Taran Wanderer
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Taran Wanderer is the fourth book in the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander.
Story
After the events from The Castle of Llyr, Taran and Gwydion return to Prydain, leaving Eilonwy in the Kingdom of Mona for "royal training" with her distant relatives. Taran, however, grows rather depressed about the fact that he loves Eilonwy but cannot act on his feelings because he is a commoner. He feels he needs more information on his parentage in order to be able to propose to Eilonwy and settle the question of his birth once and for all.
Taran, along with his companion and friend Gurgi, set out for the Marshes of Morva in the hopes that the Three Sisters (whom he last saw in The Black Cauldron) will give him the answers he seeks. They do not give him an answer, but point him towards finding the Mirror of Llunet, a magical mirror said to reveal many things to those who gaze into it.
Almost immediately thereafter, Taran enters Cantrev Cadiffor, ruled by King Smoit. There, he meets the farmer Aedd, who because of the fighting of the bandit lords Gast and Goryon, has lost almost everything. Taran and Gurgi also encounter Gast and Goryon, who are quick to extoll the virtues they don't actually have. Following this, he goes to Smoit's castle, where Smoit decides to finally take action. Smoit, however, is quickly incapacitated, and it is Taran who forges peace between Goryon and Gast, who have also destroyed Aedd's land. The two will help Aedd for a year, and then shall be released.
He meets up with old friends on this journey: the smart raven Kaw, the bard-king Fflewddur Fflam, and the dwarf Doli. The others actually find Doli transfigured into a frog by the sorcerer Morda. The Companions fall into Morda's traps, however, they manage to kill the wizard, who has nothing but scorn for all of mankind. During this adventure together, the Companions learn that Morda killed Eilonwy's mother Angharad.
After parting with Doli, Taran, Gurgi, and Fflewddur make camp with the mercenary Dorath and his mob. However, while Dorath is initially friendly, his true amoral nature is revealed by the following morning. Taran and Dorath fight, and Dorath cheats by pulling a knife. Dorath steals Taran's blade, and the latter takes a while to convalesce.
The party later finds themselves at the farm of Craddoc, an old man who claims to be Taran's real father. Now feeling a commitment towards helping Craddoc, Taran and Gurgi remain with Craddoc, giving up the quest for the Mirror of Llunet. They tirelessly work for many months at his farm helping him out, and Taran and Craddoc form a bond together. Later, during the winter time, Craddoc suffers a bad fall down a mountain gorge and soon after passes away, revealing to Taran before his death that Taran was not his real son.
After Craddoc's death, Taran and Gurgi begin a long journey throughout the Free Commots, where Taran works with three of the best craftsman of Prydain in hopes of finding a trade he would like to work in. His first teacher is Hevydd the Blacksmith, who guids Taran through the making of a new sword to replace the one that was stolen from him. The final blade he crafts is dented and scarred, but the blade itself is very strong. The next teacher is Dwyvach Weaver-Woman, who instructs him in the art of weaving cloth. His training with her results in a brand-new cloak and a deeper understanding of patterns. His final teacher is Annlaw Clay-Shaper, one of the most revered potters in all of Prydain. From his training with Annlaw would come knowledge of shaping clay, which leads to Taran creating a bowl he would later present to Eilonwy as a gift in The High King.
It is through Annlaw that Taran learns where the Mirror of Llunet is. After a short journey, he arrives at the Mirror and gazes into it. Shortly after, Dorath appears with Taran's old sword and destroys the Mirror. Once again they clash swords, but this time, Taran's new sword is able to shatter his old one and disarm Dorath. Dorath flees from the cavern, but Taran does not pursue.
Taran later relates to Annlaw what he saw in the Mirror. It showed Taran his own reflection and nothing more. In that moment of reflection, however, Taran saw everything he had become after all he learned in his wandering. Taran was no longer the boy he started out as; now, through all he endured on his long journey of discovery, he sees himself as a man.
| The Chronicles of Prydain |
|---|
| Characters |
| Princess Eilonwy > Fflewddur Fflam | Taran | Gurgi | The Horned King | Arawn | Gwydion | Dallben |
| Books |
| The Book of Three (1964) > The Black Cauldron (1965) | The Castle of Llyr (1966) | Taran Wanderer (1967) | The High King (1968) | The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain (1970) |
| Other media |
| The Black Cauldron (film)>The Black Cauldron (film) | The Black Cauldron (video game) |
| Other |
| Caer Dallben > Cauldron-Born | Dyrnwyn |
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