Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Favorites in Fantasy
Please name your top favorite fantasy charcters. They can be from pretty much any fantasy work, set in any time period pretty much. I would say things like Star Wars, while they have many fantasy elements, are a bit outside my intended scope. For my purposes, Star Wars and similar items are considered "space opera".
Please give their name, specific fictional work or general fictional world/genre, whichever applies, and a short reason on why you like them. At the end, I'll have another similar question.
Mine, in no particular order:
1.) Galahad; really, he's the model for my favorite general character archetype; also, he's often portrayed as a pretty kick-butt knight, which never hurts. I think his portrayal by Stephen Lawhead is my favorite, as it's more human, while still preserving the important feel of the character, as well as his major accomplishment.
2.) Harry Dresden; while not nearly the same kind of, ah, moral example the previous character holds, I really enjoy what I've seen of the character so far in just the first book. His sense of humor is perfect, and I like his approach to the threats he faces. Also, he's one of the better wizard-types in fiction, in my opinion.
3.) Jon Snow; besides sharing a first name, he's just generally a cool character. More of a dark brooding type, he gains plenty of appeal, at least to me, through the books, first getting an albino dire wolf, then a nice sword, and then growing into a more responsible, ableit sterner, individual. Probably the roughest character so far on this list.
4.) Fingolfin; it's been a while since I've read the Simarillion, but I can't forgot this guy easily. A solid guy/elf all around, definitely a good example for grace towards family, oh, and an incredible warrior.
5.) Uther Lightbringer; he created the order of paladins in his world. Enough said.
Now, for the other question for my readers: What is your favorite character type/archetype, and why?
Mine:
Paladin. For the three people who knew me and didn't know this. Mainly, this is because I find myself identifying well with the ideal, the concept. Someone devoted to God, dedicated to the protection of others, the application of strength to aid the weak, rather than oppress them. The "shining knight" imagery certainly has an appeal.
Well, post your versions either in the comments, or on your own sites, with a link/notice in the comments here, folks.
3 Comments:
Here you go.
Because I'm lazy and don't post on my own blog anymore...
1) Faramir, son of Denethor from LOTR. Yes, I love Gandalf, and Gimli has been a longtime favorite, but the older I get, the more I appreciate this character. He strives to be more than a warrior in scholarly pursuits, and doesn't fight just for fighting, but for love of that for which he fights. I also love the complexity of his staunch loyalty in the face of abandonment, and his ability to love even beyond betrayal.
2) Gerald Tarrant from the Coldfire Trilogy. He is suave, sophisticated; by his own words, "the most dangerous evil of all: reasonable." Like Wheeler, I'm not sure what it says about me that I appreciate the villain in the piece far more than the heroes, but Tarrant intrigues with balance between survival and the dark pact he made long ago. More than just a simple warrior, his greatest weapon was his mind and how he shaped the world around him.
3) Brandark Brandarkson from David Weber's Bazhell series. Brandark is an atypical "warrior-poet:" born with the soul of a bard, but with few of his other skills. Although he hides between a facade of wit and mirth, his longing to honor the beauty of the world while being unable to do so haunts me. He is a complex character, deeply passionate about art and learning, hiding behind the mask of a bravo.
4) Myrddin from The Pendragon Cycle. Lawhead's haunting portrayal of Merlin in his Arthurian saga captures my imagination. Blessed (or cursed) with immortality, wisdom, and strength beyond that of normal men, Merlin never seeks domination, however much it tempts him. The sorrows that he suffers wound even the reader, but his faith and purpose rarely waver.
5) Lame as it is to have two from the same (kinda) source, I'm going to have to go with Boromir from the movie version of LOTR. I really like how Jackson captured his deep moral quandries and fleshed out the rather sparse accounts found in the book. In the actual writing, Boromir remains a side character to me; in the movies, he dominates my impressions and memories. His tortured struggles pull at the heart, as does his eventual pennance.
Archetype: the scholar-warrior. Like Wheeler, I feel like knights are a dime a dozen, and while some paladin characters impress, I want more in person. I love the characters that strive to go beyond what is normal or expected, who long to be more than what they are. I love the idea of a character versed in warfare AND in the ways of learning and knowledge.
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1:40 PM
