Demonland is a large island in Eric Rücker Eddison's fantasy world, described in The Worm Ouroboros. The people who live in Demonland are referred to as demons, though they appear as humans with small horns adorned on their heads.
Detail
Demonland is the setting for much of the action in the story. Although it has a complicated geography, it was never fully defined by the author. Demonland is one of several important realms in the book. The others are Witchland, Impland, Goblinland, the Foliot Isles, and Pixyland. This is how Demonland was described by Lord Juss when he saw it in Chapter 8: In fiction, Demonland is somewhat comparable to Rohan of Middle-earth or Cimmeria in Conan's world. As a real place, Demonland is similar to Norway during the Viking Age, both in geography and in its economy. Eddison describes a rugged land where people follow a pastoral economy inland, while near the ocean there are many ships and fishermen. No major cities are named but many castles are described; each lord of Demonland seems to rule over a territory centered around a castle. Major castles are:
Many other places are named such as Switchwater Way, Glaumry Pike, Rammerick Mere and hundreds more. However, Eddison, unlike his better known contemporary Tolkien, never mapped his world.
Government of Demonland
As Paul Edmund Thomas explains in his introduction to the 1991 edition of the book, Demonland has no clear government. Lord Juss is not a king, and what orders are given are issued after a council meeting. Lord Spitfire says early on "Are not the Demons a free people?" Despite this, the ordinary farmers and fisherfolk of Demonland are content to follow their leaders into battle without much question or complaint. The main leaders of Demonland are the three brothers, Lord Juss, Goldry Bluszco, and Lord Spitfire; as well as one other great lord: Brandoch Daha. Lesser leaders of Demonland are:
Lord Volle of Kartadza
Lord Vizz of Darklairstead
Lord Zigg of Many Bushes
Other notable people from Demonland are: Astar, Tharmrod, Styrkmir, Quazz, and Melchar
Several battles are fought in Demonland during the book:
Battle of Grunda - Corsus of Witchland defeats Lord Vizz of Demonland
Battle of Crossby Outsikes - Corsus defeats and kills Lord Vizz
Battle at the Rapes of Brima - Lord Spitfire defeats Corsus
Battle of Thremnir's Heugh - Lord Corinius of Witchland defeats Lord Spitfire
Battle of Krothering Side - Lord Juss and Brandoch Daha defeat Corinius and the entire Witchland army is driven from Demonland
In addition one other battle is mentioned taking place before the book begins:
Sea battleat the Races of Kartadza - The fleet of Demonland destroys the fleet of the Ghouls
Demonland is also the home to the last of the wild hippogriffs, and a second hippogriffegg is found in the waters of Dule Tarn by Brandoch Daha. This allows Lord Juss to rescue his brother Goldry from the enchanted prison of Zora Rach.
Maps
Gerald Hayes, a cartographer with the Royal Navy, created the first map for The Worm Ouroboros circa 1925 - initially from internal evidence, and later in consultation with Eddison. He states in a letter to C.S. Lewis that he secured Eddison's approval "as a true presentation of all the lands, seas, and countries of his history". Source: Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Vol II, page 559. Not sure if it still exists! States crude copy made for Lewis.
A rough map was created by J. B. Hare in 2004 and can be .
Another map of the world by Bernard Morris was published in Twilight Zine No. 4 and reprinted in the book An Atlas of Fantasy in 1979.
The map on this page was created by David Bedell in 1978.
