History Literature / TheEyeOfArgon

* HeroesWantRedheads: This may have been the author's intention; Grignr (himself a redhead) falls for Carthena, whose hair is apparently the color of orchids (more of a bright pink than a red).

* ThudAndBlunder: Perhaps the best-known example, and the main reason that that particular style of SwordAndSorcery fiction has such a bad name.

* TheUnpronounceable: ''You'' try pronouncing "Grignr", "Agafnd" or "Mrifk". This gets particularly amusing when already consonant-heavy words lose their few vowels through typos -- the aforementioned Agafnd becomes "Agfnd" at one point. One gets the impression that the author has an irrational dislike of vowels.
** Dramatic readings sometimes attempt to bypass this by rendering "Grignr" as "Grignir" or "Grignar" and "Agafnd" as either "Agafund" or "Agafnud".

* BlingBlingBang: Subverted. Agafnd and Agaphim wield jewel-hilted daggers, while the "shamen" use similarly jewelled scimitars for self-defense and a [[DropTheHammer carved, solid gold mallet]] as a sacrificial weapon. All of them are totally ineffectual with these weapons, unable to kill or wound anyone, or even mount an effective defense.

* BoobyTrap: Grignr manages to avoid setting one off. It later kills one of the "shamen".

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Agaphim initially plans to have Grignr tortured to death before Agafnd persaudes him that forcing him to slave away in the mines would be an even worse punishment.

** Grignr [[OhMyGods swears]] on "the surly beard of Mrifk" at one point, and invokes the name of Mrifk a few other times. We can infer that Mrifk is some kind of Ecordian god or culture hero, but any details beyond that - particularly the question of a how a beard can be surly - remain unclear.

* DropTheHammer: The "shamen" use a gold mallet as a sacrificial weapon. [[BlingBlingBang Being made of gold]], it's [[AwesomeButImpractical not much use in an actual fight]].

* {{Fainting}}: One of the shamen [sic] faints for no reason, Carthena passes out quite a few times, but Grignr -- despite losing a bathtub's-worth of blood and not eating for days on end -- never faints.

* HaveAGayOldTime: Grignr is repeatedly described as wearing a "g-string". When describing clothing, this used to refer to a type of {{loincloth}} worn by the men of some Native American tribes. Today, however, it almost exclusively (in a clothing context) means an extremely skimpy bottom design used for underwear and swimwear. Worse, he is "naked save for a loin cloth brandishing a long steel broad sword".

* JerkassHasAPoint: The intensely unlikable Grignr is astonished the citizens of Gorzom don't depose the [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating incredibly unpopular]] Prince Agaphim. The story states that they are held in terror of his [[TheHorde enormous army]], but apparently they feel free to [[ProducePelting pelt him with garbage]] even when he's under heavy guard.

** He also spends six long sentences describing a guy falling over after being [[GroinAttack kicked in the crotch]].

* NoEnding: The most widely-circulated copy of the story ends abruptly during Grignr's final battle. Some people continue to believe that this is how the original version actually ended.

** One of the soldiers who arrests Grignr directs him through the streets by prodding him repeatedly with his sword. While he wasn't actually trying to kill or injure Grignr, this would certainly hurt and at least break skin. Grignr doesn't even acknowledge it.
** Grignr later gets punched in the face and scratched by a soldier but doesn't react one bit.

* PutTheLaughterInSlaughter: After chopping a congregation of "shamen" to pieces, Grignr makes a [[PostMortemOneLiner quip]] about how his victims now don't need to worry about the EvilOverlord punishing them. [[LaughingAtYourOwnJokes He apparently finds this funny]].

* ReligionOfEvil: The worshippers of Argon, whose faith seems to consist entirely of performing {{Human Sacrifice}}s every three months. Gorzom's established religion, the worship of the similiarly-named god Sargon, is implied to be at best only slightly better, and may be merely a CorruptChurch.