Cauldron-Born
Encyclopedia
In Lloyd Alexander
's series of fantasy books The Chronicles of Prydain
, the Cauldron-Born are a race of deathless warriors in the service of Arawn
, Death-Lord of Annuvin.
, the Black Cauldron is the source of the Cauldron-Born's power and life. Arawn borrowed it from the witches Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch
, and ruined it for any task other than making the Cauldron-Born. It is described as a large black iron pot with two rings and a mouth large enough to fit a man, and has what appears to be dried blood flecked on the rim. The wind passing across the cauldron's mouth sounds like the moans of all those who have been fed to the Cauldron.
The cauldon is impervious to all normal forms of destruction including magic. The only way it can be destroyed is if a living person willingly enters the Cauldron "knowing full well what he does". Doing so, however, will kill the person. In the end, Ellidyr
, son of Pen-Llarcau, gave his life in this manner.
Taran
strikes a Cauldron warrior with the sword, which in turn kills all of them.
Because of their great strengths the Cauldron-Born make formidable warriors. In The High King
they slew the high-king Math and in The High King, during the battle of Caer Dathyl
, they caused the attacking army to draw back into formation, parting like a gate as the Cauldron-Born marched towards the castle. Since the Cauldron-Born never speak, it would seem that they cannot engage in coordinated tactics or strategic movement during a battle, at least not without some person present to relay information. They do, however, understand speech in some fashion: in The Book of Three Achren
gives them orders in an unknown language.
discovers the black sword Drynwyn hidden under a rock. When he drew the sword, the Cauldron-Born warrior actually showed a sign of fear. Taran
struck down the warrior. For the first time, the mute Cauldron-Born actually made a noise, screaming when it fell. All the Cauldron-Born dropped to the earth, returning to normal corpses.
and Taran Wanderer
. However, they are still mentioned in these books.
Alexander, Lloyd. The High King. Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Children, New York, NY. 1968.
Lloyd Alexander
Lloyd Chudley Alexander was a widely influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books...
's series of fantasy books The Chronicles of Prydain
The Chronicles of Prydain
The Chronicles of Prydain is a five-volume series of children's fantasy novels by author Lloyd Alexander...
, the Cauldron-Born are a race of deathless warriors in the service of Arawn
Arawn
In Welsh mythology, Arawn was the king of the otherworld realm of Annwn, appearing prominently in the first branch, and alluded to in the fourth. In later tradition, the role of king of Annwn was largely attributed to the Welsh psychopomp, Gwyn ap Nudd...
, Death-Lord of Annuvin.
Origins
The Cauldron-Born were originally mortal men. After being slain in battle, Arawn, Death-Lord of Annuvin, placed their lifeless corpses inside his Black Cauldron. From inside the Cauldron, they arose as undead, mute, warriors void of all memory of their past life. They serve Arawn as sentries in Annuvin, however he occasionally sends them on scouting or military missions. Arawn traditionally used bodies of those already dead in order to create the Cauldron-Born. However, following the death of his champion, The Horned King, Arawn sent his men to not only rob graves, but to slay the living and bring them to Annuvin to feed to the Black Cauldron and increase their ranks.The Black Cauldron
As described in the book, The Black CauldronThe Black Cauldron (novel)
The Black Cauldron is a 1965 fantasy novel, the second book in Lloyd Alexander's five-part novel series The Chronicles of Prydain . The story centers on the adventures of Taran, an Assistant Pig-Keeper in the magical land of Prydain, as he joins in a quest to capture the eponymous vessel, a...
, the Black Cauldron is the source of the Cauldron-Born's power and life. Arawn borrowed it from the witches Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch
Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch
Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch are fictional characters in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain series.They are three witches who live alone in the Marshes of Morva...
, and ruined it for any task other than making the Cauldron-Born. It is described as a large black iron pot with two rings and a mouth large enough to fit a man, and has what appears to be dried blood flecked on the rim. The wind passing across the cauldron's mouth sounds like the moans of all those who have been fed to the Cauldron.
