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* FourthDateMarriage: [[spoiler:Elric and Zarozinia decide to get married after knowing each other for about a day.]]
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* PrehensileHair: The Elenoin, extradimensional female demons, have this.
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* FullFrontalAssault: The Elenoin, a race of extradimensional women warriors, fight naked.
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* DefeatEqualsFriendship: Elric all but cites this trope as his reason for sparing Yyrkoon after his first attempted coup. [[spoiler: It was a bad idea.]]
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* FlechetteStorm: the incident where Stormbringer, not wanting Elric to die at the hands of the Big Bad, calls up ''millions'' of Black Swords from all over the Multiverse to fight the battle.
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* FlechetteStorm: the The incident where Stormbringer, not wanting Elric to die at the hands of the Big Bad, calls up ''millions'' of Black Swords from all over the Multiverse to fight the battle.
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* PhysicalGod: the Lords of Chaos and Order both qualify; it's only because of ancient treaties that they don't meddle more directly in the affairs of mortals. Once or twice, it's explicitly stated that the Young Kingdoms are a kind of ColdWar territory in the cosmic struggle between the two poners... until Elric's actions change things [[spoiler: for the worse.]]
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* PhysicalGod: the The Lords of Chaos and Order both qualify; it's only because of ancient treaties that they don't meddle more directly in the affairs of mortals. Once or twice, it's explicitly stated that the Young Kingdoms are a kind of ColdWar territory in the cosmic struggle between the two poners...powers... until Elric's actions change things [[spoiler: for the worse.]]
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* ThudAndBlunder: although Elric is, in most respects, an inversion of the typical barbarian hero, the stories themselves follow most of the genre's conventions: plots are linear -sometimes painfully so-, the hero always takes the "direct approach" to solving problems, mooks are MadeOfPlasticine, and it's always up to Sepiriz or some other [[DeusExMachina agent of fate]] to pull Elric out of the messes he gets into.
to:
* ThudAndBlunder: although Although Elric is, in most respects, an inversion of the typical barbarian hero, the stories themselves follow most of the genre's conventions: plots are linear -sometimes painfully so-, the hero always takes the "direct approach" to solving problems, mooks are MadeOfPlasticine, and it's always up to Sepiriz or some other [[DeusExMachina agent of fate]] to pull Elric out of the messes he gets into.
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White Haired Pretty Boy was renamed to White Hair Black Heart. Zero Context Examples or shoe-horned examples are being removed.
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* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: The TropeMaker.
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On the Discworld...
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Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character Elrod of Melvinbone: Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Foghorn Leghorn]]. The Black Sword was also parodied in the ''{{Discworld}}'' novel, ''The Colour of Magic'', as the dread black sword Kring, which talks, or rather drones, incessantly, suffers from a mid-life existential crisi, and speculates on its own being beaten into a ploughshare ("whatever one of those is"), which he has heard is the afterlife promised to all good swords. It is also an obvious influence on the ''[[LegacyOfKain Legacy Of Kain]]'' series of games, specifically main protagonist Kain himself (a member of an amoral race who has a soul-sucking sword and meddles in the affairs of gods and men and wants his race to flourish no matter what the cost, he's practically a displaced Elric).
to:
Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character Elrod of Melvinbone: Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Foghorn Leghorn]]. The Black Sword was also parodied in the ''{{Discworld}}'' novel, ''The Colour of Magic'', as the dread black sword Kring, which talks, or rather drones, incessantly, suffers from a mid-life existential crisi, crisis, and speculates on its own being beaten into a ploughshare ("whatever one of those is"), which he has heard is the afterlife promised to all good swords. swords. It is also an obvious influence on the ''[[LegacyOfKain Legacy Of Kain]]'' series of games, specifically main protagonist Kain himself (a member of an amoral race who has a soul-sucking sword and meddles in the affairs of gods and men and wants his race to flourish no matter what the cost, he's practically a displaced Elric).
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On the Discworld...
Changed line(s) 22,23 (click to see context) from:
Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character Elrod of Melvinbone: Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Foghorn Leghorn]]. It is also an obvious influence on the ''[[LegacyOfKain Legacy Of Kain]]'' series of games, specifically main protagonist Kain himself (a member of an amoral race who has a soul-sucking sword and meddles in the affairs of gods and men and wants his race to flourish no matter what the cost, he's practically a displaced Elric).
to:
Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character Elrod of Melvinbone: Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Foghorn Leghorn]]. The Black Sword was also parodied in the ''{{Discworld}}'' novel, ''The Colour of Magic'', as the dread black sword Kring, which talks, or rather drones, incessantly, suffers from a mid-life existential crisi, and speculates on its own being beaten into a ploughshare ("whatever one of those is"), which he has heard is the afterlife promised to all good swords. It is also an obvious influence on the ''[[LegacyOfKain Legacy Of Kain]]'' series of games, specifically main protagonist Kain himself (a member of an amoral race who has a soul-sucking sword and meddles in the affairs of gods and men and wants his race to flourish no matter what the cost, he's practically a displaced Elric).
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Stormbringer multiplies itself
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* FlechetteStorm: the incident where Stormbringer, not wanting Elric to die at the hands of the Big Bad, calls up ''millions'' of Black Swords from all over the Multiverse to fight the battle.
