Allanon
From Free net encyclopedia
Allanon is a fictional character from the Shannara series of novels by Terry Brooks. He first appeared in The Sword of Shannara, the first book in the series, and played a pivotal role in the first trilogy.
Allanon is described as seven feet tall, with a booming voice and cowled face. He is the adopted son of Bremen of the Druidic Order, and he carries on his father's legacy as last of the Druids, preserving the knowledge of ancient times, but knowing that it is dangerous.
Because of this he is enigmatic and secretive. He appears only when needed, passing decades in a form of suspended animation called Druid sleep. He often calls on the aid of the Ohmsford family, the inheritors of the magic of Jerle Shannara, yet he is never completely honest with his companions. His words, which are few, are clouded in half-truths; his friends are always on a "need-to-know" basis.
Biography
In The Sword of Shannara he calls on Shea Ohmsford to retrieve the lost Sword and use it to destroy the Warlock Lord. In The Elfstones of Shannara, when the Four Lands are under attack from Demons, he sends Shea's grandson Wil Ohmsford on a quest to recreate the magic tree that had held them back, while Allanon himself battles the Demon hordes. Allanon goes on one last journey with Wil's daughter, Brin Ohmsford, to stop the Mord Wraiths and destroy the Ildatch, a malevolent spellbook, in The Wishsong of Shannara. He is mortally wounded in battle with an ancient being called a Jachyra and dies soon after. At the time of his death, he has been walking the Four Lands for five hundred years. Brin succeeds in giving Allanon his peace by destroying the Ildatch, the Druid's final task.
Allanon's spirit comes to dwell in the Hadeshorn along with the spirits of his predecessors, the Druids of the past. He later summons the descendants of Brin and Jair Ohmsford to him and charge them with saving the Four Lands from the threat of the Shadowen. He dispatches Par Ohmsford and his brother Coll Ohmsford to recover the Sword of Shannara, Wren Elessedil to find the Elves, and Walker Boh to bring back Paranor and the Druids. Walker also becomes Allanon's successor, absorbing his spirit through the power of the Black Elfstone.
Later still, Allanon serves as a guide to Walker in his duties as High Druid, and again to his successor Grianne Ohmsford. Like Bremen's had for him, Allanon's shade bears Walker Boh to the afterlife.
Allanon appears as a young boy in the prequel First King of Shannara. He meets Bremen as the aged Druid is wandering through the ruins of Varfleet, and the two become attached. Allanon seeks to become like Bremen, and the old man teaches him the Druid arts. Allanon participates in the Second War of the Races, and afterwards studies in Paranor for three years until Bremen's passing.