The King of Elfland's Daughter

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The King of Elfland's Daughter is a fantasy novel written by Lord Dunsany. The hero Alveric sets off into Elfland to claim the title daughter, Lirazel, for his bride. He does get her away with him, but things do not go well from there.

Tropes included in this novel

  • Antiquated Linguistics
  • Because You Were Nice to Me: The witch Ziroonderel helps Alveric on his quest because he didn't recoil in terror when she showed him her true form.
  • Be Careful What You Wish For
  • Blue Blood
  • Everyone Calls Him Barkeep: The Lord of Erl and the King of Elfland are only ever referred to as such.
  • The Fair Folk: The eponymous princess never quite understands the ways and laws of life in the lands we know. They also feature in several other works.
  • Fantastic Religious Weirdness: The various ways the Church has adapted or failed to adapt to its interactions with various mythical folk.
  • Half Human Hybrid: Lirazel and Alveric's son, Orion.
  • Genre Savvy: Alveric in the first half of the book. He slips up in the second half, and it costs him dearly.
  • Heroic Mime: Orion has no spoken dialogue.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: It's implied that the old witch Ziroonderel has feelings for Alveric, but she aids him in his pursuit of Lirazel nonetheless.
  • Meaningful Name: Alveric can be translated as "elf ruler".
  • Magic Is Evil: Debated. The Freer demands that Lirazel forsake her magical, and therefor unChristian, heritage. Also, when the magic of Elfland starts seeping into the fields we know, many people are terrified. When they go to Ziroonderel for a "spell against magic," she flatly refuses, saying essentially that magic is all that makes life worth living, though the magic Ziroonderel extolls might seem mundane to us. Ultimately, magic isn't evil, it's just unearthly.
  • Our Trolls Are Different: The small, mischievous kind.
  • Religion Is Magic: Inverted. Religion is Anti Magic.
  • Thunderbolt Iron: Alveric's sword.
  • Unbuilt Trope
  • Unicorn
  • Wicked Witch: Subverted with Ziroonderel, whose heart seems to soften after she meets Alveric.
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