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Changed line(s) 22,23 (click to see context) from:
Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character Elrod of Melvinbone: Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Foghorn Leghorn]]. It is also an obvious influence on the ''[[LegacyOfKain Legacy Of Kain]]'' series of games, specifically main protagonist Kain himself(a member of an amoral race who has a soul-sucking sword and meddles in the affairs of gods and men and wants his race to flourish no matter what the cost, he's practically a displaced Elric).
to:
Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character Elrod of Melvinbone: Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Foghorn Leghorn]]. It is also an obvious influence on the ''[[LegacyOfKain Legacy Of Kain]]'' series of games, specifically main protagonist Kain himself(a himself (a member of an amoral race who has a soul-sucking sword and meddles in the affairs of gods and men and wants his race to flourish no matter what the cost, he's practically a displaced Elric).
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->''"I have this feeling that [[WeirdnessMagnet my luck is none too good]]''\\
''This sword here at my side [[EvilWeapon don't act the way it should]]''\\
''Keeps calling me its master, but I feel like its slave''\\
''Hauling me faster and faster to an early, early grave''\\
''This sword here at my side [[EvilWeapon don't act the way it should]]''\\
''Keeps calling me its master, but I feel like its slave''\\
''Hauling me faster and faster to an early, early grave''\\
to:
->''"I have this feeling that [[WeirdnessMagnet my luck is none too good]]''\\
good]].''\\
''This sword here at my side [[EvilWeapon don't act the way itshould]]''\\
should]].''\\
''Keeps calling me its master, but I feel like itsslave''\\
slave;''\\
''Hauling me faster and faster to an early, earlygrave''\\grave;''\\
''This sword here at my side [[EvilWeapon don't act the way it
''Keeps calling me its master, but I feel like its
''Hauling me faster and faster to an early, early
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''I'm told it's my duty to fight against [[OrderVersusChaos the Law]]''\\
''That wizardry's my trade, and I was born to wade through gore''\\
''[[IJustWantToBeNormal I just wanna be a lover]], not a red-eyed, screaming ghoul''\\
''I wish it picked another to be its [[ArtifactOfDoom killing tool]]"''
''That wizardry's my trade, and I was born to wade through gore''\\
''[[IJustWantToBeNormal I just wanna be a lover]], not a red-eyed, screaming ghoul''\\
''I wish it picked another to be its [[ArtifactOfDoom killing tool]]"''
to:
''I'm told it's my duty to fight against [[OrderVersusChaos the Law]]''\\
Law]];''\\
''That wizardry's my trade, and I was born to wade throughgore''\\
gore.''\\
''[[IJustWantToBeNormal I just wanna be a lover]], not a red-eyed, screamingghoul''\\
ghoul.''\\
''I wish it picked another to be its [[ArtifactOfDoom killingtool]]"''tool]]."''
''That wizardry's my trade, and I was born to wade through
''[[IJustWantToBeNormal I just wanna be a lover]], not a red-eyed, screaming
''I wish it picked another to be its [[ArtifactOfDoom killing
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* ThudAndBlunder: although Elric is, in most respects, an inversion of the typical barbarian hero, the stories themselves follow most of the genre's conventions: plots are linear -sometimes painfully so-, the hero always takes the "direct approach" to solving problems, mooks are MadeOfPlasticine, and it's always up to Sepiriz or some other [[DeusExMachina agent of fate]] to pull Elric out of the messes he gets into.
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* SoulCuttingBlade: Stormbringer.]]
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* SoulCuttingBlade: Stormbringer.]]
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* SoulCuttingBlade: Stormbringer.
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* RisingEmpire: Unlike in the books, where Melniboné is portrayed as a VestigialEmpire, the {{prequel}} comic, ''Elric: Making of a Sorcerer'', tells the story behind the rise and descent of the empire. The four issues mostly concentrate on Elric gathering new allies among the [[ElementalEmbodiment elementals]] and the peoples of the Old Kingdoms. At the same time Elric (or rather his ancestors whose role he gets to play on the dream quests) gets to meet Arioch as well as wield [[EvilWeapon Stormbringer]] for the first time.
* SoulCuttingBlade: Stormbringer.]]
* SoulCuttingBlade: Stormbringer.]]
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* [[IllGirl Ill Guy]]: Until he acquires Stormbringer, Elric requires constant medicinal treatments just to be able to stand upright or dress himself.
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* [[IllGirl Ill Guy]]: Elric is anemic and has various other ailments. Until he acquires Stormbringer, Elric he requires constant medicinal treatments just to be able to stand upright or dress himself.himself.
** His personal assistant and mentor, Tanglebones, reminds Elric that he was able to become an accomplished fighter as a young man. So the drugs and spells were fine, but they had to be taken/renewed regularly, probably several times a day, making it impossible for him to travel. With Stormbringer, he could see the world.
** His personal assistant and mentor, Tanglebones, reminds Elric that he was able to become an accomplished fighter as a young man. So the drugs and spells were fine, but they had to be taken/renewed regularly, probably several times a day, making it impossible for him to travel. With Stormbringer, he could see the world.
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Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character Elrod of Melvinbone: Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Foghorn Leghorn]].
to:
Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character Elrod of Melvinbone: Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Foghorn Leghorn]].
Leghorn]]. It is also an obvious influence on the ''[[LegacyOfKain Legacy Of Kain]]'' series of games, specifically main protagonist Kain himself(a member of an amoral race who has a soul-sucking sword and meddles in the affairs of gods and men and wants his race to flourish no matter what the cost, he's practically a displaced Elric).
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Changed line(s) 22,23 (click to see context) from:
Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book, ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character, Elrod of Melvinbone; Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes The Foghorn Leghorn]].
to:
Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book, book ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character, character Elrod of Melvinbone; Melvinbone: Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes The Foghorn Leghorn]].
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formatting
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* ChickMagnet: Elric has had quite a few women after him, and he is canonically *very* good in bed.
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* ChickMagnet: Elric has had quite a few women after him, and he is canonically *very* ''very'' good in bed.
