Elidor by Alan Garner
"Elidor" is a fantasy novel set in Manchester, England, revolving around four siblings—Nicholas, Helen, David, and Roland—who stumble upon a derelict church while exploring. Upon entering the church to retrieve a lost ball, they are drawn into the magical realm of Elidor after encountering a mysterious fiddler named Malebron. This land is suffering under the threat of Darkness, with only one castle, Gorias, remaining in the Light. Malebron enlists the children’s help to recover ancient Treasures from the Mound of Vandwy to save Elidor.
As they navigate this desolate world, the children face challenges and ultimately must protect these Treasures after returning home, where they lose much of their memory of the adventure. However, as dark forces attempt to infiltrate their world, Roland’s memories awaken a sense of urgency to safeguard both the Treasures and Findhorn, a unicorn prophesied to save Elidor. The story culminates in an emotional struggle where the children must confront loss and sacrifice to restore balance to Elidor, bringing the narrative full circle as they return the Treasures to their rightful place.
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Elidor
First published: 1965
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—magical world
Time of work: The 1960s
Locale: Manchester, England, and Elidor
The Plot
Nicholas, David, Helen, and Roland are exploring an unfamiliar part of Manchester, England, when they discover a derelict church. Retrieving a ball lost during a game, the children go into the building, one by one, until only Roland is left outside. Frightened by music that the other children have not heard and by glimpses of a lame fiddler whom they did not see, he retreats into the church. He meets the fiddler, who, through the power of his music, transports them to another world.
Roland finds himself on a barren seashore close to a castle, which proves to be empty, although he hears the sound of a man singing. The fiddler leads him away from the castle, through desolate countryside that is devoid of living things and any evidence of human presence. They reach a mound, topped by a stone circle, where Roland finally confronts the musician.
The fiddler is Malebron, the ruler of Elidor, a land that gradually is being swamped by the powers of Darkness. Of the four castles of Elidor, only Gorias, visible in the distance, remains in the Light. Malebron is fighting to preserve it and to save the land. He has brought the children into Elidor to rescue its Treasures from the Mound of Vandwy. Roland’s brothers and sister already have entered the mound but did not emerge. Roland must save the Treasures and his siblings, a task in which he succeeds.
Malebron tells the children that he is following a book of ancient prophecies that will help him to save Elidor and that he must now find Findhorn, whose song will save the land. At this point, he and the children are attacked by forces of Darkness. Malebron sends the children back to their own world, giving them the Treasures for safekeeping.
In England, the children find that the Treasures—a sword, a spear, a chalice, and a golden stone—are now outwardly pieces of rubbish and that they generate a power that affects electrical devices. They hide the objects deep under the garden of their new house in order to dampen their power. While digging, Helen finds a broken jug that, when mended, is found to be decorated with a picture of a unicorn.
A year passes, and for Nicholas, Helen, and David, memories of Elidor fade, until they believe that the adventure was nothing more than a childish game. This angers Roland, who clearly remembers what happened. He realizes that in Elidor the dark powers are preparing to cross into his world to steal the Treasures. He also receives a message from Malebron revealing that Findhorn is a unicorn. When Findhorn crosses into their world, the hunters come after him. The children are forced to flee in order to protect the Treasures and to save Findhorn. They return to the derelict church, where Findhorn is slain. As he dies, he begins to sing, thus saving Elidor and returning it to the Light. In a final dramatic gesture, the children hurl their Treasures through the window they originally broke, returning the Treasures to Elidor.