On the Gleam of an Elevated Sunbeam

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"Ha! Foolish boy! Don't you know anything about Fantasia? It's the world of Human Fantasy. Every part of it. Every creature of it is a piece of the hopes and dreams of mankind. Therefore, it has no boundaries!" The Gmork

§ Inspiration §

Many authors get their ideas from various genres of books, music and film. Ever since the conception to the ideal Chronicles of Tristan back in 1997, I wanted to bring the realm of fantasy together with the "real world," the world of human habitation. One book and movie inspired me...The Neverending Story (Michael Ende and Wolfgang Petersen), originally written as Die unendliche Geshichte in Germany.

As a kid, I remember the story, and most especially, the movie and song by Limahl (PLAY SONG) most of all. I really enjoyed the characters of the story. They portrayed an innocence and fantastical aura, which made them "believable" as a kid.

Die unendliche Geschichte
Michael Ende

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Growing up, we lose that childlike-hope, and we forget our dreams. Bastian Balthazar Bux is the chosen one, the savior, to restore the balance between the two worlds. In essence, the Neverending Story is a story about the redemption of mankind's hopes and dreams! Life is filled with twists and turns, and more often than so, we lose hope in the things that we dream. We forget those things and they become a lie to us. The Neverending Story teaches us not to give up and to keep those dreams and hopes central in our lives, or we end up destroying them.

"Gmork, the werewolf, told me that when one in Phantasíen is swallowed up by the Nothing, he becomes a lie. Is this true?" said Atreyu.

"Yes, it is true. All lies were once creatures of Phantasíen." replied the Child-like Empress.

Just as Daulky Kinkayle sets off on his quest to find the answer to his dreams to restore Tristandom, Atreyu journeys on his quest to stop the awful Nothing and find the "human child," which will give the Childlike Empress a new name. These are common themes, which make both stories similar and appealing. Daulky's Saviour turns up as Yishav, and Atreyu's savior is none other than Bastian Balthazar Bux.

Many common threads and even the origin of Plíagge (pages and mouth) are stemmed from the Neverending Story, a story of the triumphant prevail to the dreams and hopes of mankind. In Arden, the whole idea of Plíagge is the essence of someone reading a book, hearing the voice, seeing the horizon as a page, and sparking life in the words of the book with the imagination. It is the reader of a novel or a book who holds the power of imagination. This is the whole idea behind the "horizon of Plíagge," the Source of the Voice on the Horizon. In the Neverending Story, Michael Ende paints the same picture of the bringing the words of the story to life by the power of a simple boy. The power of one boy's hopes and dreams restores life to the World of Phantasíen. He becomes the Savior. The movie paints this as well, but leaves out vital information on Bastian and the overall purpose behind the Nothing.

The Nothing is caused because mankind, we the readers of the Neverending Story, forget our dreams and hopes. The Nothing is a void and emptiness, the despair of human hope. In essence, the Nothing destroys OUR spirit and surrounds the human world with lies, not just in Phantasíen. The Child-like Empress spoke to Atreyu through the AURYN. It's powers united the Empress to whoever wore it. In this case Atreyu. The Empress IS Phantasíen! In Arden, the Stràul was the symbol of balance and unity in Tristandom. King Tristan believed that One beyond Plíagge spoke through it! King Trisan believed that Krav spoke to him through the power of the medallion. These two items are elements which hold the two realms together.

Artist: Eric Chatham, Copyright © 2003
The Stràul was worn by King Tristan and it contained
the mystery of the Elemental Points in Arden

The Stràul was the key source for communicating with the "outer world" of Plíagge, just as the AURYN was the key to speaking on behalf of the Empress! Later, both items would become important with the revelation of Bastian to Phantasíen and Yíshav to Arden! « Back to Top! »

« Fenris, Gmork and Werewolfs!
Oh My! »
« The Origin of the Xandràxan! »

Not exactly a friendly being, the Gmork is actually a werewolf and he exists in both the human world and Phantasíen. In the human world, he takes the form as a human, but in Phantasíen, he takes the form of a wolf.

His mission is clear: Stop Atreyu!

Very much like the Gmork in the Neverending Story is the Xandràxan in the Realm of Arden. There are many similarities. They are both wolves for one, but they both seek downfall and ruin in Time. The Gmork is a servant of power to the Nothing and the Xandràxan is the evil Predator of Time in the Realm of Arden. More so is the European myth of the wolf. At one time, the wolf was greatly feared and believed to be a source of evil. This myth is carried in much of European Mythology including some Norse Mythology with Fenris. I believe that Michael Ende was inspired with Norse Mythology and the concept of Gmork from Fenris. I, too, had a great childhood fear of the wolf, more so, the werewolf. I use the wolf in my realm as a muse to illustrate how much the fear affected my time. The fear I had "ate" at me, causing me in essence to wallow away, regress and dwell on the fear rather than overcome it. That is what the Xandràxan does to the Realm of Arden by devouring time around it. It feeds off of our hopes and turns them into despair.

The Gmork was an evil creature, both
a part of Phantasíen and the Human World.

In the Neverending Story, Atreyu discovers the Gmork at Spook City, just as the Nothing encompasses them, ready to swallow them. In the story Akkoá: The Created Morning, the evil wolf, the Xandràxan, is given its power through Kuírbha, god of lightning, but it is not known what becomes of the Xandràxan after the crash of Uran...until later...much later! Both wolfs play a key role in despair and the downfall of hope. Call them antagonists, for that is what they truly are. « Back to Top! »

« The Childlike Empress and Queen Saa'skàuty »
« The mystery of two realms are found in two women! »

The Child-like Empress of Phantasíen

Yvette Rachelle

There are many crossover elements that are anti-typical of each other. For the most part, the two key figures in both worlds are anti-typical of each other: the Childlike Empress in the Neverending Story and the Beauty goddess of Kue Mythology.

