Golden Pelydryn
Encyclopedia
The Golden Pelydryn is a fictional magical object in Lloyd Alexander
's Chronicles of Prydain fantasy series. It is owned by the young enchantress Princess Eilonwy
and is used by her to light her way through darkness. It resembles a sphere of pure gold and is referred to as her "bauble." It also reveals things which ordinary lights cannot.
is being held prisoner by the evil queen Achren
in her fortress, Spiral Castle
. When Eilonwy is playing on the battlements of the castle, she drops the bauble (as she calls it) through a crack in the ceiling and it falls into Taran's cell. She breaks into the dungeon and uses the magic of the Pelydryn to light up the room. She never parts with it and it accompanies her through the entire series from then on.
The Golden Pelydryn plays very little role in The Black Cauldron
, other than Eilonwy willing to barter it with the Three Sisters, Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch
, in exchange for the cauldron. They turn her offer down. It is in The Castle of Llyr
that we find out how powerful the bauble really is. Its true name is the Golden Pelydryn, and it is in fact an ancient heirloom of the Royal House of Llyr
, handed down from mother to daughter among the Princesses of Llyr. Before Eilonwy, the last owner of the Pelydryn was her mother, the Princess Angharad. But when Angharad fled the royal household to marry against her mother's wishes, she took the Pelydryn with her and passed it down to her infant daughter Eilonwy.
The remainder of Eilonwy's story, and that of the Golden Pelydryn, is revealed to Taran and the reader during the course of the third and fourth books in the series, The Castle of Llyr
and Taran Wanderer
. The fate of Geraint, Eilonwy's commoner father, is unknown, but sometime following his death, the sorceress Achren
abducted the infant Eilonwy (and her magic bauble) and took her to Spiral Castle
. Eilonwy, as the last Princess of Llyr, is the sole heir to the magic of Llyr, most of which is contained in the ancient family stronghold at Caer Colur, and the only person who can make use of the spells contained in a book that the light of the Golden Pelydryn will allow her to read. Achren raised Eilonwy as her own niece, giving her a basic training in magic, but Eilonwy suspected Achren was not really her aunt and knew that she did not belong in Spiral Castle. At the time of the events of The Book of Three, she was too young to have gotten very far with her magical education, so her powers lay mostly dormant throughout the series.
In The Castle of Llyr, Eilonwy is again seized by Achren and taken to the family home at Caer Colur, where she is kept under an enchantment that prevents her from recognizing her friends or attempting to escape. The spells in the spellbook of Llyr, as Prince Gwydion
explains to a bewildered Taran, can only be used by a Princess of Llyr and only once she has reached the threshold of womanhood; Eilonwy, he says, is at that point in her life, suggesting that she is approximately fourteen or fifteen years old in this book. Instead of obeying Achren, however, and using the spells to help her conquer Prydain, Eilonwy musters the strength to break the enchantment which imprisons her; she casts the spellbook to the flagstones, where it bursts into flames, and all of Caer Colur is destroyed. As a surprising side effect, Achren's own magical powers are stripped from her, and she accompanies the group back to the mainland and joins the household of Taran's foster father, the enchanter Dallben
.
In Taran Wanderer, Taran learns that Eilonwy's mother, Angharad, sought the aid of an evil sorcerer, Morda, in finding her abducted daughter. She attempted to pay him for his aid with a magic pendant which had been given to the House of Llyr by the Fair Folk
; but as she was already very ill when she reached Morda's abode, she died during the night and he kept everything she carried on her person, including the pendant and the book of Llyrian spells. He later sold the (seemingly blank) spellbook to a would-be enchanter called Glew, which is how it was eventually restored to Eilonwy in the previous book.
In The High King
, the final book of the series, the Golden Pelydryn is brought into play twice. At one point, Eilonwy has been separated from her companions, but from a distance witnesses them being very nearly trapped by the evil warriors of Arawn
. Calling to Taran, and lifting the bauble high, she summons enough light to turn the darkened valley "as bright as noon." At the end of the book, Eilonwy is asked to choose—will she journey to the Summer Country with all the other magic users left in Prydain, or will she stay behind and marry the newly crowned High King Taran? Choosing a mortal life of love over an immortal life in the magic realm, she asks her enchantments to be removed from her, and the light of the Golden Pelydryn is darkened forever.
, Eilonwy's bauble is never identified by its proper name; this is understandable, as the name of the Golden Pelydryn was not known to the cast until the third book. However, the film depicts the bauble as semi-sentient, able to move under its own power and seeming to possess a degree of intelligence. It is also shown as being rather large, almost the size of Eilonwy's own head. The books, by comparison, indicate that the Golden Pelydryn is rather small, roughly the size of a baseball or similar, and incapable of moving on its own; Eilonwy carries it at all times. It is also unable to light on its own, as the movie indicates it can do.
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...
's Chronicles of Prydain fantasy series. It is owned by the young enchantress 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...
and is used by her to light her way through darkness. It resembles a sphere of pure gold and is referred to as her "bauble." It also reveals things which ordinary lights cannot.
The Novels
The Golden Pelydryn is first seen in The Book of Three, when TaranTaran (character)
Taran is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Prydain series, as well as in the film and game named after the second novel, The Black Cauldron.-Profile:...
is being held prisoner by the evil queen Achren
Achren
Achren is a fictional character and villainess in the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain, written by Lloyd Alexander.-Profile:In the novels, Achren was once Queen of Prydain, and ruled many years as a harsh and vengeful tyrant, both as ruler and then as the Death-lord Arawn's consort...
in her fortress, 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...
. When Eilonwy is playing on the battlements of the castle, she drops the bauble (as she calls it) through a crack in the ceiling and it falls into Taran's cell. She breaks into the dungeon and uses the magic of the Pelydryn to light up the room. She never parts with it and it accompanies her through the entire series from then on.
