SIX DEGREES: From Gandalf to Eanrin

Last week, DJ kicked off our Six Degrees of Kool Books game with his post about The Hobbit Characters. And while at first I was relieved he had picked a story I was familiar with, I soon realized the difficulty therein. I am SO familiar with that story, those characters, how can I possibly come up with a character that reminds me of Bilbo, or Thorin, or Gandalf. They are all so unique, how could I compare them to other characters? And how could I pick just one?I mulled over this dilemma for several days before I was able to come up with an answer. The answer came, as answers normally do, as I was falling asleep. Why the best ideas always hit me then, I have no idea, they just do.The character from The Hobbit is Gandalf, and the character he reminds me of is Eanrin from The Tales of Goldstone Wood. As this may seem like a leap to some of you who have read both stories, let me explain why I see similarities between these two characters. But first, pictures!  As you can see in the pictures, they obviously look quite different. So why do I feel that Eanrin reminds me of Gandalf? Well... They both possess a sort of magic. Gandalf has magic because he is a wizard, Eanrin has magic because he's one of the fairy folk.They have both lived a great many years.They both are a bit cryptic when they speak, often giving information or advice in rather confusing or round-about ways. Neither one speaks plainly very often.They both have a knack for disappearing just when you think you need them most, and returning in the nick of time... or not... as the case may be.They both wear hats.They both get rather impatient with the other characters they are helping at times.They both are on a sacred mission from the "God" or "Creator" figure in the book. Of course there are differences. For one, Eanrin appears fairly young, while Gandalf has a long gray beard. Gandalf is a wizard, while Eanrin is a bard/poet. Eanrin is also a cat. (When he's not a man - it's part of who he is as one of the fair folk). For Eanrin, there's a love interest, while we never hear any hint of that with Gandalf. So, yes, they are fairly different. But as characters, the more I think about it, the more Eanrin does remind me rather a lot of Gandalf.The Tales of Goldstone Wood chronicle the events that take place in a world that very closely borders an unseen world filled with magic, beauty, danger, and unexplainable things. Some other characters in this series are Rose Red, who is by far my favorite character. I think I love her because I never feel like I have to shout at her. Even when she's angry and feels like everyone has betrayed her or that she's all alone, she still does the right thing. She may not do it right away, and she may try other methods first, but she's always working towards going in the correct direction. She is brave and spirited, loyal and filled with imagination, and yet she's also humble, shy, and a bit quiet.Then there's Lionheart (or Leonard). The man destined to be king, but who discovers that when it comes right down to it, he'd really rather be anything else. He struggles with what he knows to be his duty, and his desire to prove himself worthy of doing that duty, and his utter lack of desire to actually carry that duty. He is such an interesting mixture of noble, cowardly, brave, serious, comical, sincere, and disloyal that it is spins your head around. But there's always just a glimmer of hope throughout his story that makes me as the reader desperately want those best qualities in him to shine through. That wants him to discover a way to be the noble prince he really is, without having to be the king he doesn't want to be.In the later books there's Daylily, the elegant, refined, lady who has been brought up by her father specifically to marry a prince and gain more power than she would get in any other way. But though she keeps a tight rein on herself, there is a deadly wolf living in her heart that terrifies her. Daylily keeps this beast chained, always acting exactly as she should, afraid that if she lets out her true nature it will do harm to the ones she loves.Another favorite of mine is Dame Imraldera, whose backstory is just so full and rich that I could spend pages writing about her. A mortal woman whose story begins in tragedy and yet turns into triumph. Serving the Prince of Farthest Shore, Imraldera has acted as protector over her homeland for centuries, working side-by-side with Eanrin. Her main task is to chronicle all history, stories, ballads, songs, poetry, and the like so that none of them will ever be lost. But she is far more than just a librarian. She is also a healer, a warrior, and a guardian. There are plenty of other wonderful characters I could tell you about, but I'm going to stop for now. If you want to know more about this fantastic book series, you can go to my Recommended Reads tab and read some of my book reviews on this series. Or you can hop on over to Anne Elisabeth Stengl's Website and read more about her books and characters there!Hopefully I mentioned enough characters to spark an idea for anyone who might wish to participate in this game next week! Don't forget to pop over and read the posts of other bloggers participating today. So far, I know J.L. Mbewe already has her post up (link down by the Mister Linky sign-up), and (oddly enough) she also picked Gandalf... but ran in a completely different direction with him! Nope, we didn't plan that! :) This is part of why this game is so much fun!For more information about SIX DEGREES OF KOOL BOOKS and how you can participate in the game, please see my ORIGINAL POST about it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!