Belgariad series: Difference between revisions
(→Pregnancy & Fertility: subhead) |
(→Gender issues: stub) |
||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
==Gender issues== | ==Gender issues== | ||
===characters=== | |||
The "Eddings formula" almost always focused on a male "hero", with a female love interest subplot. Most supporting and peripheral characters are also male. [[Polgara]] is the strongest female character in the series. | |||
A pantheon of gods are all apparently male. | |||
===cultures and species=== | |||
A couple of the various "races" / nations in the series had specific gender-issues angles; otherwise they were mostly the standard patriarchal semi-medieval fantasy worlds of much high fantasy. | A couple of the various "races" / nations in the series had specific gender-issues angles; otherwise they were mostly the standard patriarchal semi-medieval fantasy worlds of much high fantasy. | ||
===the Marags of Mara=== | ====the Marags of Mara==== | ||
The Marags, the people of Mara, were a matriarchal race, thought at the beginning of the Belgariad to be destroyed. Female births outnumbered male births eight or nine to one; marriage was uncommon; and sexual freedom was common. | The Marags, the people of Mara, were a matriarchal race, thought at the beginning of the Belgariad to be destroyed. Female births outnumbered male births eight or nine to one; marriage was uncommon; and sexual freedom was common. | ||
===Godless Ones=== | ====Godless Ones==== | ||
The Godless Ones were cursed by Ulgo so that all female Godless Ones were infertile. | The Godless Ones were cursed by Ulgo so that all female Godless Ones were infertile. | ||
===Dryads=== | ====Dryads==== | ||
A species of all-female promiscuous tree nymphs, who breed with human males to produce offspring. | A species of all-female promiscuous tree nymphs, who breed with human males to produce offspring. | ||
Revision as of 10:03, 28 September 2007
The Belgariad series is a series of high fantasy works, written by David Eddings (credited) and Leigh Eddings (uncredited).
Works in the series
The Belgariad series includes several subseries:
- The Belgariad
- Pawn of Prophecy (1982)
- Queen of Sorcery (1982)
- Magician's Gambit (1983)
- Castle of Wizardry (1984)
- Enchanters' End Game (1984)
- The Malloreon
- Guardians of the West
- King of the Murgos
- Demon Lord of Karanda
- Sorceress of Darshiva
- The Seeress of Kell
- Related works
- Belgarath the Sorcerer
- Polgara the Sorceress
- The Rivan Codex
Gender issues
characters
The "Eddings formula" almost always focused on a male "hero", with a female love interest subplot. Most supporting and peripheral characters are also male. Polgara is the strongest female character in the series.
A pantheon of gods are all apparently male.
cultures and species
A couple of the various "races" / nations in the series had specific gender-issues angles; otherwise they were mostly the standard patriarchal semi-medieval fantasy worlds of much high fantasy.
the Marags of Mara
The Marags, the people of Mara, were a matriarchal race, thought at the beginning of the Belgariad to be destroyed. Female births outnumbered male births eight or nine to one; marriage was uncommon; and sexual freedom was common.
Godless Ones
The Godless Ones were cursed by Ulgo so that all female Godless Ones were infertile.
Dryads
A species of all-female promiscuous tree nymphs, who breed with human males to produce offspring.
Pregnancy & Fertility
Pregnancy and fertility play repeated roles in the series.
- The Malloreon begins with Belgarion and Ce'Nedra failing to conceive for many years before finally having a child.
- Marags are defined in large part by their female/male birth ratio
- female infertility is punishment for the Godless Ones
- dryads conceive only through seducing human males
- in Demon Lord of Karanda (Malloreon #3) human females are repeatedly raped by demons; they typically die from any resulting pregnancies
Further reading
- The Belgariad (wikipedia)
- The Malloreon (wikipedia)