The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain) (15 page)

Read The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain) Online

Authors: Lloyd Alexander

BOOK: The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain)
8.96Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
With Kaw perched on his shoulder, Taran rode beside Gwydion at the head of the column as it wound through hills rich with autumn’s colors. For a long while Taran did not speak.
“It is strange,” he said at last. “I had longed to enter the world of men. Now I see it filled with sorrow, with cruelty and treachery, with those who would destroy all around them.”
“Yet, enter it you must,” Gwydion answered, “for it is a destiny laid on each of us. True, you have seen these things. But there are equal parts of love and joy. Think of Adaon and believe this.
“Think, too, of your companions. Out of friendship for you, they would have given up all they valued; indeed, all they possessed.”
Taran nodded. “I see now the price I paid was the least of all, for the brooch was never truly mine. I wore it, but it was not part of me. I am thankful I kept it as long as I did; at least I knew, for a little while, how a bard must feel and what it must be like to be a hero.”
“That is why your sacrifice was all the more difficult,” Gwydion said. “You chose to be a hero not through enchantment but through your own manhood. And since you have chosen, for good
or ill, you must take the risks of a man. You may win or you may lose. Time will decide.”
They had come into the Valley of Ystrad, and here Gwydion reined up the golden-maned steed.
“Melyngar and I must now return to Caer Dathyl,” he said, “and bring word to King Math. You shall tell Dallben all that has happened; indeed, this time you know more of these events than I.
“Go swiftly,” Gwydion said, reaching out his hand. “Your comrades wait for you; and Coll, I know, is eager to ready his vegetable garden for winter. Farewell, Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper—and friend.”
Gwydion waved once and rode northward. Taran watched until he was out of sight. He turned Melynlas, then, and saw the faces of the companions smiling at him.
“Hurry along,” Eilonwy called. “Hen Wen will be wanting her bath. And I’m afraid Gurgi and I left in such a hurry I didn’t take time to straighten up the scullery. That’s worse than starting a journey and forgetting to put on your shoes!”
Taran galloped toward them.
The following pages are intended, hopefully, to do somewhat more than continue the Chronicles of Prydain. “What happens next?” is always an urgent question, and this volume attempts to answer it, at least partially. Nevertheless,
The Black Cauldron
should stand as a chronicle in its own right. Certain matters previously hinted at are here revealed more fully; and, while extending the story, I have also tried to deepen it.
If a darker thread runs through the high spirits, it is because the happenings are of serious import not only to the Land of Prydain but to Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, himself. Although an imaginary world, Prydain is essentially not too different from our real one, where humor and heartbreak, joy and sadness, are closely interwoven. The choices and decisions that face a frequently baffled Assistant Pig-Keeper are no easier than the ones we ourselves must make. Even in a fantasy realm, growing up is accomplished not without cost.
Readers venturing into this kingdom for the first time should also be warned that the landscape, at first glance, may seem like Wales, and the inhabitants may evoke heroes of ancient Welsh legend. These were the roots and inspiration. But the rest is a work of imagination, similar only in spirit, not in detail.
Readers who have already journeyed with Taran are assured—and this without giving away any surprises—that Gurgi, despite shakings and quakings and fears for his poor tender head, insisted on joining this new adventure, as did the impetuous Fflewddur Fflam and the disgruntled Doli of the Fair Folk. As for the Princess Eilonwy Daughter of Angharad—there can be no question!
I have been happy to learn that Taran, in spite of his faults, has gained some steadfast companions beyond the borders of Prydain: Beverly Bond, whose courage never faltered; Zay Borman, who rashly visited the Marshes of Morva during a thunderstorm; Carl Brandt, who was sure Prydain existed even before it was discovered; Ann Durell, from the very beginning; Max Jacobson, my severe friend and best critic; Evaline Ness of clearest vision; Louise Waller, who helped weed dandelions. And Evan and Reed, Kris and Mike, Fleur, Suzy, and Barbara, Peter, Liz, and Susie, Michael, Mark, Gary, and Diana. And their respective parents. To them, these pages are affectionately offered.
 
 
The Book of Three
Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper assembles a group of companions
to rescue the oracular pig Hen Wen from the forces of evil.
 
The Black Cauldron
Newbery Honor Book
The warriors of Prydain set out to find and destroy the Black
Cauldron, the Death-Lord Arawn’s chief instrument of evil.
 
The Castle of Llyr
Princess Eilonwy is growing up and must learn to act
like a lady rather than a heroine among heroes.
 
Taran Wanderer
Taran faces a long and lonely search for his identity among
the hills and marshes, farmers and common people of Prydain.
 
The High King
Newbery Medal Winner
The final struggle between good and evil dramatically concludes
the fate of Prydain, and of Taran who wanted to be a hero.
 
Also available:
 
The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain
by Lloyd Alexander
Eight short stories evoke the land of Prydain before
the adventures of Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper.
 
