Elric of Melniboné[1] is a fictional character created by English writerMichael Moorcock and theprotagonist of a series ofsword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character are Elric VIII, 428th Emperor of Melniboné. Later stories by Moorcock marked Elric as a facet of theEternal Champion.
Elric first appeared in print in Moorcock'snovella "The Dreaming City" (Science Fantasy No. 47, June 1961). Moorcock's doomedalbinoantihero is one of the better-known characters in fantasy literature, having crossed over into a wide variety of media, such asrole-playing games, comics, music, and film. The stories have been continuously in print since the 1970s.[2]
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.[3]
Elric is the last emperor of the stagnating island civilization of Melniboné. Physically weak, the anemic Elric must use drugs (special herbs) to maintain his health and vitality. From childhood, he read freely in the immense royal library and learned of the world outside the Dreaming Isle. Perhaps due to this in-depth study, unlike other members of his race, Elric has a conscience. He witnesses the decadence of his culture, which once ruled the known world, and worries about the rise of the Young Kingdoms populated by humans (Melnibonéans consider themselves separate from humanity), along with the threat they pose to his empire. Because of Elric's introspective self-loathing and hatred of Melnibonéan traditions, his subjects find him odd and unfathomable. However, his cousin Yyrkoon (next in the line of succession, as Elric has no heirs) interprets this behaviour as weakness and plots Elric's death. Complicating matters is Yyrkoon's sister Cymoril, who is deeply in love with Elric; Yyrkoon covets her, and part of his plan for usurpation is to marry Cymoril himself.
In addition to his skill with herbs, Elric is an accomplished sorcerer and summoner. As emperor of Melniboné, Elric is able to call for aid upon the traditional patron of the Melniboné emperors, Arioch, a Lord of Chaos and Duke of Hell. From the first story, Elric uses ancient pacts and agreements with not only Arioch, but various other beings—some gods, some demons—to help him accomplish his tasks.
Elric's discovery of the swordStormbringer serves as both his greatest asset and disadvantage. The sword confers upon Elric strength, health, and fighting prowess, allowing him to do away with his dependence on drugs, but it must be fed by the souls of intelligent beings. In the end, the blade takes everyone close to Elric and eventually Elric's own soul as well. Most of Moorcock's stories about Elric feature this relationship with Stormbringer, and how it—despite Elric's best intentions—brings doom to everything he holds dear.
Melniboné (/ˌmɛlˈnɪboʊneɪ/mel-NIB-o-nay), also known as theDragon Isle, is a fictitious country, an island among theYoung Kingdoms.
Centuries before Elric's birth, Melniboné ruled its world throughsorcerous might and sheer power. By the time of Elric's birth, it has slipped from its preeminent place, being one of many nations. The Melnibonéans are not wholly human. They are skilled withmagic and beautiful, though psychologically similar tocats, with a callous nature. They are bound by many ancient customs.
Melniboné's capital and only surviving city is Imrryr, known as "The Dreaming City". Most of the rest of the island has been allowed to revert to wilderness. Caverns exist below the island, in whichdragons sleep, awaiting the Melnibonéans' summons to war.
The story ofKullervo from Finnish mythology[8] contains elements similar to Elric's story, such as a talking magic sword and fatal alienation of the hero from his family.[9][original research?] Besides Elric, Kullervo has been proposed as having influence on Poul Anderson's 1954 novelThe Broken Sword,[citation needed] andJ.R.R. Tolkien'sTúrin Turambar. Moorcock has stated that "Anderson's a definite influence [on Elric], as stated. But oddly, theKalevala was read to us at my boarding school when I was about seven", and "from a very early age I was reading Norse legends and any books I could find about Norse stories".[10] Moorcock in the same posting stated that "one thing I'm pretty sure of, I was not in any way directly influenced by Prof. T[olkien]".[11]
Elric's albinism appears influenced byMonsieur Zenith, an albinoSexton Blake villain whom Moorcock appreciated enough to write into later multiverse stories.[12] Moorcock read Zenith stories in his youth and has contributed to their later reprinting, remarking that it "took me forty years to find another copy of Zenith the Albino! In fact it was a friend who found it under lock and key and got a copy of it to Savoy who are, at last, about to reprint it! Why I have spent so much energy making public the evidence of my vast theft from Anthony Skene, I'm not entirely sure... ".[13] Moorcock later said: "As I've said in my introduction toMonsieur Zenith: The Albino, the Anthony Skene's character was a huge influence. For the rest of the character, his ambiguities in particular, I based him on myself at the age I was when I created Elric, which was 20".[14] The influence of Zenith on Elric is often cited in discussions of Zenith.[15]
"Yyrkoon" redirects here. For the French death metal band, seeYyrkoon (band).
Arioch: Lord of Chaos.
