From: alix@iastate.edu (Leigh Ann)
Subject: Re: The Elf Queen of Shannara -- Thoughts, and the like -- SPOILERS
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 18:41:08 GMT

Hi!  I'm new to news-net, but couldn't keep my two-cents out of this
one.  So if I break any news-net protocol...I plead ignorance.....

[BTW, it's been a while since I've read the books]

In <1992Sep8.170414.22533@newshost.unh.edu> ss1@kepler.unh.edu (The Rink) writes:

>A couple speculations that I'm wondering what people think of:

>1.  Do you think Morgan and Wren are going to start something romantic in
>	the last book?

Never thought of that one, but it's an interesting thought....

>2.  Who is the stranger that confronted Par at the end of the book?

Personally, I think that it was Padishar.  Like you said, he should have been
the only one who knew about the lighthouse, and Damson would have used her
hidden entrance, not the door.

>3.  Does anybody know why the Sword of Shannara burned Par's hand at the end
>	of the Scions just after Par used his magic?  This implies that Par's
>	magic is something of a lie.  To some extent, we know why the Sword
>	didn't phaze Rimmer Dall.  I don't believe that the Sword that Par
>	has is a fake, but then again, I can't think of any reason why Dall
>	would let Par have the real one, nor can I imagine why Par seemed to
>	get some violent reaction from it after using his magic.

This one is tough.  I think that the reason that the sword burned Par is
because Par is 'lying' to himself in someone way about his magic.  Rimmer Dall
might be twisting the truth, but he isn't out and out lying to himself about
his magic (like the Skull Bearers and the druid Brona were in "Sword").
As for why he let Par have it, maybe he 'thinks' that it can't be used against
him in the same way it was used against Brona (it didn't affect him when it
touched him, while Brona REFUSED to touch it because he knew it would kill
him).  Maybe instead, it'll be used in another way that neither he nor
Par has thought of yet.

>4.  Back to number 1.  A relationship and eventual marriage between Wren and
>	Morgan Leah would create a rather interesting effects....
>		...Wren, both Ohmsford and Elessedil, and Walker, both Ohmsford
>		and Boh.  The only line not yet joined with Ohmsford blood is
>		the Buckhannah line, and that died out after Balinor.

But what about the _obvious_ one?  The Ohmsfords and the Leahs?  It looked
like, at the end of the original trilogy, that Brin Ohmsford and Morgan Leah
were an item.  If so, is Morgan their direct descendent? [also see answer #6]

While we're on geneologies...how in the world can Walker (who is the only
acknowledged descendent of Brin Ohmsford) be an Ohmsford (he only changed
his name to Boh)?  Did someone keep their maternal paternom somewhere along
the line, or did Brin's line marry into Jair's at some point?

>6.  What REALLY happened to Coll? 

IMHO, I think the cloak has turned him into a Shadowen.  Or, could the cloak
be a Shadowen that possesses the wearer, but doesn't change him permanantly
into a Shadowen? [Wishful thinking on my part; I like Coll's character, and
I'd hate to have him killed off.  But, part of Brooks' appeal is the fact
that he's not afraid to kill off his characters (look at Amberle in
"Elfstones", the party from Culhaven in "Wishsong", Teel in "Scions",
Quicksilver in "Druid", Garth in "Elfqueen", etc.)

>But what still remains is the King of the Silver River's comment in the
>beginning of the Druid:  (paraphrased)  "Four, not three.  There were still
>some things Allanon did not fully see."  So besides Par and Walker and Wren,
>there is one more.  This may or may not be Coll.  If it is Coll, it still
>explains Allanon's ignorace of him, since Allanon obviously didn't see his
>role in it.  But what if the fourth is someone else?  Who, if not Coll?

Well, my original thought on this was that maybe it was Morgan Leah.  Now
that I think of it, I seem to remember the King of the Silver River saying
that Morgan was insignificant (not exactly in those words, but general meaning)
But think about it:  Morgan was a major character in two out of the so far
three books with no real reason (he's NOT one of the characters in the
prophecy, after all).  And, like Par, Coll, and Walker, we are 'updated'
on him in "Elfqueen".  If not Morgan OR Coll, the only other even semi-major
characters are Rimmer Dall (yeah, right), Padishar Creel, and Damson Rhee.
Not very likely, but who knows.

Thanks!  If anyone has any other comments, please make them!

-Leigh Ann
alix@iastate.edu