Harps and Harpers in Contemporary Fantasy

The magic of a musical instrument, which from a few pieces of metal, wood or string can produce such a variety of exciting and pleasurable sounds, is fascinating to children, even though they may not always care to devote themselves to the discipline of practice needed for mastery of its potential. When realistic children's books show modern children engaged in the struggles and joys of mastering an instrument, that instrument tends, reasonably enough, to be Pennington's piano, Minna Pratt's cello, or perhaps a violin. In fantasies, however, the favorite instrument is a harp, which since the time of Jack's adventures up the beanstalk has the reputation of being able to play by itself, saving its possessor the nuisance of lessons and practicing. This appealing quality aside, one might wonder why there should be so many significant harps in fantasies written for young people, and what patterns of association and meaning can be found in their literary role.

Although the harp is an ancient instrument found in many cultures, including those of Egypt and the Mediterranean, its literary associations in the West are predominantly with the Celtic tradition, and herein doubtless lies much of its appeal to fantasists. The reliance of modern fantasists, particularly those writing for children, upon many elements of Celtic legend has often been noted. A picturesque element in this tradition has always been the figure of the bard—honored poet, musician, and historian of his people, who accompanies his lays by playing his harp. Among the many major children's writers who draw upon Celtic legend in their own writing, such as J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Susan Cooper, Alan Garner, William Mayne, Nancy Bond, Lloyd Alexander and Joan Aiken, most find a use for the bard and his preeminently Celtic instrument, the harp, as a crucial element in their stories, not merely as Celtic coloring but as significant in the revelation or growth of character, and in the working out of the plot. In some, the harp does remain simply an icon; in others, it becomes a real instrument with which human (and sometimes nonhuman) characters have a credible interaction.

The harps of fantasy, like the Celtic harps from which they are drawn, are quite different from the concert or pedal harp found in modern symphony orchestras. They are much smaller instruments, which a character may carry under one arm or on the back, sometimes while riding a horse or a bicycle, swimming across a lake or exploring subterranean caverns. Thus they seem more clearly and personally associated with the individual musician than would the large, concert harp which, like a piano, is not readily moved about; the fantasy bard with his harp slung behind him seems rather like a youth of the 1960s with his guitar slung behind him. Truly fantastic, though, is that when the little harp is played after undergoing some of these dramatic experiences, its 20 or 30 strings are still in tune! Although the historical Irish, Scottish, or Welsh harp was made of wood, with strings of gut or wire, some of the fantasy harps are made of solid gold. While it is hard to imagine what this would sound like, the association of the instrument with the precious metal clearly is intended to imply the great value of the harp and its music.

Three main motifs are notable in the literary use of the harp, at least in children's fantasy. The harp often embodies an idea of the power of music, sometimes just over an individual listener but more often within a whole society, as the human need for and susceptibility to music is conveyed through the response to the music and songs of the harper-bard. The harper's own musical skill and accomplishment is often represented as a quasi-divine gift, which singles him or her out from other people; skill on the harp may appear in fantasy as a test of this special worth, which includes other qualities beyond mere technical ability. Finally, in many fantasies the harp itself may be the vehicle of redemptive sacrifice.

In Tolkien...