What of Yrykoon?

[The Dark Mage Of Melnibone]

What does everyone think of Yrykoon? I wanted to know this because hardly anyone speaks of him... He is evidently unliked... In my opinion I hate him... He literally pissed me off so badly that I had to shut the book and wait until I was ready to read again! How does everyone else react to him?

[Shazane Koronova]

He was pretty evil, not in the cool way like Arioch, just an arrogant mortal drunk on his authority and craving more. He got away with most of the things he did, even after almost getting what he deserved. I definitely couldn't have been as merciful as Elric was. Yeah, he pissed me off, but I never had to close the book, it was just too good.

[The Dark Mage Of Melnibone]

The Albino Prince Merciful?

He was pretty evil, not in the cool way like Arioch, just an arrogant mortal drunk on his authority and craving more. He got away with most of the things he did, even after almost getting what he deserved. I definitely couldn't have been as merciful as Elric was. Yeah, he pissed me off, but I never had to close the book, it was just too good.

Technically Elric was not merciful to Yrykoon... He despised him and meant to punish him without pity... However, Yrykoon conjured his power of sorcery and outsmarted Elric yet again... He never felt pity for the snake...

I thank thee for the comments...

The Dark Mage Of Melnibone

[Shazane Koronova]

Are you saying it was Yyrkoon's sorcery that caused Elric to leave him in charge of Melnibone when he left?

[The Dark Mage Of Melnibone]

No, that is not it my friend... What I speak of, is Elric knew what he was doing all that time... He knew of Yrykoon's power... But did not know where it would all lead to... He did not feel pity for him at all... He just thought that his decisions were right in his own words... He did not feel pity, he states that clearly when he and Yrykoon take Stormbringer and Mournblade...

[Shazane Koronova]

I didnt mean he felt pity, I know he only didnt run Yyrkoon through in the cave was to prove that chaos couldn't control him like it did his ancestors (even though it did reguardless), I just thought it was rather merciful, for whatever reason, that he didnt even punish Yyrkoon for what he did. I know he said before that he couldnt just have him executed because that way Yyrkoon wins basically, but making him Emperor and leaving him alone with Cymoril never made much sense to me. I guess mercy is the wrong word.

[Ghostfaced]

maybe im reading into it too much here but neither Elric or Yrykoon are human and shouldn't be compared to human standards. After hearing how their people were and how their country was run i thought Elric was kinda soft. I liked Yrykoon at first and thought him to be a template for the male Melnibonean. He was what they are supposed to be, only royalty to boot. Elric was like the little brother on an I.V. tube who was overly sensitive. Moving along i still liked Yrykoon even when his character ended, but Elric with Stormbringer and his sickness put in its place by the sword generating the need for him to kill and steal souls for personal benefit was.... just freakin great lol. Yrykoon would have done great things for his empire. Elric destroyed everything. Both are cool imo.

[Shazane Koronova]

I dont think it matters what their species is, Melnibonean nobles are raised to think there is nothing wrong with torture and slavery, some humans are the same way.

[The Dark Mage Of Melnibone]

I dont think it matters what their species is, Melnibonean nobles are raised to think there is nothing wrong with torture and slavery, some humans are the same way.

Ah, I agree with you, Shazane... Their species ceases to matter... Actually, Elric does not agree with Torture... It merely bores him... Evidently, Elric ceases to like torture and slavery, for he lacks the Melnibonean tradition...

[The Dark Mage Of Melnibone]

maybe im reading into it too much here but neither Elric or Yrykoon are human and shouldn't be compared to human standards. After hearing how their people were and how their country was run i thought Elric was kinda soft. I liked Yrykoon at first and thought him to be a template for the male Melnibonean. He was what they are supposed to be, only royalty to boot. Elric was like the little brother on an I.V. tube who was overly sensitive. Moving along i still liked Yrykoon even when his character ended, but Elric with Stormbringer and his sickness put in its place by the sword generating the need for him to kill and steal souls for personal benefit was.... just freakin great lol. Yrykoon would have done great things for his empire. Elric destroyed everything. Both are cool imo.

No dear friend, Elric was not soft at all, nor did he have any pity for that fool... Yrykoon would have dominated Melnibone, and destroyed it... Elric would have saved it... I hate Yrykoon, especially because he despises his cousin through jealously... He is jealous that Elric has the throne and also has Cymoril... Yrykoon wanted the throne for his greedy self, and he also wanted his sister... Yrykoon is more of a nuisance than anything and if he were to ever reign any land, then it would fall straight to its doom within the darkest chasm of chaos...

[devilchicken]

If Elric is the binary opposition to the conventional heroic fantasy archetype, it always seemed to me that Yyrkoon IS that archetype.

He's ambitious and power-obsessed. In fact, the way the cultural politics of Melnibone are explained - it seems that Yyrkoon should be the hero, not Elric. That's part of what makes Elric so interesting - he's a bit of an anathema.

[Shazane Koronova]

I think the Elric saga was written with the intent to break every fantasy stereotype. Such as, the hero is an arrogant barbarian, the villain is a pale skinned sorcerer who rules a great empire, dragons are the enemy, the heor always battles against the forces of evil. In the Elrics saga, each of these is reversed, and that makes it very original, and really good.

[devilchicken]

I think the Elric saga was written with the intent to break every fantasy stereotype. Such as, the hero is an arrogant barbarian, the villain is a pale skinned sorcerer who rules a great empire, dragons are the enemy, the heor always battles against the forces of evil. In the Elrics saga, each of these is reversed, and that makes it very original, and really good.

The main difference is that is the lack of traditional duality - good & evil. The conflicts are much more political - rather than "so and so deserves to lose because he's evil". Elric is deliberately ambiguous in that regard.

[Lonewolfrissychan]

Based on the tidbits I've picked off him, I don't like him because he's bossy, controlling and self-centered. Clearly the stuff needed for a "true emperor" of the island kingdom. <<; But I think he makes me more irritable then Richard from Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Series...