The Belgariad is a five-book fantasy epic written by David Eddings.
The series tell the story of the recovery of the Orb of Aldur and coming of age of Garion, an orphaned farmboy. Garion is accompanied by his aunt Polgara and her father Belgarath as they try and fulfill an ancient prophecy that will decide the fate of the universe. Along the way, various "instruments", or helpers, of the prophecy join their quest.
Works in the series
Belgariad One
Volumes include:
- Pawn of Prophecy (1982)
- Queen of Sorcery (1982)
- Magician's Gambit (1983)
- Castle of Wizardry (1984)
- Enchanters' End Game (1984)
The title of each book combines a chess term with a fantasy term. The concept of a Game of Destiny is a significant motif in the story.
Belgariad Two
The series has been reprinted as a two-volume set, titled The Belgariad Volume One, containing the first three books of the series, and The Belgariad Volume Two, which contains the last two books. This does not have the original map in Pawn of Prophecy by Chris Barbieri, only Shelly Shapiro's map. Similarly, the maps at the beginning of the book's parts are replaced by Shapiro's.
The Malloreon is a five-book sequel that continues the story started in the Belgariad. Belgarath the Sorcerer (1995) and Polgara the Sorceress (1997) are prequels that share the setting and most characters. The Rivan Codex (1998) features annotated background material.
Pawn of Prophecy
| |
| Author | David Eddings |
|---|---|
| Cover Artist | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | 1982 |
| Media type | Hardcover, Paperback |
| Pages | 258 pp (paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-33551-1 |
| Followed by | Queen of Sorcery |
The book opens with a brief prologue concerning past events, from the creation of the world by seven gods, through the recovery of the Orb of Aldur by Belgarath the Sorcerer, King Cherek, and his children. It explains how Cherek's youngest son Riva was able to hold the Orb while no one else was; thus all of his descendants would be responsible for guarding the Orb.
The story begins with descriptions of the experiences by the boy Garion, who is being raised on a farm. It tells of his earliest memories in the kitchen of his Aunt Pol; and describes how he meets Durnik the blacksmith, Garion's early games and friends, and something of the romance between himself and a young love named Zubrette. It also introduces his contact with "The Story-teller" who happens to be Belgarath himself; Garion's vision of a man robed in black who casts no shadow, later known as Asharak; Chamdar; and finally, a "dry voice" that speaks in his mind. The reader later discovers that this is the voice of Prophecy, or "Necessity" which occasionally talks to Garion, and even takes action through Garion.
When the storyteller, also known as "Mister Wolf", arrives with news of the theft of a mysterious object by a thief whom no-one will name, Mister Wolf and Aunt Pol must leave the farm to chase him down. Garion finds himself in diverse and mysterious companionship. He visits several cities as Mister Wolf follows an invisible trail. Eventually he and his companions are arrested and taken to a meeting of monarchs. Garion proves himself uniquely useful through all of this and shows his great potential, which is followed through upon in the subsequent books and series.
Garion, Aunt Pol, Durnik and Mr. Wolf set out from Faldor's farm to pursue a mysterious stolen object. On the journey they are joined by Silk (Prince Kheldar, who is a Drasnian prince, spy and thief), a character with a sarcastic humour and wit. They are also joined by Barak (a Cherek warrior and Earl of Trellheim) famous for his immense size, love of ale, and unmatched prowess in battle.
Garion also begins to have doubts about his relation to "Aunt" Pol, especially when he discovers that she is the 3000-year-old sorceress Polgara, and that Mister Wolf is her father, the 7000-year-old sorcerer Belgarath.
Queen of Sorcery
| |
| Author | David Eddings |
|---|---|
| Cover Artist | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | 1983 |
| Media type | Hardcover, Paperback |
| Pages | 327 (paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-32389-0 |
| Preceded by | Pawn of Prophecy |
| Followed by | Magician's Gambit |
Garion and his companions chase after the stolen Orb of Aldur. Along the way, they are joined by three more companions while travelling through Arendia: these are Hettar, an Algar warrior who has telepathic contact with horses; the Mimbrate Knight Mandorallen; and the Asturian archer Lelldorin.