First, Queen Saa`skàuty was the cloud goddess in Kue Mythology, daughter of Krav and wife of King Exiv. The domain of Vaaluir, the clouds, was her home. She dwelled beneath her lover, the god of Srías, King Exiv. Queen Saa`skàuty became the sole "beneficiary" of Arden after the fall of King Exiv. Because the Elemental Point of Uran is the key point, holding Arden in alignment, the Queen is bound to this fate. Without the Queen's existence, Arden would not exist! She is more than just the Queen of Elfs. She is the bearer of the Title/Deed of Arden, not Krav.

Secondly, the Childlike Empress dwelled in the Magnolia Pavilion at the Ivory Tower. She was the "key figure" who held Phantasíen together.

She is the core of Phantasíen's existence, for without her, there would be no Phantasíen. She, too, is the sole representative in Phantasíen's fate. Queen Saa'skàuty is the "key figure" to the Elemental Point of Uran in Kue Mythology. After the downfall of her husband, the Queen was give dominion over all of Arden and it's many secrets. The Sacred Clan, the Westbound Sojourners seek her guidance to the realm beyond the horizon of Plíagge. In Kue Mythology, it is forbidden to look upon her beauty. She beholds the glory and splendor of Arden. She is the Omnivivacious One, the Elfin Mother.

A special thanks to the omnivivacious beauty, Yvette Rachelle, for giving genesis and conception to the word, "omnivivacious." Her beauty and splendor is idyllic to the Queen of Elfs in the Realm of Arden.

Omnivivacious adj. [L. < omnis, all: L. < vivere, to live] 1. all, lively. 2. extreme beauty and splendor, as in the rays of sunlight. 2. Great resplendance of the female form and a sharp elucidation of the senses. 3. having goddess-like features; nymph-like. 4. Yvette Rachelle!

« Back to Top! »

« Who or What is Mharabhàunt? »
« A sword, a god, an oracle or a judgement? »

Artist: Eric Chatham, Copyright © 2003
A sketch of a mharabhàunt style sword. It was a destructive sword wielded during the Black Sleep by the Srí to symbolize portents of grave danger in Arden's future.

Another crossover I used, bringing Reality to Fantasy was the Oracle and mystery of the Elemental Point of the Concordant Summit, which is controlled by the Oracle Knight, Mharabhàunt. The first mention of this name is in the The Tales of the Last Guardian. This "Oracle Knight," not only shows up in the Owedæghax' Cognition, but appears to him at Mount Kravòkalla. It is at the sacred mountain, where the first mention of Mharabhàunt arises. Later, when the Black Sleep fell, man and elf fashioned swords to represent the "swift, bitter judgement" of this new God.

During the First half of the Warm Era, or Thrían Còtta - Fhair, the Last Guardian of King Exiv records all his Cognitive Thought into a book, which was later called the Golden Book of the Elevated Sunbeam. This is the sacred book of the Westbound Sojourners, who have recorded the journeys of their Hero, the Last Guardian. This important book contains all the information and secrets of Arden, including everything the Last Guardian saw in his Cognition. This would include the Oracle Knight, Mharabhàunt, the importance of Queen Saa`skàuty and the Elemental Points, information about Plíagge and even the beginning of the "Shadow Era." Every secret of Arden was known by this Clan from the Last Guardian's Cognition. A question remains though: Did the Westbound Sojourners know about the boundary of Plíagge being "unlocked" by Daulky Kinkayle? That is not known, for this Clan did not share any secret with anyone, unless they were part of the Clan. It is debated and even possible that not even Owedæghax was allowed the whole truth about Mharabhàunt. There was a greater power keeping things from him! Though, Owedæghax was granted "permission" to see the Corridors of Time, the Oracle Knight put a veil over his eyes, keeping the true identity of Mharabhàunt of a later time. The last mention of Mharabhàunt is in the Dhunccían Còtta but that is not fact.

A startling discovery is made though: the Last Guardian fails in his quest to grasp the meaning of the Oracle. His Cognition weighs greatly upon him after reaching the Sacred Isle of Mount Kravòkalla. There, the Last Guardian seeks Krav, but history does not know what truly happened to him there. Did he seek the guidance of Krav? Did he receive the salvation offered by Mharabhàunt? No one knows, perhaps not even the Westbound Sojourners.

Many ages later, the mystery and Oracle returns in another man, Daulky Kinkayle. He sees the same vision of the Last Guardian, a Forked Tree. Instead of running in fear of the Vision, Daulky quests for the meaning in the dream, even though it causes distress in himself. It is during this era of time, the rule of the Ikhthrakon dominate and persecute all life of Arden with the harsh Fire Era of King Ilùviuks. Life was threatened by the use of the Ikhthrakon idiosyncracy, the Ikhthrakon Halberd Sword, a Mharabhàunt style sword from ages past!

Little did the Ikhthrakon know, but by employing their Ikhthrakon Halberd Swords against the goodness of Arden, they were ushering in the arrival of the Oracle Knight and the existence of the Redeemer of Mankind, Yíshav. The True unveiling of Mharabhàunt unfolds during the Water Era. This unveiling is anti-typical of Bastian Balthazar Bux in the Neverending Story! « Back to Top! »

§ Thank you for not knicking my material §