"The Elric Saga" by Michael Moorcock is one of the great classics of high
fantasy, dark fantasy, and sword & sorcery. Its characters, environments, and
obstacles are among the genre's most memorable and influential, with Elric an
archetypal anti-hero and one of the most recognizable figures of the genre. He
has been reincarnated and copied in many forms, and references to him
abound even when they are not generally recognized (Elric appears in role-
playing games, video games, art, graphic novels, and others and has been even
copied in animation like "Voltron").
Perhaps one of the reasons "The Elric Saga" has endured and seeped so deeply
into fantasy lovers’ consciousness is that it can be enjoyed on many levels. It is
a fabulous adventure of fabulous characters with fabulous weapons and
sorcery who meet (and fight) fabulous beings in fabulous places. They
fabulously succeed and fabulously fail.
At the same time, "The Elric Saga" is very Greek, recalling Greek mythologies
such as the journeys of Odysseus and their strong sense of doom, irony,
tragedy, humanity, and even lyric qualities of the writing. It has a theatrical
structure (each volume broken into several books with a brief introduction).
More, "The Elric Saga" calls upon history, reminding us of Chinese, Roman,
and British empires. It also draws on traditional high fantasy, twisting its
familiar elements into a new archetype. Moreover, "The Eric Saga" reinvents
enduring themes in literature: a person's struggle with his own nature, with fate
and destiny, with free will, with action and inaction, with gods, with tradition
and duty, with "differentness," with building the future, with dependence and
independence, with his role in the world, and with truth and hypocrisy.
"The Elric Saga" does all this with a distinctly modern, psychedelic post-1960s
flair (and far less of the chauvinism that can cloud the genre), while being fast-
paced, easy to read, and extremely compact.
Elric is the 428th Emperor of Melniboné, an eldritch kingdom well past its
prime, overshadowed by younger, hungrier (human) rivals that it despises.
Melnibonéans ruled the world for 10,000 years, though their power waned
during the last 500 and the Bright Empire no longer extends beyond the shores
of their own Melniboné (also known as the Dragon Isle). Even there,
Melnibonéans are limited for they rarely venture outside Imrryr, the Dreaming
City. Although they take much pride in their lore and tradition, the truth is
Melnibonéans have lost much of both. Saturated with hallucinogenic drugs,
they live in the fantastical city of multi-hued towers, dream of past glories, and
unable to see their changing place in the changing world.
Melnibonéans are "a moody, inward looking race," often considered the
antithesis of J.R.R. Tolkien's Elves. As Elves embody virtue, so do
Melnibonéans embody vice. Among their significant vices are war lust,
"ferocious and disdainful pride," slavery, all manner of torture, pure self-
interest, maliciousness, and incest. Considered demons by humans, they are
allied with the Lords of Chaos (Elric's personal patron is Arioch, a Duke of
Hell), and prefer to recognize neither good nor evil, but simply their own needs
and desires. When Elves turn away from virtue, they cease to be Elves, so do
Melnibonéans who turn away from vice cease to be Melnibonéans. Thus one of
the many dilemmas Elric faces: Can he turn away from the vices he dislikes and
continue to be Melnibonéan?
Elric is removed from his fellow Melnibonéans in other ways. He is a crimson-
eyed albino completely dependent upon strength preserving and enhancing
drugs. He feels trapped by duty and over-civilization, by questions of fate and
free will. He is cut off from those around him by his continual brooding, critical
thinking, heretical ideas of progress, willingness to consider the unthinkable,
ability to think outside tradition, refusal to use hallucinogens, ability to forgive
and sympathize, tolerance of free speech and thought, knowledge of the world,
and ability in sorcery. These thoughts leave him, at times, nearly paralyzed
even when he knows that he should act. Yet, he is the only one who recognizes
that Melniboné faces a crisis: does it accept a slow death, strike out to rebuild
some of its former glory, or find some other path? Although criticized by other
Melnibonéans as an anti-traditionalist, Elric not only welcomes the future but
more than any other preserves the past. For Elric has mastered much of
Melniboné's High Speech, sorcery, and lore that others have forgotten. And
although he found the crown of Melniboné heavy to bear, he must bear the fate
of the world...
fantasy, dark fantasy, and sword & sorcery. Its characters, environments, and
obstacles are among the genre's most memorable and influential, with Elric an
archetypal anti-hero and one of the most recognizable figures of the genre. He
has been reincarnated and copied in many forms, and references to him
abound even when they are not generally recognized (Elric appears in role-
playing games, video games, art, graphic novels, and others and has been even
copied in animation like "Voltron").
