Tamora Pierce Wiki

Welcome to the Tamora Pierce Wiki! Want to edit and see fewer ads cluttering your screen? Consider creating an account and participating in our small community! Registered users will be able to edit pages, will only see ads on the community's main page, and more.

READ MORE

Tamora Pierce Wiki
Register
m (adding navbox)
(adding her scating accidents)
Line 43: Line 43:
 
===Early life===
 
===Early life===
 
[[File:Maude twins.jpg|thumb|left|150px|ten-year old Alanna with [[Maude]] and Thom]]Alanna of Trebond is born in 419 HE as the only daughter of [[Marinine of Trebond|Marinine]] and [[Alan of Trebond]]. She has a twin brother, Thom. Their mother dies giving birth to the twins. After the loss of his wife Alan lives secluded and occupies himself most of the time with his scrolls. Thus he fails at giving his children the impression that they are loved. They are taught by [[Coram Smythesson]], a former soldier, and Maude, the village healer. Coram teaches them basic fighting skills while Maude shows them how to handle their [[Gift]]. Alanna proves to be quite adept at fighting, more so than her brother, but is hesitant at using the full potential of her magic.
 
[[File:Maude twins.jpg|thumb|left|150px|ten-year old Alanna with [[Maude]] and Thom]]Alanna of Trebond is born in 419 HE as the only daughter of [[Marinine of Trebond|Marinine]] and [[Alan of Trebond]]. She has a twin brother, Thom. Their mother dies giving birth to the twins. After the loss of his wife Alan lives secluded and occupies himself most of the time with his scrolls. Thus he fails at giving his children the impression that they are loved. They are taught by [[Coram Smythesson]], a former soldier, and Maude, the village healer. Coram teaches them basic fighting skills while Maude shows them how to handle their [[Gift]]. Alanna proves to be quite adept at fighting, more so than her brother, but is hesitant at using the full potential of her magic.
  +
  +
When Alanna was five years old she was ice skating. The ice broke and her skates and wet clothes pulled the girl down, nearly drowning her. This left her with a fear of ice skating for her entire childhood. As page she once accepted a skating match proposed by [[Alexander of Tirragen]] and experienced the same, which probably lead to a even greater fear, although this was never confirmed.<ref>''In the Hand of the Goddess'', Cp. 8 (p. 149; Random House paperback)</ref>
   
 
===Page years===
 
===Page years===
Line 144: Line 146:
   
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pirate's Swoop And Olau, Alanna of}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pirate's Swoop And Olau, Alanna of}}
 
 
[[Category:Knights of Tortall|Pirate's Swoop and Olau, Alanna of]]
 
[[Category:Knights of Tortall|Pirate's Swoop and Olau, Alanna of]]
 
[[Category:Magic Users|Pirate's Swoop and Olau, Alanna of]]
 
[[Category:Magic Users|Pirate's Swoop and Olau, Alanna of]]

Revision as of 17:25, 11 August 2009

Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, born Alanna of Trebond, is the first female knight in Tortall in over a century. She trades places with her brother Thom and traines as "Alan". She is enlisted by the Gods to lead the fight against Duke Roger of Conté and his associates. She is: a Healer-Mage, the adopted daughter of Sir Myles of Olau, the King's Champion, the lover of Prince Jonathan and Liam Ironarm, and, eventually, the wife of George Cooper. She has three children, the eldest, Thom, named for her twin, and later twins of her own, Alan and Alianne (Aly).

Biography

Early life

Maude twins

ten-year old Alanna with Maude and Thom

Alanna of Trebond is born in 419 HE as the only daughter of Marinine and Alan of Trebond. She has a twin brother, Thom. Their mother dies giving birth to the twins. After the loss of his wife Alan lives secluded and occupies himself most of the time with his scrolls. Thus he fails at giving his children the impression that they are loved. They are taught by Coram Smythesson, a former soldier, and Maude, the village healer. Coram teaches them basic fighting skills while Maude shows them how to handle their Gift. Alanna proves to be quite adept at fighting, more so than her brother, but is hesitant at using the full potential of her magic.

