elric of melniboné the elric saga part 1

And why is it changing? Because of the eternal struggle between Law and Chaos, and Elric is a conduit for maintaining the balance between these forces in his world. His universe is changing and that includes the new emotion of guilt and that will be part of Melniboné’s downfall.

Elric feels guilt, and recognises that feeling as new and alien to the world. One reason why it has been so influential is because Moorcock’s fantasy dimensions aren’t simply about struggles of good versus evil they exist on another existential plane of morality.

He will slay his beloved and be the cause of the downfall of Melniboné, but let’s be honest, who will miss that pit of vipers? This is the opposite of the glorification of power and masculinity that is Conan, and the opposite of Tolkien’s noble elves.īut Moorcock’s saga is more than just anti-Conan. We also learn that Elric has a doom hanging over him. He could conquer all the human lands as a violent dictator but chooses not to, and the rest of his court looks down on him for that. He believes that power does not equate to ruthless displays of violence.

As a sickly child he read a lot instead of playing with weapons. He rules the old kingdom of Melniboné, which is an ancient kingdom of arrogant Elvish shitheads a kingdom of merciless sorcerer kings who are used to enslave people and perform bloody rituals. A sickly albino who needs sorcery to stand upright. He is a complex character, and often weak. By now, it seems old and quaint and very much like many other fantasy series that were written since, which have actually been inspired by Moorcock.Ĭonsider Elric. Moorcock was engaged in an act of radical subversion and produced a series that was, at the time, something unique. But Elric is actually in opposition to sword-and-sorcery in its older, classical sense it is written as a negative image of Howard’s Conan. Howard’s Conan and Frits Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series. Michael Moorcock’s Elric stories are recognised as an essential work of the sword-and-sorcery subgenre, alongside Robert E. 7.5/10 – A rather exhaustive, rambly review:

Elric of melniboné the elric saga part 1