Literary Lists: Famous Literary Swords: The Sword of Shannara

The Sword of Shannara
The Shannara series by Terry Brooks

When the Warlock Lord waged war against the Four Lands, the last Druid named Bremen had it forged by master smith Uprox Screl. He then imbued it with magic and gave it to the elf king, Jerle Shannara. Jerle was able to defeat the Warlock Lord, but only temporarily.


Years later Jerle's line had all but died out. His last descendant was half-elf, half-human Shea Ohmsford. Shea set out out to find the sword and finish what the enemy had started.
But the sword is a sword of truth, and those who hold it may not like what they find. And it was Shea, all alone, who had to see this truth and destroy the Warlock Lord once and for all. 

Although I don't find the rest of the Shannara series to my taste, the original book continues to fascinate. The sword is traditionally illustrated as glowing and with a curved hilt, as seen on the covers:

Although, in The World of Shannara, a guidebook to the series, it is illustrated quite differently:

The text itself describes it rather vaguely:

[It had a] handle of polished silver, laced with reddish streaks of light that seemed to burn and twist in the bright metal like living things.

To Peter Jackson:

No.
Do not, I repeat, do not make The Hobbit a trilogy.
I can understand a two-parter; it's a deep book.
But a trilogy's just pushing it.

I respect your movie-making skills. But do this and I can guarantee you that you're going to have a lot of extremely upset people on your hands.
Yours truly included.

PS--If you really want to use that extra footage so badly, do an extended edition! 

A Tag

I got this from Musings of an Inkheart (the renamed Whispers of the Wind) and I just thought I'd have a go.

Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.

...a carrying sling across one shoulder. He selected a stout ash-handled spear...
-Taggerung, Brian Jacques

Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What's there?

Important-looking documents and a cushioned seat.

What is the last thing you watched on TV?


I don't watch TV, but we do own all the Hogan's Heroes, and that's all I've been watching for the past few weeks!

Without looking, guess what time it is:


9:58 AM

Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?

10:14 AM

With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?


The house creaking.

When did you last step outside? What were you doing?


Last night, to go see my favorite play, "The Importance of Being Earnest." (Very well-performed.)

Before you started this survey, what did you look at?


My scriptures.

What are you wearing?


A comfortable cotton, dark blue shirt that reads "NY", and some denim shorts.


Did you dream last night?


Yes. It was really strange--The Avengers meets Hogan's Heroes.
Huh.

When did you last laugh?


Last night at "The Importance of Being Earnest" (that play is hysterical!)

What is on the walls of the room you are in?

A framed photo of my ancestors, an aged photo of a place in Switzerland, family love notes.

Seen anything weird lately?

A hideously-cute iPhone cover.


What is the last film you saw?

The first Ice Age, and that was two weeks ago.

If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?

CDs and books. And then I'd do what I've always wanted to do with money--go to a restaurant and pay some one's bill (I think it would be so much fun.)

Tell me something about you that I don't know.


I have a list of every movie coming out from now to 2016. I try and keep it as updated as possible.

If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?

Just one thing only--make sure this year's election goes how I want it to go. Otherwise, we're doomed.

Do you like to dance?

Only to Celtic, and in the privacy of my kitchen.

Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?


Sherwood.

Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?


Strider or Roan.

Would you ever consider living abroad?

Europe would be a fun place to visit, but I'd much rather life in good ole' America.

What do you want to say to God when you reach the pearly gates?

2 Timothy 4:7
And a thank you.

Where were you 3 hours ago?

Asleep.

Who are you in love with?

Define that.

Have you ever eaten a crayon?


Not to my knowledge, no.

Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

An official document.

When is the last time you went to the mall?

For last year's Christmas shopping.

Are you wearing socks right now?


No. Just me and my bare feet (as usual.)

Do you have a car worth over $2,000?

I don't think so. Anyway, a car to me is simply a useful hunk of metal with wheels. As long as it goes, I'm fine.

When was the last time you drove out of town?

I haven't been on vacation, if that's what you mean.
But I did drive downtown to pick some things up, last week.

Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?

No. Nothing's been out since The Avengers.

What was the last thing you had to drink?

Water.

Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it?

Depends if I feel like getting wet or not.

Last food that you ate?

Last night's dinner. Ravioli (not from a can!)
That reminds me, I still need to have breakfast...


Where were you last week at this time?

Eating banana-nut pancakes and doing crossword puzzles.

Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?

No. I buy more books than I do clothes.

When is the last time you ran?

I don't know.

What's the last sporting event you watched?

A baseball game years ago.
And Quidditch on the big screen:)

Your dream vacation?

Erin gra ma chroi.
(Ireland of my heart.)

Last person's house you were in?

The house of family friends.

Worst injury you've ever had?

Twisted my knee and had to hobble about on crutches for a month. It was not fun.


Have you been in love?

Depends on what your definition is.

Do you miss anyone right now?

My sister-in-law.

And anyone who wants to can do this.
Cheers!

Rise of the Guardians: Another Trailer

Rise of the Guardians has come out with another trailer!

