But oddly, the Kalevala 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". Moorcock has stated that "Anderson's a definite influence, as stated. Besides Elric, Kullervo has been proposed as having influence on Poul Anderson's 1954 novel The Broken Sword, and J.R.R. The story of Kullervo from Finnish mythology contains elements similar to Elric's story, such as a talking magic sword and fatal alienation of the hero from his family. Tolkien's cursed hero Túrin Turambar, and Jane Gaskell's Zerd in The Serpent. White's Lancelot in The Once and Future King, J. Moorcock has referred to Elric as a type of the "doomed hero", one of the oldest character-types in literature, akin to such hero-villains as Mervyn Peake's Steerpike in the Titus Groan trilogy, Poul Anderson's Scafloc in The Broken Sword, T. In the same dedication, he cited Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions and Fletcher Pratt's The Well of the Unicorn as similarly influential texts. Moorcock acknowledges the work of Bertolt Brecht, particularly Threepenny Novel and The Threepenny Opera, as "one of the chief influences" on the initial Elric sequence he dedicated 1972's Elric of Melniboné to Brecht. 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. In the end, the blade takes everyone close to Elric and eventually Elric's own soul as well. 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. 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.Įlric's discovery of the sword Stormbringer serves as both his greatest asset and disadvantage.
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.
In addition to his skill with herbs, Elric is an accomplished sorcerer and summoner. 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. 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. Because of Elric's introspective self-loathing and hatred of Melnibonéan traditions, his subjects find him odd and unfathomable. 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. Perhaps due to this in-depth study, unlike other members of his race, Elric has a conscience. From childhood, he read freely in the immense royal library and learned of the world outside the Dreaming Isle. Physically weak, the anemic Elric must use drugs (special herbs) to maintain his health and vitality. Map of the Young Kingdoms, with Melniboné at centreĮlric is the last emperor of the stagnating island civilization of Melniboné. 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. It is the colour of a bleached skull, his flesh and the long hair which flows below his shoulders is milk-white. Description Įlric is described in 1972's Elric of Melniboné: The stories have been continuously in print since the 1970s. Moorcock's doomed albino antihero is one of the better known characters in fantasy literature, having crossed over into a wide variety of media, such as role-playing games, comics, music, and film. Later stories by Moorcock marked Elric as a facet of the Eternal Champion.Įlric first appeared in print in Moorcock's novella " The Dreaming City" ( Science Fantasy No. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VIII, 428th Emperor of Melniboné.
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Elric as depicted by Michael Whelan on the 1977 cover of The Weird of the White WolfĮlric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth.
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