F is for — Fflewddur Fflam from Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain.
I love humorous characters, and Fflewddur Fflam definitely fits the bill. He is actually king of a very small kingdom, though in his heart, he is a bard and often wanders with his magical harp, noting that his kingdom seems to carry on just fine without him.
In The Book of Three, the first book of the Chronicles, Fflewddur is mistakenly rescued from a dungeon cell by Princess Eilonwy, another VERY humorous character. He joins the princess and Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, on their dangerous journey to Caer Dathyl to warn of an imminent attack by the evil Horned King. Along the way, Fflewddur regales his companions with the brave and mighty deeds he’s done in battle, but whenever he lies or exaggerates, the strings on his magical harp snap resoundingly, causing him to hastily revise his stories in mid-breath.
Despite his many exaggerations, Fflewddur proves his mettle in countless battles throughout the five-book series, his courage and loyalty unquestionable. I’d welcome him on my team any day.
Fflewddur Fflam from Disney’s Black Cauldron, 1985
Photo Credit: Disney Wikia
Chronicles of Prydain: The Book of Three,
The Black Cauldron
Chronicles of Prydain: The Castle of Llyr,
Taran Wanderer,
The High King
Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams 
Fflweddur Flam is my favourite character in the Prydain series! As a child, I would breathlessly anticipate the snapping of those harpstrings. 🙂
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Yes, Fflewddur and Princess Eilonwy always made me laugh.
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I’m not familiar with this series, but I love humorous characters also! Fflweddur Flam sounds like a cool one!
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It’s a very good series I read when I was growing up. He is way cool.
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I have to admit I’ve never read these Chronicles, but you’ve got me intrigued. Deb @ http://debioneille.blogspot.com
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I really enjoyed them. I hope you get a chance to read them sometime.
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I’ve heard of this writer, but never read this book. It sounds good though.
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They were fun to read!
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Cool! Is The Book of Three the first book in the series? It looks interesting and I want to add it to my wishlist.
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Yes, The Book of Three is first. Happy reading!
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Yay! I love Lloyd Alexander! And Fflewddur Fflam is a wonderful character; that moment when the strings don’t snap as he is describing his brave deeds… until he says he was not afraid… great stuff! Thanks for reminding me of him!
Melanie Atherton Allen
http://www.athertonsmagicvapour.com
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You’re welcome! And thanks for visiting!
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