The Book of Three

In all honesty, I almost skipped this bit.

Alexander is such a spare and efficient writer that it is very rare for him to include anything that isn't 100% necessary for plot and character, usually both, but this scene, a scant page or so in this chapter, is one of those that just seems superfluous. For the sake of telling us that no one but Dallben can decipher Hen Wen's predictions, we didn't need it - we accept that on the word of the author (and of Coll in chapter one). The only other purpose it seems to have is to reiterate again that Eilonwy, though she wants to be helpful, can't actually do any useful magic. I think this is why it fundamentally irritates me. Her continual failure at every spell is, I think, a weakness in the series; it undermines her claim to her heritage, makes Achren's plans for her seem oddly misplaced, and renders her eventual sacrifices far less meaningful.

So I've taken to reinterpreting this scene with an implication that something is going on here. Eilonwy doesn't have the training or tools to interpret Hen's prophecies, but there's still magic happening, still some form of communion, however brief. It's the only way I could stomach including the scene, and I didn't want to excise it entirely for the sake of the purists. :)

I like the thought here, and share your frustration on this...if you remember the bit in my fanfic where Eilonwy aided Dallben, when he launched the enchanted arrow to aid Gwydion. I don't think Achren's plans for her were misplaced though...with the pelydryn and the book of spells to complete the enchantress side of her, she was almost a different person, and she very easily /could/ have kept the powers of Llyr and forgotten her loyalty to her companions...it's what Achren would have done, so why wouldn't she think Eilonwy would do it? It was a testament to her character that she did not.

I like the lighting of this scene, such a nice firelight feel...and the enchanted glow in Hen Wen's eyes.

Interesting the spell for summoning toads...makes me think Achren must have learned it from Orgoch... 😉 The spell for opening locks could have probably come in handy from time to time too!

Hen Wen's prophecy: Good fortune comes to those that feed the pig!

I like the pause this scene creates. It shows Prydain can't be crossed in a day. There were simply walking days and quiet moments around a fire.

Wow...I didn't realize Hen was so big...no wonder Taran couldn't keep her penned up!

That a lot of work to make picture like that.

How to get a pig to prophesy:
Whisper in it's ear, "Another name for a pig that doesn't prophesy is bacon."

Ohhh I 100% agree with your critique! It’s always irked me too. If she comes from a long line of extremely powerful enchantress, was trained by Achren, potentially Dallben as well, and was destined for all that comes later, why on earth does she fail at every spell? It’s a typical male author failing to neglect to include real competency and agency for their (usually token, main-male-character-supporting) female characters. And yet, he included Llyr as a powerful matriarchy, if lost. How strange. I wish I could see his reply to your inquiry as well. I love the way you ‘ve tweaked the scene while also technically sticking to canon here. One of the things I’ve always loved most about your writing is the way you flesh out LA’s sparse writing with delightful details and lovely moments between the characters.

Maybe you did not interpret the scene properly. IMO it underlines LA's purpose running through the series that in Prydain, magic does not provide solutions. Eilonwy was bound to fail because she tried to bend it for a good purpose. Yes, Achren still has her plans for Eilonwy - but under the prerequirement that Eilonwy must succumb to its inherent evil!

That's ... an interesting take worthy of a master ... but she has repeatedly shown her use in ways not appreciated by those of us wishing for a magical solution ... by casting light, by helping to liberate a spell and escaping from the ruins of Achren's usurped spiral castle ... et cetera.
I suggest to you that his point is akin to Jewish rebuttal to Western Christians and atheists of the author's day who overly denigrate the material, pedestrian creation and revelation given unto God's Chosen and the rest of us (to whom they serve as a light Unto the nations and revelations to others are explicitly referenced repeatedly in the Old Testament).

This is my first time leaving a comment, but I've been enjoying your storytelling and artwork for years now. Thank you for bringing the PryChron to life. Decades ago, as the oldest brother, I read this series to my younger sibs after we conquered Narnia together. Such rich, wholesome, personal adventures that make for nostalgic memories so many years later.