This one answers my all questions about Jack Frost.
See for yourself:

Tales of Goldstone Wood Name Drawing

When I first picked up Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, I didn't think I would like it.
So the fact that I ended up loving it to pieces was quite a wonderful surprise.
I usually don't read too many modern authors, but Heartless was a breath of fresh air. I'm so glad I didn't judge it by its cover, because the story inside was beautiful and full of heart. (As a plus, it's clean!)

On the author's blog, Ms. Stengl is offering a drawing for a copy of her third book, Moonblood.

Yeah, I'm excited.

In order to enter one must blog and/or facebook about why people should read the series. They must also post the picture below. And in order to get your name put in twice, name your favorite character. (Mine is Aethelbald. Unlike most love interests in modern stories, Aethelbald is neither cold nor reptilian. He is genuine, and loves Una despite her flaws, and is never willing to give up.)

The Avengers

The Avengers
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference.

Awesome.

Okay, maybe I should expound on that:

The Avengers is such an excellent movie! It was a tense, unpredictable thrill ride with great characters and a great story (not to mention it's hilarious!)

It's taken me this long to see it because I was unsure at first. But when friends assured me of its merits, I decided to give it a try.

May I just say that I love character-driven plots?

Hawkeye was brilliant, and Thor was just great. I also adored Bruce/The Hulk. Just the way he spoke and the way he acted, it was so heart-rending to see someone so unsure and terrified of themself. I really liked how he and Stark/Iron Man became buddies (and of course Stark was as sarcastic and funny as usual.) 

And though I hated the Captain America movie, I loved him in this! He held the team together, he was the leader. And considering that he's Captain America, you couldn't help but feel patriotic just watching him. 

I fully expected The Black Widow, the only female lead, to be just that--the only female lead. The character who's only there to look pretty and offer stale chemistry with one of the male leads.

Boy was I wrong. And what's this I keep hearing about Scarlett Johansson being a bad actress? She was tough and clever, but not heartless, and it was very refreshing to see a woman like that in an action movie.

I've also never liked Phil, but I loved him in this movie, too. 

And I know there are girls out there who have a crush on Loki as a character, but I'm pretty sure that after seeing this movie that will all stop. What a despicable villain! Really. You can sort of see where he's coming from, but in order to see his full point of view you're mind would have to be as twisted as his. Even his "smile" is chilling. 

The scene where he forced those people to bow...man, even the extras are good actors! I don't want to give anything away but--that was a really good scene.

The action scenes were great--action without being pointless--and the final battle battle was the sort that leaves you on the edge of your seat. (And you know I loved the Lord of the Rings reference.)

And I know that it's really difficult for movies nowadays to bring something new to the table when it involves aliens, but they pulled it off. The aliens' design was very original. 

The Avengers just packs all the right ingredients. With a punch.

Why don't people make more movies like this?

Favorite Line: Oh, gosh. Almost every line was my favorite! So many good one-liners. But since I need something, have this awesome one: 

Council Member: War isn’t won by sentiment, Director.
Nick Fury: No, it’s won by soldiers.

Verdict: Go see it! And maybe even again after that! Aaand maybe even again...
Grey Travel Rating: 4/5
Special Effects: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Acting: 5/5
Objectionable Content:
Bruce wakes up naked after being the Hulk, but nothing is shown, and actually they cover him up via camera very well. During an interrogation a man tells a woman "This is not how I wanted this evening to go", but nothing further is implied. Loki puts some spinning device to a man's face--the man's body is shown jerking in pain but it's only slightly disturbing if you have a good imagination. Stark calls himself a playboy. One use of the Lord's name in vain. Uses of the H-word and D-word a few times. One use of the B-word, P-word, and A-word.

Literary Lists: Famous Literary Swords: Rhindon

I had the idea of doing this series of posts for a while. And so without further ado, I give you the first sword:

Rhindon
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Rhindon was given to Peter Pevensie--the future High King of Narnia--by Father Christmas. The Long Winter was ending, and it was the first time that Father Christmas had been able to come to Narnia in a hundred years.
Peter was the first of the Pevensie children to receive his gifts: Rhindon and a silver shield with lion on it, "as bright as a ripe strawberry."

The hilt of the sword was gold and it had a sheath and a sword belt and everything it needed, and it was just the right size and weight for Peter to use. Peter was silent and solemn as he received these gifts, for he felt they were a very serious kind of present. 

His first real use of the sword occurred when he fought the White Witch's chief of police, the wolf Maugrim. He ended up killing the wolf as he lunged at him, and Aslan later bestowed upon him the title of Sir Peter Wolfsbane.
And while leading the Narnians in the final fight against the White Witch, Rhindon was with him.

King Peter also used Rhindon when he dueled against King Miraz in Prince Caspian. He won the duel, but treachery from Miraz's officers brought another battle.

In the film version, at least, the blade is shown to have words on it.
On one side it reads:
When Aslan bares his teeth, winter meets its death
and on the other:
When He shakes his mane, we shall have spring again