WoT and the Belgariad/Mallorean/Elenium/Tamuli

[DojoToad]

Folks have said WoT starts by following the pattern of LotR.  But there are many similarities to the Belgariad as well.  I just started reading 'Pawn of Prophecy' again and here is what I'm finding so far:

• Garion is raised by people not his relations, and he looks distinctly different from those around him - at least by those that are well-traveled
• Silk and Capatain Brendig spar with each other like Mat and Talmanes do
• The hooded/cloaked figure that only Garion sees.  And he doesn't tell those that can help him just like Rand, Perrin, and Mat didn't mention their dreams
• The 'mad' god Torak cracked the world - though the actual madness may have come after he misused the orb.
• Durnik the smith wouldn't dream of being rude and held duty/honor as very important
• Garion raised on a farm

 

I'll add more as I continue reading...

Edited November 6, 2022 by DojoToad

[wotfan4472]

The Belgariad is a looser influence than Lord Of The Rings. But, they are still present between this and The Wheel Of Time.

It gets even looser, however, when The Mallorean takes over once The Belgariad ends, and how that ends pretty much informs the previous books. 

[bringbackthomsmoustache]

Garion is raised by Polgara who is a very distant blood relative (her sister is Garion's distant ancestor) - admittedly Durnik the smith is a non-related father figure and very significant.

 

I would argue a greater similarity to The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant including:

• A world which is recovering from magical destruction thousands of years ago.
• Those with magic (earthpower) are less powerful/skilled than those of the past.
• Those with magic have an order of guardians (bloodguard) of more than mortal competence.
• A prophesied reincarnated(ish) champion who will both save and destroy.
• A hero who seeks to deny his destiny due to personal hangups.
• Principle foe is an agent of primordial destruction seeking total dissolution of the created order.
• A group of powerful, friendly and loquacious giants with one member as a significant instructor of the hero. 

[DojoToad]

Found another - 

 

When the Countess Vasrana aggressively pursues Garion as a love interest - she is put off with a story of Garion's eventual madness.  Very similar to a situation that Rand found himself in...

[DojoToad]

And another:

 

When Asharak/Chamdar attempts to use sorcery on Garion, the amulet under his clothes became cold but seemed to burn at the same time.  Sounds like something Mat would be familiar with.  ?

 

Garion had used sorcery without knowing it several times before knowing he was capable - like Rand with Bela...

Edited May 30, 2022 by DojoToad

[DojoToad]

A bit of a stretch, but the plains of Maragor are a bit like the Ways in WoT - but with the scary voices and visions anyway.  Definitely not the shortcuts in travel though.

 

"The East and West are girding for the last war."  Last Battle anyone?  I know not a new concept in literature, just one more thread tying the Belgariad to WoT.

Edited May 30, 2022 by DojoToad

[DojoToad]

When Garion brings the stillborn colt to life. Death is a bridge too far for magic to heal just as it is WoT. Could injure yourself by even trying. Garion succeeds where Rand failed. 
 

Trying to do something with sorcery that is ‘impossible’ can drain you. You pour too much energy into it and don’t have enough strength left to keep your heart beating. Not quite like burning out with the one power but similar…

Edited May 31, 2022 by DojoToad

[DojoToad]

The voice in Garion’s head. He can learn from it and converse with it, similar to Lews  Therin in Rand’s head. 
 

The presence isn’t always there and doesn’t necessarily come when called

Edited June 13, 2022 by DojoToad

[DojoToad]

21 hours ago, DojoToad said:

A bit of a stretch, but the plains of Maragor are a bit like the Ways in WoT - but with the scary voices and visions anyway.  Definitely not the shortcuts in travel though.

 

Combine the Plains of Maragor with the horror-inspired visions and scary voices along with the caves of Ulgo with their darkness, echos, oppressive atmosphere, etc. —- and we are well on our way to the Ways from WoT. 

[DojoToad]

From the prologue in Book 5 - 

 

"Being an account of beginnings-and endings."

