Arthur Eld

Arthur Eld is a fictional character in author Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. Often depicted in tapestries riding his white horse, Llamrei, Arthur Eld is the great king of All-World and warrior of the White.

The story of Arthur Eld is both mythical and historical. The mythical Arthur Eld was said to have risen after the Prim receded, thus predating the Great Old Ones. The historical Arthur Eld would have lived seven hundred years before Roland’s birth. It is impossible to say which story is true, or even if one story is completely true.

What is true is that Arthur Eld sired both the line of Deschain through one of his gillies, Emmanuelle Deschain, as well as the Crimson King, by impregnating the Crimson Queen. Thus the human line of the Eld serves the White, while the demonic side serves the Red, or Outer Dark.

It is believed that the first guns used in Mid-World were used by Arthur Eld, though where he obtained them still stands as mystery. Some said that he obtained them from the Dark Tower, but no evidence can confirm it. Arthur remained the only carrier of guns for many years until they were severely damaged in battle. After this he rebuilt the guns with parts forged from the metal of his sword, Excalibur. This was also when he had duplicates of the guns made, training the knights of his roundtable in their use, and the era of Gunslingers began. The Guns of Eld were passed from father to son, and eventually come into the possession of the last of the line of Eld, Roland Deschain.

Original artwork by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove

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References

Flamini, Anthony. The Dark Tower: Gunslinger's Guidebook. Marvel Publishing, Inc., 2007.

Furth, Robin. Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance. Scribner, 2006. ISBN 0743297342