And this page reminded me of that--it's not the action scenes or the epic reveals of Welsh lore so much. It's the quiet moments in the stories that set the tone for what a cool night in Prydain would be like in front of the fire, hearing the crackle of flame on wood and maybe the twang of a over-scrupulous harp string, the oink of a pig, the very relatable dialogue of our all-too-human characters. *That's* what makes these stories endearing--none of us have faced off against Cauldron-Born or woven a magical web from a meshing of grass, but all of us have had moments like these: loyal company, camping under the stars, the smell of wolf-hound, and trying something courageous only the experts can do. Basically, you bringing this particular moment to life reinforces why Alexander's books hold our attention with each passing generation in a literary genre where fantasy motifs change over time.

Eilonwy not having useful magic is the single biggest change I would make to the series. Especially if it was picked up to be a prestige tv multi season thing.

Like you say, it just makes her sacrifice so much less meaningful. (I can always justify Achren's interest. She can unlock it even if Eilonwy can't and blood as power is a solid trope with a long heritage.)

The bit where she does the web spell and it doesn't quite work is more on target for me. Flashes of power that are there but not yet formed. Have Dallben be teaching her, even if it is in the weird "old Master seemingly gives nonsensical chores" method a-la Mr. Miyagi.

But the more she is also coming into herself and her power the better. That Taran doesn't see it into he books is ok - he is kind of clueless and she is always a mystery to him because his heart gets in the way.

But if we are seeing it from the outside and not as tightly focused on Taran then we need to see that her power *is* there - even if dormant - so that it hits when it needs to.

Yes! I never really understood why Eilonwy's magic was so underwhelming when it is a big part of who she is. I am glad that you reinterpreted the seen. It makes more sense this way, knowing how important of a role Eilonwy's magic is to the plot of all of the books and to her.

Amazing that you were able to make the scene so beautiful, even though you considered leaving it out! Eilonwy's inability to use magic effectively doesn't bother me so much in Book of Three because I see her arc mirroring Taran's here, and they are both kind of bumbling along and figuring things out. But it does seem to be a lost opportunity to not see her grow in her magical abilities - and in her wisdom about how to use them - as the series goes on.

So I know to be patient, but I am SO EXCITED to see how you interpret the rest of the book. So much good action and emotion coming up.

I always interpreted her spells like that because of the reasons you mentioned.

I'm glad I found someone else who is as obsessed with this series as I am.

Hi there nice to see new pages!

Maybe Eilonwy is not comfortable at all with magic in the form.of spells, and maybe even not too much interested in it?
I forgot about the whole scene actually. The need fore it is debatable, but I think E just tried her best to be helpfull here. T+E come together in this book and both there communication is not that handy to say the least. She just tries to be helpfull here.

I can also imagine (from the documentary you mentioned before) there was quite some editing in this book. It also did set the start for the rest of the books. I don't remeber Gwydion using actual magic later, or any of the 'good side' characters except for Dallben, Aeddon and the fae. Taran is only involved later in defeating, or loosing magic.

In which Taran is subconsciously jealous of a pig.

An oracular pig, true.

I’m reading this on a device where typing is painful, it this is a placeholder to jump in on the discussion vis a vis E’s magic and he general place of magic in he series. With soft magic systems it’s difficult to not make it solve problems too easily—not just “all problems,” though I think that is a part of it, but even “this problem”. It’s one of the weird and mysterious things about Gandalf that works in TLotR, but it still is odd. It’s something that is odd about Dallben, too, in that *when* we see him use magic he uses it to devastating effect (in THK), but he almost never uses it. Gwydion uses magic successfully, but sparsely, and almost as a slight aid, not a game changing power (not saying more at this point, for those who haven’t read the original—there’s one instance that tests my analysis here). Even Arawn’s magic seems restrained. We generally don’t see the sort of power that would utterly tip the scales, at least not manifested in a single moment.

And Adaon’s brooch, while good, is analyzed in an ambiguous way. Eilonwy says she didn’t think he really *needed* it, and it is implied that it’s ultimately not good for Taran, even if it saves them. That’s why she tells him he didn’t seem quite himself, yet. His need for it is part of the “problem,” and later on we see a wiser mature Taran closer to Adaon, who doesn’t need virtue-supplementing “technology” but just has virtue. E’s strength doesn’t lie in her magical heritage, and I think that’s part of the point. In this it’s similar to Taran and the brooch, though it obviously is more “intimate” as being part of her heritage. It’s more of a sacrifice for her, in some way, but it’s still external to her insofar as it’s a book of spells, not just intrinsic power.