During the travels through Arendia, Lelldorin is badly injured in battle and is forced to leave the group of companions. After Arendia the companions travel to Tolnedra, seeking audience with the Emperor Ran Borune XXIII. Whilst in the imperial palace, Garion meets the imperial Princess Ce'Nedra, who is seen throwing a tantrum at her father for limiting her freedom to leave the palace due to fears for her safety. Upon leaving the capital, the group once again encounter Princess Ce'Nedra while she is trying to run away from her father. When first met by the companions Ce'Nedra is selfish, difficult and almost intolerable because she demands to be treated "like a princess". Eventually she learns to grow out of this behavior and joins the companions on their quest.
In an encounter in the Wood of the Dryads, it is revealed that Garion also has the power of the Will and the Word; an ability to focus his intention, releasing it by the utterance of words, to the extent that he affects physical reality. This is done in an encounter with Chamdar, a Grolim high priest who has been posing as a Murgo merchant named Asharak, wherein Garion kills him by slapping him — unexpectedly burning him to death — having learned that Chamdar is the man who killed his parents by setting fire to their home and imprisoning them inside. We discover that he is also the man with no shadow that was always lurking about in Garion's thought.
Garion is later kidnapped when travelling through Nyssia by Queen Salmissra, who drugs him and tries to seduce him; the "dry voice" in his head holds off the queen's attempt until he is rescued by Polgara and Barak in the form of the dreadful bear. As retribution Polgara transforms Salmissra into an immortal snake. (Barak's transformation is not explained until the Epilogue to Enchanters' End Game, during which it is revealed that Barak is Garion's protector and turns into a bear when Garion is in danger.)
Magician's Gambit
| |
| Author | David Eddings |
|---|---|
| Cover Artist | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | 1983 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 320 (paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-32731-4 |
| Preceded by | Queen of Sorcery |
| Followed by | Castle of Wizardry |
After learning that Ctuchik, the evil Angarak sorcerer, has stolen the Orb from the apostate magician Zedar, Garion and friends plan to go after him. They first take a detour to the Vale of Aldur. In a cave on the way, Garion brings a dead colt (whose birth he had helped minutes before) back to life. This event is of great significance as both Polgara and Belgarath maintain that before this, it was impossible to use the Will and the Word to restore life to the dead. The group passes through the haunted land of Maragor, home of the Marags. Maragor was and still is full of gold, so the greedy Tolnedrans had coveted it. The merchants had urged the Tolnedran Emperor to force the self-sufficient Marags to participate in trade. When they would not, the merchants started telling stories of the Marags being cannibals; a fact taken advantage of solely for the pursuit of wealth. The Tolnedrans invaded Maragor a short time later, not to simply control the country but to eradicate its inhabitants and take the gold for themselves. When the gold hunters swept in after the 'war' however, Mara (the God of the Marags) unleashed ghosts of the lost people onto them, whereupon they all went mad with fear. They then either killed themselves or lived out the rest of their lives in monasteries. Mara is still there, weeping over the death of his children.
While in the Vale, Garion learns more about his powers. The group enters Ulgoland, and, after some dispute, recruits an Ulgo zealot named Relg to serve as a guide to Cthol Murgos, as they find out Relg has the amazing ability to pass his body through solid rock. Ce'Nedra is left behind as a guest of the Gorim, because the Ulgo god UL warns that if she enters the city of the Murgos, she will die.
Garion and friends enter the city of the Murgos and infiltrate Ctuchik's headquarters. Belgarath and Ctuchik fight an epic battle that ends with Ctuchik's destruction as he attempts to will the Orb out of existence. The group escapes, with the now unconscious Belgarath, Errand (the boy who carries the Orb), and an escaped Marag slave Taiba, who reveals that she and some Marags had been prisoners of Tolnedra, whose people had sold them into slavery.
Castle of Wizardry
| |
| Author | David Eddings |
|---|---|
| Cover Artist | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | 1984 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 416 (paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-30080-7 |
| Preceded by | Magician's Gambit |
| Followed by | Enchanters' End Game |
Leadership is thrust upon Garion for the first time when Belgarath and Polgara are incapacitated, the former by his battle with Ctuchik and the latter by maintaining a shield to protect the innocent boy Errand, as they escape. Garion destroys the focal point of the power of the Hierarchs of Rak Cthol in retaliation for an attack upon Durnik.
On his sixteen birthday, which falls during the Erastide (the winter solstice festival), Garion is revealed to be the next heir of Riva Iron-grip's line, and thus the King of Riva, the Isle of the Winds. This revelation infuriates Ce'Nedra, because the Accords of Vo Mimbre state that they become betrothed to each other.
