HW: Assembled trivia

[Andrew A. Apold]

>Oh yeah - maybe someone who's into Elric can fill in the "?"s in the Black
>Sword section. "the vermilion deserts of Mars, the jewelled forests
>of Venus" are popular views of those planets in pulp science fiction until
>the 1970's.

Well, I suppose I could leave this to ATG, since he's the nomad of the time
stream, but I feel I can take a stab at a song-by-song rundown.... (mainly
from Live)...

TCotBS - basically an intro telling stuff about Elric, some of his titles,
and paradoxes about him...

SotS - this songs speaks in general terms primarily.

DaF - I find nothing specifically about Elric in this song.  It's relevance
seems to be
        merely that it describes a fantasy/medeival setting.

Nar/TSK - In the first book, Elric gains intelligence of an assault on
Melnibone (this is while he is still emperor).  He goes onto one of the
golden battle barges to lead the assault that crushes them.  His cousin
Yyrkoon has him thrown overboard, but Elric, aided by the Ring of Kings,
calls upon his elemental ally the Sea King, who saves him.  Elementals are
viewed throughout the book as worthy allies, deserving of trust, but become
weaker and weaker compared to Chaos...

DGH - In one of the later books, Elric bargains with the Dead God for the
return of his wife.  By this time Yyrkoon has been defeated, and for a time
Elric's friend and kinsman Dyvvim Slorm (sp?) bears Mourneblade, a twin of
Stormbriner (Elric's sword).  Elric delivers it, but is able to command the
sword to fight without being held, and they defeat the dead god...

SG, Rocky Paths - nothing specific...

Elric the Enchanter (I) - basically what it says, describes some of Elric's
dilemmas, desires, etc...

Dragon Song - Melnibone, the Dragon Isle (where Elric ruled) was protected
by many things, but most feared were it's legendary dragons.  The dragons
spent most their time in Hibernation, and could only be roused once in a
great while (years or even decades) to aid in its defense.  (they didn't
always use all the dragons...).  The song describes what might be the words
of the guy in charge of the dragons (can't remember offhand but I think it
was Dyvvim Slorm), rousing the dragons to defend Melnibone.  Probably when
Elric was attacking the Dragon Isle (after Yyrkoon usurped the throne, Elric
lead a fleet of reevers, sea pirates, and mercenaries to sack the city.  He
gave them the secrets they needed to approach through the maze outside the
harbor, so they approached and were successful in attacking.  As they fled,
they were pursued by the golden battle barges, but Elric summoned a wind to
keep his fleet ahead.  Then the dragons were awakened, and as they were
about to overtake the reever fleet, Elric transferred all the winds to his
ship alone, saving himself but dooming the rest of the fleet, includnig many
of his friends on othe rships...)

SoaTT - Kind of hazy, I think it may describe Elric and Cymoril, perhaps in
a hallucination?

Zarozinia - long after the death of Cymoril, Elric found love again in a
young girl he rescued in the forest of troos.  Her name was Zarozinia.  He
settled down and married her in (Kharlak?) by the weeping waste, and hung up
his sword for a time and knew peace.  But it was not to last, as he had to
take up the sword again, first to save it from a barbarian army, later to
confront the growing threat of Chaos...

LoC/Demise - This describes Elric summoning Arioch, his patron deity, a lord
of chaos, and duke of hell.  Elric serves Arioch through most of the early
books, and would often cry in battle "Blood and Souls for my lord Arioch!",
etc.  In time he came to oppose him, however...

TDL - In time the threat of Chaos became greater and greater, and they
corrupted the land and creatures that lived upon it, man and beast alike.
In particular they tormented Elric by transforming Zarozinia...

WoPT - Foremost among the new servants of Chaos (now that Melnibone was
fallen and Elric turned his back on Chaos) were the rulers of an upstart
island named Pan Tang, who modeled themselves, after a fashion, after
Melnibone.  Both were evil, but Melnibone's was of an older, cleaner evil
than Pan Tang's...

EtE 2 - Somewhat disjointed, he has the sword and he doesn't, it costs him
the empire, then he must go in search of it before it's too late.  This song
doesn't make much sense to me.  Yes, Elric did go in quest of Stormbringer,
and he got it but soon left of his own will after that to go adventure and
explore; and he lost his empire from his mercy to Yyrkoon, not the sword
(though it did cost him Cymoril, who he valued more than his empire....)

NG - Elric is an aspect of the eternal champion, who lives a thousand lives
on a thousand different worlds.  Most have a sword or some artifact similar
to it.  One of these was Jerry Cornelius (very unlike Elric, (most aspects
of the Eternal Champion are not aware of its multiple existance), he can be
found in books of the JC series:  "The Final Programme" (which was made into
an 'artsy' film), "A cure for cancer", "The English Assassin", "The
Condition of Muzak", "The Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius", "The Entropy
Tango: a Comic Romance", "The Adventures of Una Persson and Catherine
Cornelius in the 20th Century", et al.    Anyways, Jerry uses a Needle Gun.
A crossover of sorts between the two series (though not both characters) is
"Elric at the End of Time"...

TFF - basically just that, the mutating hordes of Chaos versus the remaining
dragons and Elric.  The Dragons do their best but eventually are slain.
Elric, empowered by Stormbringer, kills thousands, he summons the lords of
Law to his plane to oppose those of Chaos, and when all is said and done
about all that's left are Elric, Moonglum (his friend and companion), the
king of Pan Tang, and Stormbringer.  To see how it ends, check out ATG's sig...

The Horn of Fate/Destiny.  Elric had to blow this horn (which he took from a
version of Roland on another plane) three times, one of the time broght the
gods of Law to the final fight.  After everyone else was dead, he had to
blow it one last time, but he lacked the energy to do so.....    at any
rate, when he blew it a final time, it signaled the end of that time, and
the beginning of another world dominated by Law, (but with one minor source
of Chaos left), which we are to understand is out world...



===================================
Roger Shrubstaff               "I was corrupt before I had power!" - Random
Chancellor
Barony of Silverwater
Kingdom of the Burning Lands

(Andrew A. Apold)