The Worm Ouroboros

The Worm Ouroboros

Original Cover
Author	Eric Rücker Eddison
Illustrator	Keith Henderson
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Jonathan Cape
Publication date	1922
Publication place	UK
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	xiv, 448 pp
ISBN	NA

The Worm Ouroboros (1922) is a heroic high fantasy novel by Eric Rücker Eddison. It was originally published in London by Jonathan Cape and saw a major paperback reprint from Ballantine Books in the 1960s following the success of The Lord of the Rings. There has been a recent UK paperback edition in the Fantasy Masterworks series. A paperback edition was reissued in Bridgewater, New Jersey, by Replica Books in 1999 with ISBN 0-7351-0171-X.

The book describes the protracted war between the domineering King Gorice of Witchland and the Lords of Demonland in an imaginary world that appears mainly medieval and partly reminiscent of Norse sagas. A half-finished framing story describes this world as Mercury, though it is clearly a fantasy version of Earth, a "secondary-world" (no effort was made to conform to the scientific knowledge of Mercury, as it existed at the time of writing).

At a number of points the characters refer to their land as Middle earth, used here in its original sense of "the known world," and the gods worshipped have the names of deities from Greek mythology. The world even has a moon, which Mercury does not. The framing device disappears a few paragraphs into the second chapter and Eddison never refers to it again.

As an early and ambitious high fantasy, it is often compared with J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (which it predates by 32 years). Tolkien both read The Worm Ouroboros, and praised it in print.

Whereas Tolkien invented a backdrop of cultures, histories and languages, in The Worm Ouroboros it is the prose style that is central. It is arguably one of the more convincing examples of mock-archaic high diction; as a translator of old Norse sagas and a connoisseur of medieval and Renaissance poetry, Eddison had the required scholarship.

While Eddison relishes exotic personal and place names, he seems to have given little thought to plausible etymology and consistency, unlike Tolkien's layers of invented languages. On the other hand, Tolkien's prose style may seem pedestrian in comparison to Eddison's. However, Eddison's use of archaic words makes his text far less accessible to most readers.

The morality of the tale sharply contrasts with Tolkien's heroism of the common man in a fight against evil and C. S. Lewis's Christian allegory. The protagonists, the four Lords of Demonland, are notable for their loyalty and their sense of fair play. Nonetheless, theirs is chiefly a warrior ethic of seeking glory in battle (and bragging about it in frequent and resonant speeches). Their antagonists are, for the most part, noble and worthy opponents even if their methods are less fair. As a further complication, the most complex and human character, Lord Gro, is a serial traitor, who is motivated by an entirely unselfish, aesthetic sense of the nobility of failure and the inevitability of decay. One can arguably detect echoes of Nietzsche's Also sprach Zarathustra in this worldview.

History of the Book

Research done by Paul Edmund Thomas shows that Eddison started imagining the stories which would turn into the The Worm Ouroboros at a very early age. An exercise book titled The Book of Drawings dated 1892 and created by Eddison is to be found at the Bodleian Library. In this book are 59 drawings in pencil which are captioned by the author. The pages of this book contain many of the heroes and villains of the later work. For example there is a drawing entitled The murder of Gallandus by Corsus and another entitled Lord Brandoch Daha challenging Lord Corund (both of these events occur in the book).

As might be expected, significant differences exist between the ideas of a 10 year old boy and the work of a 40 year old man. Perhaps the most interesting change is the change in Lord Gro's character. In the drawings Lord Gro is a hero of skill and courage, while in the book he is a conflicted character, never able to pick a side and stick to it. Another curious change is that in the drawings, Goldry Bluszco is the main hero, while in the book, he is a figure off-stage (in an enchanted prison) for most of the novel.

Many people (including Tolkien) have wondered at, and critiqued Eddison's curious and sometimes inappropriate names for his characters, places, and fictional nations (For example: The Red Foliot, La Fireez, Pixyland, Goldry Bluszco, etc.). The answer appears to be that these names originated in the mind of a young boy and Eddison could not, or would not change them thirty years later when he wrote the stories down (see Thomas, Introduction to the Worm Ouroboros, page xix).

The Meaning of the Worm

The Worm Ouroboros has a meaning which is replicated in the book. The title of the book refers to Ouroboros, the snake or dragon that swallows its own tail. In the book many events are repeated, both directly, and indirectly.

In the book we see the death of two kings of Witchland, once at the beginning, again at the end. In the book we have two conjurings in the Iron Tower of Carcë, one after King Gorice XI dies, the other before King Gorice XII dies. There are two attacks on Carcë. There are two quests to find and recover Goldry Bluszco. Lastly, the book both begins and ends with an embassy from Witchland to Demonland. The whole forms a story without true beginning or end, hence, the snake the swallows its tail.

The Plot

The novel starts with an ambassador from Witchland arriving in Demonland to demand that Lord Juss and the other Demons recognize King Gorice XI of Witchland as their overlord. This they refuse to do, instead they say that they and all of Demonland will submit if the king (a famous wrestler) can defeat Goldry Bluszco in a wrestling match.

The contest between Witchland and Demonland starts with a wrestling match between the Demon Goldry Bluszco and Gorice, who is killed in the match. His successor Gorice XII, who is said to a type of reincarnation, is a sorcerer and, with the help of Lord Gro, contrives the sorcerous removal of Goldry to a magical mountain prison.