Oy. How was that just a placeholder, self??.😮‍💨

On rereading the series recently I took this scene slightly different. It's a moment where he witnesses a peer failing in something as well. Taran wrestles with his destiny throughout the series and often feels the weight of failure, or what he believes is failure, (very teenage like) and it makes him feel alone. He knows Eilonwy is someone "important" but this little moment helps make her a bit more relatable to him.

I'd like to think Alexander would have wrote it a bit differently today but I believe it still would have the same result. There is no special power that is going to see them through other than courage, determination, and steadfast fellowship.

I wish I could figure out where my copy of the series is hiding. My book shelves are such a mess of books and other assorted odds and ends that it'd be a minor miracle to find them. Not that I'm likely to have anything new and exciting to contribute, but at least I wouldn't be in the dark on the actual text.

For what it's worth, from a generalized perspective I agree with CM's interpretation regarding the relative maturities of Taran and Eilonwy. I am very fond of both and as a man can obviously better identify with him than her, but that's one of the reasons for my perspective. Taran has had a very sheltered, safe and happy life up to Hen Wen's escape into the wilds, which is something I can also relate to more than perhaps I could have admitted when I was his age. Conversely, Eilonwy has been a prisoner basically all her life and has been forced to mature more rapidly because of her need to be her own person outside of Achren's influence. While her social development may have been stunted and possibly misdirected, her powerful will and keen intellect have given her insights on matters that Taran could never have imagined or encountered until leaving the safety of his home. I think one of the reasons they make such a great match over the course of the series is how complementary their strengths are and how they can teach and learn from each other on relatively equal terms.

As was mentioned, the books are following Taran's story, so it's understandable why his growth as a character is explored more deeply, but I share the desire to know more about Eilonwy as a character even if I understand the books didn't include much of her story. Perhaps the author felt she was strong enough a character to stand without further elucidation, perhaps he didn't even consider her role beyond her support of the main character, I don't know and am not qualified to speculate on. My personal feeling is though, based on the strength of the love for Eilonwy shown by fans, that Alexander knew exactly what he was doing and has likely inspired many girls reading the stories to adapt the strengths of her character: intelligence, wit, determination, loyalty, compassion and patience to name but a few virtues, and find their own paths mirroring her own development.

Then again, I might just be clueless and over-romanticizing everything out of a desperate need to be positive and guard cherished memories from the encroaching darkness.

Thank you so much Saeriellyn i have been waiting for this for a long time its amazing !❤

I have re-read the passage in question, and it looks to me now that Eilonwy had no hope or even intention for any spell to work in the first place. She was merely trying to comfort Taran by demonstrating to him how he keeps asking for things beyond their power instead of sticking to what they can do, thus expressing her growing affection in a way that would not compromise her appearance of total autonomy. Also, her extensive rambling about Achren's teachings sounds like she would really strongly prefer to keep her hands away from them regardless of innate power or bloodline, but when pressed like that ...

(Why would Achren want to summon toads, by the way? And did Eilonwy in her boredom repeatedly flood Spiral Castle with them?)

It is not stated in the book, but given your interpretation of this chapter, this scene could even be construed as a conscious attempt to make up for her previous rude behaviour towards Doli: "See? You are not the only one here who fails in performing acts of magic, but I don't complain about it."

wow, I love the colors and atmosphere you created with the deep oranges and purples, it sets the mood of a nighttime campfire - Tricky to make that look realistic, but you pulled it off extremely well! Impressive!

Lovely firelight effects! Hen Wen looks radiant. In the last panel I cannot help but imagine a spider web spun in the space overhead with the words "SOME PIG" glistening in the firelight. :D

An interesting parallel with this scene, perhaps related to the discussion of Eilonwy's magical powers, is that by the time of The High King she IS able to communicate with animals. Specifially, Byrnach and Briavael. She describes it as "hearing with her heart" (which is almost exactly how Gwydion describes communicating with Hen Wen at the end of this book: "we could speak as one heart and mind to another"). It is interesting that she discovers the ability to do so at that later time, while she is not able to communicate with Hen Wen here (or Byrnach and Briavael a few chapeters before for that matter). Her magical powers certainly are not extinguished at Llyr, but rather perhaps they grow in a subtle way as she learns to listen with her heart more and more (as perhaps ultimately demonstrated in her turning night into noon).

Thank you for the new page! So nice to see an update.

P.S. I think it is cool how you had Eilonwy speak in runes.