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{{Short description|1984 novel by Robin McKinley}}
{{multiple issues|plot=y|refimprove=y}}

{{Infobox book
{{Infobox book
| name = The Hero and the Crown
| name = The Hero and the Crown
| title_orig =
| title_orig =
| translator =
| translator =
| image = [[Image:The Hero and the Crown.jpg|150px]]
| image = The Hero and the Crown.jpg
| image_caption = Book cover
| caption = Book cover
| author = [[Robin McKinley]]
| author = [[Robin McKinley]]
| illustrator =
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| cover_artist =
| country = [[United States]]
| country = United States
| language = [[English language|English]]
| language = English
| series =
| series =
| genre = [[Fantasy novel]]
| genre = [[Fantasy novel]]
| publisher = [[Greenwillow Books]]
| publisher = [[Greenwillow Books]]/William Morrow and Company
| release_date = 1984
| release_date = 1984
| media_type = Print ([[Hardcover|Hardback]] & [[Paperback]])
| media_type = Print ([[Hardcover|Hardback]] & [[paperback]])
| pages = 227 pp
| pages = 227 pp
| isbn = 0-441-32809-1
| isbn = 0-441-32809-1
Line 24: Line 23:
| followed_by = [[The Blue Sword]]
| followed_by = [[The Blue Sword]]
}}
}}
⚫
'''''The Hero and the Crown''''' is a fantasy novel written by [[Robin McKinley]] and published by [[Greenwillow Books]] in [[1984 in literature|1984]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rosenberg|first=Merri|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/27/books/children-s-books-243286.html|title=Children's Books|date=1985-01-27|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-03-29|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It is the winner of the 1985 [[Newbery Medal]] award. This story focuses on "Aerin Dragon-Killer", also known as "Aerin Firehair", the heroine who is introduced as a legendary character in ''The Blue Sword''. The book narrates Aerin's evolution from the shy, retiring daughter of the King of Damar to the heroic queen who protects her people from the demonic Northerners.

⚫
'''''The Hero and the Crown''''' is a fantasy novel written by [[Robin McKinley]] and published by [[Greenwillow Books]] in [[1984 in literature|1984]]. It is the winner of the 1985 [[Newbery Medal]] award. The book is the prequel to ''[[The Blue Sword]]'', written in [[1982 in literature|1982]]. This story focuses on "Aerin Dragon-Killer," also known as "Aerin Firehair," the heroine who is introduced as a legendary character in The Blue Sword. The book narrates Aerin's evolution from the shy, retiring daughter of the King of Damar to the heroic queen who protects her people from the demonic Northerners.


==Plot summary==
==Plot summary==
⚫
===Part One===
Aerin is the only child of Arlbeth, king of Damar, and his second wife. Aerin inherits her mother's pale skin and fiery red hair, setting her apart from all other Damarians (who are dark-haired and dark-skinned) and causing her to be feared and ostracized by them. It is rumored, possibly correctly, that Aerin's mother was a witchwoman and she made Arlbeth fall in love with and marry her by magically enchanting him, so that she might bear an heir to rule Damar. However, when she saw that it was a girl that she had borne rather than a boy she died of despair.


⚫
===Part one===
While the king and the first sola, Tor, supported Aerin, some of the royal family, especially Galanna, a beautiful, but vain young woman, hated her. They went so far as to suggest that her mother was unfaithful, that she is not truly Arlbeth's daughter. This idea is supported by the fact that Aerin failed to develop the Gift, known as ''kelar'', an ability to use magic that all members of the royal family inherit to some degree. During one of her regular fights with Aerin, Galanna convinces her to eat the leaves of the surka plant, known to aid the magic of those of the royal blood, but poisonous to all those not of royal blood. Aerin takes up to the challenge, eats a branch full of leaves and promptly starts to feel ill. While the surka plant does not kill Aerin, it makes her extremely ill, affecting her condition for many years. The one single surka leaf can sometimes kill the consumer and one can safely assume that Aerin is Arlbeth's child since she did survive eating all the surka leaves.
Aerin is the only child of Arlbeth, king of Damar, and his second wife. Aerin inherits her mother's pale skin and fiery red hair, setting her apart from all other Damarians and causing her to be feared and ostracized. Her particular nemesis at court is Galanna, a beautiful but vain young woman, who spread rumors that Aerin's mother was a witch and that Aerin is illegitimate. Galanna taunts Aerin for having failed to develop the Gift, known as ''kelar'', an ability to use magic that all members of the royal family inherit to some degree. During one of their regular fights, Galanna convinces Aerin to eat the leaves of the surka plant, which is poisonous to all those not of royal blood. While eating the surka plant does not kill Aerin, it makes her extremely ill.