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* PhysicalGod: the Lords of Chaos and Order both qualify; it's only because of ancient treaties that they don't meddle more directly in the affairs of mortals. Once or twice, it's explicitly stated that the Young Kingdoms are a kind of ColdWar territory in the cosmic struggle between the two poners... until Elric's actions change things [[spoiler: for the worse.]]
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[[IThoughtItMeant Note that it has nothing to do with]] [[FullmetalAlchemist the saga of the Elric Brothers]].
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[[IThoughtItMeant Note that it has nothing to do with]] [[FullmetalAlchemist [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist the saga of the Elric Brothers]].
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* [[spoiler:HappyEnding / EarnYourHappyEnding : In Michael Moorcock's Multiverse Elric and Moonglum are resurrected along with most of the other incarnations of the Eternal Champion (with no explanation given), and after fulfilling a quest Elric is finally given the opportunity to take control of his own destiny.]]
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Sliding Scale Of Antiheroes was redirected. Deleting wicks to it, Anti Hero Zero Context Examples and \"Type X\" junk
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* AntiHero: Elric all the way. [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Varies between]] [[KnightInSourArmor Types II]], [[GoodIsNotNice III]], [[PayEvilUntoEvil IV]], and [[HeroInNameOnly V]] depending on the story, but is most commonly Type IV.
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* NewWaveScienceFiction: Elric was born out of this movement (which also covered fantasy); in fact, Moorcock was one of the leaders of the movement.
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* FranchiseZombie: The saga originally consisted of five short stories and the four novellas that became ''Stormbringer''. These nine stories, together, tell a more or less complete story. Then Moorcock decided to write the novel ''Elric of Melniboné'' as a prequel. Then he wrote some new short stories. Then he arranged all the short stories into fix-up novels. Then he wrote five more novels attempting to fill in the "gaps" in the original saga. Then the 12-issue maxiseries for DCComics and the prequel graphic novel ''Elric: Making of a Sorcerer''. And, of course, there's been talk of a FilmOfTheBook dating back to the '70s.
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* YouJustToldMe: how Elric discovers [[spoiler: Yyrkoon's plans about the two Black Swords.]]
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* YouJustToldMe: how How Elric discovers [[spoiler: Yyrkoon's plans about the two Black Swords.]]
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* KingOfTheHomeless: There's the Beggar King of Nadsokor. A whole city where everyone has the kind of defects that characterize the worst of the lumpenproletariat beggars, and the story is about their king stealing Elric's imperial jewels.
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Originally a six book series by MichaelMoorcock, the story follows the titular Elric of Melnibone in his journey from a sickly king to a top class warrior and sorcerer involved with the affairs of the gods. His weapon is Stormbringer, one of two evil demonic runeblades that feast upon the souls of those their wielders slay with them, have wills of their own, and tend to take over their wielders on occasion.
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Originally a six book series by MichaelMoorcock, the story follows the titular its title character, Elric of Melnibone Melnibone, in his journey from a sickly king to a top class warrior and sorcerer involved with the affairs of the gods. His weapon is Stormbringer, one of two evil demonic runeblades that feast upon the souls of those their wielders slay with them, have wills of their own, and tend to take over their wielders on occasion.
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* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt The End of Elric's World]] triggers the birth of ''ours''. [[OhCrap And Stormbringer's still alive in it]].
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* EvilerThanThou: Stormbringer. See the quote at the bottom of the page.
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moved to namespace
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Elric_of_Melnibone.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Arioch! Arioch! Blood and Souls for my Lord Arioch!]]
->''"It is the colour of a bleached skull, his flesh; and the long hair which flows below his shoulders is milk-white. From the tapering, beautiful head stare two slanting eyes, crimson and moody, and from the loose sleeves of his yellow gown emerge two slender hands, also the colour of bone, resting on each arm of a seat which has been carved from a single, massive ruby."''
-->-- The first lines of ''Elric of Melnibone'', '''MichaelMoorcock'''
->''"I have this feeling that [[WeirdnessMagnet my luck is none too good]]''\\
''This sword here at my side [[EvilWeapon don't act the way it should]]''\\
''Keeps calling me its master, but I feel like its slave''\\
''Hauling me faster and faster to an early, early grave''\\
''And it howls! It howls like hell!''\\
''I'm told it's my duty to fight against [[OrderVersusChaos the Law]]''\\
''That wizardry's my trade, and I was born to wade through gore''\\
''[[IJustWantToBeNormal I just wanna be a lover]], not a red-eyed, screaming ghoul''\\
''I wish it picked another to be its [[ArtifactOfDoom killing tool]]"''
-->-- "Black Blade", as performed by '''Music/BlueOysterCult'''
Originally a six book series by MichaelMoorcock, the story follows the titular Elric of Melnibone in his journey from a sickly king to a top class warrior and sorcerer involved with the affairs of the gods. His weapon is Stormbringer, one of two evil demonic runeblades that feast upon the souls of those their wielders slay with them, have wills of their own, and tend to take over their wielders on occasion.
The TabletopRolePlayingGame ''Stormbringer'' is based on these books.
Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book, ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character, Elrod of Melvinbone; Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes The Foghorn Leghorn]].
[[IThoughtItMeant Note that it has nothing to do with]] [[FullmetalAlchemist the saga of the Elric Brothers]].
----
!!Installments:
The series contains many books and stories, not written in the same order as the internal chronology. Additionally, several of the Elric novels are fix-ups of short stories published years or decades earlier.
