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Cards throughout the Throne of Eldraine heavily reference the Arthurian legend of Camelot on one hand and Grimms' Fairy Tales on the other.[1][2] Other fairy tales, not especially compiled by the Grimm brothers, are referenced as well. that The following is a list of specific analogs and references in cards within the set.

Arthurian legend[ | ]

Card(s) Arthurian legend Notes
Ardenvale Paladin Lancelot The most loyal knight (gender reversal).
Ayara, First of Locthwain Morgan le Fay A powerful sorceress and half-sister of King Arthur.
Castle Ardenvale Camelot Castle Ardenvale's architecture may have been inspired by Minas Tirith from the movie version of The Lord of the Rings.
Castle Vantress Avalon A legendary island where Arthur was brought to be healed after his final confrontation with Mordred.
The Cauldron of Eternity The Holy Grail A sacred object that may grant eternal life.[3][4] Lost, and the subject of many quests. May also draw inspiration from Pair Dadeni.
The Circle of Loyalty The Round Table The symbol of Arthur's court and loyal knights.[5]
Doom Foretold The Fisher King The fate that befalls the king's lands after he is injured and unable to produce an heir.
Embercleave Excalibur A magical sword that signified Arthur's status as the true king. In some versions of the story, he is given the sword by the Lady of the Lake, while in other versions he draws the sword from a stone or an anvil. [6]
Emry, Lurker of the Loch Lady of the Lake A likely fey creature who gives Arthur the sword Excalibur in some versions of Arthurian legend.[7]
Gadwick, the Wizened Merlin A legendary, wizened wizard who advised Arthur during his childhood and the majority of his reign.[8]
Garenbrig Paladin The Green Knight A magical being from the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight who invites any member of Arthur's court to cut off his head on the condition that he does the same to them in one year.
The Great Henge Stonehenge Stonehenge plays a small role in some old Arthurian tales, being implied to have magical properties.[9]
Kenrith, the Returned King King Arthur Kenrith's attire is inspired by that worn by King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Oathsworn Knight The Black Knight Also influenced by Monty Python's version.[10]
Once and Future King Arthur Arthur's youth in T.H. White's The Once and Future King
Questing Beast Questing Beast A monster that is the subject of quests undertaken by many famous knights.
Silverflame Ritual Knights of the Round Table The chivalric order associated with Arthur's court.
Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale Guinevere Role reversal (from a damsel in distress to a valiant knight.)

Fairy tales[ | ]