The Prydain Companion
A Reference Guide to Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles
by Michael O. Tunnell
I
n the imaginary land of Prydain, where “evil is never distant,” Prince Gwydion faces dangers more threatening than have ever been dreamed of. It has become imperative that the Black Cauldron, chief implement of the evil powers of Arawn, lord of the Land of Death, be destroyed.
For each of the warriors chosen to journey to Arawn’s domain, the quest has special meaning. To Ellidyr, the youngest son of an impoverished king, it means a chance to satisfy his bitter longing for fame. For Adaon, beloved for his gentleness and bravery, the quest is an omen whose significance he dreads to discover. And to Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, the adventure seems a glorious opportunity to wear his first sword, and be a man among men.
In this story, filled with great sacrifice and great adventure, each warrior fulfills his destiny in ways entirely unforeseen.
 
 
Achren
AHK-ren
Adaon
ah-DAY-On
Aeddan
EE-dan
Angharad
an-GAR-ad
Annuvin
ah-NOO-vin
Arawn
ah-RAWN
Arianllyn
ahree-AHN-lin
 
Briavael
bree-AH-veL
Brynach
BRIHN-ak
 
Caer Cadarn
kare KAH-darn
Caer Colur
kare KOH-loor
Caer Dathyl
kare DA-thil
Coll
kahl
 
Dallben
DAHL-ben
Doli
DOH-lee
Don
dahn
Dwyvach
DWIH-vak
Dyrnwyn
DUHRN-win
 
Edyrnion
eh-DIR-nyon
Eiddileg
eye-DILL-eg
Eilonwy
eye-LAHN-wee
Ellidyr
ELLI-deer
 
Fflewddur Fflam
FLEW-der flam
 
Geraint
GHER-aint
Goewin
GOH-win
 
Govannion
go-VAH-nyon
Gurgi
GHER-ghee
Gwydion
GWIH-dyon
Gwythaint
GWIH-thaint
 
Islimach
iss-LIM-ahk
 
Llawgadarn
law-GAD-arn
Lluagor
lew-AH-gore
Llunet
LOO-net
Llyan
lee-AHN
Llyr
leer
 
Melyngar
MELLIN-gar
Melynlas
MELLIN-lass
 
Oeth-Anoeth
eth-AHN-eth
Orddu
OR-doo
Orgoch
OR-gahk
Orwen
OR-wen
 
Prydain
prih-DANE
Pryderi
prih-DAY-ree
 
Rhuddlum
ROOD-Lum
Rhun
roon
Smoit
smoyt
 
Taliesin
tally-ESS-in
Taran
TAH-ran
Teleria
tell-EHR-ya
In writing the Chronicles of Prydain, Mr. Alexander says, “There was nothing to do but keep on. The story insisted on being written … . The people in it were born, like most children, at unlikely and inconvenient times. Gurgi, for example, appeared in the predawn hours … . Suddenly there he was, with his groanings and moanings, looking like a disordered owl’s nest.” The author first met the hopelessly distraught and harassed Gwystyl while sitting, under protest, in a dentist’s chair!
 
 
Lloyd Alexander was born and raised in Philadelphia. As a boy he decided that he wanted to be a writer. “If reading offered any preparation for writing, there were grounds for hope. I had been reading as long as I could remember. Shakespeare, Dickens, Mark Twain, and so many others were my dearest friends and greatest teachers. I loved all the world’s mythologies; King Arthur was one of my heroes; I played with a trash-can lid for a knightly shield, and my uncle’s cane for the sword Excalibur.”
During World War II, Mr. Alexander trained as a member of an army combat intelligence team in Wales. This ancient, roughhewn country with its castles, mountains, and its own beautiful
language made a tremendous impression on him, but not until years later did he realize that he had been given a glimpse of another enchanted kingdom.
After the war, while attending the University of Paris, he met his future wife, Janine. They were married, and moved back to Philadelphia, where Mr. Alexander wrote novel after novel. It was seven years before his first novel at last was published. Ten years later, he tried writing for children. It was, Mr. Alexander says, “the most creative and liberating experience of my life. In books for young people, I was able to express my own deepest feelings far more than I could ever do in writing for adults.”
While doing historical research for a Welsh episode in his first children’s book,
Time Cat
, he discovered such riches that he decided to save them for a whole book. He delved into all sorts of volumes, from anthropology to the writings of an eighteenth-century Welsh clergyman to the
Mabinogion
, the classic collection of Welsh legends. From his readings emerged such characters as Gwydion Son of Don, Arawn Death-Lord of Annuvin, Dallben the old enchanter, and the oracular pig Hen Wen. The landscape and mood of Prydain came from Mr. Alexander’s vivid recollections of the land of Wales that had so enchanted him twenty years earlier.
The five books in the Chronicles of Prydain are
The Book of Three
(an ALA Notable Book),
The Black Cauldron
(a Newbery Honor Book),
The Castle of Llyr
(an ALA Notable Book),
Taran Wanderer
, and
The High King
(winner of the 1969 Newbery Medal). He followed the chronicles in 1973 with a collection of short stories,
The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain
.

Other books

Stealing Asia by David Clarkson
Hawthorne by Sarah Ballance
Notes From a Liar and Her Dog by Gennifer Choldenko
Cobra Strike by Sigmund Brouwer
Magic Hands by Jennifer Laurens
El Señor Presidente by Miguel Angel Asturias
the 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch
Jago by Kim Newman
A World of My Own by Graham Greene
Lucky Logan Finds Love by Barbara Cartland