Aerin stumbles upon a book about the history of Damar and the dragons of old that used to terrorize it, of which only much smaller relatives still exist. Finding privacy in the pasture of her father's now-injured war horse, Talat, Aerin reads through the book while forging a friendship with him. At the back of the book she finds a recipe for kenet, an ointment meant to protect the wearer from the effects of fire. Unfortunately, the recipe does not specify the amounts of each ingredient needed. While her first attempts to make the ointment fail, Aerin begins to split her time between learning to ride Talat and experimenting with the fire-proof ointment. After three years of experimenting, Aerin stumbles on the correct proportion of ingredients, successfully making kenet. Then, Aerin goes off to slay a small dragon that is terrorizing a village with the help of her kenet and Talat.
During her recovery, Aerin stumbles upon a book about the history of Damar and the enormous dragons of old that used to terrorize it, of which only much smaller relatives still exist. Seeking privacy in the pasture of her father's now-injured war horse, Talat, Aerin reads through the book while forging a friendship with the stubborn and proud horse. At the back of the book she finds a recipe for kenet, an ointment meant to protect the wearer from the effects of fire. While experimenting with the ointment, she also trains herself on mounted combat with Talat. Eventually, she sneaks off to slay a small dragon that has been terrorizing a village. Her success earns her some minor notoriety and requests for assistance from other villages. In the meantime, trouble comes from the north, in the form of one of the western barons, Nyrlol, who threatens civil war.


⚫
===Part two===
While Aerin continues her role as dragon killer, trouble comes from the north, spreading madness to one of the western barons, Nyrlol, who is threatening civil war.
⚫
Arlbeth fears that the Hero's Crown, an item of power, has finally fallen into the hands of the demonic Northerners, and that Nyrlol's madness is a symptom of their growing power. He is forced to ride west with many of his court, including Tor (his male heir and Aerin's only friend), to deal with Nyrlol, but denies Aerin's request to join him. However, just as Arlbeth prepares to ride north, a messenger arrives bearing news that the last of great dragons, Maur, has reappeared and is terrorizing Damar. Arlbeth has no choice but to deal with Nyrlol first. But Aerin, having been left behind, decides to fight Maur on her own.


⚫
After a tremendous battle, Aerin narrowly defeats Maur, claiming as her trophy a red stone left behind when his body burns itself to ashes. Aerin is severely injured but manages to drag herself onto Talat, who carries her home. Maur's skull is brought to the castle as a trophy but its presence seems to taunt Aerin and her health does not improve. In her declining state, Aerin dreams of a blond man by a lake who beckons her to come to him so that he may help her. Aerin leaves Tor a note and rides off on Talat to find this man, Luthe.
⚫
===Part Two===
⚫
Arlbeth fears that the hero's crown, an item of power, has finally fallen into the hands of the Northerners. Arlbeth is forced to ride north with many of his court to deal with Nyrlol, whose behavior he believes to be a symptom of the growing power of the North, but denies Aerin her request to join him in the journey, because his people do not trust her. However, just as Arlbeth prepares to ride north, a messenger arrives bearing news that the last of great dragons, Maur, has reappeared and is terrorizing Damar. Arlbeth has no choice but to leave Maur until he deals with Nyrlol. But Aerin, having been left behind, decides to go fight Maur on her own.