When Alanna was five years old she was ice skating. The ice broke and her skates and wet clothes pulled the girl down, nearly drowning her. This left her with a fear of ice skating for her entire childhood. As page she once accepted a skating match proposed by Alexander of Tirragen and experienced the same, which probably lead to a even greater fear, although this was never confirmed.[4]

Page years

Alanna, at the age of ten, decides that she wishes to become a knight instead of joining the convent and learning to be a lady. To do this, she disguises herself as a boy and switches places with her twin brother, Thom. She sets out to the palace with Coram, who is going to be her manservant. Upon her arrival at the palace Alanna makes both friends and enemies. One of her first friends is Gary of Naxen, her sponsor and also the son of the Training Master. He shows her around and introduces her to his group of friends, who subsequently also become Alanna's friends. This group includes Alexander of Tirragen, Raoul of Goldenlake and the Crown Prince, Jonathan of Conté. It isn't easy to adapt to her new life full of duties, routine and much work and Alanna once even considers giving up and going back to Trebond, but Coram talks her out of it. On her first visit to the city of Corus she meets George Cooper, the King of the Thieves. They become friends and George later also provides Alanna with a good horse of her own, Moonlight. Another friend she makes is her teacher in history, Sir Myles of Olau. He takes her to visit his Barony once and Alanna finds a sword in the ruins of the Old Ones, which she names Lightning.

Her earliest enemy in the palace is Ralon of Malven. He picks on Alanna and she has quite a few talks with the Training Master, Duke Gareth of Naxen, because of the fights they get in. She decides to stand up against him and asks George for help as he knows some tricks in fighting which the pages aren't taught at the palace. Alanna finally defeats Ralon in an even fight and he leaves the palace.

Alanna2

The year after Alanna's arrival at the palace the Sweating Sickness strikes. There are rumours that it is caused by magic as it drains the healers of all their power. Alanna, who herself possesses the healing gift, argues with herself if she should go to the healers and offer them her help. The sickness takes the decision out of her hand when Jonathan falls ill. He is one of the last to catch the sickness and the healers are already drained from all the other patients. Thus Alanna takes care of him and rescues Jon.

Some time later Roger of Conté arrives. The king called for him and he is to teach the pages and squires in magic. Alanna is immediately suspicious of him. However she can't prove any of her suspicions. When the squires and Alanna accompany Lord Martin to the city of Persopolis in the Great Southern Desert, Roger bewitches Jonathan to go to the Black City of the Ysandir and Alanna feels obliged to go with him and protect him. They defeat the Ysandir and in doing so Alanna is revealed to be female in front of Jonathan.

Squire years

In the beginning of 434 HE[1] Alanna becomes Jonathan's squire. In spring that year her father dies, making her brother Thom the Lord of Trebond. Around that time Alanna is sent on an errand for Sir Myles, collecting documents for him. On her journey home she meets a strange woman, who is actually the Great Mother Goddess. She knows that Alanna isn't a boy, as she still pretends to be, but a girl. Furthermore the Goddess knows of Alanna's three greatest fears and tells her that she will have to conquer them, even her greatest fear of loving someone. At the same time Alanna finds a black cat, or rather the cat finds her. She takes him with her and finally names him Faithful. The cat is quite extraordinary as he has purple eyes-the same colour as Alanna's-and can make humans understand his speech.

The time of Alanna's squirehood are quite eventful. Not only does she still suspect Duke Roger of plotting against the monarchs, she is also attacked by a magicked boar and is nearly killed by her friend Alex, who is by then the squire of Duke Roger. Moreover, the Tusaine War breaks out in Alanna's second year as a squire. Together with Jonathan and Sir Myles she is stationed directly on the shore of the Drell River. When she is wounded in a battle the healers ban her from taking part in further fighting. As she doesn't like not being useful Alanna offers her help to the healers and even the smiths. One night, when Alanna is on watch duty, she has a peculiar conversation with Duke Roger. Shortly after that she is taken prisoner by soldiers from Tusaine. Jonathan and other friends defy the orders of King Roald and cross the Drell River in order to come to her rescue. As they can also take the brother of King Ain as prisoner themselves, the war ends shortly afterwards as the King is very keen on getting his brother back.