 

Flipped 180 degrees from Jordan's familiar start.

[DojoToad]

The Nadrak woman, Vella, doing the sexy dance like Faile - sa’sara

 

Belgarath and Belgarion turning into wolves. 
 

The Mallorean soldiers and especially the Grolims have several similarities to the Children of the Light - though not nearly as developed 

Edited June 14, 2022 by DojoToad

[Andra]

2 hours ago, DojoToad said:

The Nadrak woman, Vella, doing the sexy dance like Faile - sa’sara

 

Belgarath and Belgarion turning into wolves. 
 

The Mallorean soldiers and especially the Grolims have several similarities to the Children of the Light - though not nearly as developed 

Grolim?

Is that like "grolm?"

[DojoToad]

On 6/13/2022 at 9:48 PM, Andra said:

Grolim?

Is that like "grolm?"

No. Just a title - specifically a priest 

Edited July 14, 2022 by DojoToad

[DojoToad]

In the Mallorean:

• Child of Light and Child of Dark battling each other again and again through the ages - sounds familiar. 😉
• A solitary, enormous, and ancient tree. Important but not sure how
• Braided versus unbound hair for Drasnian women

Edited June 27, 2022 by DojoToad

[DojoToad]

Hounds of Torak vs. Dark Hounds. Not really very similar other than both being referred to as hounds. But another quasi-similarity…

[DojoToad]

Silk going on a killing spree when Bethra is killed. Thom did the same when Dena was killed. 
 

When Belgarion is in the Dryad wood, he borrows Eriond’s horse which travels in a similar fashion to Perrin in the Wolf Dream. Covering great distances with sudden lurches. 

Edited July 10, 2022 by DojoToad

[Andra]

6 hours ago, DojoToad said:

When Belgarion is in the Dryad wood, he borrows Eriond’s horse which travels in a similar fashion to Perrin in the Wolf Dream. Covering great distances with sudden lurches. 

Or the way Bela did when Egwene rode her to her summons from the Little Tower.

[nsmallw]

Lots of good parallels. 

 

The Belgariad was one of my first introductions to fantasy books. 

I've always had a deep fondness for them. 

Thanks for this post, DojoToad.

[DojoToad]

Urgit, King of the Murgos, had a very similar upbringing with Tuon. He had to compete against his brothers to the death for the throne. 

Edited July 14, 2022 by DojoToad

[DojoToad]

Self-taught sorcerer, Senji, could only work his magic when angry. Nynaeve isn’t the only one…

[DojoToad]

An alchemist at the Melcene university turned glass into steel. One character realizes how much the process would be worth. Similar to how the rebel Aes Sedai turned iron/steel into cuendillar to support their cause. 

[Andisiost]

On 7/11/2022 at 8:01 PM, nsmallw said:

Lots of good parallels. 

 

The Belgariad was one of my first introductions to fantasy books. 

I've always had a deep fondness for them. 

Thanks for this post, DojoToad.



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Same Pinch Belgariad 😇

Edited July 31, 2022 by Andisiost

[DojoToad]

Another scene (this time from Eddings’ Elenium) where the church knights and their allies take a vote to strip power from the bad guys by using a ‘crisis of faith’. 
 

Very similar to when Egwene and her allies voted on war powers to get stuff done and slow the infighting. 

[DojoToad]

Sephrenia puts a ‘tattoo’ on her arm of a snake wrapped around her forearm with the head on her palm - sounds familiar. 
 

Also the group rode into an area of blighted trees - described as leprous, foul smelling, fungus-ridden…. Not quite the Blight, but not too far off. Jordan improved on it. 

[DojoToad]

Sephrenia is a mystical magic-user, no one knows how old she is but she has trained generations of knights in magic use. So obviously lives longer than other humans. At least one mention of agelessly beautiful. 
 

Have a feeling she might hook up with Vanion by the end of the series - similar to Moiraine and Thom.