The King of Elfland’s Daughter: A Review

The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is so much more than a story about a mortal man and an elven princess.

First though, the reasons why someone may not want to read it. Its prose is archaic and difficult, at times, to understand. There are long passages devoted to description that, although much better than fantasy books I’ve read that devote paragraph after paragraph to a listing of the food at a meal, might wear down those who can’t see the reason behind those passages. It’s also one of those stories that has plot lines that appear to be separate from the main story, yet aren’t. That might irritate those who are used to a more direct storyline.

However, it is a very well-written story, full of imagination and wonder, regarding both the immortal and mortal realms. This story uses romantic beginnings to look at time, eternity, change, what happens when we accept reality and what happens when we don’t, as well as what happens when we lose faith in our dreams. Above all, this story is about the men of Erl, who asked for a magic lord and got much more than they expected.

For romantics, this book may disappoint. I found it inspiring, but there isn’t really any compromise between Elfland and Erl at the end. There is the power of love, but how that power influenced the story is not what I expected.

I’m adding this only because I’ve read some fantasy books where magic somehow allows a couple to live in their own worlds, yet still be together. That doesn’t happen here. There is immortality and mortality and a choice has to be made.

Frankly, I loved the ending. It was a beautiful moment that fit perfectly with the rest of the story and filled my thoughts for hours.

All that to say, I deeply love this book. It’s one to own.

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Decluttering Progress; Accepting Reality

I’m so tired right now, this post is going to be fairly short. Hopefully, it’ll also be coherent.

My original plan was to work on one of five “zones” every day. Like most of my plans, it got turned upside-down. I’ve been working on the entryway for the past few days, mostly because a lot of other things have come up that I’ve had to take care of. Thankfully, I’ve been keeping my decluttering small, but consistent. As a result, there’s no huge, unorganized mess for people to navigate. I really have to give credit to FlyLady for this kind of sanity because I never, ever, ever learned that on my own.

The entryway looks better for all the attention, and I’m just about finished with it. Started on the dining room, and it looks like I’ll finish with that Monday.

***

I just finished reading The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany. I fully expected it to be a story about star-crossed lovers, or a sweet romantic tale of power of  love.

It had that. But that wasn’t the focus of the story.

There’s a lot I could say about the book. Most of it will spoil the plot, but I do want to point out something regarding accepting reality.

WARNING: there are spoilers below.

 

 

 

In part of the story, there’s a quest for Elfland. One of the six travelers is looking for his wife, who now lives in Elfland. The others have their various reasons for joining the quest, and of those who leave, each has their reasons for leaving, until only three are left of the six. One is the leader, still looking for his wife. One is a madman, who searches for Elfland through dreams. And one listens to the moon for directions and enlightenment.

The thing is, those last two aren’t really magical, nor do they have a talent with magic. They just like to think they do.

It’s a nice fantasy, but the leader truly wants to find Elfland. After consulting a couple of true magic-users, he manages to get his small group just inside the border of the land.

Now, you would think, as much as the other two have talked and dreamed and longed for Elfland, that they would be thrilled to find it at last.

They’re not. In fact, the reality of this supernatural realm shows them for the empty dreamers they always were. It horrifies them so much that they grab the man who is about to meet his long-lost wife and drag him out of Elfland. Then, they turn their steps back toward the village, trying to forget Elfland the whole way there.

It made me think about those who cling to their fantasy of the supernatural, or claim to be writers, or who otherwise aspire to be things they clearly aren’t. When faced with awe-inspiring reality, they run as fast as they can from it.

More to the point, when faced with truth, they run as fast as they can from it.

Seeing yourself as you actually are is painful. It’s not fun. But it could be the start of a great adventure, if you let it.

Too tired to say anything more. I hope I was clear enough. If not, please let me know in the comments below.

More decluttering info:

How do I decide where to start decluttering? (FlyLady)

Flying Lesson: How to Declutter

And for those who like videos…