Perhaps one of the reasons "The Elric Saga" has endured and seeped so deeply
into fantasy lovers’ consciousness is that it can be enjoyed on many levels. It is
a fabulous adventure of fabulous characters with fabulous weapons and
sorcery who meet (and fight) fabulous beings in fabulous places. They
fabulously succeed and fabulously fail.
At the same time, "The Elric Saga" is very Greek, recalling Greek mythologies
such as the journeys of Odysseus and their strong sense of doom, irony,
tragedy, humanity, and even lyric qualities of the writing. It has a theatrical
structure (each volume broken into several books with a brief introduction).
More, "The Elric Saga" calls upon history, reminding us of Chinese, Roman,
and British empires. It also draws on traditional high fantasy, twisting its
familiar elements into a new archetype. Moreover, "The Eric Saga" reinvents
enduring themes in literature: a person's struggle with his own nature, with fate
and destiny, with free will, with action and inaction, with gods, with tradition
and duty, with "differentness," with building the future, with dependence and
independence, with his role in the world, and with truth and hypocrisy.
"The Elric Saga" does all this with a distinctly modern, psychedelic post-1960s
flair (and far less of the chauvinism that can cloud the genre), while being fast-
paced, easy to read, and extremely compact.
Elric is the 428th Emperor of Melniboné, an eldritch kingdom well past its
prime, overshadowed by younger, hungrier (human) rivals that it despises.
Melnibonéans ruled the world for 10,000 years, though their power waned
during the last 500 and the Bright Empire no longer extends beyond the shores
of their own Melniboné (also known as the Dragon Isle). Even there,
Melnibonéans are limited for they rarely venture outside Imrryr, the Dreaming
City. Although they take much pride in their lore and tradition, the truth is
Melnibonéans have lost much of both. Saturated with hallucinogenic drugs,
they live in the fantastical city of multi-hued towers, dream of past glories, and
unable to see their changing place in the changing world.
Melnibonéans are "a moody, inward looking race," often considered the
antithesis of J.R.R. Tolkien's Elves. As Elves embody virtue, so do
Melnibonéans embody vice. Among their significant vices are war lust,
"ferocious and disdainful pride," slavery, all manner of torture, pure self-
interest, maliciousness, and incest. Considered demons by humans, they are
allied with the Lords of Chaos (Elric's personal patron is Arioch, a Duke of
Hell), and prefer to recognize neither good nor evil, but simply their own needs
and desires. When Elves turn away from virtue, they cease to be Elves, so do
Melnibonéans who turn away from vice cease to be Melnibonéans. Thus one of
the many dilemmas Elric faces: Can he turn away from the vices he dislikes and
continue to be Melnibonéan?
Elric is removed from his fellow Melnibonéans in other ways. He is a crimson-
eyed albino completely dependent upon strength preserving and enhancing
drugs. He feels trapped by duty and over-civilization, by questions of fate and
free will. He is cut off from those around him by his continual brooding, critical
thinking, heretical ideas of progress, willingness to consider the unthinkable,
ability to think outside tradition, refusal to use hallucinogens, ability to forgive
and sympathize, tolerance of free speech and thought, knowledge of the world,
and ability in sorcery. These thoughts leave him, at times, nearly paralyzed
even when he knows that he should act. Yet, he is the only one who recognizes
that Melniboné faces a crisis: does it accept a slow death, strike out to rebuild
some of its former glory, or find some other path? Although criticized by other
Melnibonéans as an anti-traditionalist, Elric not only welcomes the future but
more than any other preserves the past. For Elric has mastered much of
Melniboné's High Speech, sorcery, and lore that others have forgotten. And
although he found the crown of Melniboné heavy to bear, he must bear the fate
of the world...
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The Elric Saga: Overview Part 1 By SC Bryce |
|
Publication History |
First Printing:
SwordandSorcery.org, Howard
Andrew Jones, ed. (Feb. 11, 2005), at
www.SwordandSorcery.org.
SwordandSorcery.org, Howard
Andrew Jones, ed. (Feb. 11, 2005), at
www.SwordandSorcery.org.