⚫
Luthe, a sorcerer, heals Aerin by placing her in the Lake of Dreams, which causes her to become "no longer quite mortal". Luthe teaches her some magic and Aerin learns that it is the ''kelar'' that gives the royal family their magical abilities. Luthe then reveals that Aerin's mother and uncle, Agsded, along with Luthe, were students of a master mage. Agsded was the best student but used his abilities for evil. A prophecy foretold that one of Agsded's own blood would defeat him; in fear, Aerin's mother fled to the south to have a child (Aerin) with Arlbeth. When Aerin is fully recovered, Luthe sends her north with the dragon's red bloodstone and Gonturan, The Blue Sword, to challenge Agsded.
⚫
Aerin just barely manages to defeat Maur, claiming a red stone left behind when his body burns itself to ashes as her trophy, but the fire of the great dragon proved too much for her kenet. Aerin is left badly burned and with a broken ankle, yet manages to drag herself onto Talat, who carries her home. She is intercepted by Arlbeth, Tor and their company as they return, and carried back to the castle. After many weeks of rest and care Aerin's health has not improved. Maur's skull is brought to the castle as a trophy but its presence seems to taunt Aerin. In her declining state, Aerin dreams of a blond man by a lake who beckons her to come to him so that he may help her. Aerin, after much thought, leaves Tor a note and rides off on Talat to find this man.


As she travels, Aerin is joined by armies of foltsza (large mountain cats) and yerigs (large wild dogs). After an extensive magical battle in which Agsded is eventually defeated and the Hero's Crown is recovered, Aerin is rescued by Luthe, who escorts Aerin back as far as his lake on her way home. They become romantically involved; Aerin leaves him but promises to return one day, as they are both immortal.
⚫
As if guided by an external force, both Aerin and Talat seem to know exactly where to find the man by the lake. He reveals himself as Luthe, and heals Aerin by placing her in the Lake of Dreams, which causes her to become not-quite-mortal. Luthe teaches her some magic and Aerin learns that it is ''kelar'' in the royal blood that gives them their magical abilities. The ''kelar'' comes from ancestors in the north and is what gave them the power to become rulers of Damar. Luthe then reveals what he knows of her past. Aerin's mother and uncle, Agsded, along with Luthe, were students of a master mage. Agsded was the best student but used his ability for evil. A prophecy foretold that one of Agsded's own blood would defeat him, forcing Aerin's mother to flee to the south. She believed that only a son could defeat Agsded, yet Luthe tells Aerin this is not so, and, when she is fully recovered, sends her north with Gonturan, [[The Blue Sword]], for protection.


⚫
She returns to find the kingdom losing a battle with the Northern demons. Using Gonturan and her army of foltsza and yerigs, and giving the Hero's Crown to Tor, she helps defeat the Northerners, but at the cost of many lives, including Arlbeth's. Aerin, with Tor's help, finally rids the kingdom of Maur's evil skull, but in the process the skull turns Damar into a desert. Aerin marries Tor, whom she truly loves in her own way, and they help rebuild the kingdom together as its rulers.
As she travels north, Aerin is joined by armies of foltsza, large mountain cats, and yerigs, large wild dogs. They eventually reach Agsded's fortress. While Talat, the foltsza, and the yerigs help break an opening into the fortress, Aerin creates a wreath out of surka leaves and places the red rock that she had taken from Maur's body in it. Aerin climbs the long staircases to the top of the fortress where she faces Agsded, who is wearing the hero's crown. Gonturan protects her from Agsded's red sword, but Agsded proves also not mortal, with skin tougher than stone. Just as she is about to fail, she throws her wreath of surka, with the red stone, at him. It falls over Agsded and causes him to burn, defeating him. With his death, Agsded's fortress crumbles. Aerin is met by Luthe, who reveals to her that much time has passed in her battle with Agsded, something that she survived only because she is no longer mortal. Luthe "drags" her back to the present, where a yerig brings her the Hero's Crown. She also discovers that the red stone is Maur's bloodstone, a stone of great power. Aerin gives it to Luthe, saying she doesn't want to have any part of Maur, no matter how much power it would bring her.

⚫
Luthe escorts Aerin back as far as his lake on her way back home, becoming romantically involved in the process. Aerin leaves him but promises to return one day. Aerin continues back to find the kingdom losing in a battle with the Northerners. Using Gonturan and her army of foltsza and yerigs, and giving the Hero's Crown to Tor, she helps defeat the Northerners, but at the cost of many lives, including Arlbeth. Aerin, with Tor's help, finally rids the kingdom of Maur's skull, which had been polluting the thoughts of the people and helping in their defeat, but in the process the skull turns Damar into a desert. Aerin marries Tor, whom she truly loves in her own way, and they help rebuild the kingdom together as its rulers.


