Choose Your Weapon - the Perfect Storm

 

Blurred Lines by Yuumi Art - This image reminds me of Hina Amano an Anime character known as a "sunshine girl." She can stop a downpour, but at a great sacrifice to herself.

Hello everyone! Today we continue the exploration of weapons in Fantasy Fiction through the power of the Perfect Storm. 

What do I mean by that exactly? 

Perfect Storm

a) a particularly violent storm arising from a rare combination of adverse meteorological factors.

But, in the case of Fantasy, those adverse meteorological factors are conjured through magic, or the power of the mind. 

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

This is where we find rain, wind, earthquakes, avalanches, volcanic eruptions, lightning strikes and tornados controlled by an adept being, and utilized as a weapon whether defensive or offensive.

To be clear, these meteorological nightmares are not random acts of nature, but disasters under the specific control of a weather witch, mage, sorcerer, wizard or a High Savant. In some cases, they may be controlled by a young apprentice who has no idea what they are doing! 

Just think of Mickey Mouse in the 1940 animation Fantasia where he plays the Sorcerer's Apprentice inspired by a poem by Goethe, and later Paul Dukas, performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It's a cautionary tale!

Let's look at more examples:

A favourite character that comes to mind is Ged from Ursula K Le Guin's Earth Sea Books (recently discussed by Helen Lowe in The Year of the Villain #2). Again we have a young mage who discovers by accident that he has the power to control meteorological forces of nature.

And speaking of Helen Lowe, weatherworkers feature prominently in her title "Daughter of Blood" where Faro, a kid with innate weatherworking power, calls lightning to save himself on two occasions, both times to profound effect.

In the case of authors like these, myself included, the power comes from within the character (Mage, Weatherworker or Savant) who must learn how to control their abilities before they can utilize them effectively. In Crown of Bones, we see just how powerful the caller savants can be when they combine forces to repel Tann's attack on Baiseen.

In the LOTR, and the Hobbit, it is Gandalf who conjures lightning and fire as weapons.  This is different from those like the Airbender's abilities to manipulate actual meteorological phenomena. For example, they might change barometric pressures in the jet stream resulting in torrential rain, wind and storms. 

Power Objects

Another take on the topic is the artifact or power which, when found and harnessed, is used to master the environment or turn it into a battlefield. 

Robert Jordon does this with the ter’angreal, the bowl of Winds that when first mentioned has been missing for over two thousand years. It then appears in several Wheel of Time books: Lord of Chaos and A Crown of Swords, before being mastered by Elayne, Aviendha, and Nynaeve in The Path of Daggers. 

The problem with the power in the artifact is that it can be stolen by anyone. Take for example the Windspeakers in Emily Foster's The Drowning Eyes. These beings have eyes of stone, almost like a reverse Medusa. With them, they draw the wind from the sails of pirates to protect the island villages. But when pirates steal the magical artifact, the control of the weather is in other hands, to devastating effect.

Consequences

...which leads us to an array of consequences. 

As seen in The Sorcerer's Apprentice, most stories dealing with the manipulation of meteorological power also explore the outcomes, both good and bad. David Eddings does this brilliantly in The Malloreon.

Here we discover sorcerers like Belgarion with the power to summon storms as weapons but don't always stop to consider what might happen next, as when one simple storm triggers an Ice Age.  

What are your most loved uses of a Perfect Storm in Fantasy Fiction? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. 

xxKim

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About Kim Falconer

Kim Falconer, currently writing as AK Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is working on the third book, out in 2024.

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site