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As ruler of this island's elves, I am formally known as the Flower Storm Monarch. But please, call me Danan.
– The Flower Storm Monarch's formal introduction[3]

The Flower Storm Monarch (real name Danan[expl 1]) is the queen 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 beyond her domain, or by the daunting stories of her visitors. She considers it her duty to act as Elfhelm's ambassador to the mage community, in which she styles herself as a mage and acts as an attendant to the elderly gurus.[4] 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.[3]

Appearance[]

In her true form, Danan is a humanoid elf who, unlike previously seen elves, is similar in size to humans.[5] According to Kentarou Miura artwork, her skin has a pale pink hue and her long hair and dress are made of deep pink flower petals. She has bright white antennae on her head and insect wings similar to those of dragonflies. Her eyes are coral pink and she always carries a long cane with a pearl on the end. According to Studio Gaga artwork, her more human form shows her hair with a yellowish-green hue and round red jewels, not unlike tree fruits. She wears purple garbs similar to Schierke's and a blue jewel that hangs right on her forehead. Her hat is adorned with flowers, and her cape is fastened with a heart-shaped brooch. In this form, she is always seen with closed eyes.[1][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

Abilities[]

Magic: Danan 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.[4]

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.[12]

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.[12]

Upon Guts and his group's arrival in 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.[4]

Story[]

Fantasia Arc[]

Manga E345 Attendant Danan

Danan waiting on the archmages and visitors.

When the group finally reaches Elfhelm, they meet with the great gurus of Skellig's mage community and a youthful attendant named Danan. 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 Danan reveals herself to be the Flower Storm Monarch and formally welcomes the party to her domain.[5]

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.[3]

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, Danan begins the ritual, and in the form of ethereal cherry blossom petals guides Schierke and Farnese into Casca's dreamscape.[3] Following the ritual's completion and the restoration of Casca's mind, Danan states that it is Casca's decision alone as to how she will confront her trauma, and that she may now make such a decision thanks to Schierke and Farnese.[6] After Casca enters a state of shock upon seeing Guts, Danan later gifts Farnese her old mage garbs in celebration of Farnese's magical enrichment, and sends Schierke and Farnese off to practice their magic while attending to Casca.[7] Later, she meets Skull Knight during a visit to the mausoleum of the Lady Priestess of the Cherry Blossoms.[8] That night, when the mysterious child appears before Guts. Though Danan confirms she does not know who the child is, she surmises that the boy is no ordinary child. During the following morning, Danan and the Great Gurus observe the Moonlight Boy as he did not vanish due to the island's different time flow.[9]

After the appearance of Griffith in Skellig, as the group of Danan, Isidro, Isma and Serpico settle down for the night, Danan falls to her knees in agony, telling of an "overflowing tide from the depths of the earth".[10] Shortly afterward, the group is surrounded by a mass coming from the foundations of the island, with Skull Knight opening a clear for them to escape.[13] Now close to the shore, individuals of an astral nature begin to fade away, to which Danan remarks that it is time for them to leave the Physical World. Shortly after, Danan herself and the astral creatures native to Elfhelm fully fade away.[11]

Portrayal[]

Japanese Voice Actor(s)[]

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 consistently used the gender-neutral 王.
    • From 2018 onward, reprints of Dark Horse releases do not use "king" and all instances of the transliterated "Hanafubuku" have been replaced with "Flower Storm Monarch".
  • Danann is the genitive form of Danu, a hypothetical mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who are themselves 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.[4]
  • Danan 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.[1]
  • Schierke notes that Danan and the Lady Priestess of the Cherry Blossoms bear a strong resemblance.[8]

Gallery[]

Explanations[]

  1. ^ In official Japanese Berserk material (specifically volume 40's "introduction of characters" section), her English name is printed as Danan.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 39, "Great Gurus"
  2. ^ Volume 42 inside flap
  3. ^ a b c d Berserk :: Volume 39, "Flower Storm Monarch"
  4. ^ a b c d Berserk :: Volume 39, "Village of Witches"
  5. ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 39, "Elfhelm"
  6. ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 41, "Barrier"
  7. ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 41, "Cherry Orchard"
  8. ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 41, "Leaping Monkey"
  9. ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 41, "Teardrop of Morning Dew"
  10. ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 42, "Mistful Fading of the Cherry Blossoms"
  11. ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 42, "Fading Isle"
  12. ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 28, "Proclaimed Omen"
  13. ^ Berserk :: Volume 42, "Devourers"
  14. ^ https://twitter.com/berserk_project/status/1472148345317892097

Appendices[]

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