Card(s) Fairytales and Stories Notes
Animating Faerie The Adventures of Pinocchio The Fairy with Turquoise Hair, known in modern retellings as the Blue Fairy, and Pinocchio.
Bake into a Pie The Juniper Tree Serving stepmother (roles reversed).[11][12] Also inspired by "Song of Sixpence", a nursery rhyme.
Similar to the tale of the Rat Cook of Game of Thrones.
Bartered Cow Jack and the Beanstalk Jack bartering the cow in exchange for magic beans.[7]
Beanstalk Giant Jack and the Beanstalk The Giant whose castle in the clouds was found by Jack after he climbed the beanstalk.[7]
Beloved Princess Fairy tales (several) A catch-all representation of various Fairy Tale Princess.
Blow Your House Down The Three Little Pigs "He huffed, and he puffed, and he blew the houses down".[7]
Charmed Sleep Sleeping Beauty and several other tales The sleeping spell that famously afflicted Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and various other fairy tale figures.[7]
Charming Prince Fairy tales (several) A catch-all representation of the various Prince Charming figures in tales such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.[7]
Clackbridge Troll Three Billy Goats Gruff The Troll who kept allowing the goats to cross his bridge, expecting that the last one was the best one to eat.[7]
Claim the Firstborn Rumplestiltskin Rumplestiltskin's payment for showing the maiden how to spin straw into gold was that she give him her firstborn child.
Curious Pair Hansel and Gretel Hansel and Gretel.[7]
Crystal Slipper Cinderella Cinderella's lost slipper.[13][7]
Dance of the Manse Beauty and the Beast The dancing furniture (from the 1991 Disney adaptation).
Dwarven Mine Snow White The workplace of the seven dwarves.[10]
Enchanted Carriage Cinderella The pumpkin carriage that brought Cinderella to the ball. It was pulled by mice which had been turned into horses.[13][7]
Fae of Wishes Sleeping Beauty The good fairy at the baptism of Sleeping Beauty. Her magic turned the bad fairy's curse of death into a curse of sleep.
Faerie Guidemother Cinderella The fairy godmother.[13][10]
Flaxen Intruder Goldilocks and the Three Bears Goldilocks, though in this version she kills the bears.[10]
Foreboding Fruit Snow White The poisoned apple given to Snow White by the evil queen meant to kill her.
Frogify The Frog Prince The prince who had been turned into a frog.
Garruk, Cursed Huntsman Snow White The Huntsman that the evil queen ordered to bring her Snow White's heart.
Giant Killer Jack and the Beanstalk Jack killed the giant at the top of the beanstalk.
Giant Opportunity Jack and the Beanstalk The Magic Beans that sprouted into the beanstalk which led to the giant's palace in the clouds.
Gilded Goose Golden Goose The Goose who laid the golden egg.[10]
Gingerbrute The Gingerbread Man The Gingerbread Man.[14][10]
Gingerbread Cabin Hansel and Gretel The Gingerbread house of the wicked witch.[10]
Glass Casket The Glass Coffin Also seen as Snow White's tomb.[10]
Golden Egg The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs The golden Egg laid by the magic goose.
Happily Ever After Fairy tales (several) The end of every fairy tale.[10]
Inquisitive Puppet The Adventures of Pinocchio Pinocchio.[14][10]
Lovestruck Beast Beauty and the Beast The Beast. The token created by the adventure spell is meant to represent Beauty.
The Magic Mirror Snow White The Magic Mirror.
Malevolent Noble Bluebeard A nobleman who married many women and then killed them on their wedding night.
Merchant of the Vale Jack and the Beanstalk The seller of the beans.[11]
Midnight Clock Cinderella The bell strikes midnight.
Once Upon a Time Fairy tales (several) The start of every fairy tale. In this particular case: Cinderella's dead father[13][15]
Piper of the Swarm Pied Piper of Hamelin The Piper.[15]
Queen of Ice The Snow Queen The Snow Queen.
Rankle, Master of Pranks Rumplestiltskin Rumplestiltskin.
Return to Nature Cinderella The pumpkin carriage and its horses after they were transformed back to their original forms.[13]
Revenge of Ravens Cinderella Similar to the fate of the stepsisters who had their eyes pecked out by ravens.
Rosethorn Acolyte Sleeping Beauty Thorns and brambles around the castle.
Rowan, Fearless Sparkmage Little Red Riding Hood Rowan is wearing a red riding hood.[16]
Seven Dwarves Snow White The Seven Dwarves.[14][15]
Shining Armor Fairy tales (several) Knight in Shining Armor.
Spinning Wheel Sleeping Beauty and Rumplestiltskin Sleeping Beauty's curse caused her to fall into an enchanted sleep after pricking her finger on a spinning wheel, and Rumpelstiltskin showed a woman how to spin straw into gold in exchange for her firstborn child.[14][15]
Tall as a Beanstalk Jack and the Beanstalk Jack growing as the beanstalk (role reversal).
Taste of Death Snow White The poisoned apple.
Tempting Witch Snow White The Evil Queen in her disguise.
Trail of Crumbs Hansel and Gretel The trail leads the pair back home.
Trapped in the Tower Rapunzel Rapunzel in the Tower.[14][15]
True Love's Kiss Fairy tales (several) True Love's Kiss will break all spells (role reversal).[14][15]
Turn into a Pumpkin Cinderella The pumpkin carriage.[13]
Wicked Guardian Fairy tales (several) The evil stepmother.[13][15]
Wicked Wolf The Three Little Pigs The Big, Bad Wolf.[15]
Wildwood Tracker Cinderella Searching for Cinderella.[13]
Wishful Merfolk The Little Mermaid The little mermaid.[15]
Witch's Oven Hansel and Gretel Where the witch finds her demise.[15]
Wolf's Quarry The Three Little Pigs The Three Little Pigs.

