The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner
"The Weirdstone of Brisingamen" and its sequel "The Moon of Gomrath" are fantasy novels centered around the adventures of two siblings, Colin and Susan, as they become embroiled in a battle between good and evil. In "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen," the children attempt to return a powerful magical stone, known as Firefrost, to the wizard Cadellin Silverbrow. Their journey is threatened by sinister forces, including goblin-like creatures called svarts and an evil wizard named Grimnir. The narrative is rooted in English folklore, particularly the legend of Alderley Edge, where a wizard and his sleeping knights await the time of England's greatest peril.
The sequel, "The Moon of Gomrath," escalates the stakes as Colin and Susan face new challenges, including Susan’s possession by an evil spirit known as the Brollachan. Colin's quest to rescue her leads him to seek a magical plant while encountering the Wild Hunt, a group of spectral hunters that plays a pivotal role in their adventures. The stories weave elements of magic, courage, and the struggle against dark forces, exploring themes of friendship and resilience. Together, these novels form a rich tapestry of myth and adventure that continues to resonate with readers interested in fantasy literature and folklore.
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The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath
First published:The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (1960) and The Moon of Gomrath (1963)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Fantasy—high fantasy
Time of work: The 1950’s
Locale: Alderley Edge in Cheshire, England
The Plot
In The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, two children, Colin and Susan, are caught up in a struggle between the powers of good and evil as they try to return a magical weirdstone to the safe custody of the wizard Cadellin Silverbrow. The sequel, The Moon of Gomrath, deals with two rescues: first that of Susan, who is possessed by an evil spirit known as the Brollachan, then that of Colin, who is taken captive by the forces of evil. The latter are defeated with the aid of the Wild Hunt.
The first novel opens by retelling the legend of Alderley, concerning a wizard who bought a white mare from a local farmer. Leading the farmer into a secret cavern beneath the ridge known as Alderley Edge, the wizard showed him 140 knights in silver armor. All but one had a milk-white mare beside him. The knights were waiting in an enchanted sleep for the day they would save England from its greatest peril. The farmer was paid with as many jewels as he could carry away. Though he often searched, he never found the cavern again.
The story line begins with the arrival of Colin and Susan to stay for a few months with Gowther and Bess Mossock, who farm by Alderley Edge. After attracting the attention of the forces of evil, Colin and Susan are trapped by a band of goblinlike creatures known as svarts. They are rescued by Cadellin, who takes them into the Fundindelve, a cavern in which a king and his knights lie sleeping. There he tells them of the loss of Firefrost, the weirdstone of Brisingamen, whose power preserves the Sleepers. Only later does Susan realize that the weirdstone is none other than her Tear, a jewel given to her by her mother, who was given it by Bess. Bess, it is surmised, is a descendant of the farmer who obtained the jewel when he sold the white mare to Cadellin.
Before Firefrost can be returned, however, it is taken from them by Grimnir, an evil wizard. The children manage to steal it back, then flee into a network of tunnels left by old mine workings. With the aid of two dwarfs, Fenodyree and Durathror, they elude pursuing svarts. Back on the surface, other evil creatures, led by the shape-shifting Morrigan, join the pursuit. Assistance is offered by those who support good, most notably Angharad Goldenhand, who gives Susan a bracelet. At the climax of the chase, Cadellin recovers Firefrost, both Grimnir and Durathror are slain, and the forces of evil are scattered.
The Moon of Gomrath continues the children’s adventures. Susan’s body is possessed by the Brollachan. In order to restore her, Colin must search for a magical plant known as the Mothan. He finds it after running along the old, straight track revealed by the rising full moon. Thanks to his efforts, Susan is saved, her spirit recalled from the Threshold of the Summer Stars to which she had been riding with Celemon and the Daughters of the Moon.
Colin’s actions, however, disturb the slumbering powers of the Old Magic. When the children light a bonfire on Beacon Hill on the Eve of Gomrath, they accelerate the process by raising the Wild Hunt. Cadellin mistrusts the Old Magic because it cannot be controlled, but when Colin is captured by a dwarf called Pelis the False and handed over to the Morrigan, the assistance of the Wild Hunt proves crucial on two occasions. On the first, Susan invokes the power of her bracelet, and the Wild Hunt chases off a savage horde of wildcats and goblinlike bodachs that have trapped her and the dwarf Uthecar Hornskin. With the assistance of the elves and Albanac, one of the Children of Danu, Susan and Uthecar rescue Colin, though many lives are lost. When the Morrigan unleashes the Brollachan at the end, however, they are saved only by the arrival of both the Wild Hunt and the Daughters of the Moon, summoned when Susan blows a horn given to her by Angharad Goldenhand for just such an emergency.