The Worm Ouroboros is a heroic high fantasy novel by English writer E. R. Eddison, first published in 1922. 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. The work is slightly related to Eddison's later Zimiamvian Trilogy, and collectively they are sometimes referred to as the Zimiamvian series.
The Worm Ouroboros is written largely in seventeenth-century English, a nearly unique approach among popular fantasy novels; with Eddison making use of his experience translating Norse sagas and reading medieval and Renaissance poetry. Eddison also incorporated a number of actual early modern poems into the story, including Shakespeare's 18th sonnet, all meticulously credited in an appendix.
The book was illustrated by Keith Henderson, who also illustrated books by Geoffrey Chaucer and W. H. Hudson.
Plot
The novel begins with a framing story in which a character named Lessingham travels from Earth to Mercury. Eddison's Mercury, though, is a fantasy world, bearing no relation to the scientific knowledge of Mercury at the time. Lessingham and the framing story are not seen again after the second chapter.
The story proper begins with an ambassador arriving in Demonland to demand that the Demons recognize King Gorice XI of Witchland as their overlord. The chief lords of Demonland—the brothers Juss, Spitfire, and Goldry Bluszco, and their cousin Brandoch Daha—reply that they and all of Demonland will submit if the king, a famous wrestler, can defeat Goldry in a wrestling match. The match is held, and King Gorice is killed. His successor (or reincarnation) Gorice XII is a sorcerer, and banishes Goldry to an enchanted mountain prison, with the aid of the Goblin traitor Lord Gro.
Lord Spitfire goes back to raise an army. Lord Juss and Brandoch Daha, aided by King Gaslark of Goblinland, attempt an assault on Carcë, the capital of the Witches, believing that Goldry is there. The Goblins flee and Juss and Brandoch Daha are captured. They escape with the aid of La Fireez, the prince of Pixyland and vassal of King Gorice, who helps them at great personal cost because he owes them a debt of honor. Juss and Brandoch Daha return home to Demonland and mount another expedition to rescue Goldry Bluszco. Spitfire stays behind to lead Demonland's armies against an expected invasion from Witchland.
The expedition's fleet is smashed and its army destroyed. Juss and Brandoch Daha meet with three strange enchanted heroes of an earlier time, and Juss is later nearly killed by a manticore. After a year of wandering they climb two mighty peaks, where they encounter Queen Sophonisba, to whom the gods have granted eternal youth. From Sophonisba they learn that Goldry is held in prison on the top of Zora Rach Nam, 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 ride the newly hatched hippogriff. Queen Sophonisba gives Juss a hippogriff egg, but their companion, the Impland native Mivarsh Faz, steals the egg and tries to use it himself, dying in the attempt. Juss and Brandoch Daha set out for home, defeated. But matters are not completely hopeless, as one of Queen Sophonisba's martlet scouts has told them of another hippogriff egg, lying at the bottom of a lake in Demonland.
Meanwhile, the armies of Witchland have attacked Demonland. Duke Corsus, the Witchland commander, conquers part of Demonland, but is defeated by Spitfire. A new Witchland army, under the command of Lord Corinius, defeats Spitfire and captures most of Demonland, including Brandoch Daha's castle of Krothering, the home of his sister Lady Mevrian. Lord Gro changes sides and helps Lady Mevrian escape from Corinius, who wishes to marry her against her will. A few months later, Juss and Brandoch Daha return and expel the Witches from Demonland.
Equipped with a new hippogriff egg, Lord Juss makes a successful second attempt to rescue his brother, but his forces are trapped in an inland sea by the Witchland navy. They destroy the navy, but La Fireez dies in this battle. The Demons then sail to Carcë and face the remaining forces of Witchland in a climactic struggle. Lord Gro is belittled for switching sides; he switches back and is killed by Spitfire. The Witch commander Corund also dies. His armies having failed, King Gorice attempts another terrible summoning; lacking the aid of Gro, he is unable to complete the spell and is destroyed. Duke Corsus poisons the remaining nobles of Witchland, and is killed himself by the dying Corinius.
Though triumphant, the Demon lords find that victory is bitter because there are no more enemies worthy of their heroism, no more great deeds to perform. Sophonisba, seeking to reward their heroism, prays to the gods, who return the world to its state of four years before. And so, with a blare of trumpets, an ambassador from Witchland arrives, and the story starts anew.
