History Literature / TheChroniclesOfPrydain

'''Eilonwy''': An enchantress and princess who [[MotorMouth talks constantly]] [[TalksLikeASimile in similes]] and serves as a [[HeroesWantRedheads romantic interest]] for Taran. She's also a {{Tsundere}} and a bit of an ActionGirl. One of the earliest modern examples of a RebelliousPrincess.

* HeroesWantRedheads: Eilonwy, whom the narrative notes has red-gold hair. A lot of artwork inaccurately depicts her as blonde, however, probably because of TheFilmOfTheBook. And when she ''is'' shown with red hair (see some editions of ''The Black Cauldron''), it's pure red, not the more subtle shade that "red-gold" is probably supposed to describe.

%% * {{Bishounen}}: Adaon.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

** [[spoiler: As Dallben revelas towards the end of ''The High King'', this is quite literal, as it apparently covers the events of every possible timeline. As Dallben makes annotations at several points during the series, he's presumably noting which events ''actually'' take place for future reference.]]

%% * BarefootSage: Medwyn.
%% * BattleCouple: Taran and Eilonwy again.

Also, ''The Book of Three'' has a [[https://rpgmaker.net/games/91/ freeware game adaptation]] by [=Lysander86=], the developer of ''VideoGame/ABlurredLine'' and ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIII'' remake; and [[http://thebookofthree.thecomicseries.com an ongoing webcomic adaptation]] with exceptionally high-quality artwork by Saeriellyn, which started in 2015 and as of 2023 is about three quarters through the first book.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Played straight, especially with Prince Gwydion and King Smoit. In a land like Prydain, you ''only'' become royalty by being able to kick everyone else's ass.
** Averted, ironically enough, with [[spoiler:Arawn. His greatest strengths were always trickery & deception.]]
** Subverted every so often, depending on the situation. One notable instance is when Taran finds out about how two noblemen living in King Smoit's domain constantly are at each other's throats, causing damage to innocent civilians in the process. Smoit's usual solution is to try to knock sense into them and shove them in his dungeons. Taran suggests he try something different since it clearly isn't working. His proposed solution centers around humbling them and showing them the severity of the damage they've caused (making them serve as laborers for the farmer whose land they destroyed) as well as finding a third option for what to do with the prize cow they were fighting over (give it to the same farmer and have the cow's next, equally-valuable, twin calves be split between the two). Since the two noblemen are seen standing peacefully together at the end of ''The High King'', it presumably left an impression on them.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Roughly half of the important characters are royalty. They also tend to be [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking totally badass.]]
* RunningGag: A string on Fflewddur's harp breaks whenever he lies (which is often). The bigger the lie, the more strings break.
** Another is Eilonwy informing Taran, often, that she's not speaking to him. Except, of course, to remind him that she's not speaking to him.

Also, ''The Book of Three'' has a [[https://rpgmaker.net/games/91/ freeware game adaptation]] by [=Lysander86=], the developer of ''VideoGame/ABlurredLine'' and ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIII'' remake; and [[http://thebookofthree.thecomicseries.com an ongoing webcomic adaptation]] with exceptionally high-quality artwork by Saeriellyn, which started in 2015 and as of 2023 was about three quarters through the first book.

Also, ''The Book of Three'' has a [[https://rpgmaker.net/games/91/ freeware game adaptation]] by [=Lysander86=], the developer of ''VideoGame/ABlurredLine'' and ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIII'' remake; and [[http://thebookofthree.thecomicseries.com an ongoing webcomic adaptation]] with exceptionally high-quality artwork by Saeriellyn, which started in 2015 and as of July 2017 was about halfway through the first book.

Also, ''The Book of Three'' has a [[https://rpgmaker.net/games/91/ freeware game adaptation]] by [=Lysander86=], the developer of ''VideoGame/ABlurredLine'' and ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIII'' remake; and [[http://thebookofthree.thecomicseries.com an ongoing webcomic adaptation]] with exceptionally high-quality artwork by Saeriellyn, which as of July 2017 was about halfway through the first book.

Also, ''The Book of Three'' has a [[https://rpgmaker.net/games/91/ freeware game adaptation]] by [=Lysander86=], the developer of ''VideoGame/ABlurredLine'' and ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIII'' remake; and [[http://thebookofthree.thecomicseries.com an ongoing webcomic adaptation]] with exceptionally high-quality artwork by Saeriellyn, which is currently (as of July 2017) about halfway through the first book.

Also, ''The Book of Three'' has a [[https://rpgmaker.net/games/91/ freeware game adaptation]] by [=Lysander86=], the developer of ''VideoGame/ABlurredLine'' and ''[[VideoGame/PhantasyStarIII]]'' remake; and [[http://thebookofthree.thecomicseries.com an ongoing webcomic adaptation]] with exceptionally high-quality artwork by Saeriellyn, which is currently (as of July 2017) about halfway through the first book.