[[AC:Original series]]
* ''Elric of Melniboné '' (novel, 1972)
* ''The Sailor on the Seas of Fate'' (collection, 1976)
** ''Sailing to the Future''
** ''Sailing to the Present''
** ''Sailing to the Past''
* ''The Weird of the White Wolf'' (collection, 1977)
** ''The Dream of Earl Aubec'' (aka ''Master of Chaos'')
** ''The Dreaming City''
** ''While the Gods Laugh''
** ''The Singing Citadel''
* ''The Sleeping Sorceress'' (novel, 1971, also released as ''The Vanishing Tower'')
* ''The Bane of the Black Sword'' (collection, 1977)
** ''The Stealer of Souls''
** ''Kings in Darkness''
** ''The Flamebringers'' (aka ''The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams'')
** ''To Rescue Tanelorn''
* ''Stormbringer'' (novel, 1965)
[[AC:Later novels]]
* ''Fortress of the Pearl'' (novel, 1989)
* ''Revenge of the Rose'' (novel, 1991)
[[AC:Later trilogy]]
* ''The Dreamthief's Daughter'' (2001)
* ''The Skrayling Tree'' (2003)
* ''The White Wolf's Son'' (2005)
[[AC:Collections]]
* ''Elric at the End of Time'' (1984)
* ''Michael Moorcock's Elric: Tales of the White Wolf'' (1994)
* ''Pawns of Chaos: Tales of the Eternal Champion'' (1996)
[[AC:Graphic Novels]]
* ''Michael Moorcock's Multiverse'' (with Walt Simonson and John Ridgway) (1999)
* ''Elric: Making of a Sorcerer'' (with Walt Simonson) (2007)
* ''Elric: The Balance Lost'' (2011)
----
!!These books provide examples of:
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: The Melniboneans, who are almost all decadent sadists.
* AnachronicOrder: As one can see from the list above, the conclusion of the saga was the ''first'' part to be published in novel form.
* AntiHero: Elric all the way. [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Varies between]] [[KnightInSourArmor Types II]], [[GoodIsNotNice III]], [[PayEvilUntoEvil IV]], and [[HeroInNameOnly V]] depending on the story, but is most commonly Type IV.
* ArtifactOfDoom, {{BFS}}, CoolSword ''and'' EvilWeapon: Stormbringer and its twin sword Mournblade.
* BadassBookworm: Elric has read every book in his library, which in turn taught him the ways of the sorcerer.
* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: Elric's eventual destiny, as the last king of a chaotic race, is to use the weapons of Chaos in order to fight the forces of Chaos, to as to restore Balance to the Earth and allow the powers of Law a chance to create something safer for the younger races.
* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding: Elric apparently fulfills his destiny at the end of ''Stormbringer'' but he dies in the process... after which Stormbringer assumes its true form as the force of chaos in the new world order.]]
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: Zarozinia]].
* ByronicHero: By the Gods, ''Elric''.
* CanonWelding
* CharacterAlignment: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]]; the original alignment system of the very first edition of DungeonsAndDragons was based on The Elric Mythos' concepts of [[OrderVersusChaos Law vs. Chaos]] and [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil Good Vs. Evil]], with the original D&D alignments being Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic, with Lawful being roughly equated with Good, and Chaotic with Evil. The addition of the second Alignment Axis of Good/Neutral/Evil, which allowed for such concepts as characters being both Chaotic AND Good (such as rebel freedom fighters) or Lawful AND Evil (such as Nazis) wasn't added until later, with the release of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (First Edition.)
* ChickMagnet: Elric has had quite a few women after him, and he is canonically *very* good in bed.
* CosmicHorrorStory: It's set in that kind of universe.
* CosmicPlaything: Anyone who deals with the Gods ends up as one.
* {{Crossover}}: With ''ConanTheBarbarian'' in MarvelComics.
** And with all the other Eternal Champion characters.
* DarkFantasy: In spades.
* {{Deconstruction}}: Of ''TheLordOfTheRings'', ''ConanTheBarbarian'', and heroic fantasy in general.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Elric, who has to fight his cousin for his throne, as he was seen as being weak and unworthy of his title since he was less willing than his countrymen to indulge in pointless cruelty.
** The key word here being ''pointless''. Elric could be a [[YouBastard Total Bastard]] given proper motivation.
* {{Determinator}}: Oh, yes.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Stormbringer can even kill gods.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Elric also uses this from time to time. Evil cousin take your throne, and, more importantly, your girl? ''Burn the entire nation to the ground, abandoning your race and countrymen to the men of the Young Kingdoms''.
* DoomMagnet
* DungeonsAndDragons: The original edition of ''Deities & Demigods'' had a chapter devoted to the Elric Mythos (and another chapter devoted to the [[Creator/HPLovecraft Cthulhu Mythos)]], but copyright disputes prevented these chapters from appearing in later editions of the book (the FafhrdAndTheGrayMouser chapter got to stay, though).
* DyingRace: Elric's.
* EldritchAbomination: The Chaos Gods qualify.
** One of the Sailor On The Seas Of Fate stories also includes two creatures even more alien, from outside of the multiverse entirely. [[spoiler:The heroes mistake them for buildings and wander through a WombLevel before they figure it out]].
** In one short story, ''[[NotSoDifferent one of the Gods of Law]]'' is this. However, it's also mentioned that that particular Law God had [[HeWhoFightsMonsters been fighting Chaos for far]] [[KnightTemplar too long]].
* EmpathicWeapon: Elric's sword Stormbringer is sentient and capable of compelling Elric to certain actions.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Initiating this is Elric's final act, destroying the current world in order to create a new one -- ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou ours]]''.
* EvilAlbino / HeroicAlbino: Elric jumps between the two.
* EvilPrince: Yyrkoon.