The Golden Pelydryn plays very little role in The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron (novel)
The Black Cauldron is a 1965 fantasy novel, the second book in Lloyd Alexander's five-part novel series The Chronicles of Prydain . The story centers on the adventures of Taran, an Assistant Pig-Keeper in the magical land of Prydain, as he joins in a quest to capture the eponymous vessel, a...
, other than Eilonwy willing to barter it with the Three Sisters, Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch
Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch
Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch are fictional characters in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain series.They are three witches who live alone in the Marshes of Morva...
, in exchange for the cauldron. They turn her offer down. It is 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 :...
that we find out how powerful the bauble really is. Its true name is the Golden Pelydryn, and it is in fact an ancient heirloom of the Royal House of Llyr
Llyr
Llŷr is a figure in Welsh mythology, the father of Brân, Brânwen and Manawydan by Penarddun. The Welsh Triads mention he was imprisoned by Euroswydd; the Second Branch of the Mabinogi names Euroswydd as the father of Penarddun's younger two sons, Nisien and Efnisien. Llŷr corresponds to Lir in...
, handed down from mother to daughter among the Princesses of Llyr. Before Eilonwy, the last owner of the Pelydryn was her mother, the Princess Angharad. But when Angharad fled the royal household to marry against her mother's wishes, she took the Pelydryn with her and passed it down to her infant daughter Eilonwy.
The remainder of Eilonwy's story, and that of the Golden Pelydryn, is revealed to Taran and the reader during the course of the third and fourth books in the series, 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 :...
and 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...
. The fate of Geraint, Eilonwy's commoner father, is unknown, but sometime following his death, the sorceress Achren
Achren
Achren is a fictional character and villainess in the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain, written by Lloyd Alexander.-Profile:In the novels, Achren was once Queen of Prydain, and ruled many years as a harsh and vengeful tyrant, both as ruler and then as the Death-lord Arawn's consort...
abducted the infant Eilonwy (and her magic bauble) and took her to 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...
. Eilonwy, as the last Princess of Llyr, is the sole heir to the magic of Llyr, most of which is contained in the ancient family stronghold at Caer Colur, and the only person who can make use of the spells contained in a book that the light of the Golden Pelydryn will allow her to read. Achren raised Eilonwy as her own niece, giving her a basic training in magic, but Eilonwy suspected Achren was not really her aunt and knew that she did not belong in Spiral Castle. At the time of the events of The Book of Three, she was too young to have gotten very far with her magical education, so her powers lay mostly dormant throughout the series.
In The Castle of Llyr, Eilonwy is again seized by Achren and taken to the family home at Caer Colur, where she is kept under an enchantment that prevents her from recognizing her friends or attempting to escape. The spells in the spellbook of Llyr, as Prince 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...
explains to a bewildered Taran, can only be used by a Princess of Llyr and only once she has reached the threshold of womanhood; Eilonwy, he says, is at that point in her life, suggesting that she is approximately fourteen or fifteen years old in this book. Instead of obeying Achren, however, and using the spells to help her conquer Prydain, Eilonwy musters the strength to break the enchantment which imprisons her; she casts the spellbook to the flagstones, where it bursts into flames, and all of Caer Colur is destroyed. As a surprising side effect, Achren's own magical powers are stripped from her, and she accompanies the group back to the mainland and joins the household of Taran's foster father, the enchanter Dallben
Dallben
Dallben is an important character in Lloyd Alexander's children's series The Chronicles of Prydain.-Profile:Dallben is described as an ancient man with a long white beard. He lives on the farm known as Caer Dallben, where he acts as protector of Coll's oracular pig, Hen Wen. He also is the...
.
In Taran Wanderer, Taran learns that Eilonwy's mother, Angharad, sought the aid of an evil sorcerer, Morda, in finding her abducted daughter. She attempted to pay him for his aid with a magic pendant which had been given to the House of Llyr by the Fair Folk
Fair Folk
This article is for the fictional race in the fiction of Lloyd Alexander. For the mythological Fair Folk, see Fairy.The Fair Folk are a race of supernatural beings in The Chronicles of Prydain, a series of children's fantasy novels by Lloyd Alexander...
; but as she was already very ill when she reached Morda's abode, she died during the night and he kept everything she carried on her person, including the pendant and the book of Llyrian spells. He later sold the (seemingly blank) spellbook to a would-be enchanter called Glew, which is how it was eventually restored to Eilonwy in the previous book.
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:...
, the final book of the series, the Golden Pelydryn is brought into play twice. At one point, Eilonwy has been separated from her companions, but from a distance witnesses them being very nearly trapped by the evil warriors of 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...
. Calling to Taran, and lifting the bauble high, she summons enough light to turn the darkened valley "as bright as noon." At the end of the book, Eilonwy is asked to choose—will she journey to the Summer Country with all the other magic users left in Prydain, or will she stay behind and marry the newly crowned High King Taran? Choosing a mortal life of love over an immortal life in the magic realm, she asks her enchantments to be removed from her, and the light of the Golden Pelydryn is darkened forever.
The Film
In the animated version of The Black CauldronThe Black Cauldron (film)
The Black Cauldron is a 1985 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and originally released to theatres on July 24, 1985...
, Eilonwy's bauble is never identified by its proper name; this is understandable, as the name of the Golden Pelydryn was not known to the cast until the third book. However, the film depicts the bauble as semi-sentient, able to move under its own power and seeming to possess a degree of intelligence. It is also shown as being rather large, almost the size of Eilonwy's own head. The books, by comparison, indicate that the Golden Pelydryn is rather small, roughly the size of a baseball or similar, and incapable of moving on its own; Eilonwy carries it at all times. It is also unable to light on its own, as the movie indicates it can do.