Also, ''The Book of Three'' has a [[https://rpgmaker.net/games/91/ freeware game adaptation]] by [=Lysander86=], the developer of ''VideoGame/ABlurredLine'' and [[VideoGame/PhantasyStarIII Phantasy Star III remake]]; and [[http://thebookofthree.thecomicseries.com an ongoing webcomic adaptation]] with exceptionally high-quality artwork by Saeriellyn, which is currently (as of July 2017) about halfway through the first book.

#''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 (1973)''

* WillTheyOrWontThey: Dragged out until the ''very last page'' of the final book with Taran and Eilonwy. [[spoiler:TheyDo, of course.]] Eilonwy [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the whole situation with her response to Taran's [[spoiler:marriage proposal: "Well, indeed. I wondered if you'd ever get round to asking. Of course I will, and if you'd given half a thought to the question you'd have already known my answer."]]

* ImpoverishedPatrician: Ellidyr is a prince, but his family squandered its wealth before he was even born. All he really has are his title and his horse.

* KillEmAll: Many, many characters died in the last book, ''The High King''. Perhaps for this reason it's left off many a school reading list that contains the other four books in the series. This is despite the fact that it won a [[DeathByNewberyMedal Newbery Medal]]...
** The closing body count at the end of the book is: [[spoiler:Coll, Magg, High King Math, Annlaw Clay-Shaper, Llonio, King Rhun, King Pryderi, Arawn, Achren, and Taran's gwythaint]]. If you count returning to the "Summer Country" as a metaphor for death (which it is in some belief systems), then the book also claims [[spoiler:Gwydion, Fflewddur, Llyan, Taliesin, Gurgi, Glew, Dallben and the Sons and Daughters of Don]] ''writ large'', since following Arawn's death TheMagicGoesAway, so to speak.

** Played straight with Morda, whose ForcedTransformationof several of the heroes is instantly reversed upon his death.

* BerserkButton:
** Do ''not'' judge Eilonwy based on her gender. Don't call her a "little girl" or suggest she [[StayInTheKitchen stick to "women's work."]]
** Do not insult her in front of Taran. [[HypocriticalHeartwarming Not even if he was just criticizing her himself.]]

* GrumpyBear: Doli and King Eiddileg both seem to channel Grumpy from Disney's ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs.''

* BaldOfAwesome: Lampshaded by Gwydion (when speaking of Coll), who points out that he's "never known courage to be judged by the length of a man's hair. Or, for the matter of that, whether he has any hair at all.”

* CharacterDevelopment: '''The''' reason these books are so good.

* BalefulPolymorph: One of Morda's more frightening powers. It's also repeatedly implied to be within the powers of the three enchantresses of Morva.

* NoOntologicalInertia: Played with. Destroying [[spoiler:the Black Cauldron]] does not kill the existing Cauldron-born, but using [[spoiler:Dyrnwyn]] on just one of them slays them all.
** Played straight with Morda, whose BalefulPolymorph of several of the heroes is instantly reversed upon his death.

''The Chronicles of Prydain'' is a five-book series of fantasy novels by the late American author Creator/LloydAlexander. Based (very) loosely on the Literature/{{Mabinogion}} and taking place in the fantasy world of Prydain, which bears no small resemblance to UsefulNotes/{{Wales}}. The novels feature a series of epic adventures in a land of HighFantasy, but place more emphasis on [[ComingOfAgeStory the protagonist's growing maturity and his journey into manhood.]]

** The coffer with the polished bone that Gurgi finds inside a hollow tree (because Kaw playfully dropped Fflewddur's harp key there) turns out to be [[spoiler:Morda's SoulJar]]. Even becomes a bit of an enforced ClingyMacguffin since, after Taran has Gurgi put it back because of Fflewddur's fear of "meddling with magic", Kaw goes back and takes it again.

** Back in ''Castle of Llyr'', Glew mentioned in passing that he bought the "empty book" (actually containing [[spoiler:the titular spells of Caer Colur]]) from a magician. Turns out as of the next book that that magician was Morda. Even better, it turns out the amulet he's using against the Fair Folk belonged to [[spoiler:Angharad, Eilonwy's mother, something the careful reader could have guessed after seeing Eilonwy's own jewelry and the moon iconography mentioned for the House of Llyr]], thus explaining the owner's previously-unknown fate.

* ChekhovsGun: The ring Eilonwy receives at the end of the first book ends up coming [[DeusExMachina in quite handy]] in the finale.
* ChekhovsGunman: Nearly everyone Taran befriends on his journey in ''Taran Wanderer'' comes back to help out in the campaign against Arawn in ''The High King'', or gets [[spoiler:killed tragically]] to provide more personal drama for the final conflict.

* PositiveDiscrimination: Eilonwy at Taran's expense in the first three books, although she herself is pretty shrewish at the beginning.