Elensa: Finding the Heart of the Labyrinth Tamara E
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University of Northern Colorado Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC Undergraduate Honors Theses Student Research 5-2018 Elensa: Finding the Heart of the Labyrinth Tamara E. Faour Follow this and additional works at: https://digscholarship.unco.edu/honors Recommended Citation Faour, Tamara E., "Elensa: Finding the Heart of the Labyrinth" (2018). Undergraduate Honors Theses . 13. https://digscholarship.unco.edu/honors/13 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Northern Colorado Greeley, Colorado Elensa: Finding the Heart of the Labyrinth An Honors Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment for Graduation with Honors Distinction and Degree of Bachelor of English Tamara E. Faour College of Liberal Arts Department of English May 2018 ELENSA: Finding the Heart of the Labyrinth PREPARED BY: ___________________________________________________________ Tamara E. Faour APPROVED BY: HONORS ADVISOR:____________________________________________ Dr. Kristin Bovaird-Abbo HONORS LIAISON:_____________________________________________ Dr. Joseph Chaves HONORS DIRECTOR:___________________________________________ Loree Crow RECEIVED BY THE UNIVERSITY CAPSTONE PROJECT COMMITY ON: MAY 8, 2018 3 Abstract This creative research project undertakes the world-building and writing of the first part of a fiction novel with the goal of engaging the reader in a question of priorities. In the story, Elensa, daughter of the king of the dwarves, makes an offer to the dwarves of her father’s kingdom: If they can find their way to the heart of an ancient labyrinth, they will be rewarded with riches, respect, and a chance at being chosen as her husband, the future king of Kulezim. Drawn by Elensa’s promise, many dwarves pursue their desires for power, wealth, and meaning into the labyrinth. Each dwarf enters to gain what he values most, but the perils of the labyrinth may force them all to think twice. What do they treasure above all else? How much are they willing to lose for Elensa? Like the dwarves in Elensa, humans often wrestle with and disagree over the question of what is most important in life. Are riches everything? Friendship? Vitality? The opinions of each person on this question will motivate their decisions and therefore the way they move in the world. Elensa endeavors to provide the reader with time for contemplating what they treasure most through the experiences of the characters in the story. To reach the audience in this way, Elensa needed to be both engaging and meaningful. This required research into how elements of the fantasy world might behave (such as caves, molten rock, blades, etc.) as well as research into the symbolic meaning of certain figures (such as dwarves, jewels, and salamanders.) It also required multiple revisions and re-writings to capture the fantasy world in a way that might grab the reader. This thesis includes a literature review describing how some research was integrated into the project, a methods section overviewing the project process, a final timeline, a bibliography, and the first part of Elensa. 4 Acknowledgements To the UNC English Department, To Michener Library, To the honors director and staff, To the professors who grew me, To my honors advisor Loree Crow, To the passing strangers who were kind, To the lingering friends who were kinder, To my thesis advisor Dr. Bovaird-Abbo, To Mom, Dad, Bassem, Najy, Yousef, Leila, Rania, & Aleena, And to my God— Thank you. 5 Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. 3 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 4 Topic: What do you treasure? ......................................................................................... 7 Literature Review: Searching for Treasure ................................................................... 8 DWARVES: PEOPLE OF THE EARTH ....................................................................... 8 Dwarves vs. Dwarfs ..................................................................................................... 8 What do dwarves look like? ........................................................................................ 9 Good or Evil? ............................................................................................................. 10 Cave Dwellers. ........................................................................................................... 11 Lovers of Treasure ..................................................................................................... 12 Dwarves in Elensa ..................................................................................................... 13 DWARF WIVES: THE JEWELS OF THE MOUNTAIN ........................................... 14 A Mystery History. .................................................................................................... 14 Beyond Treasure ........................................................................................................ 15 Dwarf Wives in Elensa. ............................................................................................. 16 TROLLS: NOT QUITE WHAT YOU’D THINK ........................................................ 17 THE EARTH: FOREIGN KINGDOM ......................................................................... 18 Cave Formation. ........................................................................................................ 19 Cave Life. .................................................................................................................. 19 Cave Treasures. ......................................................................................................... 20 CRAFTS: ART OF THE EARTH ................................................................................ 21 Smelting and Melting ................................................................................................ 21 Smiths and Masons. ................................................................................................... 22 LABYRINTHS: LOSING YOUR TREASURE TO FIND IT ..................................... 23 The Labyrinth and the Psyche ................................................................................... 23 The Labyrinth in Fiction. ........................................................................................... 24 CONCLUSION: SLOWLY ACCRUED HOARDS ..................................................... 25 Chronicle of Process: Finding the Way Through the Labyrinth ............................... 26 Bibliography .................................................................................................................... 33 6 ELENSA .......................................................................................................................... 35 Myth 1: .......................................................................................................................... 38 Myth 2: .......................................................................................................................... 48 Chapter 2: The Words of Uda ....................................................................................... 50 Chapter 3: Into the Dark ................................................................................................ 56 Chapter 4: Strange and Strangers .................................................................................. 66 Myth 3: .......................................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 5: Fish .............................................................................................................. 77 Myth 4: .......................................................................................................................... 85 Chapter 6: Deserters ...................................................................................................... 87 Chapter 7: Something Old, Something New ................................................................. 95 Chapter 8: Against the Grain ....................................................................................... 104 Myth 5: ........................................................................................................................ 113 Chapter 9: Important Information ............................................................................... 114 Myth 6: ........................................................................................................................ 123 Chapter 10: The First Dwarf ....................................................................................... 125 Myth 7: ........................................................................................................................ 129 Chapter 11: Understanding .......................................................................................... 130 Myth 8: ........................................................................................................................ 137 Chapter 12: Down ......................................................................................................