King of the Silver River

The King of the Silver River is a fictional character from the Shannara series of epic fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. He has appeared in many of the novels in the series as a recurring character.

Biography

The King of the Silver River is the oldest surviving living being in the Four Lands, having been in the world even before the Age of Faerie.

He was one of the first creatures created by the Word, the force that all things came from. He was made caretaker of the gardens that he protects, the last remnants of the Old World that survive in the new. He was one of the few beings to survive the Great Wars, and set about seeding the new world with that contained in his gardens. As time went on, the people of the lands gave him the name of the country he claimed, calling him the King of the Silver River.

Before time became time recorded, he was there. Before men and women, before nations and governments, before all of the history of humankind, he was there. Even before the world of Faerie split in war between good and evil, fixing unalterably the character of life thereafter, he was there.He was there in that time when the world was a sacred Eden and all living things existed together in peace and harmony. He was long then, a faerie creature himself while the faerie creatures of the earth were just being born.

The King of the Silver River faded from outside eyes for the most part, becoming just a legend or fairy tale to the world during the time between the Age of Faerie and end of the Great Wars.

For centuries he labored in anonymity, his existence little more than a myth that became part of the folklore of the nations building around him, a fantasy told with smug smiles and smug indulgence. It was not until after the cataclysm men called the Great Wars, the final destruction of the old world and the emergence of the new races, that the myth began to gain acceptance as truth. For it was then that he chose for the first time ever to go out from the gardens to the land beyond...In time the new races came to...[speak] of him and of his land with awe and with respect...They named him after the country he had made his own. They called him the King of the Silver River.

Genesis of Shannara

The King of the Silver River does not appear in Armageddon's Children, but in The Elves of Cintra, he uses his magic to rescue Hawk and Tessa when they are thrown from the top of the Safeco Field compound. He instructs Hawk about leading the inhabitants of earth to safety, before returning Hawk and Tessa to their home. Also, in these novels, readers can see that the Columbia River is the Silver River from the series.

The Original Shannara Trilogy

The Sword of Shannara

In The Sword of Shannara, the King saved Shea Ohmsford and his brother Flick Ohmsford from a Skull Bearer.

The Elfstones of Shannara

In The Elfstones of Shannara the King saved Wil Ohmsford and Amberle Elessedil from a pack of Demon Wolves and Furies by whisking them away to his personal home, one that was almost removed from the world of men.

The Wishsong of Shannara

Later, in The Wishsong of Shannara, the King took the Elfstones from Jair Ohmsford to return them to Shady Vale, and in exchange gave Jair a vision crystal, Silver Dust, the ability to one time only use the wishsong in reality, and the protection of Garet Jax. He also sent Jair on a quest to Heaven's Well, the source of the Silver River, to purify it of the poison of the Mord Wraiths, and to save his sister Brin from the Ildatch.

Heritage of Shannara

During this time, the King of the Silver River secretly worked diligently to fight against the Shadowen. During this time, he discovered the presence of his long-lost brother, who drew his power from stone. It did not prevent him from acting to protect the Ohmsford brothers, Par and Coll, from Rimmer Dall. However, as the King of the Silver River struggled with the Shadowen, Par's wishsong was released, and the King lost his hold on Par.