# Chapter XX explained — Phantastes

> Chapter companion for Phantastes by George MacDonald.

## What happens

The narrator arrives at a lonely tower where two brothers, a dark-haired elder and a fair younger, are forging a sword. They welcome him as a long-expected brother, recounting how a wise woman foretold his coming and instructed them to prepare for battle against three giants. The narrator joins their fellowship, and after a meal, he sings two songs: one about a king and his son who dies slaying a giant, and another about a lady mourning her dead lover. The brothers weep at first but then grow resolute.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Heroic Journey and Self-Sacrifice

The brothers prepare to sacrifice themselves against the giants, and the narrator joins their fellowship, embodying the heroic quest and willingness to die for others.

### Art and Poetry as Transcendence

The narrator's songs move the brothers to tears and then to resolve, showing poetry's power to transform grief into strength and purpose.

## Character check-ins

### Anodos

The narrator, who arrives at the tower and is welcomed as a brother by the two smiths.

### Some Hero

The dark-haired elder brother, muscular and skilled at the forge, who leads the preparation against the giants.

### Sir Percival

The fair younger brother, slender and eagle-eyed, who assists in forging and shares the quest.

### The Speaker

The wise woman consulted by the brothers, who foretold the narrator's coming and advised them to forge their own armor.

## Key lines

> Past tears are present strength.

Tears shed in the past become a source of strength in the present.

_The wise woman's proverb, explaining that weeping does not weaken but fortifies the soul for future trials._

> Tears are the only cure for weeping.

The only way to stop crying is to cry it out completely.

_A paradoxical insight from the wise woman, suggesting that emotional release is necessary for healing._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/phantastes_se/chapters/xx
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/phantastes_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/phantastes_se/chapters