David Eddings' Belgariad


When I was younger, I read the Belgariad series by David Eddings. It's a five-book series that fits very well into the Hero's Journey archetype. It fits so well that it might sound cliche, but the series' conformance to the tropes and elements of the Hero's Journey is not a bad thing.

The protagonist, Garion, starts off as a farm boy under the care of his Aunt Pol. The Call to Adventure first comes with a disreputable-seeming vagabond storyteller who apparently knows Aunt Pol. The three of them, and the reliable smith Durnik set out on a journey (I don't remember to where, it's been a while since I read it). They meet other companions along the way (Silk the thief/merchant/spy, Lelldorin the hotheaded and impulsive archer, Ce'nedra the beautiful but somewhat spoiled Imperial Princess, and others) as they seek out the Orb of Aldur.

Along the way, it is revealed that the storyteller is in fact Belgarath the Sorcerer, a legendary figure of incredible magical power, and that Aunt Pol is Polgara the Sorceress. Garion, too learns Sorcery from them, the act of taking one's Will and imposing it on the world with a Word. When he does this, he gains the name Belgarion.

Garion's journey is partly a coming-of-age, the story of a farm boy turned quester turned sorcerer turned king (spoiler alert: Garion is actually the heir to the Rivan King, who had been assassinated long before). It's also partly a save-the-world narrative (from the evil god Torak, by facing him in single combat with the power of the Orb of Aldur). It's a story where Destiny and Prophecy have major roles, and yet one where the characters influence the course of events in significant ways through their choices and actions. It's a story where the question "Why me?" is repeatedly posed by many people, who question their role in the story, even their destinies and search for an answer.


To me, this was a formative Hero's Journey narrative. More than that, to me, it is basically the definition of a Hero's Journey narrative. I was captivated by the setting and characters, the way that myth/legend/ancient history meets with the present and moves at a deliberate pace towards the future and the fulfillment of the prophecy.


(As a side note, the five books of the series are Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, and Enchanter's End Game, if you're at all interested. The sequel series is called the Malloreon, and as I said, is five more books.)

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