Caramon Majere
Caramon Majere | |
---|---|
Dragonlance character | |
First appearance | Dragon #83: short story "The Test of the Twins" by Margaret Weis (March 1984)[1] |
Created by | Margaret Weis |
Voiced by | Rino Romano (2008 animated film) |
In-universe information | |
Race | Civilized human |
Gender | Male |
Class | Fighter |
Home | Solace |
Caramon Majere (326 AC - 38 SC) is a fictional character from the Dragonlance books. He is depicted as a fighter and is one of the main characters in Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's first Dragonlance trilogy, the Dragonlance Chronicles. Caramon and his brother Raistlin Majere's relationship was explored in the NY Times Best Seller Twins Trilogy.[2]
Publication history
Character profile
Caramon Majere was created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman as one of several characters to be involved in an epic
Raistlin Majere harbors a secret hate for his twin's physical power and easygoing manner, and for the attention and comradeship it seems to earn him, as Raistlin's own appearance and secretive nature causes others to be mistrustful and apprehensive.[3] Caramon, conversely, holds Raistlin in high regard and tries to protect him.[4]
Early life
Caramon is the son of
The son of a woodcutter, Caramon's childhood was a complicated one. Caramon (the first born), was strapping and healthy, while Raistlin was so sickly that the midwife feared he would die as an infant.[4] Raistlin had to be nursed to health continuously by their half-sister, Kitiara. From an early age, Caramon's deliberate way of considering ideas earned him a reputation for mental dullness.[4] His father, Gilon, died in an accident when Caramon was only sixteen years old. Soon after, his mother, Rosamun, went into a delusional trance and never came out.
The novel
Raistlin was to take the
Caramon was the strongest of the
War of the Lance and beyond
Caramon was one of the heroes who brought the
Caramon was also a participant in the final battle at the Queen's temple in Neraka when she was finally banished from
Legends Trilogy
Time of the Twins, the first novel in the series, features a self-contained narrative detailing the fall of Caramon and his redemption.[7] He has become an alcoholic in the two years since the end of the first trilogy, and while Tasslehoff nudges Caramon into going after Raistlin, Caramon's gradual recovery is entirely his own achievement.[7]
After the
Using a magical device, Caramon and Tasslehoff escaped that time period before a magical explosion could kill them and accidentally found themselves in an alternate future where Raistlin had succeeded in becoming a god, but had destroyed all life in the process. Caramon and Tasslehoff returned to the present at last where Caramon confronted his brother in the Abyss and told him what the future would be if his plans came to fruition. Raistlin realized his own mistake, and sacrificed his own life to correct his mistake and win his soul's peace. Caramon escaped with Crysania back into the real world, having finally found the peace he sought.
War of Souls
After his long journey, Caramon returned to Solace to be with his wife. Together, they had five children:
In the story "Kitiara's Son" by
Family tree
Caramon Majere (Elder) | Unknown Woman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gilon Majere | Rosamun | Gregor Uth Matar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kitiara Uth Matar | Sturm Brightblade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Steel Brightblade | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dezra | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other media
Video games
Caramon appears as one of the player characters in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance.[9]
Caramon also appears in Champions of Krynn.[10]
Miniature figures
Caramon was included in
A second miniature of Caramon was released, this time on an individual blister pack, under Ral Partha's "Personalities" line.[12]
Dragonlance movie
Rino Romano voiced Caramon Majere in the animated movie Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight.[13] The 2002 winner of the American Library Association's Alex Award Mel Odom reviewed the film and stated "Caramon is simple-minded and protective of Raistlin" without further characterisation[14] although stating the movie was a "lot of fun".[15]
Reception