* EvilSorcerer: Theleb K'aarna, Yyrkoon and Jagreen Lern.
* TheFairFolk: Melniboneans are beautiful, elfin amoral hedonists that traffic with the Lords of Chaos and are universally feared by ordinary humans. AlwaysChaoticEvil is almost putting it mildly. Sadism is in their blood to the point that they make music in which each note is a scream from a tortured (human) slave, whose vocal cords have been mutilated such that they can produce only that particular note.
* FogOfDoom: Yyrkoon invokes it to escape Melniboné after his first defeat.
* GodIsEvil: The Gods of Chaos are pretty much AlwaysChaoticEvil, though one may come up now and then that's ChaoticNeutral.
* TheGodsMustBeLazy: The Lords of Order are too weak to intervene in the collapse of the universe itself until the very end of the saga.
* {{Gotterdammerung}}: Elric's ultimate destiny is to create a world free of the influence of gods or cosmic powers, resulting in TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
* HeavyMithril: Moorcock wrote the above-quoted ''Black Blade'' for Music/BlueOysterCult, and additionally saw his saga reworked by Hawkwind into the album ''The Chronicle of the Black Sword''.
** Deep Purple was aware of the Elric books when they wrote "Stormbringer" and chose the name for the song because of this, but the song itself isn't about the eponymous sword (they figured that Moorcock got the name from mythology, but he actually made it up himself).
** The PowerMetal band Domine has a large number of Moorcock related songs. Elric himself even being on multiple album covers.
** Music/BlindGuardian also have a couple of songs based on the series.
* HereThereWereDragons: Most of Melnibone's dragons have died off, and the few remaining are weak to the point that they must sleep for ''centuries'' between flights.
* [[spoiler: TheHeroDies]]: At the end of ''Stormbringer''.
* HistoricalInJoke: [[Literature/TheSongOfRoland Roland]], the semi-mythical French paladin who served under Charlemagne, is implied to be a future incarnation of Elric.
** Tie-ins from other Moorcock stories indicate that so is KingArthur.
* [[IllGirl Ill Guy]]: Until he acquires Stormbringer, Elric requires constant medicinal treatments just to be able to stand upright or dress himself.
* {{Jerkass}}: Elric often acts like one. His patron god, Arioch, is also a major Jerkass. In fact, [[JerkassGods all the Gods pretty much are Jerkasses]].
** For a Melnibonéan he's positively humanitarian. That's not saying much, of course, but his cousins hated him and plotted against him for being too philosophical and soft-hearted and insufficiently sadistic and maniacal to be worthy of the throne.
* KissingCousins / IncestIsRelative: Elric's betrothed, Cymoril, is actually his cousin. Apparently this isn't unusual for Melnibonean royalty -- Yyrkoon, Elric's rival and Cymoril's ''brother'', also lusts after her (to spite Elric more than anything else). It's not been all that uncommon for real-world royalty, either.
* KingTropeTheNth: Elric VIII, 428th emperor of Melnibone, son of Sadric LXXXVI.
* LifeDrinker: Elric, via Stormbringer.
* LoyalToThePosition: Valharik, the captain of the guard in Melnibone in the first novel, claims this as his reason for betraying his mistress Cymoril and following Yyrkoon's evil orders when he takes power in Melnibone, including cutting down one of his own men who tried to defend her against Yyrkoon and feeding the poor guy to Cymoril's slaves. Needless to say, Elric doesn't buy it.
* MagiTek: In ''The Sleeping Sorceress'' Elric rides a sentient, talking mechanical bird.
* OneManArmy: Pretty much anyone who wields [[ArtifactOfDoom The Black Sword]], be it Mournblade, Stormbringer, or one of their equivalents in other stories of the Champion Eternal. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], since the Black Sword is a SoulDrinker and can pass on the stolen vitality of its victims onto the wielder, providing them with supernatural strength and endurance for [[EvilWeapon as long as they keep killing]]. Elric, however, takes it UpToEleven, since not only does he have SummonMagic, he's also known as one of the most powerful sorcerors in the world, effectively making him a PersonOfMassDestruction.
* OrderVersusChaos: The Melniboneans follow the Lords of Chaos; Elric does, too, until he realizes he's upset the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil and begins to serve the Lords of Order, or maybe fated to restore the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil, or both.
* PlanarChampion: Elric, as an incarnation of the Champion Eternal, is one of the best-known examples, possibly even the TropeCodifier.
* PleaOfPersonalNecessity: Darnizhaan tells Elric and Dyvim Slorm that killing him will begin the death of the world they know. When they decide to do so anyway, he says, "Fools! In destroying me, you destroy yourselves!"
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: Pan Tang's war machine is fueled by conscripting the adult men of their tribute states, then ''sacrificing their wives and children'', on arcane altars which are in operation 24 hours a day, ''depopulating an entire continent in the process'', to summon the Lords of Chaos
* {{Precursors}}: All the civilizations of the "Young Kingdoms" were built on the ruins of the old Melnibonean empire.
* RedEyesTakeWarning
* SoulCuttingBlade: Stormbringer.
* SquishyWizard: Elric starts out as one, but gets better once he gets Stormbringer [[spoiler:and ultimately gives it up]].
* StormOfBlades: At one point, Elric and his comrades are set upon by three Chaos Gods - ''including Arioch'' - and in order to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu kill them]], Elric uses [[EvilWeapon Stormbringer and Mournblade]] to summon ''over one hundred of their brother and sister swords from alternate realities''.
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler:Smiorgan]] in ''Weird of the White Wolf''.
