The King of Elfland’s Daughter · Chapter
III: The Magical Sword Meets Some of the Swords of Elfland explained
Alveric ventures deep into Elfland and approaches the capital palace.
What happens
Alveric ventures deep into Elfland and approaches the capital palace. He first faces enchanted ivy that attacks him from the pine trees, using his father's sword to defend himself. When the trees themselves begin to move and encircle him, he draws the magical sword, which disenchants the ivy and trees. He then encounters the Princess Lirazel on the elfin lawns, and they speak of Earth and the Vale of Erl. Four elvish knights of the guard appear, bound by an oath to prevent any man from speaking with the princess. Alveric fights them, first with his father's sword (which is knocked away), then with the magical sword. He defeats three knights, and the last, strengthened by the Elf King's earliest magic, is slain in a fierce battle. Lirazel urges Alveric to flee to the fields of Earth before her father uses his three master runes.
Themes in this chapter
Magic vs. Reality
The contrast between the enchanted wood and the 'fields that are mapped and known' is highlighted as Alveric and Lirazel discuss Earth and Elfland.
Quest and Wandering
Alveric's journey into Elfland and his battle against the elvish guard represent a key stage in his quest to wed the Elf King's daughter.
Longing and Loss
Lirazel sighs for the fields of Earth, showing a longing for the mortal world and its changing seasons, which foreshadows future loss.
Characters to notice
- Alveric
Alveric enters the enchanted wood, fights the ivy and moving trees, meets Lirazel, and battles the four elvish knights, using both his father's sword and the magical sword.
- Lirazel
Lirazel appears on the elfin lawns, speaks with Alveric about Earth and the Vale of Erl, and watches the battle with awe and love, finally urging Alveric to flee.
- Erl
The Vale of Erl is mentioned as Alveric's home, and he tells Lirazel tales of its folk and their wisdom.
- Mother Witch
The old witch who made the magical sword on her hill is referenced; she knew of the three master runes of the Elf King.
Key passages
“When Alveric came to the enchanted wood the light in which Elfland glowed had neither grown nor dwindled, and he saw that it came from no radiance that shines on the fields we know, unless the wandering lights of wonderful moments that sometimes astonish our fields, and are gone the instant they come, are strayed over the border of Elfland by some momentary disorder of magic.”
Alveric arrived at the enchanted wood, where the light of Elfland was constant and unlike any earthly light, except perhaps for fleeting magical glimmers that occasionally appear on Earth.
Describes the unique, unchanging light of Elfland and its contrast with Earth.
“And the moment he passed by one of those guardian pine trees, the ivy that lived on it unfastened its tendrils and, rapidly letting itself down, came straight for Alveric and clutched at his throat.”
As soon as Alveric passed a pine tree, the ivy on it detached and attacked him, grabbing his throat.
Illustrates the hostile magic of the wood.
“And then he saw that her crown was not of sapphires but ice. 'Who are you?' she said. And her voice had the music that, of earthly things, was most like ice in thousands of broken pieces rocked by a wind of spring upon lakes in some northern country.”
Alveric noticed Lirazel's crown was made of ice, and her voice sounded like the tinkling of broken ice on a spring lake.
Highlights Lirazel's ethereal, cold beauty.
“And then he told her all that he knew of Earth, not presuming to tell Earth's story from what his own eyes had seen in his bare score of years, but telling those tales and fables of the ways of beasts and men, that the folk of Erl had drawn out of the ages, and which their elders told by the fire at evening when children asked of what happened long ago.”
Alveric shared with Lirazel the stories and wisdom of the people of Erl, passed down through generations, rather than his own limited experience.
Shows Alveric's humility and the oral tradition of Erl.
“And no more shock came to him from any of those swords, but only a vibration in his own sword's metal that passed through it like a song, and a kind of a glow that arose in it, reaching to Alveric's heart and cheering it.”
When Alveric used the magical sword, the elvish swords no longer shocked him; instead, his sword vibrated with a song and glowed, filling him with cheer.
Describes the magical sword's empowering effect.