==Characters==
==Characters==
{{glossary}}
===Aerin===
{{term|Aerin}}
The "Sol," or the King's closest female heir, she is King Arlbeth's daughter. Aerin is shunned because of her foreign looks and the rumor that her mother was a witch who bespelled her father so she could bear an heir with noble blood.
{{defn|The "Sol," or the King's closest female heir, she is King Arlbeth's daughter. Aerin is shunned because of her foreign looks and the rumor that her mother was a witch who ensnared her father so she could bear an heir with noble blood. Despite having virtually no friends and being distant from her father, Aerin gradually earns acceptance with her dragon-slaying, skill with horses, and knowledge of how to make the ointment kenet, which makes the wearer fireproof. This character appears in brief, ghostly form in [[The Blue Sword]].}}


{{term|Luthe}}
Despite having virtually no friends and being distanced from her father, Aerin gradually earns acceptance with her dragon-slaying, skill with horses, and knowledge of how to make the ointment kenet, which makes the wearer fireproof.
⚫
{{defn|An immortal sorcerer who teaches Aerin much about her Gift and her family as he heals her from her encounter with the dragon Maur. He dips her in the Lake of Dreams, making her "not-quite-mortal," and falls in love with her. This character also appears in [[The Blue Sword]].}}


{{term|Maur}}
She is said to be tall, orange-haired, and a little clumsy, but after her encounter with Maur her hair darkens and she gains white flecks on her cheek where the dragon's blood hit her. She hates to sew and dance, (and is not very good at it either), preferring to ride Talat or practice swordplay in her spare time.
{{defn|An evil dragon terrorizing Damar.}}
She falls in love with Tor and Luthe, but marrys Tor at the end of the book.


{{term|Tor}}
===Luthe===
{{defn|The "sola", or male heir to the throne, he is Aerin's only friend and loves her dearly.}}
⚫
He first appears to Aerin in her dreams and lives by the lake. Not quite mortal, he has the ability to do magic and teaches Aerin much about her Gift, as he heals her from her encounter with Maur. He dips her inside the Lake of Dreams, making her "not-quite-mortal," and falls in love with her.


⚫
{{term|Galanna}}
⚫
===Tor===
{{defn|Beautiful, small, and vindictive, she and her lover Perlith are Aerin's chief enemies at court.}}
The "sola" or the male heir to the throne, he is Aerin's only friend and loves her dearly. Honorable and kind, he hates the fact that he's the heir while the position is Aerin's birthright, but she tells him to stop being silly.


{{term|Agsded}}
He asks Aerin to marry him at the end of the book, and she agrees, putting aside her "not-quite-mortal" part and thoughts of Luthe so she can better rule her kingdom as Queen with Tor. Despite loving Luthe, she also loves Tor very much.
{{defn|An evil wizard who is also Aerin's uncle.}}
{{glossary end}}


==Genre and style==
He was the first to teach Aerin swordplay.
''The Hero and the Crown'' was part of a shift in young adult fantasy in the late 20th century: "a sudden flowering of heroines", according to a 2016 history of the genre.{{sfn|Keeling|Sprague|2009|p=13}}{{sfn|Levy|Mendlesohn|2016|pp=141–142}} In earlier works of [[high fantasy]], female characters were often absent or relegated to minor roles, and it was perceived as unrealistic for women to play a dominant role in a medieval world.{{sfn|Campbell|2014|pp=4–5}}{{sfn|Levy|Mendlesohn|2016|pp=140–141}} This notion was challenged in the 1970s and 1980s, when authors such as [[Patricia McKillip]], Robin McKinley and [[Tamora Pierce]] entered the fantasy genre.{{efn|Several scholars regard the 1980s as when this shift began, citing Robin McKinley's Damar tales (1982–1984) and Tamora Pierce's ''[[Alanna: The First Adventure|Alanna]]'' (1983) as among its exemplars,{{sfn|Phillips|2020|p=123}}{{sfn|Greenlaw|1995|p=235}}{{sfn|Cecire|2019|pp=225–226}} but [[Michael M. Levy|Michael Levy]] and [[Farah Mendlesohn]] trace its origin further back to Patricia McKillip's ''[[The Forgotten Beasts of Eld]]'' (1974).{{sfn|Levy|Mendlesohn|2016|pp=141–142}}}} According to scholars, their writings were influenced by the [[second-wave feminist]] movement of the previous decade.{{sfn|Campbell|2014|pp=4–5}}{{sfn|Cecire|2019|pp=225–226}}


