Marshes of Morva
Encyclopedia
The Marshes of Morva is a region in the fictional country
of Prydain
in Lloyd Alexander
's fantasy series, The Chronicles of Prydain
. It is most notable for being the home of the three Fates
-like enchantresses, Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch
.
es, themselves are similar to marshes encountered today, although Alexander imbibes them with a menacing and foreboding air. They are a vast "dreadful, smelly, ugly-looking fens." Great ropes of fog
rise from the ground. Thorny furze and meager clumps of tree
s dot the edges of the marsh. The sky
seems permanently gray and cloudy. There are many pools of stagnant water, grass
es, reeds
, and bog
s. A strong stench of decay
fills the air. The Marshes are bursting with life, with marsh birds, duck
s, frog
s, mice
, and insects whose wings cause a "ceaseless thrumming and groaning" in the air. As the companions travel through the marshes, they also see bodies of drowned traveler
s stuck in the bogs.
The Marshes are located in the extreme southwest corner of Prydain
. Alexander found the name "Morva" in the Welsh
literary piece, the Mabinogion
, although there it is a field
. He thought the sound and alliteration were particularly appealing.
, occurs in the Marshes of Morva. They are first mentioned by the talking crow
, Kaw
, who is hinting to Taran
and the companions the location of The Black Crochan, the object of their quest
. After many days of travel, the companions find the Marshes, but are then attacked by the Huntsmen of Annuvin. The Companions jump from bog to bog to escape them, while the Huntsmen are sucked into the mire and drown.
However, greater dangers await them as them meet the mysterious sorceresses
es Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch
, who live in the Marshes. Their cottage
is made of peat
, with neglected chicken coop
s and rust
ed farm implements
scattered among the tall grasses. The Marsh both teams with life and reeks of decay; an appropriate setting for the three witches who seem to be a form of the Fates who control life and death.
Eventually, the companions make a trade for the enchanted cauldron in the Sister's possession and the leave the swamp. Upon exiting, their journey
is even more difficult, and they are gladdened to depart the Marshes.
. While seeking information about his lineage, he finds the region still uninviting and "bleak, ugly, untouched by spring". While Taran does not spend much time in the Marshes, it is here that Orddu sends him on his quest to find the Mirror of Llunet
. He thinks back to this meeting many times in the remainder of the novel.
Dallben
makes an off-stage voyage to the Marshes in the fifth novel The High King
, the titular short story
of The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain
is set in the Marshes of Morva. It is explained how Dallben, Moses
-like, is found in a basket
in the rushes
by the Orrdu, Orwen and Orgoch. They raise him as their own
child
until he tastes a potion
of wisdom
and must be expelled from their care. (A possible reference to Adam and the Tree of Knowledge
in the Garden of Eden
). Little is made of the ominous nature of the Marshes in this story.
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
of Prydain
Prydain
Prydain is the modern Welsh name for Britain.-Medieval:Prydain is the medieval Welsh term for the island of Britain . More specifically, Prydain may refer to the Brittonic parts of the island; that is, the parts south of Caledonia...
in Lloyd Alexander
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 fantasy series, 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...
. It is most notable for being the home of the three Fates
Moirae
The Moirae, Moerae or Moirai , in Greek mythology, were the white-robed incarnations of destiny . Their number became fixed at three...
-like enchantresses, 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...
.
Description
The MarshMarsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, themselves are similar to marshes encountered today, although Alexander imbibes them with a menacing and foreboding air. They are a vast "dreadful, smelly, ugly-looking fens." Great ropes of fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
rise from the ground. Thorny furze and meager clumps of tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s dot the edges of the marsh. The sky
Sky
The sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...
seems permanently gray and cloudy. There are many pools of stagnant water, grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es, reeds
Reed bed
Reed beds are natural habitats found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions andestuaries. Reed beds are part of a succession from young reed colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground...
, and bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s. A strong stench of decay
Decomposition
Decomposition is the process by which organic material is broken down into simpler forms of matter. The process is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biome. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death...
fills the air. The Marshes are bursting with life, with marsh birds, duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s, frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, mice
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
, and insects whose wings cause a "ceaseless thrumming and groaning" in the air. As the companions travel through the marshes, they also see bodies of drowned traveler
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
s stuck in the bogs.
The Marshes are located in the extreme southwest corner of Prydain
Prydain
Prydain is the modern Welsh name for Britain.-Medieval:Prydain is the medieval Welsh term for the island of Britain . More specifically, Prydain may refer to the Brittonic parts of the island; that is, the parts south of Caledonia...
. Alexander found the name "Morva" in the Welsh
Literature of Wales (Welsh language)
After literature written in the classical languages literature in the Welsh language is the oldest surviving literature in Europe. The Welsh literary tradition stretches from the 6th century to the twenty-first. Its fortunes have fluctuated over the centuries, in line with those of the Welsh...
literary piece, the Mabinogion
Mabinogion
The Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions...
