Achren
Encyclopedia
Achren is a fictional character
and villainess in the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain
, written by Lloyd Alexander
.
, and ruled many years as a harsh and vengeful tyrant, both as ruler and then as the Death-lord Arawn
's consort. She originally ruled from her citadel in Annuvin, near Mount Dragon, and later moved to the fastness of Spiral Castle
after Arawn gained power. She secretly harbored a deep anger and hatred for the Death-lord, who stole from her the crown of Annuvin. She was also taken with Gwydion
; even though he did not reciprocate, she remains largely loyal to him after losing her powers.
Achren is a powerful enchantress, and was apparently the one who taught Arawn to use his own powers before he became more powerful than she. Although her powers had diminished, she still was capable of much sorcery when the companions encountered her on their travels.
and the Assistant Pig-Keeper Taran
are captured by Achren and taken to her abode in Spiral Castle. The Princess Eilonwy
had been living at Spiral Castle under the pretense that Achren was teaching her to be an enchantress; although she is no relation to the princess, Achren has raised Eilonwy to believe that she is the niece of the former queen, something that Eilonwy remarks to Taran she (correctly) suspects is a lie. She imprisons Taran in the dungeon and takes Gwydion to Oeth Anoeth, where she tries to coax him into joining her and helping her to regain her throne.
In The Castle of Llyr
, Achren returns having lost most of her power (because her stronghold was destroyed when Taran and Elionwy, in The Book of Three, removed Dyrnwyn from the castle when they escaped, causing the castle to collapse) and seeking vengeance. With the help of the treacherous Magg
, Achren kidnaps Eilonwy, in the hopes of using the princess' connection to the power of the House of Llyr to augment her old powers. Her plan is foiled by Gwydion and she later tries to kill herself
twice but Gwydion stops her, urging her to seek better purpose in life.
In Taran Wanderer
, Achren appears briefly at the beginning of the story: she has apparently turned away from evil and taken refuge in Caer Dallben
at the invitation of the enchanter. By her own choice she keeps house and cooks for the others on the farm.
In The High King
(winner of the Newbery Medal
), the sword Dyrnwyn is stolen and the companions plan to regain the flaming sword. Achren sets out on her own to seek revenge on Arawn before the companions have a chance to restrain her. When she is attacked and left for dead by Magg (now working for Arawn) and later wounded by a number of Gwythaints
, Taran's band finds her close to death. After healing her wounds, she leads them past the dangers of Mount Dragon into Annuvin.
She meets her demise when Arawn, disguised as a snake, comes close to biting Taran; Achren throws herself to the ground and wrests Arawn away from Taran, and the serpent bites her on the throat. She dies from the injury, but with the destruction of Arawn she finally finds peace. The companions carried her body into Arawn's great hall in all honors in gratitude for her final sacrifice.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and villainess in the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain
The Chronicles of Prydain
The Chronicles of Prydain is a five-volume series of children's fantasy novels by author Lloyd Alexander...
, written by Lloyd Alexander
Lloyd Alexander
Lloyd Chudley Alexander was a widely influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books...
.
Profile
In the novels, Achren was once Queen of PrydainPrydain
Prydain is the modern Welsh name for Britain.-Medieval:Prydain is the medieval Welsh term for the island of Britain . More specifically, Prydain may refer to the Brittonic parts of the island; that is, the parts south of Caledonia...
, and ruled many years as a harsh and vengeful tyrant, both as ruler and then as the Death-lord Arawn
Arawn
In Welsh mythology, Arawn was the king of the otherworld realm of Annwn, appearing prominently in the first branch, and alluded to in the fourth. In later tradition, the role of king of Annwn was largely attributed to the Welsh psychopomp, Gwyn ap Nudd...
's consort. She originally ruled from her citadel in Annuvin, near Mount Dragon, and later moved to the fastness of Spiral Castle
Spiral Castle
Spiral Castle was at one time the seat of power for the fictional land of Prydain. During the period of time covered by Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, it had become one of many strongholds under the influence of Arawn Death-Lord, personally administered by Queen Achren.The earliest story...
after Arawn gained power. She secretly harbored a deep anger and hatred for the Death-lord, who stole from her the crown of Annuvin. She was also taken with Gwydion
Gwydion
Gwydion fab Dôn is a magician, hero and trickster of Welsh mythology, appearing most prominently in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, which focuses largely on his relationship with his young nephew, Lleu Llaw Gyffes...
; even though he did not reciprocate, she remains largely loyal to him after losing her powers.
