The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
"The Blue Sword" and "The Hero and the Crown" are the first two installments of a planned trilogy set in the fictional land of Damar, exploring themes of identity, loyalty, and empowerment through the journeys of two female protagonists, Harry Crewe and Aerin. In "The Blue Sword," Harry, an Outlander, moves to Damar and is drawn into the conflict between the Outlanders and the Free Hillfolk. Kidnapped by Corlath, the hill king, she discovers her latent psychic abilities and ultimately becomes a uniting force against a common enemy, leading to her acceptance of her dual heritage and her role as a leader.
"The Hero and the Crown" serves as a prequel, focusing on Aerin, the daughter of King Arlbeth, who grapples with her perceived inadequacies and the threat posed by the Northern demons. Despite being shunned by her court, Aerin trains herself in dragon-slaying and learns to harness her latent powers with the guidance of a wizard. Her journey culminates in a confrontation with an evil wizard, leading her to claim the Hero's Crown and solidifying her status as a revered figure in Damar.
Together, these novels delve into the complexities of leadership, personal growth, and the struggle against adversity, all while highlighting the significance of heritage and connection to one's community.
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The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown
First published:The Blue Sword (1982) and The Hero and the Crown (1984)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Fantasy—heroic fantasy
Time of work: Undefined
Locale: Primarily the land of Damar
The Plot
The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown are the first two books of a promised trilogy about the land of Damar. The Blue Sword takes place in the present, when Outlanders rule much of Damar. The Hero andthe Crown, a “prequel,” tells the story of an earlier Damar before the Outlanders arrived. Harry and Aerin, the two female heroes, each must learn to master her psychic powers. In addition, both endure extensive training in swordplay to prepare them for battle with Damar’s long-standing enemy, the inhuman demon race of the North.
In The Blue Sword, Harry Crewe leaves her Homeland after her father’s death and goes to live at the outpost where her brother Richard is stationed. Harry is restless and oddly drawn to the hills beyond her new home. Corlath, the king of the last remaining Free Hillfolk not under Homelander rule, comes to plead with the Outlander superiors to unite with him against a common enemy. A psychic hunch tells Corlath that Harry is destined to be important to the Free Hillfolk, and he kid-naps her. Harry is discovered to possess an abundance of the psychic powers needed to defeat the Northerners. Mathin, one of the King’s elite Riders, puts Harry through a rigorous training period. Harry learns to ride Sungold, her new Hill horse, and to fight with a sword. She also learns to love her new home, and she makes many friends among both human and animal followers of Corlath. Harry eventually is given the sword that belonged to Lady Aerin, Dragon-Killer, a legendary female warrior who led Damar to victory against the North in an earlier era.
As the Free Hillfolk prepare for war, Harry must deal with the conflicting emotions of loyalty to her Homeland and of her growing love for Corlath and his people. Standing between two worlds, Harry must risk her connections to the Homeland and the Hillfolk in order to save them both. To accomplish this, she must draw on her untrained psychic powers to bury the enemy under a mountain. She succeeds in leading the Damarians to victory and in cementing her relationship with Corlath. As an Outlander queen of the Free Hillfolk, she will lead her newfound people into an era in which they hope to establish better relations with the Outlanders.
The Hero and the Crown tells the story of Aerin, the warrior who appears as a legendary figure in The Blue Sword. Aerin is the only child of King Arlbeth of Damar. Aerin’s mother, who died when Aerin was born, was rumored to be a witch from the North. Her people do not trust Aerin enough to accept her as the heir to the throne, especially now that the demons of the North are threatening Damar once again. Tor, Aerin’s cousin, has been designated as heir. To make matters worse, Aerin seemingly has none of the psychic powers that Damar’s true royalty should possess.
Feeling useless and unwanted at court, Aerin begins teaching herself how to kill dragons. She befriends her father’s old warhorse, Talat, and discovers how to make a fireproof salve. She also coaxes Tor, who is already falling in love with her, to teach her the rudiments of sword fighting. Aerin becomes an expert dragon slayer and destroys Maur, the Black Dragon.
Aerin then begins training with the wizard Luthe, who teaches her to use the latent psychic abilities she has always possessed. He also gives her the fabled blue sword. Aerin must give up some of her humanity when Luthe is forced to grant her the power of partial immortality so that she can defeat her uncle Agsded, the evil wizard who is behind Damar’s problems with the North. Aerin wins back the Hero’s Crown, an amulet with protective powers, and returns to Tor and her people in time to lead them into victorious battle against the Northerners. Aerin’s heroics earn her a place of honor in the hearts of her people; in addition, King Arlbeth has fallen in battle, so Aerin agrees to become Tor’s queen. She must reconcile her love for Tor and Luthe, realizing that the immortal part of her will be able to rejoin Luthe someday.