** To be fair, the story that [[spoiler:Smiorgan]] died in was written before the one in which he was introduced. You could call this "Sudden Prequel Life Syndrome" instead.
* SummonMagic: All magic in Elric's world is based upon summoning various demons and elemental spirits, and asking them for a favor. Elric is lucky that the Melnibonians have made ancient pacts with practically every single spirit and demon.
** It's also noted that Nature Spirits have ''much'' lower "costs" than Gods of Law or Chaos, and indeed Elric calls for help from the former more often than he does the latter.
* SummonToHand
* TanksForTheMemories
* TortureTechnician: Doctor Jest is the chief torturer of the Melnibonean empire, in charge of making spies spill their secrets for the Emperor in nightmarish fashion. He also serves as chief carver for the Emperor's table, using those same spies before they die. They must be able to see the parts he removes being cooked and devoured.
* UnstoppableRage: You might say Elric has anger issues.
* VestigialEmpire: Melnibone.
* VillainProtagonist: Elric actually starts out this way; before "upgrading" to a Type V AntiHero.
* WalkingTheEarth: Elric
* WhereIWasBornAndRazed: It takes three books, but Elric's eventually the one who destroys Melnibone.
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: The TropeMaker.
* WombLevel: Elric's quest into the Pulsating Cavern - ''literally'' the womb level.
* WretchedHive: There's a city made up ''entirely'' of thieves, murderers, and beggars.
* YouJustToldMe: how Elric discovers [[spoiler: Yyrkoon's plans about the two Black Swords.]]
* YourSoulIsMine: What Stormbringer and Mournblade do to anyone killed with them.
----
-->''"Farewell, troper. I was a thousand times more evil than thou!"''
----
[[caption-width-right:350:Arioch! Arioch! Blood and Souls for my Lord Arioch!]]
->''"It is the colour of a bleached skull, his flesh; and the long hair which flows below his shoulders is milk-white. From the tapering, beautiful head stare two slanting eyes, crimson and moody, and from the loose sleeves of his yellow gown emerge two slender hands, also the colour of bone, resting on each arm of a seat which has been carved from a single, massive ruby."''
-->-- The first lines of ''Elric of Melnibone'', '''MichaelMoorcock'''
->''"I have this feeling that [[WeirdnessMagnet my luck is none too good]]''\\
''This sword here at my side [[EvilWeapon don't act the way it should]]''\\
''Keeps calling me its master, but I feel like its slave''\\
''Hauling me faster and faster to an early, early grave''\\
''And it howls! It howls like hell!''\\
''I'm told it's my duty to fight against [[OrderVersusChaos the Law]]''\\
''That wizardry's my trade, and I was born to wade through gore''\\
''[[IJustWantToBeNormal I just wanna be a lover]], not a red-eyed, screaming ghoul''\\
''I wish it picked another to be its [[ArtifactOfDoom killing tool]]"''
-->-- "Black Blade", as performed by '''Music/BlueOysterCult'''
Originally a six book series by MichaelMoorcock, the story follows the titular Elric of Melnibone in his journey from a sickly king to a top class warrior and sorcerer involved with the affairs of the gods. His weapon is Stormbringer, one of two evil demonic runeblades that feast upon the souls of those their wielders slay with them, have wills of their own, and tend to take over their wielders on occasion.
The TabletopRolePlayingGame ''Stormbringer'' is based on these books.
Elric was parodied in the infamous comic book, ''{{Cerebus}}'' via the character, Elrod of Melvinbone; Elrod ''looked'' like Elric (and at least claimed to have a similar back-story), but had the personality and mannerisms of [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes The Foghorn Leghorn]].
[[IThoughtItMeant Note that it has nothing to do with]] [[FullmetalAlchemist the saga of the Elric Brothers]].
----
!!Installments:
The series contains many books and stories, not written in the same order as the internal chronology. Additionally, several of the Elric novels are fix-ups of short stories published years or decades earlier.
[[AC:Original series]]
* ''Elric of Melniboné '' (novel, 1972)
* ''The Sailor on the Seas of Fate'' (collection, 1976)
** ''Sailing to the Future''
** ''Sailing to the Present''
** ''Sailing to the Past''
* ''The Weird of the White Wolf'' (collection, 1977)
** ''The Dream of Earl Aubec'' (aka ''Master of Chaos'')
** ''The Dreaming City''
** ''While the Gods Laugh''
** ''The Singing Citadel''
* ''The Sleeping Sorceress'' (novel, 1971, also released as ''The Vanishing Tower'')
* ''The Bane of the Black Sword'' (collection, 1977)
** ''The Stealer of Souls''
** ''Kings in Darkness''
** ''The Flamebringers'' (aka ''The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams'')
** ''To Rescue Tanelorn''
* ''Stormbringer'' (novel, 1965)
[[AC:Later novels]]
* ''Fortress of the Pearl'' (novel, 1989)
* ''Revenge of the Rose'' (novel, 1991)
[[AC:Later trilogy]]
* ''The Dreamthief's Daughter'' (2001)
* ''The Skrayling Tree'' (2003)
* ''The White Wolf's Son'' (2005)
[[AC:Collections]]
* ''Elric at the End of Time'' (1984)
* ''Michael Moorcock's Elric: Tales of the White Wolf'' (1994)
* ''Pawns of Chaos: Tales of the Eternal Champion'' (1996)
[[AC:Graphic Novels]]
* ''Michael Moorcock's Multiverse'' (with Walt Simonson and John Ridgway) (1999)
* ''Elric: Making of a Sorcerer'' (with Walt Simonson) (2007)
* ''Elric: The Balance Lost'' (2011)
----
!!These books provide examples of:
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: The Melniboneans, who are almost all decadent sadists.
