Template:Character Infobox
I am the master of the fairies on this island, and known by the name of Flower Storm Monarch. But please, call me Danann.
– The Flower Storm Monarch's formal introduction[1]
The Flower Storm Monarch (real name: Danann) is the lord of the elves, ruling over Elfhelm on the island of Skellig.
Personality
The Flower Storm Monarch is calm and collected at all times, and is unaffected by all of the chaotic happenings around her or daunting stories of her visitors. She considers it her duty to act as Elfhelm's ambassador to the sorcerer community, in which she disguises herself as a sorceress and acts as an attendant to the elderly gurus.[2] Her modest nature does not change when she reveals her full might. When confronting Puck and Magnifico for their apparent "plot" to usurp her throne and sell elves as pets, she calmly deduces that, rather than being a heinous plan, it is merely a poorly thought-out one, and sentences them to one day of helping the brownies with their chores.[1]
Story
Background
In legend, the Flower Storm Monarch is reputed for her immense power. As such, her name is recorded not only in grimoires, but also in many poems and stories.[3]
The Skull Knight intercepts Guts on the shore near Vritannis, and aware of the swordsman's destination of Elfhelm, offers his fellow sufferer some hope: that the ruler of the land he seeks might be capable of mending Casca's broken mind.[3]
Upon Guts and his group's arrival at Elfhelm, the resident witch Kukka explains that the Flower Storm Monarch possesses access to the "Corridor of Dreams", which enables her to mend the fragmented minds of subjects by looking into the deepest recesses of their hearts.[2]
Fantasia Arc
Danann waiting on the archmages and visitors.
When the group finally reaches Elfhelm, they meet with great gurus of the sorcerer community and a youthful attendant named Danann. After much discussion and a night of rest, Guts' group is lead to the throne room within Elfhelm's great cherry tree. It is at this point that Danann reveals herself to be the Flower Storm Monarch and formally welcomes the party to her domain.[4]
She quickly dismantles the attempt by Puck and Magnifico to usurp her throne, before turning to Guts and his party and addressing the reason they came: to restore Casca's mind, which she states she can most likely do through the "Corridor of Dreams". She selects Schierke and Farnese to assist in the task, asking Guts to stay behind so as to prevent Casca's strong fear of him from impeding the ritual.[1]
As she guides the three women to the ritual chamber, she explains that the Corridor of Dreams will allow them to enter Casca's dreams and find a resolution to the incident responsible for the woman's regressed mental state. Once inside an ethereal chamber of mushrooms, Danann begins the rite, and in the form of ethereal cherry blossom petals guides Schierke and Farnese into Casca's dreamscape.[1]
Notes
- Prior to her physical debut, the initial Dark Horse translation of the manga refers to the Flower Storm Monarch as a male "king". This is an incorrect assumption of her gender, however, as the raw Japanese text uses the gender-neutral kanji 王, which simply means ruler/sovereign and can describe a king or queen. Though the more distinctive alternatives of 王様 (king) and 女王 (queen) exist in Japanese (among others), Miura has consistently used the gender-neutral 王.
- From 2018 onwards, however, reprints of Dark Horse releases do not use "king" and all instances of the transliterated "Hanafubuku" have been replaced with "Flower Storm Monarch".
- Danann shares her name with the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of deities in Irish-Celtic mythology said to have perfected the use of magic.
- When Gedfring reveals that Guts and his group's arrival was foreseen by the Flower Storm Monarch, Schierke ponders over the possibility of the "Moonlight Boy" being an emissary of the ruler.[2]
- Danann is a master pastry chef; her baked goods are so delicious that elderly gurus and young visitors alike cannot resist stuffing their mouths with them.[5]
References
Appendices
Template:Supernatural Beings