The Castle of Llyr
The first edition
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| Author | Lloyd Alexander |
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| Cover artist | Evaline Ness |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Chronicles of Prydain |
| Genre | Fantasy novel, Children's literature |
| Publisher | March 3, 1966 (Holt, Rinehart and Winston) |
| Media type | Print (hardcover & paperback) |
| Pages | 204 (first edition) |
| ISBN | (first edition, hard) |
| OCLC | 22921733 |
| Preceded by | The Black Cauldron |
| Followed by | Taran Wanderer |
The Castle of Llyr (1966) is a high fantasy novel by Lloyd Alexander, the third of five volumes in The Chronicles of Prydain. The story continues the adventures of Taran "Assistant Pig-Keeper", primarily on the Isle of Mona west of Prydain, far from the forces of Arawn, Lord of Death.
Princess Eilonwy "faces the unavoidable (and in her view absolutely unnecessary) ordeal of becoming a young lady", says Alexander. Taran joins her escort to a royal court where she will continue her education, near to her ancestral home. Soon after arrival, she is kidnapped for the sorceress Achren. Taran and companions including Prince Rhun set out to rescue her.
The series was inspired by Welsh mythology and by the castles, scenery, and language of Wales, which the author experienced during World War II army combat intelligence training.
All of the proper names in Prydain are historical or mythological. "Isle of Mona" is a version of Ynys Môn, the Welsh name for the Isle of Anglesey, but that island is very close to the northwest point of mainland Wales, crossed by two highway bridges. In the author's words, the Prydain chronicles communicate "the feeling, not the fact, of the land of Wales and its legends".
The story begins in the spring approximately 18 months after the destruction of the Black Cauldron. Eilonwy is the last in a line of royal sorceresses, daughter of Angharad, daughter of Regat, of the House of Llyr, which no longer reigns. Dallben the enchanter has decided that Eilonwy, as a princess, needs an education that he cannot provide at Caer Dallben. She will reside at a royal court on the Isle of Mona, west of Prydain. With Gurgi, Taran escorts her to Mona, primarily on a ship "captained" by Prince Rhun, a cheerful but incompetent youth. Taran is finally aware of his feelings for Eilonwy and he envies the prince's noble birth.
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Wikipedia