* AnachronicOrder: As one can see from the list above, the conclusion of the saga was the ''first'' part to be published in novel form.
* AntiHero: Elric all the way. [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Varies between]] [[KnightInSourArmor Types II]], [[GoodIsNotNice III]], [[PayEvilUntoEvil IV]], and [[HeroInNameOnly V]] depending on the story, but is most commonly Type IV.
* ArtifactOfDoom, {{BFS}}, CoolSword ''and'' EvilWeapon: Stormbringer and its twin sword Mournblade.
* BadassBookworm: Elric has read every book in his library, which in turn taught him the ways of the sorcerer.
* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: Elric's eventual destiny, as the last king of a chaotic race, is to use the weapons of Chaos in order to fight the forces of Chaos, to as to restore Balance to the Earth and allow the powers of Law a chance to create something safer for the younger races.
* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding: Elric apparently fulfills his destiny at the end of ''Stormbringer'' but he dies in the process... after which Stormbringer assumes its true form as the force of chaos in the new world order.]]
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: Zarozinia]].
* ByronicHero: By the Gods, ''Elric''.
* CanonWelding
* CharacterAlignment: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]]; the original alignment system of the very first edition of DungeonsAndDragons was based on The Elric Mythos' concepts of [[OrderVersusChaos Law vs. Chaos]] and [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil Good Vs. Evil]], with the original D&D alignments being Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic, with Lawful being roughly equated with Good, and Chaotic with Evil. The addition of the second Alignment Axis of Good/Neutral/Evil, which allowed for such concepts as characters being both Chaotic AND Good (such as rebel freedom fighters) or Lawful AND Evil (such as Nazis) wasn't added until later, with the release of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (First Edition.)
* ChickMagnet: Elric has had quite a few women after him, and he is canonically *very* good in bed.
* CosmicHorrorStory: It's set in that kind of universe.
* CosmicPlaything: Anyone who deals with the Gods ends up as one.
* {{Crossover}}: With ''ConanTheBarbarian'' in MarvelComics.
** And with all the other Eternal Champion characters.
* DarkFantasy: In spades.
* {{Deconstruction}}: Of ''TheLordOfTheRings'', ''ConanTheBarbarian'', and heroic fantasy in general.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Elric, who has to fight his cousin for his throne, as he was seen as being weak and unworthy of his title since he was less willing than his countrymen to indulge in pointless cruelty.
** The key word here being ''pointless''. Elric could be a [[YouBastard Total Bastard]] given proper motivation.
* {{Determinator}}: Oh, yes.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Stormbringer can even kill gods.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Elric also uses this from time to time. Evil cousin take your throne, and, more importantly, your girl? ''Burn the entire nation to the ground, abandoning your race and countrymen to the men of the Young Kingdoms''.
* DoomMagnet
* DungeonsAndDragons: The original edition of ''Deities & Demigods'' had a chapter devoted to the Elric Mythos (and another chapter devoted to the [[Creator/HPLovecraft Cthulhu Mythos)]], but copyright disputes prevented these chapters from appearing in later editions of the book (the FafhrdAndTheGrayMouser chapter got to stay, though).
* DyingRace: Elric's.
* EldritchAbomination: The Chaos Gods qualify.
** One of the Sailor On The Seas Of Fate stories also includes two creatures even more alien, from outside of the multiverse entirely. [[spoiler:The heroes mistake them for buildings and wander through a WombLevel before they figure it out]].
** In one short story, ''[[NotSoDifferent one of the Gods of Law]]'' is this. However, it's also mentioned that that particular Law God had [[HeWhoFightsMonsters been fighting Chaos for far]] [[KnightTemplar too long]].
* EmpathicWeapon: Elric's sword Stormbringer is sentient and capable of compelling Elric to certain actions.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Initiating this is Elric's final act, destroying the current world in order to create a new one -- ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou ours]]''.
* EvilAlbino / HeroicAlbino: Elric jumps between the two.
* EvilPrince: Yyrkoon.
* EvilSorcerer: Theleb K'aarna, Yyrkoon and Jagreen Lern.
* TheFairFolk: Melniboneans are beautiful, elfin amoral hedonists that traffic with the Lords of Chaos and are universally feared by ordinary humans. AlwaysChaoticEvil is almost putting it mildly. Sadism is in their blood to the point that they make music in which each note is a scream from a tortured (human) slave, whose vocal cords have been mutilated such that they can produce only that particular note.
* FogOfDoom: Yyrkoon invokes it to escape Melniboné after his first defeat.
* GodIsEvil: The Gods of Chaos are pretty much AlwaysChaoticEvil, though one may come up now and then that's ChaoticNeutral.
* TheGodsMustBeLazy: The Lords of Order are too weak to intervene in the collapse of the universe itself until the very end of the saga.
* {{Gotterdammerung}}: Elric's ultimate destiny is to create a world free of the influence of gods or cosmic powers, resulting in TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
* HeavyMithril: Moorcock wrote the above-quoted ''Black Blade'' for Music/BlueOysterCult, and additionally saw his saga reworked by Hawkwind into the album ''The Chronicle of the Black Sword''.
** Deep Purple was aware of the Elric books when they wrote "Stormbringer" and chose the name for the song because of this, but the song itself isn't about the eponymous sword (they figured that Moorcock got the name from mythology, but he actually made it up himself).
** The PowerMetal band Domine has a large number of Moorcock related songs. Elric himself even being on multiple album covers.
** Music/BlindGuardian also have a couple of songs based on the series.
* HereThereWereDragons: Most of Melnibone's dragons have died off, and the few remaining are weak to the point that they must sleep for ''centuries'' between flights.