Cymoril: A Melnibonéan, Elric's cousin, consort and first great love. He hopes to one day make her his wife and empress. She tries to understand and help Elric, but like his subjects, she has difficulty understanding Elric's motivations and would have him rule as the emperors of old. Despite that she stands by Elric in his weakest state before his acquiring of Stormbringer and she supports his dreams and wishes even when she is put in danger by them.
Dyvim Slorm: A Melnibonéan, Elric's cousin, son of Dyvim Tvar. He fights alongside Elric in the final war against Chaos, wielding the black swordMournblade.
Dyvim Tvar: A Melnibonéan, one of Elric's few friends. He is one of the Dragon Masters, a group of Melnibonéans who can speak to the Dragons of Melniboné. Dyvim Tvar stays loyal to Elric even after he destroys Imrryr. Dyvim Tvar also has more of a moral compass than most Melnibonéans.
Ernest Wheldrake: An amiable poet and bard who involuntarily travels across the Multiverse. Amorous and good-natured, he is given to sudden expulsions of verse and song. He is writing an epic poem about Elric during their shared adventures.
Jagreen Lern: The cruel ruler of Pan Tang, skilled with both magic and the use of a battleaxe.
Moonglum of Elwher: A short, red-haired human with a cheerfully ugly face, adventuring companion to Elric. He and Elric share many dangers and rewards together. The most steadfast and loyal companion of all the Young Kingdom humans Elric encounters. He helps Elric in completing his fated purpose.
Myshella of Law: Colloquially referred to as the Empress of the Dawn and The Dark Lady of Kaneloon, the powerful sorceress Myshella has acted as a guide and consort to Eternal Champions and adventurers alike down through the ages in the ineffable pursuit of Law. Immortal, ageless, and indescribably powerful. She sometimes rides a metal bird with emerald eyes, and more than once lends this mount to Elric.
Oone: A Dreamthief by trade, at the Silver Flower Oasis in the Sighing Desert, Lady Oone helps Elric locate The Fortress of the Pearl when another of her order dies in a previous attempt. Her fleeting romance with the albino has considerable significance during the later 'Moonbeam Roads' trilogy.
Prince Gaynor The Damned: A fallen knight of the Balance, doomed to suffer without release by the forces of Chaos. He inhabits a formless existence, imprisoned in a black-and-gold suit of armor emblazoned with the 8-pointed symbol of Chaos.
Rackhir, the Red Archer: A human, once a Warrior Priest of Phum but cast out of his order. He and Elric travel and adventure together several times throughout the series. Unlike other characters who serve either Law or Chaos, Rackhir devotes himself to the Balance exclusively.
Sepiriz: One of the ten remaining Nihrain, this dark-skinned servant of the Balance guides Elric through the final phases of his quest. He is also sometimes called 'The Knight in Black and Yellow'.
Shaarilla of Myyrrhn: The daughter of a dead necromancer, Shaarilla of the Dancing Mist was born a mutant and an outcast among her people. Unlike her fellows of Myyrrhn, Shaarilla was born without wings. She enlists Elric to locate The Dead Gods' Book in the hopes it might contain a spell to reverse her deformity.
Smiorgan Baldhead: A Count of the Isle of the Purple Towns, and an affable adventurer who accompanies Elric on his adventures on the Nameless Continent. His fleets aid in the Sacking of Imrryr.
Theleb K'aarna: A human sorcerer of the Pan Tang isles. After being displaced as Queen Yishana's advisor and chief sorcerer by Elric, he seeks revenge and uses sorcery to hinder several of Elric's plans.
The Rose: A beautiful, scarlet-haired warrior Elric encounters on his journeys through the Multiverse. She wields a Lawful counterpart to Elric's Chaos-forged demonblade 'Stormbringer' named 'Swift Thorn'. Serving neither Law nor Chaos, she has sworn an oath of revenge against Gaynor The Damned for the eradication of a universe that was precious to her.
Yishana of Jharkor: A human, ruler of Jharkor. She presents Elric with several problems/adventures and openly covets his company and power. Her selfish desires are the root of several of Elric's problems, but she also aids him from time to time and ultimately becomes an important ally in his fight against Chaos.
Yyrkoon: Prince of Melniboné, Elric's cousin. He is next in line for the throne, as Elric has no male heir. He worries about Elric's behaviour and takes all of Elric's brooding and philosophical talk as a sign of weakness. He yearns for a return to more traditional emperors and secretly plots Elric's demise. Yyrkoon is a great sorcerer who has made many pacts with unholy forces to obtain his sorcerous strength. As further evidence of his decadent ways, he openly desires his sister Cymoril and intends to make her his wife and Empress if his plans ever reach fruition.
Zarozinia: A human of the Young Kingdoms. She falls in love with Elric and eventually marries him, for a time allowing him to experience true love and companionship. For her sake, Elric also gives up his blade Stormbringer and reverts to taking sorcerous herbs to sustain his life.
Conan the Barbarian No. 14 (March 1972), Elric's second appearance in comics. Cover art byBarry Windsor-Smith.