The cauldon is impervious to all normal forms of destruction including magic. The only way it can be destroyed is if a living person willingly enters the Cauldron "knowing full well what he does". Doing so, however, will kill the person. In the end, Ellidyr
Ellidyr
Ellidyr is a fictional character in the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. He plays a tragic, pivotal role in the second book of the series, The Black Cauldron....
, son of Pen-Llarcau, gave his life in this manner.
Strengths and weaknesses
The Cauldron-Born's greatest advantage is that they are not alive, and thus cannot be killed. They feel no pain or fear or mercy, do not need water or food or sleep, and they never question orders because they possess no soul or memory of who they were in life. Simply put, they are puppets of Arawn who will obey his every command. However, the Cauldron-Born are not omnipotent. Their power diminishes the further they get from Annuvin and the Black Cauldron. In fact it is possible for them to stray far enough that they return to a normal corpse. However, it seems they have an innate knowledge of exactly how far they can go before this happens. This limit aside they only have one true weakness, the black sword Dyrnwyn. In The High KingThe High King
The High King is the last book in the Chronicles of Prydain fantasy series of books by Lloyd Alexander. It was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1969.-Plot overview:...
Taran
Taran (character)
Taran is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Prydain series, as well as in the film and game named after the second novel, The Black Cauldron.-Profile:...
strikes a Cauldron warrior with the sword, which in turn kills all of them.
Because of their great strengths the Cauldron-Born make formidable warriors. In The High King
The High King
The High King is the last book in the Chronicles of Prydain fantasy series of books by Lloyd Alexander. It was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1969.-Plot overview:...
they slew the high-king Math and in The High King, during the battle of Caer Dathyl
Caer Dathyl
Caer Dathyl was a Welsh fortress in Arfon in northern Gwynedd referred to in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, the Tale of Math fab Mathonwy. Its precise location is currently unknown and has been the subject of speculation. In the tale, it is the seat of Math's court to which Gwydion ap Don...
, they caused the attacking army to draw back into formation, parting like a gate as the Cauldron-Born marched towards the castle. Since the Cauldron-Born never speak, it would seem that they cannot engage in coordinated tactics or strategic movement during a battle, at least not without some person present to relay information. They do, however, understand speech in some fashion: in The Book of Three Achren
Achren
Achren is a fictional character and villainess in the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain, written by Lloyd Alexander.-Profile:In the novels, Achren was once Queen of Prydain, and ruled many years as a harsh and vengeful tyrant, both as ruler and then as the Death-lord Arawn's consort...
gives them orders in an unknown language.
Demise
Trying to escape an on-coming Cauldron-Born warrior on Mount Dragon, TaranTaran (character)
Taran is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Prydain series, as well as in the film and game named after the second novel, The Black Cauldron.-Profile:...
discovers the black sword Drynwyn hidden under a rock. When he drew the sword, the Cauldron-Born warrior actually showed a sign of fear. Taran
Taran (character)
Taran is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Prydain series, as well as in the film and game named after the second novel, The Black Cauldron.-Profile:...
struck down the warrior. For the first time, the mute Cauldron-Born actually made a noise, screaming when it fell. All the Cauldron-Born dropped to the earth, returning to normal corpses.
Appearances
The Cauldron-Born appear in all books except The Castle of LlyrThe Castle of Llyr
The Castle of Llyr is the third volume in the children's fantasy series Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, first published in 1966.Taran continues his adventures and encounters new friends and old enemies.- Plot :...
and Taran Wanderer
Taran Wanderer
Taran Wanderer is the fourth book in the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander. It tells of Taran's search for his lineage through which he encounters many different people who each help to shape Taran as he learns about who he truly is. It is the only book in the series in which...
. However, they are still mentioned in these books.
Sources
Alexander, Lloyd. The Black Cauldron. Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Children, New York, NY. 1965.Alexander, Lloyd. The High King. Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Children, New York, NY. 1968.