The character was popular enough for Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman to base the Twins Trilogy around Caramon's and Raistlin's relationship. The final book of the trilogy Test of the Twins appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for several weeks in 1986.[2] Ian Hewitt, a staff reviewer from d20zines.com stated focus of the trilogy was "Caramon's heart-wrenching quest to save his brother if he can, but to ultimately stop him at any cost is the test that the twins must face" and awarded Test of the Twins an A+ rating.[16] In Religious Concepts in Fantasy Literature, Nadine Wolf wrote that while Caramon is the physically stronger twin compared to Raistlin, it is the latter who "dominates their relationship".[3] This is equivalent to what studies of real life twins has shown happens.[17]
Jason Heller, of The A.V. Club, calls the twin brothers Caramon and Raistlin "the series most compelling characters" and writes that "Caramon is a large, powerful, goodhearted, slightly childlike warrior; Raistlin is a sickly, complicated, mysterious, morally iffy magician. The dynamic feels like it's lifted straight from Thor and Loki, and that archetypal resonance is what Weis and Hickman are obviously shooting for. And almost entirely hit."[18]
Lauren Davis of io9 notes that while "Caramon is physically strong, but has invested so much of his life and identity in protecting brother that he's blind to Raistlin's growing darkness." Davis notes the flaws of the main characters, commenting that Caramon "isn't sure who he is without his brother—even in a crowded field of characters. That's what lets us weep over doomed characters, shake our heads at foolish ones, rally at moments of true bravery and growth, and sigh over star-crossed lovers. Weis and Hickman may stuff their books with all a sorts of magical creatures and artifacts, but they clearly love their characters and never forget that it's the human(ish) stories that form the series' heart."[19]
In the Io9 series revisiting older Dungeons & Dragons novels, Rob Bricken commented that "Raistlin's twin brother. He's strong, beefy, and not particularly bright. He does love Raistlin unequivocally, which is good because no one else does."[20]
References
- ^ a b Weis, Margaret (March 1984). "The Test of the Twins". Dragon. No. #83. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR. pp. 26–30.
- ^ a b "NY Times - Test of the Twins Query". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
- ^ a b c Wolf 2010, p. 30.
- ^ a b c Wolf 2010, p. 29.
- ^ ISBN 3-577-13505-0.
- ^ Kirchoff, Mary (January 1989). "The Game Wizards". Dragon. No. #141. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR. pp. 68–69.
- ^ a b Bunnell, John C. (May 1986). "The Role of Books". Dragon. No. #109. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR. pp. 36–37.
- ^ Dragons of a Fallen Sun
- ISSN 0954-8661. Retrieved March 29, 2007.
- ^ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia & Lesser, Kirk (April 1990). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (156): 89–95.
- ^ Bigelow, Robert (March 1990). "Through the Looking Glass". Dragon. No. #155. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR. p. 106.
- ^ "Ral Partha AD&D Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms Personality Miniatures". www.dndlead.com.
- ^ "Cast". Cinemagine Media Ltd. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
- ^ Odom, Mel (2008-01-06). "Movie Review: Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight". blogcritics.org. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
- ^ Odom, Mel (2008-01-06). "Movie Review: Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight - Page 3". blogcritics.org. Archived from the original on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
- ^ Hewitt, Ian. "Test of the Twins: Dragonlance Legends Trilogy Book 3 Review -- January 25, 2005". d20zines.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
- ^ Rathmayr 2010, pp. 89–90.
- ^ "The first Dragonlance novels gave Dungeons & Dragons a new dimension". A.V. Club. 13 Jun 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "Why Dragonlance should be the next fantasy film franchise". io9. 11 February 2014.
- ^ Bricken, Rob (August 11, 2021). "Dungeons & Dragons & Novels: Revisiting Dragons of Autumn Twilight". io9. Archived from the original on 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
Bibliography
- Weis, Margaret (March 1984). "The test of the twins". Dragon #83. Vol. VIII, no. 9. TSR. pp. 26–30.
- ISBN 0-7869-1574-9.
- ISBN 0-7869-1609-5.
- ISBN 0-7869-1589-7.
- ISBN 0-7869-1804-7.
- ISBN 0-7869-1805-5.
- ISBN 0-7869-1806-3.
- ISBN 0-7869-2694-5.
- ISBN 0-7869-1314-2.
- ISBN 0-7869-1429-7.
- ISBN 0-7869-1807-1.
- Rathmayr, Reinhard (2010). Zwillinge in der Griechisch-Römischen Antike (in German). Böhlau Verlag Wien. ISBN 978-3205992035.
- ISBN 0-7869-2971-5.
- Wolf, Nadine (2010). Religious Concepts in Fantasy Literature. GRIN Verlag. ISBN 978-3640661428.