Shortly after the betrothal, Garion learns what the Mrin and Darine Codices truly say about him; namely that he must slay the god Torak or be slain himself. Garion, Belgarath and Silk set out on their own to fight Torak, leaving only a small note to Polgara and Ce'Nedra with instructions not to pursue them. They sneak off in the night, taking the gigantic, ancestral Sword of the Rivan King with the Orb of Aldur affixed to its pommel. Ce'Nedra immediately assumes she has been jilted by Garion and destroys her apartments within the Citadel, while Polgara knows the truth and proceeds to more effectively destroy everything in her rooms, and causes a titantic thunderstorm overhead.
After much sulking and finally learning the truth, Ce'Nedra overhears a conference of the Alorn kings and decides to assist them with their plan to raise an army to distract the Angaraks from Garion's quest so that he may reach Cthol Mishrak safely and destroy Torak.
Ce'Nedra proves herself by travelling through Arendia, and with her emotional soft spot for Garion as a motive, she begins giving speeches to the Arends about why they should join her army. By the time she crosses into Tolnedra, every able-bodied Arend has joined her army. The book ends with Ce'Nedra's great army marching towards a war they cannot hope to win.
Enchanters' End Game
| |
| Author | David Eddings |
|---|---|
| Cover Artist | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | 1984 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 384 (paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-30078-5 |
| Preceded by | Castle of Wizardry |
Garion proceeds through Gar og Nadrak, and despite a few incidents (such as being forced to join the army at one point, having been mistaken for a Nadrak), reaches Mallorea. Despite being tempted by Torak to accept him as a father, he rejects the temptations and manages to reach Cthol Mishrak.
Ce'Nedra's plan, however, is less successful. Despite a victory at Thull Mardu, she, Polgara, Durnik, and Errand are captured by Mallorean forces and taken to Kal Zakath, who turns them over to Zedar. This is particularly disastrous because Torak wishes for Polgara to be his bride; with the self-confidence her love would give him, not even Garion would be able to stop him.
Inside Cthol Mishrak, Zedar holds his prisoners in Torak's chamber. Durnik charges Zedar, but Zedar kills him. Belgarath, enraged, then seals Zedar alive inside the stone of the mountain. Torak revives, and attempts to sway Polgara, but Garion sends images of Durnik (who she quietly loves, although she has yet to admit it to herself) into her mind, thereby helping her to withstand the temptation. In the final battle, during which Garion and Torak swell into immensity, a titanic conflict ensues. Garion ultimately rejects the God of Angarak, slaying his corporeal form with the sword of the Rivan king; thereby vanquishing him forever. Torak, in his final—and most ultimately human—act, cries out "Mother!" as he dies, referring to the universe itself, as he believed that she was the only one to ever truly love him for who he was.
The gods arrive and take away Torak's body. UL, eldest among them, agrees to allow Garion to revive Durnik, with the help of the Orb; Mara objects, yet relents on the condition that Relg and Taiba (who is a Marag) help restore the Marag people. Durnik is restored after Polgara affirms that she loves Durnik and would agree to be limited in her own power in order to have him as her consort (on the premise that a marriage must be a partnership of equals), and thereby have "no power greater" than he has.
Upon the company's return to Riva, Garion and Ce'Nedra plan their wedding and reception. Polgara and Durnik are married in a private chapel just prior to Belgarion and Ce'Nedra's ceremony. Durnik reveals that he was gifted with the Will and the Word when he was brought back to life; Polgara is at a loss for words when she realizes that her powers were not gone after all. Ce'Nedra and Garion are married. Having accomplished his mission, the story ends with Belgarath sitting in the throne room as the Orb mysteriously seems to blush.
See also
- David Eddings
- The Malloreon
- Characters in The Belgariad and The Malloreon
- Races in The Belgariad and The Malloreon
- Deities in The Belgariad and The Malloreon
External links
- A Timeline for the Belgariad and the Malloreon
- Glossary of Characters
- A MUSH set in the world of the Belgariad and the Malloreon
- A MUD set in the world of the Belgariad and the Malloreon
Template:David Eddings
| Garion novels | The Belgariad • The Malloreon • Belgarath the Sorcerer (prequel) • Polgara the Sorceress (prequel) • The Rivan Codex (supplement) |
|---|---|
| Sparhawk novels | The Elenium • The Tamuli |
| Other fantasy novels | The Dreamers (series) • The Redemption of Althalus |
| Other works | Regina's Song • High Hunt • The Losers |