Characters
The Demons and their allies
Lord Juss is the chief lord of Demonland, ruling from the castle Galing, and a chief player in most of the battles in the story. He also leads two expeditions to rescue his brother Goldry Bluszco. Goldry Bluszco is one of the chief lords of Demonland. His castle is called Drepaby. Unlike his bachelor brothers, Lord Juss and Lord Spitfire, Bluszco was betrothed to marry Princess Armelline of Goblinland. Lord Spitfire is the third brother, a Demon lord who spends most of the story in Demonland fighting the various Witchland invasions. His chief residence is the castle Owlswick. Brandoch Daha is their cousin, a lord of Demonland and the greatest swordsman of the age. After Corinius sacks his castle of Krothering, Brandoch Daha swears vengeance against Corinius. Lady Mevrian is a great lady of Demonland and the sister of Brandoch Daha, who is left the task of defending her brother's castle of Krothering against Corinius's army. After a siege, the castle is taken and Lady Mevrian has to fend off the advances of Corinius. She is able to escape only with the aid of Heming and Cargo (Corund's sons) and Lord Gro, who betrays Witchland to help her. Prince La Fireez is the ruler of Pixyland. Witchland has asserted suzerainty over his land, but he is consistently a Demon ally by way of repaying Lord Juss for saving his life. He dies in a naval battle. Lord Volle of Kartadza, a great sea-captain. Lord Vizz of Darklairstead, brother of Volle, wealthiest of all Demons after the four main lords. Lord Zigg of Many Bushes, a famed horse-tamer and cavalry leader. Other notable people from Demonland are Astar, Tharmrod, Styrkmir, Quazz, and Melchar (see page 354) Gaslark is King of Goblinland and ally to the Demons. His father King Recedor was poisoned by Corsus.
The Witchlanders and their allies
Gorice is the King of Witchland, ruling from Carcë; he is said to be a single king with twelve incarnations. Gorice X was slain by Brandoch Daha; Gorice XI, a champion wrestler, is killed in a wrestling match by Goldry Bluszco; Gorice XII, a sorcerer, wears a signet ring in the shape of the ouroboros of the book's title. Corinius is a warrior leader of Witchland, full of life and ambition. He is an enemy of Demonland, and as warrior of some skill he commands some respect from the lords of Demonland. He is poisoned by Duke Corsus and dies right after the Demons take Carcë. Duke Corsus is one of the war leaders of the armies of Witchland. Duke Corsus was the chief war leader of Witchland a decade before the story begins. Corsus is wily and skillful but prone to drinking and no longer young. He has a wife (Zenambria) two sons (Dekalajus and Gorius), and a beautiful daughter (Sriva). Right before the Demons conquer Carcë, he poisons Corinius, his own wife and son Dekalajus, and Corund's sons Viglus and Heming. Corinius kills him when he realizes that Corsus poisoned him. Lord Corund is the chief war leader of the armies of Witchland. He is a noble man, a mighty warrior, and has some respect from the main characters. He has sons named Hacmon, Heming, Dormanes, Viglus, and Cargo, and his second wife is the Lady Prezmyra of Pixyland. Corund leads the Witchland army against the Demonland expedition to Impland. He is fatally wounded by Lord Juss. Lord Gro is an advisor to Witchland; later he is an ally of Demonland. Gro is originally from Goblinland and was the foster-brother of King Gaslark before a falling-out. Gro is a famous explorer and wrote a book about his travels through Impland. Gro provides crucial aid to King Gorice XII of Witchland when he summons the magic which carries Goldry Bluszco away. He acts as an advisor and trusted messenger to the King regarding the campaign in Demonland. While in Demonland he meets and falls in love with Brandoch Daha's sister, the Lady Mevrian. Because of his love, he betrays the Witchland army and helps Mevrian escape from Corinius after Corinius captures her brother's castle of Krothering. Lady Prezmyra is the young wife of Corund and the sister of La Fireez of Pixyland. She is a close friend of Lord Gro, and poisons herself, after the death of her husband and her brother, when the Demons conquer Carcë. Laxus is the great admiral of the Witchland fleet and a noble man. He is made King of Pixyland after the exile of La Fireez. Gallandus is second-in-command to Corsus in the invasion of Demonland.
The kingdoms of Mercury The named nations and countries are: Witchland (capital Carcë)
Demonland (capital Galing)
Pixyland (capital Norvasp) Impland (capital Orpish) Goblinland (capital Zajë Zaculo) The Foliot Isles The land Zimiamvia (beyond the known world) The Ghouls, wiped out in a genocidal war a few years before the story opens
The King of Witchland claims lordship over a number of locations which are not 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
Despite the names of the nations, all the characters in the book are recognizably human and they are all the same species, or at least able to intermarry (e.g., Goldry Bluszco and Princess Armelline, Lord Corund and Lady Prezmyra). Witchland, Demonland, and others appear to be country names, like England and France. When first presented, the Demons are seen to have horns on their heads, but these horns are not mentioned again, nor is it said whether the other peoples have horns.
Maps
Gerald Hayes, a cartographer with the Royal Navy, created the first map for Ouroboros circa 1925, initially from internal evidence, and later in consultation with Eddison. He states in a letter to C. S. Lewis that he secured Eddison's approval "as a true presentation of all the lands, seas, and countries of his history."Source: Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Vol II, page 559. Not sure if it still exists! States crude copy made for Lewis. In Letters Vol II page 560 footnote 57, Hooper states that Hayes' map has survived. Another map of the world by Bernard Morris was published in Twilight Zine No. 4 and reprinted in the book An Atlas of Fantasy (compiled by Jeremiah Benjamin Post) in 1979. For another map of these lands created by J. B. Hare in 2004, see The world of The Worm Ouroboros. For a German map by Erhard Ringer see Der Wurm Ouroboros The map on this page was created by David Bedell in 1978.
Background