McKinley said in her [[Newbery Medal]] speech that she had "wished desperately for books like ''Hero'' when I was young, books that didn’t require me to be untrue to my gender if I wished to fantasize about having my sort of adventures".{{sfn|Keeling|Sprague|2009|p=13}} She was influenced by the heroic quests of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], but felt disappointed by the [[Women in The Lord of the Rings|women in his work]] with the exception of [[Éowyn]], a character who disguises herself as a man to be able to fight.{{sfn|MacRae|1998|pp=120, 126}} McKinley's protagonist Aerin is not a traditionally beautiful princess, but an athletic one; she engages in outdoor activities, in particular riding horses. Through Aerin's bond with a horse named Talat, the story features the motif of a tomboyish female lead with an animal companion, a recurring trait in McKinley's work.{{sfn|Egoff|1988|p=293}}{{sfn|Perry|2011|pp=4–5, 7}} The Damar tales have been described as "feminized quests" as they blend female leads with conventionally masculine [[quest]] narratives.{{sfn|Fry|2009|pp=254–255}}
⚫
===Galanna===
Beautiful, small, and the complete opposite of Aerin. We are told at the start of the book Galanna is jealous of Tor's love for Aerin, because despite using all her charm, she cannot get him to look twice at her. She eventually settles for marrying Perlith, a vain man of high rank who dislikes Aerin almost as much as Galanna does. Galanna loves beauty and cleanliness, and the war makes her accept Aerin more.


==Reception==
When they are younger, Galanna and Aerin fight all the time.
In a retrospective essay about the Newbery Medal-winning books from 1976 to 1985, literary critic [[Zena Sutherland]] wrote, "Long and intermittently intricate, the story impresses by its scope and sweep and by its narrative power rather than by the depth of its characterization; it has many familiar folkloric elements, but they are put together with considerable industry and some panache."<ref name=newberry>{{cite book |last=Sutherland |first=Zena |author-link=Zena Sutherland |chapter=Newbery Medal Books 1976-1985 |page=162 |title=Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books 1976-1985 |editor-last=Kingman |editor-first=Lee |publisher=[[The Horn Book Magazine|The Horn Book, Incorporated]] |location=[[Boston]] |year=1986 |isbn=0-87675-004-8}}</ref> In a 2016 essay for ''[[Tor.com]]'', novelist Ilana C. Myer wrote, "Ultimately, the world McKinley creates through her inimitable prose, together with a memorable heroine, ensure that ''The Hero and the Crown'' remains a fantasy classic."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.tor.com/2016/02/01/the-great-classic-fantasy-reread-the-hero-and-crown-by-robin-mckinley/ |last=Myer |first=Ilana C. |title=The Great Classic Fantasy Reread: ''The Hero and Crown'' [''sic''] by Robin McKinley |date=February 1, 2016 |magazine=[[Tor.com]] |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629060224/https://www.tor.com/2016/02/01/the-great-classic-fantasy-reread-the-hero-and-crown-by-robin-mckinley/ |archive-date=June 29, 2021 |access-date=July 8, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>


⚫
==Notes==
Another time, she tells Aerin by saying that if Aerin was really of noble blood, she could eat the Surka plant. Aerin eats it and becomes very, very ill.
{{notelist}}
== Further Reading ==
*[http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v36n3/pdf/keeling.pdf "Lori Goodson & Jim Blasingame Dragon-Slayer vs. Dragon-Sayer: Reimagining the Female Fantasy Heroine" by Kara K. Keeling and Marsha M. Sprague]


== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Works cited==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Campbell |first=Lori M. |chapter=Introduction |year=2014 |title=A Quest of Her Own: Essays on the Female Hero in Modern Fantasy |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-1-4766-1763-3}}
* {{Cite book |last=Cecire |first=Maria Sachiko |year=2019 |title=Re-Enchanted: The Rise of Children's Fantasy Literature in the Twentieth Century |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |isbn=978-1-4529-5943-6 |id={{Project MUSE|type=book|72357}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Egoff |first=Sheila A. |author-link=Sheila Egoff |date=1988 |title=Worlds Within: Children's Fantasy from the Middle Ages to Today |url=https://archive.org/details/worldswithin00egof/page/292/mode/2up |url-access=registration |publisher=American Library Association |isbn=978-0-8389-0494-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Fry |first= Michele |year=2009 |chapter=Quest Fantasy |editor-last=Reid |editor-first=Robin Anne |editor-link=Robin Anne Reid |title=Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy |volume=2 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-33592-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Greenlaw |first=M. Jean |year=1995 |chapter=Fantasy |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/childrensbooksth0000unse/page/234 |chapter-url-access=registration |editor-last=Silvey |editor-first=Anita |editor-link=Anita Silvey |title=Children's Books and Their Creators |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-395-65380-7}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Keeling |first1=Kara K. |author1-link=Kara Keeling |last2=Sprague |first2=Marsha M. |year=2009 |title=Dragon-Slayer vs. Dragon-Sayer: Reimagining the Female Fantasy Heroine |url=https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v36n3/pdf/keeling.pdf |journal=[[The ALAN Review]] |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=13–17 |doi=10.21061/alan.v36i3.a.2 |doi-access=free}}
* {{cite book |last1=Levy |first1=Michael |author1-link=Michael M. Levy |last2=Mendlesohn |first2=Farah |author2-link=Farah Mendlesohn |year=2016 |title=[[Children's Fantasy Literature: An Introduction]] |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-08742-1 |doi=10.1017/cbo9781139087421}}
* {{cite book |last=MacRae |first=Cathi Dunn |year=1998 |title=Presenting Young Adult Fantasy Fiction |url=https://archive.org/details/presentingyounga00macr/ |url-access=registration |publisher=Twayne Publishers |isbn=978-0-8057-8220-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Perry |first=Evelyn M. |year=2011 |title=Robin McKinley: Girl Reader, Woman Writer |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-7744-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Phillips |first=Leah |year=2020 |chapter=Mythopoeic YA: Worlds of Possibility |editor1-last=Fitzsimmons |editor1-first=Rebekah |editor2-last=Wilson |editor2-first=Casey Alane |title=Beyond the Blockbusters |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1-4968-2718-0 |id={{Project MUSE|type=chapter|2545286}}}}
{{refend}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
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{{succession box|title=[[Newbery Medal|Newbery Medal recipient]]|before=''[[Dear Mr. Henshaw]]''|after=''[[Sarah, Plain and Tall]]''|years=[[1985 in literature|1985]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[Newbery Medal|Newbery Medal recipient]]|before=''[[Dear Mr. Henshaw]]''|after=''[[Sarah, Plain and Tall]]''|years=[[1985 in literature|1985]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}

{{Newbery Medal}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Hero And The Crown, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hero And The Crown, The}}
[[Category:1984 novels]]
[[Category:1984 American novels]]
[[Category:American fantasy novels]]
[[Category:American fantasy novels]]
[[Category:Newbery Medal winning works]]
[[Category:Newbery Medal–winning works]]
[[Category:High fantasy novels]]
[[Category:High fantasy novels]]
[[Category:American young adult novels]]
[[Category:Young adult fantasy novels]]
[[Category:Novels by Robin McKinley]]
[[Category:Greenwillow Books books]]

Latest revision as of 05:02, 12 March 2024

The Hero and the Crown
Book cover
AuthorRobin McKinley
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy novel
PublisherGreenwillow Books/William Morrow and Company
Publication date
1984
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardback & paperback)
Pages227 pp
ISBN0-441-32809-1
OCLC17421714
LC ClassPZ7.M1988 He 1985
Followed byThe Blue Sword 

The Hero and the Crown is a fantasy novel written by Robin McKinley and published by Greenwillow Books in 1984.[1] It is the winner of the 1985 Newbery Medal award. This story focuses on "Aerin Dragon-Killer", also known as "Aerin Firehair", the heroine who is introduced as a legendary character in The Blue Sword. The book narrates Aerin's evolution from the shy, retiring daughter of the King of Damar to the heroic queen who protects her people from the demonic Northerners.

