Chronicles.
Six new stories of the same length constituted the first Foundling collection (with one map by Ness), published in 1973 and dedicated to "Friends of Prydain, who promised to read more if I would write more".[15][1] The author then cited "many readers of all ages" and explained that "popular demand makes a splendid pretext" for return to Prydain, but all the stories (six) explore prehistory, "before the birth of Taran Assistant Pig-Keeper".[16] The expanded Foundling in 1999 collected all eight stories with an old map of Prydain by Ness and a new pronunciation guide.[17]
Beginning 1999, editions of The Foundling include all eight short stories, and Holt editions of all six books include the "Prydain Pronunciation Guide" with entries for 49 proper names.[1]
The Prydain Chronicles omnibus (GreatAmerica Science Fiction Book Club, 1991) comprising the five novels and the six later short stories.[3] That is, all stories except those in the two picture books.
Early in the new millenium, Henry Holt published The Prydain Companion: A Reference Guide to Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles (2003) by children's literature scholar Michael O. Tunnell. It covers major characters, locations, and so on, with insight gained by Tunnell's interviews with Alexander. It includes Foreword and "How to Use the Companion" by Alexander and a biographical sketch of Alexander. One marketing capsule is "An informative resource for formal studies of the Prydain Chronicles, as well as an excellent opportunity to delve into the fantastic workings of Prydain."[18]
Walt Disney Productions released a Prydain animated film in 1985. The Black Cauldron is based primarily on the first two novels with elements from the others. It cost $40 million and was poorly received by audiences, failing to recoup the investment. but Critics found it film "pretty, but confusing and overly somber" due to its dark nature, although Roger Ebert gave it a positive review. In retrospect studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg was dismayed by the product and the animators felt that it lacked "the humor, pathos, and the fantasy which had been so strong in Lloyd Alexander's work. The story had been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it was heartbreaking to see such wonderful material wasted."[19]
Alexander's reaction was twofold: "First, I have to say, there is no resemblance between the movie and the book. Having said that, the movie in itself, purely as a movie, I found to be very enjoyable."[6]
Disney retains movie rights to the Prydain series but no plans for further adaptation have been announced as of February 2011.
Early in the 2000s, Listening Library (Random House) produced an unabridged reading by James Langton, with author's notes read by Lloyd Alexander himself. The five volumes were released for download 2004 to 2005.[20]
Lloyd Alexander at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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