The Riddle of the Wren

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The Riddle of the Wren is a Celtic fantasy novel written by Canadian author Charles de Lint. Published in 1984, it was de Lint's first novel. The book has recently been republished by Firebird Fantasy. The Riddle of the Wren tells the story of Minda Sealy, whom after being trapped inside a dark nightmare, journeys into other worlds to confront Ildran the Dream-master and save the Lord of the Moors.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details about the book follow.

The novel begins with the protagonist, a seventeen year old girl named Minda Sealy who lives in the town of Fernwillow. For many nights, nightmares ravish her until, one night, she finds herself within a peaceful moorland. There, she unlocks a stone and meets the spirit of Jan, a muryan and the Lord of the Moors. There in the silhonell, Jan is 'stonebound' into a menhir. To escape his prison, he makes a trade with Minda. If Minda promises to save Jan, she will receive three gifts: a pouch of blue pebbles, or porthmeyn, that may be used as a 'gate between worlds'; a new name, Talenyn, meaning 'little wren'; and an acorn pendant that wards away the Dream-Master Ildran - the very being who antagonizes both Jan and Minda. Jan says to find his kin on Weir, and to tell them that he is in the Grey Hills on Highwolding, and then vanishes.

Despite the fears of her abusive father and of Ildran, Minda decides to travel to the nearest henge and gate herself to Weir. With the world 'Caeldh,' she enters the void between worlds, where she is attacked by Ildran, and is lost into the darkness. Minda awakens to find herself in the Last World, Dewethtyr, in the city Darkruin. The city is filled with large bat creatures called skellers, and Minda's only defense against them is a magical sword. The sword will glow in blue fire and possess Minda's body with the spirit of a warrior. She wanders until she meets the Loremistress Taneh Leafmoon and the wolf, Ruhn. Through them, she meets a tinker named Markj'n and a Wysling named Grimbold. Grimbold is in fact a badger, or one of the speaking beasts called the mys-hudol. Minda even meets a horned man named Huorn that, if he had not attacked Minda, may have been at her side in confronting Ildran. However, nobody knows where to find the worlds of Weir or Highwolding. Grimbold agrees to take Minda to the only muryan (one of Jan's kin) that he knows of: Taryn Weldwen, who may show her where. Within the many days prior to traveling to Gythelen, Minda dreams of meeting the god Cernunnos, the Horned-God, the god of the weren (muryan are included as weren). As well, Ildran's forces have been following them, including skellers and a beast called the Walker. Once in the beautiful, elvish world of Gythelen, Minda and the company are captured, but soon proven innocent and invited to stay in Elenwood Hall. There, they meet the Lady of Elenwood, a golden-haired erl named Sian. Many battles have been taking place on Gythelen, including the sealing of their gate, which both Minda and Taneh had broken for them. Together, the parties decide to take off and fight Ildran's forces.

As she engages in more battles, Minda finds it more and more difficult to return herself after using the sword. At a point of no return, it is Cabber, a wolf from Darkruin, who saves Minda. Cabber, or Cablin is in fact the son of Cernunnos, but his names are many. With this, Minda finds herself magically and physically changing. As Cablin teaches her, one of these new powers is for her to call upon the weren. She meets Jo'Akim, who teaches her of the weren. He allows her to realize that although Taryn is no longer alive (she was killed in an earlier battle), there is still hope: Minda will travel to High Tor in Weir itself, rescue and battle Ildran the Dream-Master. With the porthmeyn, she creates a henge, and transports herself and the others to Weir, where the weren are already making battle on High Tor (the old home of the Gatekeepers, or Wessener). Here, she and Cablin rescue Jan. Mind and Jan make way for High Tor to find her friends slain by the enemy, around their necks baring 'holding-crystals' - devices which allow Ildran to control the corpses. The sword compels Minda to burn with fury, and there, unable to control herself, knocks Jan unconscious. When at last free of the sword, Minda makes her way into Ildran's domain. There, she learns of her mother's past as a Wessener, and how she fled to Fernwillow and had Minda, the last of the gatekeepers. Ildran had been wanting to purge the world of the Wessener, and he must slay Minda, the last of them all, to gain true power. She fights his illusions and shatters the pulsing, red orb that holds both his power and the souls which he controls (the crystals lose power, and most everyone is restored). Huorn, slaying Ildran's Waster, carries the sleeping Minda to Tor.

The novel ends with all the characters, although injured, alive and gathered in reunion. The rowan on Tor blooms with red flowers, and Minda hears her last words from Cablin, his harp, "and then they too faded until only the memory of them remained."