Plot summary

[edit]

Part one

[edit]

Aerin is the only child of Arlbeth, king of Damar, and his second wife. Aerin inherits her mother's pale skin and fiery red hair, setting her apart from all other Damarians and causing her to be feared and ostracized. Her particular nemesis at court is Galanna, a beautiful but vain young woman, who spread rumors that Aerin's mother was a witch and that Aerin is illegitimate. Galanna taunts Aerin for having failed to develop the Gift, known as kelar, an ability to use magic that all members of the royal family inherit to some degree. During one of their regular fights, Galanna convinces Aerin to eat the leaves of the surka plant, which is poisonous to all those not of royal blood. While eating the surka plant does not kill Aerin, it makes her extremely ill.

During her recovery, Aerin stumbles upon a book about the history of Damar and the enormous dragons of old that used to terrorize it, of which only much smaller relatives still exist. Seeking privacy in the pasture of her father's now-injured war horse, Talat, Aerin reads through the book while forging a friendship with the stubborn and proud horse. At the back of the book she finds a recipe for kenet, an ointment meant to protect the wearer from the effects of fire. While experimenting with the ointment, she also trains herself on mounted combat with Talat. Eventually, she sneaks off to slay a small dragon that has been terrorizing a village. Her success earns her some minor notoriety and requests for assistance from other villages. In the meantime, trouble comes from the north, in the form of one of the western barons, Nyrlol, who threatens civil war.

Part two

[edit]

Arlbeth fears that the Hero's Crown, an item of power, has finally fallen into the hands of the demonic Northerners, and that Nyrlol's madness is a symptom of their growing power. He is forced to ride west with many of his court, including Tor (his male heir and Aerin's only friend), to deal with Nyrlol, but denies Aerin's request to join him. However, just as Arlbeth prepares to ride north, a messenger arrives bearing news that the last of great dragons, Maur, has reappeared and is terrorizing Damar. Arlbeth has no choice but to deal with Nyrlol first. But Aerin, having been left behind, decides to fight Maur on her own.

After a tremendous battle, Aerin narrowly defeats Maur, claiming as her trophy a red stone left behind when his body burns itself to ashes. Aerin is severely injured but manages to drag herself onto Talat, who carries her home. Maur's skull is brought to the castle as a trophy but its presence seems to taunt Aerin and her health does not improve. In her declining state, Aerin dreams of a blond man by a lake who beckons her to come to him so that he may help her. Aerin leaves Tor a note and rides off on Talat to find this man, Luthe.

Luthe, a sorcerer, heals Aerin by placing her in the Lake of Dreams, which causes her to become "no longer quite mortal". Luthe teaches her some magic and Aerin learns that it is the kelar that gives the royal family their magical abilities. Luthe then reveals that Aerin's mother and uncle, Agsded, along with Luthe, were students of a master mage. Agsded was the best student but used his abilities for evil. A prophecy foretold that one of Agsded's own blood would defeat him; in fear, Aerin's mother fled to the south to have a child (Aerin) with Arlbeth. When Aerin is fully recovered, Luthe sends her north with the dragon's red bloodstone and Gonturan, The Blue Sword, to challenge Agsded.

As she travels, Aerin is joined by armies of foltsza (large mountain cats) and yerigs (large wild dogs). After an extensive magical battle in which Agsded is eventually defeated and the Hero's Crown is recovered, Aerin is rescued by Luthe, who escorts Aerin back as far as his lake on her way home. They become romantically involved; Aerin leaves him but promises to return one day, as they are both immortal.

She returns to find the kingdom losing a battle with the Northern demons. Using Gonturan and her army of foltsza and yerigs, and giving the Hero's Crown to Tor, she helps defeat the Northerners, but at the cost of many lives, including Arlbeth's. Aerin, with Tor's help, finally rids the kingdom of Maur's evil skull, but in the process the skull turns Damar into a desert. Aerin marries Tor, whom she truly loves in her own way, and they help rebuild the kingdom together as its rulers.