In the following year Alanna and Jonathan become lovers while she still fends off the attentions of George Cooper. Shortly before her Ordeal of Knighthood Alanna reveals her true sex to Gary as she needs two Knights to instruct her before the Ordeal. In all this time, her hatred of Duke Roger, has always grown stronger and right after her Ordeal, she breaks into his rooms to find the needed evidence against him. When she presents this in front of the whole Court, Roger demands trial by combat. Thus they fight and Alanna seemingly kills Roger. During the fight, Alanna's true sex is revealed, though she is allowed to keep her shield.

Knight years

Shaman of the Bazhir

Alanna leaves Corus shortly after she gains her shield. Together with Coram she goes to the Great Southern Desert. There they encounter some Bazhir of the tribe of the Bloody Hawk. In order to be accepted among them Alanna agrees to a fight between herself and a man of the tribe. She wins, not killing her opponent as is the custom, but only wounding him. After this she and Coram are adopted into the tribe. The shaman, Akhnan ibn Nazzir, conspires against her. He dies when he tries to kill Alanna and uses up his life-force to power his gift. Afterwards Alanna becomes the shaman of the tribe. Because she doesn't intend to stay forever she trains three young members of the tribe, Ishak, Kara and Kourrem. Ishak dies when he attempts to control the crystal sword Alanna took from Akhnan ibn Nazzir. Kara and Kourrem eventually finish their education and become shamans of the tribe. While Alanna is with the Bazhir Jonathan arrives at the tribe as he is to become the next Voice of the Tribes. They continue their love affair until it ends in an argument when Jonathan proposes to Alanna and can't accept her wish for more time to over-think it.

Retrieving the Dominion Jewel

Alanna3

adult Alanna

After he returns to Corus Alanna goes to Port Caynn, where George is at the moment. There, she finds comfort and after some time also a new love in George. When George has to return to Corus Alanna goes back to the Bloody Hawk, where Halef Seif, the tribe's headman, sends her on an errand. Alanna is to look for a friend of Seif's in the north. Alanna finds her burning on a stake and is unable to save her. However, the woman gives her a map leading her to the legendary Dominion Jewel.

Alanna follows the path given to her by the map. On the way she encounters Liam Ironarm, the Dragon of Shang, and Thayet jian Wilima along with her guard, Buriram Tourakom. They accompany Alanna and Coram to the Roof of the World, where the Dominion Jewel is supposed to be. While travelling Alanna and Liam begin a romantic relationship which doesn't last long because of his fear of magic. After their arrival at the Roof of the World Alanna has to fight her way through a snow storm and to battle a immortal being before finally gaining the Dominion Jewel. She brings it home to Corus. By then Jon is king as his parents are dead, and Roger lives again. On her return Jon convinces Alanna to become his King's Champion.

On the Coronation Day Battle Alanna loses both her brother Thom and her companion Faithful. She has to fight and kill her former friend Alexander of Tirragen in order to get to Roger and finally kill him for good.

King's Champion

After the battle Alanna returns to the Bloody Hawk. George, by then granted the barony of Pirate's Swoop by Jon, visits her and they become engaged. Alanna and George marry in 439 HE[5]. In 443 HE[1] their first son, Thom, is born. Two years later Alanna has twins, Alianne and Alan.

As King's Champion, Alanna upholds the King's law and is sometimes called upon to settle a dispute by trial by combat. She also fought in the Immortals War, the first great battle of which was fought in her own home, Pirate's Swoop. Later she also accompanies Veralidaine Sarrasri and Numair Salmalín to the peace negotiations in Carthak.