In a fit of rage and anger, two of the three remaining lords, Lord Juss and Brandoch Daha, attempt an assault on the capital of the Witches (Carcë) where they think Goldry is located. In this attempt they are aided by King Gaslark of Goblinland. (Lord Spitfire is sent back to raise the armies of Demonland.) The rescue fails, the Goblins flee, and the Demonlords are all captured. They are able to escape by the aid of La Fireez, the king of Pixyland, who helps them at great personal cost because of the debt of honor he owes the lords of Demonland.

Lord Juss and Brandoch Daha return home to Demonland and then start an expedition to rescue Goldry Bluszco from his terrible prison, somewhere past the mountains of Impland. Again, Lord Spitfire must stay behind to lead the armies of Demonland against an expected invasion from Witchland. So Lord Juss and Brandoch Daha (the two main heroes of the novel) begin a long and dangerous quest to find their friend and companion, Goldry Bluszco.

During the quest their fleet is smashed, their army destroyed, they meet with three strange enchanted heroes of an earlier time, and Lord Juss is nearly killed by a manticore. After a year of wandering they manage to climb the mighty peak of Koshtra Pivrarcha - in a vividly described mountain ascent - and then they attempt the even more difficult peak of Koshtra Belorn. Before reaching the summit of Koshtra Belorn they encounter an enchanted girl or goddess named Queen Sophonisba.

From Queen Sophonisba (who has been blessed by the gods with immortality and other great powers) they learn that Goldry is held on the top of mount Zora Rach, a mountain which cannot be climbed and whose peak is surrounded by unceasing flames. There is only one way to free him, they must find a hippogriff's egg and one of them must fly the newly hatched hippogriff to the top of the mountain. Queen Sophonisba gives Lord Juss one hippogriff egg but is soon lost due to a betrayal by their lone companion, Mivarsh. Lord Juss and Brandoch Daha have to return to Demonland in search of another unhatched hippogriff egg, their quest defeated for the time being.

Meanwhile, the armies of Witchland have attacked Demonland. Duke Corsus is the first commander of the Witchland army. He conquers part of Demonland but Lord Spitfire is able to beat Corsus at a battle called the Rapes of Brima. A new Witchland army is sent under the command of the dangerous Lord Corinius who defeats Spitfire and captures most of Demonland. At this point, Lord Gro changes sides and helps Lady Mevrian, the sister of Brandoch Daha (and the only woman of note in Demonland), to escape from the grasp of Corinius. A few months later Lord Juss and Brandoch Daha return and soundly defeat the Witchland army at the battle of Krothering Side.

Equipped with a new Hippogriff egg, Lord Juss makes a second attempt to rescue his brother and this time is successful. With their great hero, Goldry Bluszco, returned, the Demonland army then sails to Witchland and faces the army of Witchland in a climactic struggle. In battle before the gates of Carcë, the most powerful hero of Witchland, Lord Corund, dies from wounds he suffers fighting with the heroes of Demonland. So also dies Lord Gro (who switches sides yet again in the battle). The night after the battle, King Gorice attempts another terrible summoning but his spell fails and he is killed. Lord Corsus poisons all the remaining nobles of Witchland but is killed himself by Corinius before Corinius dies from the poison.

With the Demons triumphant, they find that victory is bitter because there are no more enemies worthy of their heroism, no more great deeds to perform. The Lord Juss says to Queen Sophonisba

Thou O Queen canst scarcely know our grief: for to thee the blessed Gods gave they heart's desire: youth forever, and peace. Would that they but give us our good gift, that should be youth for ever, and war; and unwaning strength and skill in arms. Would that they might but give us our great enemies alive and whole again. For better it were we should run hazard again of utter destruction, than thus live out our lives like cattle fattening for the slaughter, or like silly garden plants. (page 392)

Sophonisba, gifted by the gods with the power to grant wishes, returns the world to how it was and so, with a blare of trumpets, an ambassador from Witchland arrives, "craving present audience", and the story starts over again.

The Kingdoms of The Worm Ouroboros

Despite the names, all the people in the book (Witches, Demons, Imps, Pixies, and others) are recognizably human and they are all the same species (the sister of the king of Pixyland is married to Lord Corund of Witchland). So Witchland, Demonland, and others appear to be country names, like England and France. Early in the novel, the four lords of Demonland are described as having horns on their heads but these horns do not enter into the story again.

The of the named kingdoms are:

• Witchland
• Demonland
• Pixyland
• Impland
• Goblinland
• The Foliot Isles
• The land Zimiamvia (beyond the known world)
• The land of the Ghouls (the ghouls have been utterly destroyed before the book begins)

For a rough map of these lands see The world of The Worm Ouroboros.

The King of Witchland claims rule over a number of locations which are never described (page 12):

• Duke of Buteny and Estremerine
• Commander of Shulan, Thramnë, Mingos, and Permio
• Warden of the Esamocian Marches
• Duke of Trace
• King Paramount of Beshtria and Nevria
• Prince of Ar
• Great Lord over Ojedia, Maltraëny, Baltary, and Toribia

External links

• The complete text of The Worm Ouroboros, at sacred-texts.com
• A rough map of the world of The Worm Ouroboros from Sacred Texts.com
• A downloadable version of the novel
• The Works of ER Eddison has notes, annotations, a bibliography, &c.
• "Classics of Fantasy: The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison" by John D. Rateliff
• "Where Head and Tail Meet: The Worm Ouroboros" by Ryan Harvey