, although there it is a field
Field (agriculture)
In agriculture, the word field refers generally to an area of land enclosed or otherwise and used for agricultural purposes such as:* Cultivating crops* Usage as a paddock or, generally, an enclosure of livestock...
. He thought the sound and alliteration were particularly appealing.
The Black Cauldron
A significant portion of the second novel of the series, 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...
, occurs in the Marshes of Morva. They are first mentioned by the talking crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
, Kaw
Kaw
Kaw may refer to:* Kaw , a Native American tribe* Kaw, French Guiana, a town in French Guiana* Kaw , a character in The Chronicles of Prydain* Kaw City, Oklahoma, a city in the United States* Kaw Lake, a lake in the U.S...
, who is hinting to 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:...
and the companions the location of The Black Crochan, the object of their quest
Quest
In mythology and literature, a quest, a journey towards a goal, serves as a plot device and as a symbol. Quests appear in the folklore of every nation and also figure prominently in non-national cultures. In literature, the objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and...
. After many days of travel, the companions find the Marshes, but are then attacked by the Huntsmen of Annuvin. The Companions jump from bog to bog to escape them, while the Huntsmen are sucked into the mire and drown.
However, greater dangers await them as them meet the mysterious sorceresses
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
es 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...
, who live in the Marshes. Their cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
is made of peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
, with neglected chicken coop
Chicken coop
A chicken coop is a building where female chickens are kept. Inside there are often nest boxes for egg laying and perches on which the birds can sleep, although coops for meat birds seldom have either of these features....
s and rust
Rust
Rust is a general term for a series of iron oxides. In colloquial usage, the term is applied to red oxides, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture...
ed farm implements
Farm equipment
Agricultural machinery is any kind of machinery used on a farm to help with farming. The best-known example of this kind is the tractor.-Soil cultivation:*Cultivator*Cultipacker*Chisel plow*Mulch tiller*Harrow**Spike harrow**Drag harrow...
scattered among the tall grasses. The Marsh both teams with life and reeks of decay; an appropriate setting for the three witches who seem to be a form of the Fates who control life and death.
Eventually, the companions make a trade for the enchanted cauldron in the Sister's possession and the leave the swamp. Upon exiting, their journey
Travel
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
is even more difficult, and they are gladdened to depart the Marshes.
In Taran Wanderer
Taran returns to the Marshes in the fourth novel of the series, Taran WandererTaran 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...
. While seeking information about his lineage, he finds the region still uninviting and "bleak, ugly, untouched by spring". While Taran does not spend much time in the Marshes, it is here that Orddu sends him on his quest to find the Mirror of Llunet
Mirror of Llunet
The Mirror of Llunet is an oracular pool of water and the object of a quest in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. It is featured in the fourth novel of the series, Taran Wanderer. Those seeking truth travel to the Mirror to gaze into its depths.-Description:The Mirror...
. He thinks back to this meeting many times in the remainder of the novel.
In The Foundling
While the sorcererMagician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
Dallben
Dallben
Dallben is an important character in Lloyd Alexander's children's series The Chronicles of Prydain.-Profile:Dallben is described as an ancient man with a long white beard. He lives on the farm known as Caer Dallben, where he acts as protector of Coll's oracular pig, Hen Wen. He also is the...
makes an off-stage voyage to the Marshes in the fifth novel 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:...
, the titular short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
of The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain
The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain
The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain is a collection of six short stories by Lloyd Alexander. Although first published in 1973, after the five novels that comprise The Chronicles of Prydain, these short stories take place before the events of the books that preceded them...
is set in the Marshes of Morva. It is explained how Dallben, Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
-like, is found in a basket
Basket
A basket is a container which is traditionally constructed from stiff fibres, which can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehair, baleen, or metal wire can be used. Baskets are...
in the rushes
Scirpus
The plant genus Scirpus consists of a large number of aquatic, grass-like species in the family Cyperaceae , many with the common names club-rush or bulrush . Other common names are deergrass or grassweed.The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, and grows in wetlands and moist soil...
by the Orrdu, Orwen and Orgoch. They raise him as their own
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
until he tastes a potion
Potion
A potion is a consumable medicine or poison.In mythology and literature, a potion is usually made by a magician, sorcerer, dragon, fairy or witch and has magical properties. It might be used to heal, bewitch or poison people...
of wisdom
Wisdom
Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one's emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and...
and must be expelled from their care. (A possible reference to Adam and the Tree of Knowledge
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
In the Book of Genesis, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or the tree of knowledge was a tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden. . God directly forbade Adam to eat the fruit of this tree...
in the Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
). Little is made of the ominous nature of the Marshes in this story.