The Elric saga has also been adapted for comics and graphic novels several times:
In 1968, the French artistPhilippe Druillet drew the first comics version ofElric inSpirits #1, written byMichel Demuth, which was published as a book the same year.[16]
In the early 70sJames Cawthorn published his oversized graphic novelStormbringer with Savoy Books.[17]
Elric first appeared in large-circulation comics in America inConan the Barbarian issues 14–15 (1972), in an adventure in two parts entitled "A Sword Called Stormbringer!" and "The Green Empress of Melniboné". The comic was written byRoy Thomas and illustrated byBarry Windsor-Smith, based on a story plotted by Michael Moorcock and James Cawthorn.[18]
Star Reach comics published Elric stories in the late 1970s.First Comics published severalElric mini-series in the 1980s as well.
2011 marked the launch of another Elric-based comic,Elric: The Balance Lost byBOOM! Studios. The series, written byChris Roberson and drawn by Francesco Biagini, is available in both traditional hard copy and for digital download.
In 2014,The Ruby Throne, the first volume of a new four-volume adaptation ofElric of Melniboné written by Julien Blondel and illustrated by Didier Poli, Jean Bastide, and Robin Recht, was published by Glenat in France and titan in UK. The second volume,Stormbringer, was published in March 2015 by the same team and publisher. The third volume, entitledThe White Wolf, was released in September 2017.[20] The fourth volume,The Dreaming City, was released in August 2021.[21] A second cycle of four tomes is beginning in 2024 with the release by GLÉNAT of ELRIC TOME 5 - LE NÉCROMANCIEN (The Necromancer), an adaptation of THE WEIRD OF THE WHITE WOLF by Julien Blondel and Jean-Luc Carradines Cano, with art by Valentin Sécher.
The Chronicle of the Black Sword is a 1985 album by UKspace rock bandHawkwind. Moorcock and Hawkwind had, at this stage, collaborated a number of times. An expanded live album,Live Chronicles, was released in 1986. This included severalspoken-word interludes by author Moorcock in his capacity as on-stage narrator. The live show also included amime artist portraying Elric himself. A videoconcert film entitledThe Chronicle of the Black Sword appeared on VHS and later on DVD.[22]
Italian Power Metal Band DOMINE have released four albums based heavily on Elric, namely "Champion Eternal" in 1997, "Dragonlord" in 1999, "Stormbringer Ruler" in 2002 and "Emperor of the Black Runes" in 2004.[26]
The song "Ilian of Garathorm" fromTimes of Obscene Evil & Wild Daring (2019) byheavy metal bandSmoulder is based on Ilian, one of the iterations of theEternal Champion.[27] Moorcock himself both wrote and narrated the introduction to the song "Victims of Fate" from the band's second albumViolent Creed of Vengeance (2023).[28][29]
Wendy Pini published a book documenting her attempt to make an animated film project of theStormbringer series,Law and Chaos: The "Stormbringer" Animated Film Project.[citation needed]
In May 2007, in an interview withEmpire magazine, directorsChris andPaul Weitz stated that they were in the process of adapting a trilogy of films based on Elric forUniversal Pictures.[30] Chris grew up reading the material[30] and has met with Moorcock, who trusted them with the project.[30] Universal dropped the project and it is now in the hands ofNew Republic Pictures.[31]
In November 2019,New Republic announced the development of a television series based on the Elric novels, to be adapted by Glen Mazzara and Vaun Wilmott.[31]
Elric (along with Stormbringer) was listed in the first printing ofAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D)Deities & Demigods rule book. However,Chaosium already had a role-playing series in the works based on Elric and Stormbringer, and the initial AD&D printing was not fully authorised. A mutually beneficial deal was worked out between Chaosium andTSR, yet TSR chose to remove Elric from later printings ofDeities & Demigods.[32]
The world of Elric's Young Kingdoms was the setting of theStormbringerrole-playing game by the publisher Chaosium (Hawkmoon has also been so treated, as has Corum). In 1993 Chaosium releasedElric! which still used their BRP system.[citation needed]
After a disagreement between Moorcock and Chaosium, theStormbringer line was discontinued. Subsequently, a new version called "Elric of Melniboné" was published byMongoose Publishing under theirRunequest system in 2007.
Writing forNPR, Jason Sheehan calls Elric "far and away the coolest, grimmest, moodiest, most elegant, degenerate, drug-addicted, cursed, twisted and emotionally weird mass murderer of them all".[36]
^Michael Moorcock (1 March 2008)."pronunciation".Moorcock's Miscellany. p. 3. Archived fromthe original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved18 November 2016.Mel-nib-on-ay (as in cafe)
^Michael Moorocok, "Aspects of Fantasy" in Darrell Schweitzer (ed.),Exploring Fantasy Worlds: Essays on Fantastic Literature. San Bernardino, CA: Borgo Press, 1985, p. 27.
^John Clute and John Grant, eds.The Encyclopedia of Fantasy London: orbit, 1977p. 659.