When Keladry of Mindelan wants to enter page training, she even disputes on her behalf with Jon and the Training Master, Lord Wyldon of Cavall. However, she is overruled. Not only has Kel to go through a probation period, but Alanna isn't even allowed to have contact with Kel. Others, mostly the more conservative Lords and Ladies, would think that Alanna would use magic to help Kel attain her shield. Thus, she helps Kel as an unknown benefactor, sending valuable and useful gifts. That's also the first time Alanna herself takes on a squire, Nealan of Queenscove. He, like Alanna, has the healing gift and she teaches him not only fighting skills but also magic.

In the Scanran War Alanna is also involved in the fighting. There she is stationed at Frasrlund. She is wounded at the thigh in the autumn of 461 HE; the wound still bothers her in the following spring. The war keeps her in the north for more than a year, even over winter. It is the longest separation Alanna and George have had so far in their marriage.[6]

Physical description

Alanna has fiery red hair in the colour of copper and bright violet, amethyst coloured, eyes, the same as the color of her magical Gift. She is quite short, not taller than five feet four inches[7] and has a stocky build. Her heraldic insignia is a lioness rampant, earning her the nickname "Lioness".

By 462 HE fine lines frame her eyes and mouth. Her then shoulder long hair shows strands of grey.[8] She is slightly limping from a wound to the thigh which hasn't completely healed.

Personality and traits

Alanna has a fiery personality. She is infamous for her quick temper and her sharp tongue that is said to be like her hair. Alanna has learned a rich vocabulary of curse words from soldiers and thieves, which only adds to her tongue. Alanna's determination to achieve what she desires most is unwavering. The Lioness doesn't like to sit idle. She prefers having something to do. When there is nothing for her to do she finds work. Whenever Alanna is at home at Pirate's Swoop she finds herself a project to work on. Her daughter Alianne even ran away from home because she didn't want to become her mother's newest "project".

Relationships

Family

Trebond Family Tree 200s HE

Trebond family in the 200s HE
Trebonds
Trebond man[9]Unnamed womanSee Conté
Lionel of Trebond[10]Conté woman[10]
Trebond man[11][12]Trebonds x?[11][12]

"Original" Trebond Family Tree 400s HE

Alan of Trebond

Alanna's father, Alan of Trebond, never cared much for her brother and her because the death of his wife hit him hard. He was always keeping to his books and scrolls. Thus he didn't even realize that his children switched places, even when Duke Gareth writes reports to Trebond on "Alan"'s progress as a page. Hence Alanna didn't have much of a relationship to her father. Alan died shortly after Alanna became a squire.

Her mother died when she was born.

Thom of Trebond

Alanna and Thom are complete and utter opposites. Thom had to be yelled at before he went hunting and Alanna had to be tricked and begged to do some sorcery, because they both wanted the opposite. She tried to ignore her Gift until one of her friends died from the sweating sickness and she had to save Jon from dying by using her gift. Thom on the other hand was always keen to use his gift and eventually even became the youngest Master in history. Although the twins were so different they had also a close relationship, which was most probably the result of their father's rejectal. It is said that Alanna was the only person who Thom loved. Alanna always worried for her brother and she even consented to take part of his gift while his was purged, which involved some risk for her, too. Her brother died after giving some of his gift to resurrect Duke Roger of Conté.

Myles of Olau

Alanna first met Myles shortly after her arrival at the palace, where she encounters him as the court drunkard. Soon a friendship develops and Alanna not only helps Myles get to his rooms when he drank too much but also plays chess with him. She appreciates his company because he is the first adult with whom she can really talk. Myles also invites her to his estates. In the ruines there Alanna finds her sword Lightning. He is one of the first to guess that "page Alan" is really a girl. Myles says nothing of it, however, and keeps her identity a secret until she chooses to reveal it herself. After Alanna received her shield Myles adopted her as an heir.