Other influences[ | ]

Card(s) Source Notes
All That Glitters The Merchant of Venice
Shrek
All that glitters is not gold
All Star (song lyrics)
Barrow Witches Macbeth The three witches
Brazen Borrower Mary Norton's The Borrowers
Castle Garenbrig The Lion King The castle shape is similar to Pride Rock from the Disney animated movie.
Castle Locthwain Imperial Star Destroyer or Aladdin The castle shape is similar to the classical genie lamp from Aladdin's tale. The castle also appears to fly and matches the silhouette of an Imperial Star Destroyer from the Star Wars franchise.
Chulane, Teller of Tales Irish Myth of Cú Chulainn
Foreboding Fruit The Godfather Whenever fruit appears in the film, it foreshadows death or a near death.
Insatiable Appetite Dutch nursery rhyme of Big Mouth
Korvold, Fae-Cursed King Norse Myth of Fafnir Fafnir was a dwarf whose greed slowly transformed him into a dragon.
Loch Dragon The Neverending Story Falkor the Luck Dragon
Lochmere Serpent Loch Ness Monster
Lonesome Unicorn The Last Unicorn
Oko, the Trickster A Midsummer Night's Dream Puck[17]
Outlaws' Merriment Robin Hood's Merry Men Little John, Friar Tuck, and Will Scarlet (gender reversal)
Overwhelmed Apprentice The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Reaper of Night The Grim Reaper
Robber of the Rich Robin Hood Robin Hood famously stole from the rich to give to the poor, represented by the ability only triggering if the defending player has more cards in hand than you,
Run Away Together The Hunchback of Notre-Dame Esmeralda and Quasimodo.
Sorcerer's Broom The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Wind-Scarred Crag Giant's Causeway A version of the real-life location in Northern Ireland
Wishclaw Talisman The Monkey's Paw

Other Trivia[ | ]

  • The original planned name for the set was Throne of Ardenvale but senior executives didn't approve of it, forcing the change to Eldraine.[18]

References[ | ]

  1. Mark Rosewater (November 11, 2019). "Throne of Eldraine Vision Design Handoff, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. Mark Rosewater (November 18, 2019). "Throne of Eldraine Vision Design Handoff, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. Mark Rosewater (September 16, 2019). "The Holy Grail as mono BLACK?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  4. Mark Rosewater (October 13, 2019). "Think I can get any trivia on The Cauldron of Eternity or any of the legendary artifacts?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  5. Mark Rosewater (September 04, 2019). "The Circle of Loyalty seems more like an enchantment to me.". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  6. Mark Rosewater (September 11, 2019). "Is Embercleave based on excalibur?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  7. a b c d e f g h i j Mark Rosewater (September 23, 2019). "Eldraine Check, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. Mark Rosewater (October 22, 2019). "Was there a specific creature in Eldraine meant to be a Merlin stand in?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  9. Mark Rosewater (October 13, 2019). "What's the Great Henge?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  10. a b c d e f g h i j Mark Rosewater (September 30, 2019). "Eldraine Check, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. a b Mark Rosewater (October 14, 2019). "Odds & Ends: Throne of Eldraine". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. Mark Rosewater (July 11, 2022). "Magic Design from A to Z, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. a b c d e f g h Mark Rosewater (September 9, 2019). "Eldraine or Shine". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. a b c d e f Cynthia Sheppard (September 11, 2019). "Worldbuilding Eldraine". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. a b c d e f g h i j Mark Rosewater (October 7, 2019). "Eldraine Check, Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. Mark Rosewater (October 21, 2019). "More Odds & Ends: Throne of Eldraine". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. Ethan Fleischer (November 3, 2019). "I figured it's time to shed a little light on the Thief of Crowns' humble origin.". Twitter.
  18. Mark Rosewater (August 4, 2023). "How Trivial with Mark Rosewater (Video)". Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.
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