Xanth

The saga of the magical land Xanth is a fantasy adventure cycle by Piers Anthony with a total of 35 novels, of which so far ( as of 2012) 22 novels have been translated into German.

The country Xanth

Xanth is a magical land which is inhabited by many magically gifted people and mythical creatures. The magic is considered by most residents who do not know the true nature of magic as a natural raw material and taken for granted. Magic is everywhere, but distributed according to a certain pattern. A character either has a magical talent is even magical ( cushion bush, Lots of fruit tree, dragon, unicorn and many others) or has intelligence; but it can also combine two of the three conditions in itself. This basic condition appears, however, with the second novel ( magic - search) to be in upheaval, as well as the intelligent centaur develop magical talents as humans. It circulates the assumption that centaurs have become over the millennia to natural population Xanths.

In the human representatives of the innate talent governed by strict rules: Each talent is unique, does not repeat ( but modifications are possible) and the most powerful and most diverse talent is attributed and the right to be elected as King of Magicians status.

The residents are aware that they live in a particular country and that there is a world outside of their own. The world outside Xanths without magic and magical beings, is called Mundania and for them is the essence of all that terrible.

Stories to Xanth

Each novel tells the story of a certain main character and rarely a fictional character is in several volumes protagonist. Although the individual stories are at the forefront, the salvation of the country is also often discussed. It is typical of almost every novel that the protagonist initially travels to the castle of the information Magician Humfrey to ask him a question (real life partner, type of own magical talent, help with problems magical nature ). The solution to the vexing problem often leads the hero in the course of the adventure ( quest ) to the most diverse, sometimes craziest places and mythical creatures. He must survive threats ( carnivorous tangle trees, Nickelfüßler and others), but often also wins the friendship of his encounter beings until he finally gets the solution to his problem and by the way nor the other problems mitlöst. Even if it is a single fate with every novel, they nevertheless build on each other and old and popular characters appear again and again.

Geography

The geographical shape Xanths similar in principle to the of Florida, thus forming a peninsula surrounded by the sea with a connection to the mainland in the north or northwest. This compound, also called Isthmus is, at the same time the solid boundary between the magic Xanth and Mundania embossed.

Due to the magical properties of the Xanth Istmus can, in principle at any point (and at any time) result in Mundania. So there are examples where you get to Italy or Korea.

Approximately in the middle of the peninsula runs the columns Gorge, a huge trench having a width of about 800 meters and a depth of about two kilometers that runs from the western border to the eastern and spewing from the column dragon, a hot steam land dragon, guarded. The western coast is - from the column gorge almost to the southern tip of the peninsula - surrounded by several small islands. At the southern tip Xanths is the slightly larger Centaurs Island, the headquarters of the centaurs, even if there are other Zentaurendörfer inland. Before the eastern foothills of the labyrinthine canyon columns the island of illusions, the former residence of the Sorceress Iris is.

About two days' walk (or a centaur - day ride ) north of the column is in the west, the north village near the coast. To the north of the column, on the east coast, draw successively until Istmus the dominions of the dragons, goblins, griffins, birds and finally the ogre. In each case the west are the sharply defined circular regions of the elements of air, earth, fire, water and the void.

To the south, about half a day's journey from the column, lies in the center of Xanth the Castle of Good Magician Humphrey. West of it, also about half a day's journey away is the nearly 900 -year-old Roogna castle, the old and the new seat of power of the Magi of Xanth.

In the southern center of the peninsula, the region of Magic Dust, the superficial source of magic together with the nearby eponymous village whose villagers have taken the self-imposed task, using tamed magical animals ( Rokhs, Hephalumphe and others) is the magic dust and so the magic to distribute throughout Xanth.

Another day's march south-east of this region is the Ogersee, the home of the curse monsters (people with the common ability to utter devastating, magical curses ) is the same. In the underwater castle thereof is the starting point of a huge water vortex that leads to the subterranean home of brain coral. Also underground is also a city of demons, the Cave of the gemstone jewel nymph and the abode of the Great Demon X ( A / N) th, the actual source of magic, the unconscious is the demon as human exhalations of itself.

The magic

The Great Demon X ( A / N) th is the reason why the country is magical Xanth. Although he also invites the overlying region of Magic Dust him greatly, but even without its distribution extends the power of X ( A / N) th 's to learn about the natural borders of Xanth addition.

This magic was the time of the Storm King ( 1 Chameleon spell ) unknowingly stopped by a magic, deadly to living things shield block at the border, which was supposed to protect against mundanische waves of conquest. Its successor, the Transformer King Trent, this shield, however, abolished, as it hurt the country more than availed. It was only much later ( 18 water spouts ), it turns out that Xanth is cut and partially protected by a since the early period of human occupation existing, magic shield through time and space from the rest of the world.

The Great Demon is initially ( until the end of magic - search) involuntarily present because he in the game for power with other large demons like V (E \ N ) us, E ( R / D) e, JU (P / I ) th and other lost and has to serve a penalty game. After his liberation by Bink he disappears for a short time and leaves the country back without magic. However, X ( A / N) th versa voluntarily because changing the rules of the game to his place back in order to be able to think. As a condition of his staying and the associated return of magic and the survival of Xanthian population in the familiar magical proportions of the demon demanded absolute privacy while thinking. A condition that can meet King Trent using the former shield block. This protects since the above-ground access to the cave of the demon, the latter had torn in his escape.

Interpretation

In the course of the cycle like Anthony linked fiction and reality by letting play, for example, a story in Mundania in the figures pass by a shop window and a Xanth novel, see ( 11-12. Heaven thaler, worlds - trip). When reading the novels, however, the author's intention is clearly that is not to describe the fight between good and evil. The fictional world Xanth with their "reality" has become corny jokes Anthony serves as a means to represent the American Society satirical.

• Literary work
• Book series
• Fantasy literature
• Fantasy World
• Literature ( English )
• Literature ( 20th century)
• Literature ( 21st century)
• Novel cycle