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''The Chronicles of Prydain'' is a pentalogy children's dark fantasy novels by Lloyd Alexander.〔 Henry Holt published one annually from 1964 to 1968; the second earned a 1966 Newbery Honor and the last won the 1969 Newbery Medal.〔 The five novels follow one protagonist Taran from youth to maturity, most overtly in the fourth book, ''Taran Wanderer''.〔Alexander, Lloyd (1999). "Author's note". ''Taran Wanderer''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-6134-7〕 Taran has the title Assistant Pig-Keeper at Caer Dallben but initially dreams of being a grand hero. His most important companions in adventure are Princess Eilonwy, a girl his age; Fflewddur Fflam, a wandering bard and minor king; Gurgi, a wild hominid between animal and man; and Doli, a dwarf. ==Inspiration and development== Thematically the novels draw upon Welsh mythology, particularly the ''Mabinogion''.〔Alexander, Lloyd (1999). "Author's note". ''The Book of Three''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-6132-0〕 The novels are not, however, retellings of those myths, a point Alexander himself makes in an author's note for ''The Book of Three'': stories have been conflated, and characters have been changed in both role and motive, so a student of Welsh culture should be prepared as Arawn becomes the books' dark arch enemy and Gwydion's negative traits are replaced with unclouded heroism. Appropriately, the author's note also reveals the geography is ultimately derived from Wales, though Alexander notes that Prydain is separate from Wales both in physical geography and history. "Always interested in mythology", Alexander received army combat intelligence training in Wales during World War II. That exposed him to its castles, scenery, and language, which became "part of the raw material for the Prydain books". Originally he "planned to write one or two – three at the very most".〔(Lloyd Alexander Interview Transcript ) (1999). Interview with Scholastic students. Scholastic Inc. Retrieved 2011-12-17.〕〔 About the author (1973). ''The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain'', Henry Holt and Company, first edition, page ().〕 At one point they planned a trilogy with titles ''The Battle of the Trees'', ''The Lion with the Steady Hand'', and ''Little Gwion''.〔 In Welsh mythology the former features the sons of Don led by Gwydion against the forces of Arawn, and the legend of Gwion concerns the bard Taliesin as a boy. Later, a four-volume series would conclude with ''The High King''. The editor felt that something was missing between third and fourth volumes, so ''Taran Wanderer'' was written one month after ''The Castle of Llyr'' was published, making it a five-volume series.〔Lloyd Alexander: A Bio-Bibliography by Jacobs and Tunnel 〕 The stories that are now collected in The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain actually were published in three different volumes: two picture books and one short story collection. Most of these act as backstories which fill in gaps for minor characters, but others are just short stories that stand apart from the books. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Chronicles of Prydain」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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