Characters

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Aerin
The "Sol," or the King's closest female heir, she is King Arlbeth's daughter. Aerin is shunned because of her foreign looks and the rumor that her mother was a witch who ensnared her father so she could bear an heir with noble blood. Despite having virtually no friends and being distant from her father, Aerin gradually earns acceptance with her dragon-slaying, skill with horses, and knowledge of how to make the ointment kenet, which makes the wearer fireproof. This character appears in brief, ghostly form in The Blue Sword.
Luthe
An immortal sorcerer who teaches Aerin much about her Gift and her family as he heals her from her encounter with the dragon Maur. He dips her in the Lake of Dreams, making her "not-quite-mortal," and falls in love with her. This character also appears in The Blue Sword.
Maur
An evil dragon terrorizing Damar.
Tor
The "sola", or male heir to the throne, he is Aerin's only friend and loves her dearly.
Galanna
Beautiful, small, and vindictive, she and her lover Perlith are Aerin's chief enemies at court.
Agsded
An evil wizard who is also Aerin's uncle.

Genre and style

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The Hero and the Crown was part of a shift in young adult fantasy in the late 20th century: "a sudden flowering of heroines", according to a 2016 history of the genre.[2][3] In earlier works of high fantasy, female characters were often absent or relegated to minor roles, and it was perceived as unrealistic for women to play a dominant role in a medieval world.[4][5] This notion was challenged in the 1970s and 1980s, when authors such as Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley and Tamora Pierce entered the fantasy genre.[a] According to scholars, their writings were influenced by the second-wave feminist movement of the previous decade.[4][8]

McKinley said in her Newbery Medal speech that she had "wished desperately for books like Hero when I was young, books that didn’t require me to be untrue to my gender if I wished to fantasize about having my sort of adventures".[2] She was influenced by the heroic quests of J. R. R. Tolkien, but felt disappointed by the women in his work with the exception of Éowyn, a character who disguises herself as a man to be able to fight.[9] McKinley's protagonist Aerin is not a traditionally beautiful princess, but an athletic one; she engages in outdoor activities, in particular riding horses. Through Aerin's bond with a horse named Talat, the story features the motif of a tomboyish female lead with an animal companion, a recurring trait in McKinley's work.[10][11] The Damar tales have been described as "feminized quests" as they blend female leads with conventionally masculine quest narratives.[12]

Reception

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In a retrospective essay about the Newbery Medal-winning books from 1976 to 1985, literary critic Zena Sutherland wrote, "Long and intermittently intricate, the story impresses by its scope and sweep and by its narrative power rather than by the depth of its characterization; it has many familiar folkloric elements, but they are put together with considerable industry and some panache."[13] In a 2016 essay for Tor.com, novelist Ilana C. Myer wrote, "Ultimately, the world McKinley creates through her inimitable prose, together with a memorable heroine, ensure that The Hero and the Crown remains a fantasy classic."[14]

Notes

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  1. ^ Several scholars regard the 1980s as when this shift began, citing Robin McKinley's Damar tales (1982–1984) and Tamora Pierce's Alanna (1983) as among its exemplars,[6][7][8] but Michael Levy and Farah Mendlesohn trace its origin further back to Patricia McKillip's The Forgotten Beasts of Eld (1974).[3]

References

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  1. ^ Rosenberg, Merri (1985-01-27). "Children's Books". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  2. ^ a b Keeling & Sprague 2009, p. 13.
  3. ^ a b Levy & Mendlesohn 2016, pp. 141–142.
  4. ^ a b Campbell 2014, pp. 4–5.
  5. ^ Levy & Mendlesohn 2016, pp. 140–141.
  6. ^ Phillips 2020, p. 123.
  7. ^ Greenlaw 1995, p. 235.
  8. ^ a b Cecire 2019, pp. 225–226.
  9. ^ MacRae 1998, pp. 120, 126.
  10. ^ Egoff 1988, p. 293.
  11. ^ Perry 2011, pp. 4–5, 7.
  12. ^ Fry 2009, pp. 254–255.
  13. ^ Sutherland, Zena (1986). "Newbery Medal Books 1976-1985". In Kingman, Lee (ed.). Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books 1976-1985. Boston: The Horn Book, Incorporated. p. 162. ISBN 0-87675-004-8.
  14. ^ Myer, Ilana C. (February 1, 2016). "The Great Classic Fantasy Reread: The Hero and Crown [sic] by Robin McKinley". Tor.com. Macmillan. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2022.

Works cited

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Awards
Preceded by Newbery Medal recipient
1985 		Succeeded by
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