Romantic relationships

George Cooper

She never planned on having kids or getting married, but Alanna eventually marries George Cooper. With George, she has three children, Thom (named for his dead uncle) and twins Alan and Alianne, nicknamed Aly.

George Cooper was one of Alanna's first friends in Corus, as they met in the city outside of the palace before Alanna and Coram even made it to the palace. George was also the first person in Corus, inside the palace or outside of it (aside from Coram, that is) to know Alanna's true sex. Alanna's first kiss came from George, and when she asked Faithful why he didn't intervene, he merely responded "you looked like you were enjoying yourself." In The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, Alanna went to find George after she rejected Jonathan of Conte's marriage proposal. This was also when they slept together for the first time. In Lioness Rampant, George's first appearance is when Alanna is getting off of the boat with her comrades. Although he kisses her upon first seeing her, she notes sadly later that he seems to be distant and to want nothing more than friendship. However, at the end of the book, after Jonathan and Thayet jian Wilima fall in love and Liam Ironarm is killed, they decide to get married. Between Lioness Rampant and Wild Magic Alanna and George are married and Alanna gives birth to three children: Thom, named after her deceased twin brother, and the twins, Alan and Alianne, better known as Aly.

Jonathan of Conté

Prince Jonathan of Conté became Alanna's friend while they were both still pages, and towards the end of Alanna: The First Adventure he asked her to be his personal squire. In the years that followed, he and Alanna grew closer. Their relationship became romantic and sexual on Alanna's seventeenth birthday in the second Lioness book, In the Hand of the Goddess.

Liam Ironarm

Alanna and Liam meet on her journey towards the Roof of the World. He decides to accompany Alanna and Coram and after some arguing even agrees to teaching Alanna some fighting-skills of the Shang. They fall in love quickly but their relationship is always quite strained as they have different opinions on many topics. Furthermore Liam is afraid of the Gift and Alanna can't help herself but use hers as it is a part of her. That's why their relationship doesn't last and they separate after Alanna's fight for the Dominion Jewel.

Trivia

Tamora Pierce based Alanna on her younger sister Kimberley[20].

Appearances

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Tortallan timeline
  2. Random Buzz; "Alanna's Mother"; April 20, 2009
  3. Sheroes-Central; "a special thanks"; April 20, 2005
  4. In the Hand of the Goddess, Cp. 8 (p. 149; Random House paperback)
  5. Trickster's Choice, Cp. 1 (p. 7; Random House paperback)
  6. Trickster's Choice, Cp. 1 (p. 18/20; Random House paperback)
  7. She is described in Wild Magic as being at least two full inches shorter than Daine, who is three years later described as being five feet six inches tall and has most possbily grown since Wild Magic.
  8. Trickster's Choice, Cp. 1 (p. 15; Random House paperback)
  9. Bloodhound (electronic edition) "Sunday, September 23, 247".
  10. 10.0 10.1 Bloodhound (electronic edition) "Thursday, September 13, 247".
  11. 11.0 11.1 Bloodhound (electronic edition) "Monday, September 24, 247".
  12. 12.0 12.1 There is no certain information as to whether the Trebonds of the 400s HE were descended from these people directly or were from a different branch of the family.
  13. Random Buzz thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce "Alanna’s Mother and Connection to Seaver". At the Wayback Machine June 19, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 Alanna: The First Adventure (electronic edition) Ch. 1.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Myles was married to Eleni Cooper, George Cooper's mother, but adopted Alanna alone.
  16. Lioness Rampant (electronic edition) Epilogue.
  17. Presumed. It was also possible Smythe or Smythes was Coram's father's given name, however this naming convention is never mentioned for native Tortallans, only in similar names from other countries in the Eastern Lands.
  18. 18.0 18.1 Trickster's Choice (electronic edition) Ch. 9.
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 19.8 19.9 Random Buzz thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce "Roger, Contes, Inheritance, and Children". At the Wayback Machine June 18, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  20. Tamora Pierce's biography on her website

See also