Achren is a powerful enchantress, and was apparently the one who taught Arawn to use his own powers before he became more powerful than she. Although her powers had diminished, she still was capable of much sorcery when the companions encountered her on their travels.
Appearances
In The Book of Three, Prince GwydionGwydion
Gwydion fab Dôn is a magician, hero and trickster of Welsh mythology, appearing most prominently in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, which focuses largely on his relationship with his young nephew, Lleu Llaw Gyffes...
and the Assistant Pig-Keeper Taran
Taran
- Given name :* Taran, a 7th century king of the Picts* Taran Taran, founder of the Taran Panth religious sect* Taran Adarsh, an Indian film critic* Taran Killam, an American comic actor* Taran Noah Smith, an actor...
are captured by Achren and taken to her abode in Spiral Castle. The Princess Eilonwy
Princess Eilonwy
Princess Eilonwy is a fictional character in Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain and wife of High King Taran in the Chronicles of Prydain and also appears in Disney's 1985 animated film The Black Cauldron...
had been living at Spiral Castle under the pretense that Achren was teaching her to be an enchantress; although she is no relation to the princess, Achren has raised Eilonwy to believe that she is the niece of the former queen, something that Eilonwy remarks to Taran she (correctly) suspects is a lie. She imprisons Taran in the dungeon and takes Gwydion to Oeth Anoeth, where she tries to coax him into joining her and helping her to regain her throne.
In The Castle of Llyr
The Castle of Llyr
The Castle of Llyr is the third volume in the children's fantasy series Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, first published in 1966.Taran continues his adventures and encounters new friends and old enemies.- Plot :...
, Achren returns having lost most of her power (because her stronghold was destroyed when Taran and Elionwy, in The Book of Three, removed Dyrnwyn from the castle when they escaped, causing the castle to collapse) and seeking vengeance. With the help of the treacherous Magg
Magg
Magg is a character in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy Chronicles of Prydain book series. He appears as the secondary villain in the third novel of the series, The Castle of Llyr. He also makes an appearance in the fifth and final novel, The High King.- Description :Through hard work, Magg has become...
, Achren kidnaps Eilonwy, in the hopes of using the princess' connection to the power of the House of Llyr to augment her old powers. Her plan is foiled by Gwydion and she later tries to kill herself
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
twice but Gwydion stops her, urging her to seek better purpose in life.
In Taran Wanderer
Taran Wanderer
Taran Wanderer is the fourth book in the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander. It tells of Taran's search for his lineage through which he encounters many different people who each help to shape Taran as he learns about who he truly is. It is the only book in the series in which...
, Achren appears briefly at the beginning of the story: she has apparently turned away from evil and taken refuge in Caer Dallben
Caer Dallben
Caer Dallben is a cottage farm within the lands of Prydain and the starting point for each book of Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain. It is also the setting for the series' final chapter....
at the invitation of the enchanter. By her own choice she keeps house and cooks for the others on the farm.
In The High King
The High King
The High King is the last book in the Chronicles of Prydain fantasy series of books by Lloyd Alexander. It was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1969.-Plot overview:...
(winner of the Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
), the sword Dyrnwyn is stolen and the companions plan to regain the flaming sword. Achren sets out on her own to seek revenge on Arawn before the companions have a chance to restrain her. When she is attacked and left for dead by Magg (now working for Arawn) and later wounded by a number of Gwythaints
Gwythaints
Gwythaints are fictional characters in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. They are a race of ferocious eagles under the command of Arawn Death-Lord, the primary villain of the series.-Description and origins:...
, Taran's band finds her close to death. After healing her wounds, she leads them past the dangers of Mount Dragon into Annuvin.
She meets her demise when Arawn, disguised as a snake, comes close to biting Taran; Achren throws herself to the ground and wrests Arawn away from Taran, and the serpent bites her on the throat. She dies from the injury, but with the destruction of Arawn she finally finds peace. The companions carried her body into Arawn's great hall in all honors in gratitude for her final sacrifice.
See also
- The Chronicles of PrydainThe Chronicles of PrydainThe Chronicles of Prydain is a five-volume series of children's fantasy novels by author Lloyd Alexander...
- Chronicles of Prydain characters
- Lloyd AlexanderLloyd AlexanderLloyd Chudley Alexander was a widely influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books...
- Spiral CastleSpiral CastleSpiral Castle was at one time the seat of power for the fictional land of Prydain. During the period of time covered by Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, it had become one of many strongholds under the influence of Arawn Death-Lord, personally administered by Queen Achren.The earliest story...