Between 1961 and 1963 the first stories of Elric of Melnibone appeared. The convention-stifled world of heroic fantasy (or swords & sorcery fiction, as it was popularly called) was turned on its ear. For the first time since Robert E. Howard (who created the field back in the Weird Tales of the 1920s), a writer wrote about someone other than a sword-swinging barbarian. In fact, Moorcock reversed just about every cliche then existing with his creation of Elric. Instead of a common barbarian warrior who fights his way to a throne, he gave us a super-civilized prince who throws his throne away. Instead of rescuing the fair maiden from the evil villain, Elric only succeeds in slaying his true love. Instead of fighting against an evil wizard, Elric himself is a wizard in league with the greatest of all demons, Arioch, Lord of the Seven Darks. Elric doesn't save his home country from invaders--he leads the invaders and lays it waste. Instead of having bulging muscles, Elric is a weakling who needs either drugs or his vampiric runesword just to walk around. The reversals go on and on. The Elric tales set a new model for fantasy.
The character of Elric helped shatter the stereotype of the brawny barbarian as the only possible hero for sword & sorcery writing. Since his appearance writers have given us heroes who are wizards, heroes who are villains, children as heroes, and even animals as heroes. In a sense, Elric broke the barriers of the form, and heroic fantasy has gotten vastly better.
[Ken St. Andre & Steve Perrin, Chaosium Inc.'s STORMBRINGER rpg game (authorised by Michael Moorcock), Player's Book, 1981, 1985. pp. 7-8.]
ELRIC. Elric is the last of the Melnibonean Emperors. An albino, sadly deficient in iron in his blood, Elric is intellectually active in an age when most Melniboneans preferred to dream of past glories. Curious about the developing civilization of the Young Kingdoms, he gives his power-mad cousin Yyrkoon a chance to rule the empire while Elric goes adventuring. This ultimately leads to the ensorcelment of Elric's love, Cymoril, the death of Yyrkoon, and the fall of Melnibone to the forces of the Sea Kings.
After the fall of Melnibone, Elric becomes a wanderer, involved in many quests and adventures which bring him no peace. Gradually he shifts his allegiance from the forces of Chaos to those of Law. By no wish of his own, he becomes the key figure in the struggle between Law and Chaos in the Young Kingdoms, and his efforts to sidestep his fate only continue to make things worse. Because of the innate malignity of both Chaos and his demon sword Stormbringer, Elric succeeds only in bringing doom to everyone whose fate crosses his, although his actions may seem to be for the good in the short run.
MOONGLUM. This wandering easterner from Elwher would be a hero in his own right if he weren't running around with Elric. A likeable rogue, he helps insulate Elric from the world (and the world from Elric) for several years. After Elric's marriage to Zarozinia, Moonglum returns home only to return seeking Elric's help against Terarn Gashtek. Thereafter he remains with Elric until the end.
STORMBRINGER. A demon, bound into the form of a black sword by long dead gods. Stormbringer is fully sentient and very evil. Only Elric or another member of the Melnibonean royalty (or perhaps a god) can use Stormbringer and its brothers. This sword has the ability to "steal souls," that is, suck forth life energy and store or redistribute it. Elric, using Stormbringer, becomes a sort of psychic vampire, stealing the life energy of those he slays to compensate for his own deficiencies. Stormbringer manages to slay most of Elric's friends during the albino's career and finally disposes of Elric himself. The final revelation of the Elric saga is that Stormbringer has been the motivating power in everything, including the struggle between Law and Chaos, using Elric merely as a chess piece. Stormbringer was originally created to destroy a race of gods, and that seems to be its continuing motivation, for in the end it brings about the demise of both Law and Chaos while it survives.
[Ken St. Andre & Steve Perrin, Chaosium Inc.'s STORMBRINGER rpg game (authorised by Michael Moorcock), Gamemaster Book, 1981, 1985. pp. 24-5]
And the dragons sleep longer after each foray...
Stormbringer moans in combat while the runes along its eldritch blade glow. Though not completely described in the stories what it looks like in action, all we really know is that it is very frightening to witness this weapon when it swings through the air to its target... I hope the new movie coming out does justice to our imaginations.
Stormbringer's final words, "Farewell, friend. I was a thousand times more evil than thou!" are some of the most famous and chilling in fantasy literature.
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