* [[spoiler: TheHeroDies]]: At the end of ''Stormbringer''.
* HistoricalInJoke: [[Literature/TheSongOfRoland Roland]], the semi-mythical French paladin who served under Charlemagne, is implied to be a future incarnation of Elric.
** Tie-ins from other Moorcock stories indicate that so is KingArthur.
* [[IllGirl Ill Guy]]: Until he acquires Stormbringer, Elric requires constant medicinal treatments just to be able to stand upright or dress himself.
* {{Jerkass}}: Elric often acts like one. His patron god, Arioch, is also a major Jerkass. In fact, [[JerkassGods all the Gods pretty much are Jerkasses]].
** For a Melnibonéan he's positively humanitarian. That's not saying much, of course, but his cousins hated him and plotted against him for being too philosophical and soft-hearted and insufficiently sadistic and maniacal to be worthy of the throne.
* KissingCousins / IncestIsRelative: Elric's betrothed, Cymoril, is actually his cousin. Apparently this isn't unusual for Melnibonean royalty -- Yyrkoon, Elric's rival and Cymoril's ''brother'', also lusts after her (to spite Elric more than anything else). It's not been all that uncommon for real-world royalty, either.
* KingTropeTheNth: Elric VIII, 428th emperor of Melnibone, son of Sadric LXXXVI.
* LifeDrinker: Elric, via Stormbringer.
* LoyalToThePosition: Valharik, the captain of the guard in Melnibone in the first novel, claims this as his reason for betraying his mistress Cymoril and following Yyrkoon's evil orders when he takes power in Melnibone, including cutting down one of his own men who tried to defend her against Yyrkoon and feeding the poor guy to Cymoril's slaves. Needless to say, Elric doesn't buy it.
* MagiTek: In ''The Sleeping Sorceress'' Elric rides a sentient, talking mechanical bird.
* OneManArmy: Pretty much anyone who wields [[ArtifactOfDoom The Black Sword]], be it Mournblade, Stormbringer, or one of their equivalents in other stories of the Champion Eternal. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], since the Black Sword is a SoulDrinker and can pass on the stolen vitality of its victims onto the wielder, providing them with supernatural strength and endurance for [[EvilWeapon as long as they keep killing]]. Elric, however, takes it UpToEleven, since not only does he have SummonMagic, he's also known as one of the most powerful sorcerors in the world, effectively making him a PersonOfMassDestruction.
* OrderVersusChaos: The Melniboneans follow the Lords of Chaos; Elric does, too, until he realizes he's upset the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil and begins to serve the Lords of Order, or maybe fated to restore the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil, or both.
* PlanarChampion: Elric, as an incarnation of the Champion Eternal, is one of the best-known examples, possibly even the TropeCodifier.
* PleaOfPersonalNecessity: Darnizhaan tells Elric and Dyvim Slorm that killing him will begin the death of the world they know. When they decide to do so anyway, he says, "Fools! In destroying me, you destroy yourselves!"
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: Pan Tang's war machine is fueled by conscripting the adult men of their tribute states, then ''sacrificing their wives and children'', on arcane altars which are in operation 24 hours a day, ''depopulating an entire continent in the process'', to summon the Lords of Chaos
* {{Precursors}}: All the civilizations of the "Young Kingdoms" were built on the ruins of the old Melnibonean empire.
* RedEyesTakeWarning
* SoulCuttingBlade: Stormbringer.
* SquishyWizard: Elric starts out as one, but gets better once he gets Stormbringer [[spoiler:and ultimately gives it up]].
* StormOfBlades: At one point, Elric and his comrades are set upon by three Chaos Gods - ''including Arioch'' - and in order to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu kill them]], Elric uses [[EvilWeapon Stormbringer and Mournblade]] to summon ''over one hundred of their brother and sister swords from alternate realities''.
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler:Smiorgan]] in ''Weird of the White Wolf''.
** To be fair, the story that [[spoiler:Smiorgan]] died in was written before the one in which he was introduced. You could call this "Sudden Prequel Life Syndrome" instead.
* SummonMagic: All magic in Elric's world is based upon summoning various demons and elemental spirits, and asking them for a favor. Elric is lucky that the Melnibonians have made ancient pacts with practically every single spirit and demon.
** It's also noted that Nature Spirits have ''much'' lower "costs" than Gods of Law or Chaos, and indeed Elric calls for help from the former more often than he does the latter.
* SummonToHand
* TanksForTheMemories
* TortureTechnician: Doctor Jest is the chief torturer of the Melnibonean empire, in charge of making spies spill their secrets for the Emperor in nightmarish fashion. He also serves as chief carver for the Emperor's table, using those same spies before they die. They must be able to see the parts he removes being cooked and devoured.
* UnstoppableRage: You might say Elric has anger issues.
* VestigialEmpire: Melnibone.
* VillainProtagonist: Elric actually starts out this way; before "upgrading" to a Type V AntiHero.
* WalkingTheEarth: Elric
* WhereIWasBornAndRazed: It takes three books, but Elric's eventually the one who destroys Melnibone.
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: The TropeMaker.
* WombLevel: Elric's quest into the Pulsating Cavern - ''literally'' the womb level.
* WretchedHive: There's a city made up ''entirely'' of thieves, murderers, and beggars.
* YouJustToldMe: how Elric discovers [[spoiler: Yyrkoon's plans about the two Black Swords.]]
* YourSoulIsMine: What Stormbringer and Mournblade do to anyone killed with them.
----
-->''"Farewell, troper. I was a thousand times more evil than thou!"''
----
