Volkhavaar by Tanith Lee
Volkhavaar is a narrative centered around themes of love, magic, and the struggle for power. The story unfolds with Shaina, a slave girl who encounters the sorceress Barbayat, who foretells her romantic destiny involving a young actor named Dasyel. After a captivating performance by Dasyel and his troupe, Shaina falls deeply in love but finds herself in a precarious situation when the actors mysteriously vanish, leading her to seek Barbayat's assistance. In exchange for a spell that allows her to connect with Dasyel, Shaina sacrifices her blood to restore Barbayat’s strength.
Parallel to Shaina's journey is the backstory of Kernik, also known as Volkhavaar, a magician who rises to power through dark magic and sacrifices. His quest for dominance leads him to enslave others and ultimately confront the repercussions of his actions, including the tragic fate of those he loves. The climax of the tale occurs as Shaina, after a series of harrowing events, ultimately challenges Kernik's power by invoking the god Takerna, showcasing the profound connection between love and sacrifice. The narrative weaves together elements of fantasy and moral complexity, illustrating the transformative power of love amidst chaos.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Volkhavaar
First published: 1977
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—high fantasy
Time of work: Around the time of the festival of the Sun
Locale: The land of the Korkeem
The Plot
While she is tending the flocks of her master, the slave girl Shaina meets a sorceress, Barbayat, the Grey Lady of the Cold Crag. Barbayat predicts that Shaina will meet someone whose look will penetrate her heart and that she will then return to seek Barbayat’s help. That evening, Kernik and his group of actors arrive in the village and present such a stunning show that the villagers hold a lavish feast. After the performance, Shaina notices Dasyel Parvelson, a young actor, and falls in love with him.
In the morning, the group of actors leaves, and Shaina notices that they do not cast any shadows. The people of the village forget that the actors were there and blame thieves for their missing food. Shaina returns to Barbayat to find out how she can meet Dasyel. Barbayat agrees to give her a spell if she will allow Barbayat to suck blood from her arm every night for seven nights in order to restore Barbayat’s strength. After fulfilling her part of the agreement, Shaina receives a spell that will allow her soul to leave her body and find Dasyel.
At this point, a flashback depicts the life of Kernik, the magician. As a young boy, Kernik lives with his mother among the Korkeem. Many people make fun of him because of his yellow skin and odd appearance. He begins to assist Voy, the priest of Sovan Tovannazit, in making his offering of bread to their god. Kernik perceives a deep magic in the altar of the god, realizes that the god’s name is really Takerna, and decides to make his own offering. At night, he offers the blood of three rabbits. In return, Takerna gives Kernik the power to cast illusions.
As his power grows greater, Kernik calls down lightning on Voy and takes over the village. His power is destroyed, however, when he tries to offer a maiden as a sacrifice to Takerna. The young man who loves the maiden seizes the idol of Takerna and plunges with it off a cliff. The maiden kills herself, and Kernik flees from the village to the Volkyan plain. He takes the name Volk and joins a band of thieves and murderers. Eventually he is captured and imprisoned by the governor of Svatza.
While working in the quarries of the governor of Svatza, he notices an idol to Takerna. He regains his power by offering himself as a sacrifice to his god and is reborn as Volkhavaar. He builds a huge tower by the river and kills the governor of Svatza. He eventually enslaves Yevdora, a young maiden, and Dasyel and Roshi, two actors, by offering their souls to Takerna. He is on his way to the palace of the duke of Arkev when his company passes through Shaina’s village and she falls in love with Dasyel.
After announcing his arrival with falling stars, burning flames, and black swans, Kernik/Volkhavaar arrives in Arkev on the final day of the festival of the Sun. His performance enthralls the people of Arkev, and the duke gives his rather plain daughter, Woana, to Kernik. Kernik calls down lightning on the duke and duchess and devotes the entire city to the worship of Takerna through blood rites and unnatural orgies. Shaina’s soul visits the city but is driven back by Kernik. When she returns to her village, she finds that her body has been beheaded by the priest from Kost.
Barbayat helps her soul enter the body of Woana’s cat, Mitz, and Shaina/Mitz observes Kernik’s takeover of Arkev. Barbayat uses her magic to rejoin Shaina’s body and head and recall her soul. Shaina returns to Arkev, where she defeats Kernik by convincing Takerna that he is not an evil god by offering her love for Dasyel as a sacrifice.